Introduction and Index To All Chapters
ON THIS PAGE
The Make It Up As You Go Along
Version of Some Leading Evangelicals
The Origin of The Belief
The Apostles' Creed and Misinterpreted Verses Hell? Using Scripture to Interpret Scripture
 Pay attention to Footnote II and the article it links to
Jesus Descended into Hell - The Make It Up As You Go Along
Version of Some Leading Evangelicals
In spite of the fact that the Bible only tells us of one thing Jesus did between His death and resurrection, Word of Faith preachers (including Joyce Meyer, Kenneth Copeland, the late Kenneth Hagin, Fred Price, Jesse Duplantis, Benny Hinn etc.) have drawn on their apparently boundless imaginations to fill in the gap. In summary (with a few variations), they claim that Jesus died two deaths - one physically upon the cross and the other spiritually in hell which is where He went in between His death and resurrection. Supposedly the only way Jesus could atone for our sins was by taking our in hell where He had to endure the torment of Satan and his minions. (Note many of these links may no longer exist however, they did when this article was originally written) Kenneth Copeland: who quite obviously missed his vocation in life writing story lines for B grade horror movies, once wrote that Jesus ... allowed the devil to drag Him into the depths of hell as if He were the most wicked sinner who ever lived … Every demon in hell came down on Him to annihilate Him … [They] tortured Him beyond anything that anybody has ever conceived … In a thunder of spiritual force, the voice of God spoke to the death-whipped, broken, punished spirit of Jesus … [in] the pit of destruction, and charged the spirit of Jesus with resurrection power! Suddenly His twisted, death-wracked spirit began to fill out and come back to life … He was literally being reborn before the devil's very eyes. He began to flex His spiritual muscles … Jesus Christ dragged Satan up and down the halls of hell … Jesus … was raised up a born-again man … The day I realized that a born-again man had defeated Satan, hell, and death, I got so excited … !" [01]
And he continues to teach the same message to date After the crucifixion, Jesus' body was placed in a tomb, and His Spirit went to hell. There Jesus suffered all the torments of hell that we would have suffered. Jesus'submission to death was complete. He experienced it to the ultimate degree so mankind would never have to be punished (2 Corinthians 5:21). [02]
Joyce Meyer: In her 1991 booklet entitled The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make, Joyce Meyer said ... (All underlining mine) "There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth I am presenting. You cannot go to heaven unless you believe with all your heart that Jesus took your place in hell." [03]
Additionally Joyce Meyer teaches that hell, not the cross, is where salvation was purchased. [04] "During that time He entered hell, where you and I deserved to go (legally) because of our sin. He paid the price there ... no plan was too extreme ... Jesus paid on the cross and in hell" (The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make (1991 booklet ) pg. 35, underlining in the original).
The 1996 version of the same booklet repeated what was essentially the same message, Jesus paid on the cross and went to hell in my place ...God rose up from His throne and said to the demon powers tormenting the sinless Son of God, 'Let Him go.' Then the resurrection power of Almighty God went through hell and filled Jesus ...His spirit went to hell because that is where we deserved to go." [05]
The 10th printing said Jesus... became our sacrifice and died on the cross. He did not stay dead. He was in the grave three days. During that time, He entered hell and defeated Satan... Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and went to hell in our place.Then, as God had promised, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus took your place. He became your substitute and took all the punishment you deserve. He bore all your sins. He paid the debt you owe... Jesus went to hell for you. He died for you. He paid for your sins. (Pg.40) He was alone for three days satisfying the courts of justice and conquering the hosts of hell. He took the keys of hell and death. He preached to the prisoners held captive there in paradise. He led them out victorious. (Pg.41)
Paradise? The word paradise originated in Persia i.e. ancient Iran. In Persia the Greek word paradeisos referred to the huge parks that Persian nobles seemed to delight in. This Greek word was used in the Septuagint to refer to the Garden of Eden. The Latin version paradisus was used by translations of the time and was then borrowed by Old English to refer to the Garden of Eden. It eventually trickled down to down to us as Paradise.
Considering that 'Paradise' signifies a place of complete bliss why in the world would anyone want to be set free from it? No, Jesus did not set the Old Testament saints free from paradise but from Sheol/Hades. And yes they are the same place. See Chapter 1 When the New Testament writers quoted an Old Testament verse that spoke of Sheol, they used the Greek Hades probably because in Greek mythology Hades ruled the underworld - the dark regions where disembodied spirits were supposed to dwell. And if you trouble to investigate, Sheol is presented in the Old Testament not as a place of fire, brimstone, and torment but as place of darkness, silence, and forgetfulness, where there is no work, knowledge or wisdom.
The Origin of The Belief
The belief that Jesus descended into hell between His death and resurrection has caused a great deal of confusion over the years. However this concept comes not from Scripture but from the Apostles Creed which states "He (Jesus) descended into hell".
Note that a "creed" goes beyond stating a belief. It is essentially an authoritative statement of a particular position (or positions) to which others are expected to assent.
