day 1154

“ … His soul was not left to hades” (Acts 2:31, YLT)

In an attempt to understand exactly what link Scripture establishes between the concepts “darkness” and “realm of death”, we stumbled upon an issue in the last teaching that has very far-reaching implications, especially when it comes to thinking about our journey of faith. It’s strange how one tends to easily accept certain things as being true, but upon closer, prayerful inspection an unexpected crack may appear, a crack which might lead to a completely different world, far removed from the original, often banal issue.

For years I’ve been preaching, with great conviction and based on 1 Pet. 3 and 4, that when Jesus was in the realm of the dead, He presented the gospel of salvation to everyone there, who had not had the privilege of hearing and accepting it (merely because historically it had not been available). I wanted to believe this, too, because “nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). What about all the people who had died without “hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12) – this was a wondrous solution for them, and for my understanding of the righteousness of God. Alas the argument does not hold water.

Different from Jonah and Saul, who were merely metaphorically ‘dead’, it is immensely important that Jesus did indeed physically die, because if this was not the case, He could never arise from the dead, and triumph over death: “knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.” (Rom. 6:9).

If we then have consensus that Jesus did indeed give up His spirit (John 19:30), “breathed His last” (Mark 15:37), the general understanding is that He then had to go to the realm of the dead. Or did He? Acts 2:31 makes it clear – “his soul was not left to hades” (YLT).

The only verses in Scripture that could perhaps confirm the idea of the realm of the dead, is Eph. 4:9-10: “Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.” Take note – these verses do not refer to the realm of the dead even once. The expression “lower parts of the earth” is inaccurately associated with the realm of the dead and/or hell, but is not what is metaphorically at stake here, as we extensively explained in the teaching of Day 1142-1144. The expression “in the lower parts of the earth” can absolutely be translated as “in the midst of earthly existence”. The New English Bible then also rightly offers this verse as: “Now the word ‘ascended’ implies that he also descended to the lowest level, down to the very earth.’”

In short – there is no Scripture that suggests that Jesus was ever in the realm of the dead.

 

  • Selah: Where was Jesus then?
  • Read: Jude 1; 2 Pet. 1-3.
  • Memorise: 2 Pet. 1:4.