3 Reasons Jesus Did Not Go To Hell

Many who read the above verses are quick to conclude that Jesus went to Hell (or the place of torment)

When it mentions these spirits in prison, it is talking about persons who are walking around but who are dead in trespasses and sins spiritually speaking.

Spiritually dead people aren't also alive and walking around in prison. The passage is speaking of hades as a prison where the souls of the unsaved go.


1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

The context is what Christ did while he was dead.

Spiritually dead people aren't also alive and walking around in prison. The passage is speaking of hades as a prison where the souls of the unsaved go.


1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;

The context is what Christ did while he was dead.

1 Peter 3:18–22 (ESV): For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Many who read the above verses are quick to conclude that Jesus went to Hell (or the place of torment) to preach to the captives there. I reject this position. I do not think the above verses teach this. Here are three reasons why:

1. The context does not support it.
The context of these verses is an encouragement from Peter to continue to do good and be faithful even in the face of false accusations and persecutions. Why would Jesus preaching to those in torment from the days of Noah provide encouragement to these Christians to endure faithfully?

2. The Spirit of Christ = The Holy Spirit.
Peter here is referring to the spirit of Christ that preached to the disobedient. In other words, Peter is referring to the preaching of Noah that was inspired by the Holy Spirit/Spirit of Christ. We see this terminology used elsewhere in this same letter from Peter:

1 Peter 1:10–11 (ESV): 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.

So, Peter also refers to the “Spirit of Christ” at work in the prophets just two chapters prior. Thus, it would only make sense here that Peter is also referring to the preaching of the Spirit of Christ in Noah just prior to the flood. The ”disobedient” are now in prison due to their rejection of that preaching, not that the preaching happened while they are were in spiritual prison.

3. The Bible does not teach post-mortem repentance.
Hebrews 9:27 (ESV): And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. Not only does the Bible not teach the possibility of post-mortem repentance, it teaches the opposite. Only in this life do we have the opportunity to repent and find salvation. If the dead have the opportunity to repent at the preaching of Jesus, why should we preach? And if the opportunity was only afforded to those from the days of Noah, why would God grant them this unique opportunity? And again, what would the idea of post-mortem repentance have to do with encouraging Christians to endure hardship for the sake of righteousness? Wouldn‘t the idea of the wicked getting a second chance to repent be, at best irrelevant, and at worst discouraging? Some might argue that Jesus‘ preaching to them in prison does not mean they were able to repent. Why would Jesus preach to the condemned if they had no opportunity to respond? Just to show them how wrong they were? And again, if so, why focus specifically on the disobedient in Noah’s time and not in Jeremiah or Isaiah’s time?

What is Peter teaching?
For me, the clear message here from Peter is that Christians should not shrink back from suffering for righteousness’ sake. The struggle they are facing is a temporary one. One day, they will be saved from the challenges they now face. Just as Noah was mocked and scoffed at, enduring the evils of his era righteously, he was saved by God from that evil through the flood. The wicked that persecuted Noah in his righteousness and obedience are now in prison. In the same way, baptism saves us from the evil of this world and points to our ultimate salvation from those who mock, scoff, and mistreat us. Thus, we should not be discouraged or lose heart. Just as Noah was vindicated, so also, Christians will be vindicated who remain faithful and do not lose heart.

It is not talking about the unsaved being in any kind of underworld hell except in the sense that they are people who are unsaved and need saving

The Bible is very clear that Christ did NOT go to Gehenna, which is the Luke of Fire, and the real Hell. No one has gone into the Lake of Fire as yet.

But the word "hell" was mistakenly used for the place called Sheol in the OT and Hades in the NT. And that is exactly where Christ was for three days and three nights after His crucifixion and before His resurrection. And here is the evidence:

For thou wilt not leave my soul in [Sheol]; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Psalm 16:10 KJB)
International Standard Version
For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, you will not allow your holy one to experience corruption.
***************
Because thou wilt not leave my soul in [Hades], neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. (Acts 2:27 KJB)
Stephanus Textus Receptus 1550
ὅτι οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδου, οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν
International Standard Version
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades or allow your Holy One to experience decay.

After death all souls and spirits (righteous or unrighteous) went to Hades until the resurrection of Christ. It was virtually a prison for the righteous until the resurrection of Christ. But Tartarus -- the prison for evil angels -- is in close proximity. So Christ PROCLAIMED His victory on the cross to all these souls and spirits and evil angels. Not the Gospel because that was not the purpose.

Then upon His resurrection, He took all the OT saints with Him to Heaven (the New Jerusalem). But the unrighteous and the evil angels will wait for their final judgment in the future.

This is talking about about the seed of victory. The point of this whole passage is that Jesus pierced defeat at the cross and sowed a seed of victory deeper than anyone could. He went through Hell and even beyond the OT demons in Hell to the very essence of existence to establish everlasting victory. Jesus showed victory by preaching the gospel to even the deepest depths and then beyond - to the deepest.

