Some in the Christian church maintain that Jesus was in hell during the time between his crucifixion and resurrection. Let’s look at some scriptures that are used to justify this conclusion and see what we can find.

1 Peter 3:18-20
For 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, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who 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,
Ephesians 4:9-10
(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

Interpretation:

Some have assumed that the preaching to the spirits in prison in 1 Peter 3 refers to Jesus proclaiming the gospel after his crucifixion to those who have died. This is improbable for the following reasons:

  • The word for “preach” is not the verb “to evangelize” or “preach the good news.” This is no “second chance” after death. The word means to declare a solemn message from a king or potentate.
  • The action is past tense (he went) indicating that those whom Jesus gave this message to are in prison [deceased] now. It does not demand that they were dead at the time.
  • The people described in verse 20 who were addressed are those who disobeyed God in Noah’s day. The audience was not all who have died, but those who were alive in Noah’s day and who have since died.
  • Elsewhere (2 Peter 2:5), Peter refers to Noah as a “preacher of righteousness.” The word for preacher is the noun form of the verb in 1 Peter 3:19.
  • The verse declares that when Jesus proclaimed this message, it was done through the Spirit.
  • The least complicated interpretation is that Jesus, through His Spirit working in Noah, warned Noah’s contemporaries about their responsibility to God. This complements the thought of 1 Peter 3:19, that Christ died for the sins of all. He is the agent of salvation to all generations.
    Some would conclude that Eph. 4:9-10 refer to Jesus descending into hell. This is unlikely for the following reasons:
  • Jesus decent is normally viewed as part of his coming from heaven—his incarnation. For example, Jesus describes his mission in these words in John 3:13: “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven– the Son of Man.”
  • Jesus humiliation preceded his exaltation, as reflected in this verse. (See Philippians 2:5-11.) This fits with the picture in the context of Christ as the now exalted one giving gifts to the church and reigning over the universe. This compliments what Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:23

Note: The earliest copy of what we call the “Apostles Creed,” known as the “Old Roman Creed” c. 400. does not contain the phrase descended into hell. The later 6th Century Gallican creed does. For reasons given above, most evangelical scholars do not endorse the concept that Jesus descended into hell or believe that the phrase belongs in the creed.