The sky went dark.
The earth groaned.
The curtain tore from top to bottom.
And the Son of God breathed His last.
“When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished,’ and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (John 19:30)
God Himself bled and died… His body was laid in a tomb… But there’s a lingering question that remains:
Where did His spirit go?
Did Jesus descend into hell?
Did He suffer further beyond the cross?
Or did He enter the shadowed realm of the dead to proclaim victory?
The Bible gives us clues… not all the answers, but enough to reveal the glory behind the mystery.
Let’s talk about it.
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word for the realm of the dead is Sheol. It’s a place of departed souls. The Greek New Testament uses the word Hades (ᾅδης), meaning the same thing.
Sheol was not yet “hell” as we think of it (the lake of fire, Gehenna). It was a waiting place.
“Between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.” (Luke 16:26)
The righteous dead, like Abraham and the prophets, rested in peace. This resting place is sometimes called Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22).
The wicked awaited judgment in another place. A place of lack, darkness, and perpetual want (Luke 16:23).
When Jesus died, His body lay in the tomb, but His spirit entered Hades, the realm of the dead. Jesus didn’t go there as a victim, but victorious over death!
“For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, nor let Your Holy One see corruption.” (Psalm 16:10, cf. Acts 2:27–31)
Peter, preaching at Pentecost, declared that David’s ancient prophecy was about Christ: God did not leave Him among the dead. Rather, He raised Him up out of death!
On the cross, Jesus turned to the thief beside Him, whose dying breath held a desperate prayer:
“Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42–43)
Not hell. Paradise.
The “blessed side” of Hades, where the faithful awaited redemption, received its King.
This is the Abraham’s bosom of Luke 16, now transformed by the presence of Christ Himself.
He didn’t descend to suffer. He descended to set captives free. Paul explains it in further detail here:
“When He ascended on high, He took many captives and gave gifts to His people. What does ‘He ascended’ mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions?” (Ephesians 4:8-9)
The Apostle Peter describes a strange and staggering moment:
“He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. In that state, He went and made a proclamation to the imprisoned spirits.” (1 Peter 3:18-19)
This passage is one of the most debated in all of Scripture, but most scholars agree on this much: Jesus proclaimed victory in the realm of death.
He didn’t go to offer a second chance for salvation. He went to declare the finality of His triumph.
“Having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15)
Jesus broke the gates of Hades from the inside.
Check them out before anyone else by going to our channel at PRAY.COM
Plus, you'll find more resources to build your faith, right from your phone.
When John saw the risen Christ in glory, he fell as though dead. But Jesus laid His hand upon him and said:
“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore! And I have the keys of death and Hades.” (Revelation 1:17-18)
Jesus came out of the grave carrying the keys to every door sin had locked.
The tomb could no longer hold Him.
Hell could no longer claim dominion.
Death itself was dethroned.
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20)
Jesus had gone to the depths so that no place—no pain, no pit, no grave—would be unreachable by grace.
His descent into Sheol was not a fall.
It was a rescue mission.
He went to the heart of death and came back with resurrection in His hands.
“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)
So, did Jesus go to hell?
No.
Not to the place of torment (the Greek Gehenna, or the lake of fire in Revelation 20:14-15).
He went to ‘Hades’, the realm of the dead, where the faithful awaited redemption.
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:18)
His suffering ended the moment He died.
“It is finished.” (John 19:30)
The payment was complete.
The descent was victory, not punishment.
Christ’s descent means there is no place He has not gone to redeem.
No darkness He has not entered.
No grave He cannot empty.
When we say, “He descended to the dead,” we are declaring that Jesus’ salvation reaches the lowest depths of human despair.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons…nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
