I've read more than once that Jesus went to Hell...?

Question

I'm obviously not a Christian, but am interested in why this happened. What did he do or ? explain please. thanks

I didn't write that properly... what did he do? meant..what did he do wrong or ? to be sent to this Hell.

Answer 1

Some Christians believe that after he died, Jesus did descend into hell before the resurrection. Not all do, apparently, because it took me by surprise once when attending a funeral in a church outside my then-denomination. When reciting the creed, which I used to know by heart, the words "and descended into hell" made me stop and think 'where'd that come from?'

Someone else can give the the reasoning why - probably as part of paying mankind's debt. I'm not really sure.

Answer 2

People are sinners, and have no redemption at all, save through Jesus Christ. Had it not been for him, we all would wind up in hell, in eternal punishment. God, in his love, sent down his only son, wholly man yet wholly perfect, to die for our sins, in our place. Jesus went through his life tempted and tried as all people are, yet he did so perfectly, unfaltering and without sin. When he was killed by the people, as was prophesied, he died and went to hell, for OUR sins, not his, freeing us from the hopeless end we were bound to, and on the third day, he rose from the dead, triumphant over the grave and defeating sin forever. Some time later, after spending a month or more with his disciples, he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, till the day of judgment when he will come down to earth a second time, to judge his people.

Through Jesus' death, those who ask for his grace receive it, being able to be forgiven of a sin, however great or small, if only they truly repent of it. Before Jesus, the high priests would sacrifice a lamb for the people's sins, but now, Christ being the perfect sacrifice, we no longer need to sacrifice; Jesus was the one sacrifice, and now ours sins are forgiven. We only need ask.

It is kind of a tough subject, and I am by no means a great theologian, but I hope this might have cleared things up a little.

Answer 3

The Holy Spirit went and preached to those who were in Hebrew - Sheol and Greek - Hades (the place of the dead). These spirits were in the place of the dead or grave waiting for Christ's sacrificial death. They were apparently given the choice to accept Him. The word for the final place of torment called Hell is Gehenna.

1 Peter 3:18-20 (New International Version)

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,

Answer 4

You're referring to Matthew and Ephesians:

Matt 12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Ephesians 4:9, says of Jesus: "Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the LOWER PARTS OF THE EARTH."

and

The Apostles' Creed states that Jesus, "was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead." The Athanasian Creed, speaking of Jesus, asserts, "Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead." Therefore, two of the three great ancient creeds affirm that Jesus "descended into hell" sometime between His crucifixion and resurrection.

Answer 5

Jesus went to upper hades which was considered Abraham's bosom that was separated by a large gulf from lower hades (which was where those that didn't believe was tormented). Those in upper hades believed in the coming of Jesus as the savior of the world, but they never lived to see it. So that had faith in someone they never had the chance to see, or meet. Because of that Jesus went to present Himself to all who believed that He would come, to say that He was the Christ, The Messiah, The Savior of the world, To deliver them from Hades. Then He gathered them together after He first resurrected from the dead, they resurrected as well and was seen on earth by many for several days before He and all had ascended to Heaven. So now those that were in Upper Hades now reside in what we call Heaven where Father God, and Jesus(sitting on the right hand of Father God resides).

Answer 6

ARTICLE 5
"HE DESCENDED INTO HELL ON THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN"

631 Jesus "descended into the lower parts of the earth. He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens."476 The Apostles' Creed confesses in the same article Christ's descent into hell and his Resurrection from the dead on the third day, because in his Passover it was precisely out of the depths of death that he made life spring forth:


Christ, that Morning Star, who came back from the dead,
and shed his peaceful light on all mankind,
your Son who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.477

Paragraph 1. Christ Descended into Hell

632 The frequent New Testament affirmations that Jesus was "raised from the dead" presuppose that the crucified one sojourned in the realm of the dead prior to his resurrection.478 This was the first meaning given in the apostolic preaching to Christ's descent into hell: that Jesus, like all men, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead. But he descended there as Savior, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there.479


633 Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, "hell"—Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek—because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God.480 Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man Lazarus who was received into "Abraham's bosom":481 "It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Savior in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell."482 Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him.483


634 "The gospel was preached even to the dead."484 The descent into hell brings the Gospel message of salvation to complete fulfillment. This is the last phase of Jesus' messianic mission, a phase which is condensed in time but vast in its real significance: the spread of Christ's redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption.


635 Christ went down into the depths of death so that "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live."485 Jesus, "the Author of life," by dying destroyed "him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and [delivered] all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage."486 Henceforth the risen Christ holds "the keys of Death and Hades," so that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth."487

Answer 7

When Jesus died he died for everyone both living and the dead. While he was in hell which in this cast meant lower regions he talked to some of the souls there.

Answer 8

Jesus was Jewish. The Hebrew for the grave is Sheol. Translated as hell in the bible. He was in the tomb three days and three nights even as Johna was in the belly of the great fish.

Answer 9

It comes from the Apostl'es creed.

It references Sheol, not specifically The Abyss. Christ went to Sheol to "rescue" those who died before the blood price was paid, and to minister to those who were before The Word Became Flesh. That is the myth, anyway. It is not found in scripture, but is found in the writings of 1st and 2nd century Christians.

Answer 10

If I recall the teachings about this correctly, it was more or less to get those who had died sorted between heaven and hell since he was suppose to be the one to open the gates of heaven to those who had been held back due to Adam and Eve's indiscretion.