Why would Jesus need to go to Hell after he died? There was nobody there...?

Question

Peter says that Jesus went to Hell to preach the gospel. However, Revelation says that the dead won't be judged until the end times after the 1,000 years.

Doesn't that mean that Hell is empty?

1 Peter 3
18For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,

Sorry, the Devil gets cast into Hell at the end times too. Not even the devil was in Hell.... Hell was completely empty.

Answer 1

Hell is a state of mind.

Answer 2

There is a teaching that suggests that all the dead were in a purgatory-like state (sometimes called the bosom of Abraham) before the death of Jesus. This place is also called Hades (borrowed from the greek name for the god of the underworld since the majority of the New Testament was written in Greek). Hades is often translated as hell. Also, Christians believe that the only good definition for heaven is the presence of God and the only good definition for hell is the absence of God (until the day of judgment). So, the story goes, He went to hades and preached (proclaimed) His defeat over death, and all who believed would be saved and taken to heaven (not the final heaven. No one is there yet). But, your knowledge of the word is pretty amazing for a non-believer!

Answer 3

At 1Peter 3:20 the "spirits in prison" are described as having "once been disobedient when the patience of God was waiting in Noah's days".In his second inspired letter to Christians,Peter refers to them as "angels that sinned"(2Peter2:4,5).And the disciple Jude adds "The angels that did not keep their original position but forsook their own proper dwelling place he has reserved with eternal bonds under dense darkness for the judgement of the great day"(Jude 6).
As the time of Jesus' preaching to the "spirits in prison",Peter,after pointing out that Christ had been "made alive in the spirit" continues:"In this state(that is,Jesus' state as spirit person) also he went his way and preached to the "spirits in prison"(1Peter3:18,19).This would place Jesus' preaching to them after his resurrection to spirit life.And Peter's use of the past tense("preached")suggests that such preaching was done prior to the writing of his first letter (about 62-64CE).
Oh,I forgot to mention that the concept of a fiery place of torment such as 'hell' is not a Bible teaching.When we die we go back to the ground and are non existent.This is what the bible teaches(Eccl.9:5)

Answer 4

You forgot the other verse I quoted you. 1 Peter 4:6.
For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
Jesus went to hades to offer salvation to all who would accept it of the ante-diluvians (pre great flood people) and others before his advent.

Answer 5

When God threw Lucifer out of Heaven, He created hell for the devil and his demons to live in. Satan walks among us on earth but lives in hell.

Jesus did not go to hell. He went to the dead to tell them that He was here, died and will resurrect and then ascend into Heaven, opening the gate of Heaven for them so they may enter into eternal life with God. You need to look at the ancient Hebrew and Aramaic for hell, place of the dead; there is Sheoul and Gehenna. The word hell didn't exist until Greek and Latin came into being. Jesus did go to hell because He didn't need to visit Satan. He went to the place of the dead to take them out of there and join Him in Heaven.

Answer 6

Why would Jesus need to go to Hell after he died? There was nobody there...?
According to bible those who sinneth shall die, but chrsitian believes that an infallible person should have died for others sin.
In reality Jesus never went to hell, he is very pious and beloved to God. God is not unjust to send someone to hell for none of his sins.

Answer 7

Did the world stop turning after the first century ended? Christian History still had to be played out before the Judgment would come.

Answer 8

Romans 6:23 says the wages sin pays is death. So, people that have already died wouldn't need to be judged because they already paid their dues by dying. So I guess hell was empty.

Answer 9

"Prison" refers to hades = sheol = paradise - all words that mean the same thing. Think of it as "the place of departed spirits" Note in 1 Peter it says "prison" - not "hell". Hell is reserved for Satan (the lake of fire) and his apostate angels.

Answer 10

No. If you knew how to read you would see that Peter does not say Jesus went to hell.

Answer 11

He had to get the keys...

Revelation 1:18
"and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades"

He claimed authority over death and hell:

Ephesians 4:8-10 "Therefore it says,

"WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH,
HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES,
AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN."

(Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.) "

There was a form of heaven and hell, as related in this story;

'The Rich Man and Lazarus' Luke 16:19-31

"Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man's table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers--in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' But he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!' But he said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.'"