The Apostles' Creed
The Apostles' Creed recited by millions of churches around the world today was not written by the Apostles, but was originally developed as a fundamental statement of faith by the early church. Although the precise dating of the creed is debated, it is commonly thought to be an expanded version of the Old Roman Creed that was being used as early as the second century. However, although it is not known who made the addition, the words "descended into Hell" are believed to have been added much later. One can only guess as to what underlying belief or Scriptural text led to this statement. The creed was formulated at a time when most people were illiterate. Even the few that had some learning couldn't simply traipse down to their local library and check out a book because all written material was rare, expensive, and not accessible to the general population. This made it important that the key points of the faith were put into a short enough form for people to be able to easily memorize. Although the Apostle's Creed may have been very useful for the purpose for which it was developed, it is not authoritative in it's own right. Any authority it or any other creed may have is based solely on it's faithful adherence to the teachings of the Scriptures. In other words we have to judge the Creed by the Scriptures. See The Problem with Creeds Although the "descended into Hell" part seems to have been eliminated by some denominations, others still include it. Surprisingly it still is part of the creed on the web site of the The Reformed Church in America and, not so surprisingly, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The problem being that because the Creed is so often part and parcel of Christian thinking people automatically approach several other verses with the presupposition that Christ descended into hell.
Hell?
In any case, Jesus could not have gone to hell because hell as depicted by the modern church does not even exist. The sad fact is that those who translated the Bible into English often used the English words or phrases that best fit in with pre-determined beliefs set in stone. More often than not, several separate and distinctive proper nouns (Sheol in Hebrew, Hades, Gehenna, and Tartarus in Greek), were translated into the single English word 'hell' commonly believed to be the place of the damned.
What is completely absurd is that if the translators were of the opinion that the proper name Sheol really meant 'hell' then it should never have been rendered as anything else. Yet, and this should give the serious Bible student pause for thought, the KJV only uses 'hell' in place of Sheol 31 times. It translates Sheol into pit 3 times, and into grave 25 times. Similarly, the NIV twice substituted "the realm of the dead" when in their minds 'hell' or 'Hades' would have conveyed entirely the wrong impression. What is particularly disturbing is that all four original words are proper nouns and should have been left untranslated. Proper nouns can be transliterated (rewritten in a different script) but NEVER 'translated' - and certainly not into what someone believes the place represents. Replacing a proper name with what you think it must signify amounts to a commentary - human opinion masquerading as a 'translation. Thus an English speaking person who only reads the King James Bible has absolutely no idea that the word 'hell' does not exist in the Bible. Note however that some newer translations do a little better leaving both Sheol and Hades untranslated. However, even they usually substitute 'hell' for Gehenna. For more on this please See Chapter 1
Subsequent chapters will also aid understanding the modern myth of hell as eternal torment and fire
Using Scripture to Interpret Scripture
The earlier chapters of this article make it very clear that there is no difference between Sheol and Hades - one is simply Hebrew, the other Greek. Both are proper names given to the region inhabited by departed spirits which is where Samuel appeared from when summoned (At Saul's behest) by the medium at En-dor (1 Samuel 28).
Sheol/Hades cannot be "hell" because Jacob expected to go to 'hell (Genesis 37:34-35 and 42:37-38), no one is consigned to Sheol/Hades forever (2 Peter 2:9), people such as David in the verse below expected to be rescued from 'hell'.. In other words, Sheol/Hades is the temporary abode of the dead. (All Emphasis Added) For more see Chapter 1 he (David) looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. (Acts 2:31 NASB)
In the Old Testament, Sheol is spoken of as being below where we are. and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive to Sheol; and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. (Numbers 16:32-33 NASB) Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me." (1 Samuel 28:11 NASB)
Before the Cross, Sheol/ Hades was the holding place for the spirits of all the the dead. The spirits of of the Old Testament saints were in Sheol because they could not go to be with Christ until their sins were actually forgiven and that only happened when Jesus shed His blood for them on the Cross. Prior to Calvary their sins had only been 'covered over' by their faith and the sacrifices made at the altar in the tabernacle. Now, after the cross, Jesus had to liberate the holy people of the Old Testament from their limbo. The verse immediately below also depicts Sheol/Hades as being below us. 1. 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.) (Ephesians 4:8-10 NASB) 2. For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, (1 Peter 3:18-19 NASB) 3. For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God. (1 Peter 4:6 NASB)