Even if this were the point Peter is making (which I dont even really understand how ”preaching” to people in Hell would be indicative of a greater “victory”), why would this matter to the topic at hand or Christians enduring persecution for righteousness sake?

I disagree with your point about “hades.” Hades is a Greek term for death, or the grave.[/QUOTE]You are wrong on all three counts.

1. Hades is the abode of departed souls and spirits AFTER death. The account of the Rich Man and Lazarus confirms this. The presence of Christ in Hades further confirms this.

2. And Hades cannot be called "the grave" because a grave is a place on the surface of the earth for burial. But Christ said very specifically said that Hades is "in the heart of the earth" or "the lower parts of the earth". That would be somewhere near the core of the earth (a long way from the surface).

3. It was never a place of torment for the righteous OT saints. Only for the unrighteous and only until the final judgment. "Abraham's Bosom" implies a resting place. These saints had been justified by grace through faith, therefore there would never be any torment for them.

I trust you will accept this biblical explanation and abandon your current views. Everything in this post in supported by Scripture, and Abraham is presented to us as the key figure in justification by grace through faith (in Romans 4).

Act 2:25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
Act 2:26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
Act 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Act 2:28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
Act 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Act 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Act 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell (hades), neither his flesh did see corruption.
Act 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.


Proof Jesus' soul was in Hades.


Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Eph 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)


Hades is said to exist "downward" implying it's somewhere in the Earth, in a spiritual dimension of course, 2Pe_2:4, Luk_10:15, Eze_31:16, Isa_14:15.

Even if this were the point Peter is making (which I dont even really understand how ”preaching” to people in Hell would be indicative of a greater “victory”), why would this matter to the topic at hand or Christians enduring persecution for righteousness sake?

Ahh, I see what you’re saying. The spirits in prison could’ve been the ones in prison on earth in Noah’s time, and that Noah preached to them before getting on the Ark?

Yes. I think James is saying the same Spirit of Christ that raised Jesus from the dead was at work in Noah when he preached to the disobedient in his day, who are now condemned in prison. So, the point is, as Christians we shouldnt be discouraged when we suffer for righteousness sake. We will be vindicated and the wicked will be judged for their actions, just like what happened in the days of Noah. Though the righteous suffer, God rescues us from sin through the waters of baptism just like he rescued Noah through the waters of the flood.

1 Peter 3:18–22 (ESV): For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Many who read the above verses are quick to conclude that Jesus went to Hell (or the place of torment) to preach to the captives there. I reject this position. I do not think the above verses teach this. Here are three reasons why:

1. The context does not support it.
The context of these verses is an encouragement from Peter to continue to do good and be faithful even in the face of false accusations and persecutions. Why would Jesus preaching to those in torment from the days of Noah provide encouragement to these Christians to endure faithfully?

2. The Spirit of Christ = The Holy Spirit.
Peter here is referring to the spirit of Christ that preached to the disobedient. In other words, Peter is referring to the preaching of Noah that was inspired by the Holy Spirit/Spirit of Christ. We see this terminology used elsewhere in this same letter from Peter:

1 Peter 1:10–11 (ESV): 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.

So, Peter also refers to the “Spirit of Christ” at work in the prophets just two chapters prior. Thus, it would only make sense here that Peter is also referring to the preaching of the Spirit of Christ in Noah just prior to the flood. The ”disobedient” are now in prison due to their rejection of that preaching, not that the preaching happened while they are were in spiritual prison.

3. The Bible does not teach post-mortem repentance.
Hebrews 9:27 (ESV): And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment. Not only does the Bible not teach the possibility of post-mortem repentance, it teaches the opposite. Only in this life do we have the opportunity to repent and find salvation. If the dead have the opportunity to repent at the preaching of Jesus, why should we preach? And if the opportunity was only afforded to those from the days of Noah, why would God grant them this unique opportunity? And again, what would the idea of post-mortem repentance have to do with encouraging Christians to endure hardship for the sake of righteousness? Wouldn‘t the idea of the wicked getting a second chance to repent be, at best irrelevant, and at worst discouraging? Some might argue that Jesus‘ preaching to them in prison does not mean they were able to repent. Why would Jesus preach to the condemned if they had no opportunity to respond? Just to show them how wrong they were? And again, if so, why focus specifically on the disobedient in Noah’s time and not in Jeremiah or Isaiah’s time?

What is Peter teaching?
For me, the clear message here from Peter is that Christians should not shrink back from suffering for righteousness’ sake. The struggle they are facing is a temporary one. One day, they will be saved from the challenges they now face. Just as Noah was mocked and scoffed at, enduring the evils of his era righteously, he was saved by God from that evil through the flood. The wicked that persecuted Noah in his righteousness and obedience are now in prison. In the same way, baptism saves us from the evil of this world and points to our ultimate salvation from those who mock, scoff, and mistreat us. Thus, we should not be discouraged or lose heart. Just as Noah was vindicated, so also, Christians will be vindicated who remain faithful and do not lose heart.