Thus the above verses simply mean that after His death Jesus descended to Hades and preached the Gospel to the righteous dead so that their spirits might be freed. He took "captive" those who were being held prisoner. Since the time of the Cross the spirits of believers do not go to Hades but directly to Heaven. However, the souls of the unrighteous dead will remain in Hades until the end of the millennial reign of Jesus which is when they will be resurrected and judged at the Great White Throne judgment of Revelation 20:11-15. This when they meet their ultimate fate. And no! It is not being consigned to a fiery torment for eternity. Note: Although I do not pretend to understand the "He gave gifts to men" part of quote 1 above, the Concordant Literal Version renders the first part of the verse as "He captures captivity". Also 1 Peter 3:18-20 are one of the most difficult verses in the New Testament to understand and various ideas have been put forth. See Footnote II
Footnote I - More Nonsense Fred Price
Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case, the two thieves could have paid your price. No, the punishment was to go into hell itself and to serve time in hell separated from God - Satan and all the demons of hell thought that they had Him bound and they threw a net over Jesus and they dragged Him down to the very pit of hell itself to serve our sentence. Fred Price. (Ever Increasing Faith Messenger, June 1980.) Kenneth Copeland
(As quoted in what's wrong with the faith movement? (part two) the teachings of Kenneth Copeland. By Hank Hanegraaff and Erwin M. de Castro. https://www.equip.org/PDF/JAW755-2.pdf) "He [Jesus] allowed the devil to drag Him into the depths of hell....He allowed Himself to come under Satan's control...every demon in hell came down on Him to annihilate Him....They tortured Him beyond anything anybody had ever conceived. For three days He suffered everything there is to suffer." (Kenneth Copeland, "The Price of It All," 3.) "Jesus had to go through that same spiritual death in order to pay the price. Now it wasn't the physical death on the cross that paid the price for sin, because if it had of been any prophet of God that had died for the last couple of thousand years before that could have paid that price. It wasn't physical death anybody could do that." (Kenneth Copeland, "What Satan Saw on the Day of Pentecost" (Kenneth Copeland Ministries, audio tape #020022) "Satan conquered Jesus on the Cross and took His spirit to the dark regions of hell" (Kenneth Copeland, Holy Bible: Kenneth Copeland Reference Edition (Kenneth Copeland, Fort Worth: Kenneth Copeland Ministries, 1991), 129.)
Jesse Duplantis
Let me tell you something about Calvary. Calvary was nothing else but unmitigated war. You understand? It was a fight between God and the devil, and the devil thought he won. They said, "We killed Him. He's dead. Bless God, bury that boy and we ain't gonna talk about Him no more." But three days later, in the midst of a party, the Lord Jesus came alive, the Spirit of God came out. Jesus said, "Will you leave my soul in hell?" And Jehovah-Jira said, "Bless God, no," and He raised Him from the dead. Every demon in hell said "What are we going to do? What are we going to do?" And it was recorded, they said, "If we would have known, we would have never crucified Him." (Jesse Duplantis Show, TBN, October 5, 1998) (Of course Jesse was unable to share where this is recorded). Footnote II - 1 Peter 3:18-20 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation (Gk. kerusso) to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. (NASB)
With, I believe, the sole exception of Revelation 5:2, kerusso is clearly used to proclaim the Gospel in the 60 plus times it is used in the New Testament Noah's Contemporaries
Some hold that between His death and resurrection Christ went down to Hades to preach to Noah's contemporaries - those who died in the flood. Since the text refers solely to Noah's generation many who assume the captive spirits are people, conclude that Jesus went and preached to them. However, Hebrews 9:27 is unambiguous... "And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh judgment". In other words, there is no such thing as posthumous salvation... the spirits of dead people cannot be reached with the gospel. Besides which why only them? What about all the other unrighteous? In any case, the text itself reads that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison, not to anyone in Sheol/Hades, which was the abode of the dead. This brings up the second possibility that this message was delivered to beings who are known to be 'in prison' - the.... Fallen Angels.
In other words, Christ proclaimed His victory on the cross to fallen angels - the Nephilim who, in Noah's day, left Heaven to cohabited with human women and produced unnatural offspring... a new race of beings that were neither human nor angelic. It is unarguable that Jude and Peter were referring to these angels And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1:6-7 NASB) For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; (2 Peter 2:4 NASB)
Lending credence to this view is the fact that the word "spirits" in the New Testament almost always refers to non-human spiritual beings. Is it possible that Jesus would give these angels a second chance? Yes, Hebrews 9:27 does tell us that "it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment". However, the Greek word used is anthropos which means human. It has nothing to do with angels. The fact remains that it really does not matter. What does matter however, is that Jesus linked two periods of history - the days of Noah and the days of the coming of the Son of Man and said that one is the parallel of the other. The nearness of His coming makes it crucially important that we understand what occurred in the days of Noah. See The Days Of Noah
End Notes
[01] Kenneth Copeland. "The Price of it All," Believer's Voice of Victory, September 1991, p. 4 [02] Kenneth Copeland Ministries. Question of the Day. Did Jesus go to hell?
https://www.kcm.org/read/question-of-the-day/did-jesus-go-hell?language_content_entity=en-US [03] Joyce Meyer, The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make Booklet, Fenton, Mo.: Life In The Word, Inc./Joyce Meyer Ministries, August 1991 edition, Pg. 36 [04] Ibid., pp. 35-38, 41, 43 [05] Joyce Meyer. The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make: A Complete and Thorough Understanding of What it Means to be Born Again (Tulsa: Harrison House, 1996, 5th printing), 41-43 | 
