THREE DAYS IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH

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A Research Paper

Presented to

Dr. Stephen J. Wellum

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

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In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for 27400

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by

John D. F. Cannon

jdf.cannon@gmail.com

December 9, 2014

THREE DAYS IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH

Introduction

As we were learning in class that the full humanity of Christ includes a human soul, I

began to wonder about the ramifications of that concerning the time between Jesus’ death and

resurrection. Where did Christ’s human soul go during that time? In this research paper I will

conduct a detailed analysis of Scripture and, using sources from reputable scholars, reference

various viewpoints of traditional and contemporary theologians in order to present my best

answer to this question. I will then provide some brief application, and argue for the value of

entertaining these sorts of questions.

Where did Christ’s human soul go when he died?

For the limited scope of this research paper, orthodox Chalcedonian Christology will

be assumed. That is, God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity, added to himself a human

nature, complete with both human body and spirit/soul. He did not cease to have a divine spirit,

but added to himself a human one, since it is a necessary part of the human nature.

So, when Christ’s unglorified human body breathed its last while hanging on the cross,

what happened to his immortal human soul? There are three major, basic views, two of which

seem possible according to Scripture. Christ in his human soul was suspended in “soul-sleep,” he

went to the throne of Heaven to be with the Father, or he went to hell.

Soul Sleep

Let us get soul sleep out of the way first. Soul-sleep is the idea that a human soul

enters a state of unconsciousness upon becoming separated from the body by death, and will

remain comatose until Judgment Day. As will be shown throughout the rest of this paper, the idea

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of soul-sleep is preposterous according to Scripture. To name a few passages, Jesus taught the

parable of the rich man and Lazarus,1 Samuel’s soul came from the intermediate afterlife to

prophesy against Saul,2 and Jesus told the criminal beside him that he would be with him “today”

in Paradise.3 Now, let us proceed to the two more viable views.

Heaven

Many contemporary theologians hold to the view that Jesus, in the form of his soul

separated from his body by death, ascended to the throne of the Highest Heaven to be with the

Father until it was the appropriate time to resurrect his body. Among those who subscribe to this

idea are John Piper, R. C. Sproul, and Wayne Grudem. All three seem to particularly take issue

with the statement in the Apostles’ Creed, “He descended into hell.” Sproul writes, “Jesus […]

speaks to the thief next to him and assures him that ‘today you will be with me in paradise.’ Now

that statement from Jesus on the cross would seem to indicate that Jesus was planning to go to

paradise, which is not to be confused with hell.” 4 Similarly, Piper states, “There is textual basis

for saying that he would be with the repentant thief in Paradise ‘today’ (Luke 23:43), and one

does not get the impression that he means a defective place from which the thief must then be

delivered by more preaching.” 5 Grudem says as much, but adds, “The cry of Jesus, ‘It is

finished’ (John 19:30) strongly suggests that Christ’s suffering was finished at that moment […]

This implies that he would not descend into hell but would go at once into the Father’s

presence.” 6 At first glance these arguments seem persuasive enough, but they beg the question,

1 Luke 16:19-31. All Scripture references will be of the ESV translation unless otherwise noted.

2 1 Samuel 28:14, 15, 19.

3 Luke 23:42, 43.

4 R.C. Sproul, “What does the Apostles’ Creed mean when it says that Jesus Descended into hell?,” The Ligonier Ministries Blog, July 15, 2009, accessed November 29, 2014, http://www.ligonier.org/learn/qas/what-does-apostles-creed-mean-when-it-says-jesus-d/.

5 John Piper, “Did Jesus Spend Saturday in Hell?,” The Desiring God Blog, April 12, 2012, accessed November 29, 2014, http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/did-jesus-spend-saturday-in-hell--2.

6 Wayne Grudem, “He Did Not Descend Into Hell: A Plea For Following Scripture Instead of the Apostles’ Creed,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 34, no. 1 (March 1991): 112-113.

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“What did Jesus have to do in heaven during that time?” What’s more, they fail to satisfactorily

address the passage where newly resurrected Jesus says to Mary, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have

not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and

your Father, and My God and your God.'”7 An attempt is made to suggest that Jesus merely

meant that he had not yet ascended in his body even though he had already ascended in his soul,

but I find this to be a somewhat forced reading, not to mention potentially counter-Chalcedonian

(how could he say “I have not yet ascended” if his soul is as much of a part of the “I” as his body

is?). Let us now turn to consider the other option.

Hell

Most of the opposition to the idea of Jesus going to hell is due to a misunderstanding

of what the Bible means by hell. Saying that Christ’s soul descended into hell is not necessarily

the same thing as saying that he suffered in the lake of fire. In fact, that’s not even on the table as

a possibility. The lake of fire would be Gehenna, which is the final judgment and has not yet

been dispensed.

13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.8

In this section I will discuss the usage of different words in the original texts of Scripture that

have to do with death and the current afterlife, namely, Sheol, Hades, Abraham’s Bosom, and

Tartarus.

Sheol/Hades. Sheol occurs 63 times in the Old Testament. Hades is simply the Greek

word for Sheol, occurring nine times in the New Testament (In Acts 2:27, Peter quotes Psalm 16,

saying, “For you will not abandon my soul to Hades...” so we know that the apostles held Sheol

and Hades to be one and the same). It is the place where all souls go at death, and is almost 7 John 20:17.

8 Revelation 20:13-15.

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always associated with a downward direction. When Saul summons Samuel by the witch of

Endor, “15 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" Saul

answered, ‘I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned

away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have

summoned you to tell me what I shall do.’” Before going back down, Samuel says, “19 and

tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me,”9 likely meaning Hades in general. Another good

example is Numbers 16:33, “So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol,

and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly.” They went

down alive into Sheol, deep into the earth. Then they died. They went to hell and then died.

Jonah 2:2, 5-6, reads, “2 I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, and he answered me; out

of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice. 5 The waters closed in over me to take my

life; the deep surrounded me; weeds were wrapped about my head 6 at the roots of the

mountains. I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever; yet you brought up my

life from the pit, O LORD my God.” And then there are passages about Jesus in relation to

Hades. Speaking of Jonah, Jesus said, “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the

belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the

earth.”10 And then there is Philippians 2:10, “So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth.” When God speaks to Job he says, “16 Have you

entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of

death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18 Have you

comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.”11 Imagery of bars, locked

gates, and darkness is also very common, further solidifying the idea that Sheol is a place deep

under the earth, not merely the idea of death.

9 1Samuel 28:15, 19.

10 Matthew 12:40.

11 Job 38:16-18.

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Abraham’s Bosom. Within Sheol there were at least two regions, one for the

righteous dead, and at least one for the damned. Abraham’s Bosom was understood to be the

place reserved for the righteous dead, and was named for the Hebrews’ first great patriarch. Jesus

tells a parable which focuses on this distinction, and is one of my key texts.

22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' 25 But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.'12

Though this is a parable it should not be discounted, because parables only carry meaning if

there is some possible way that they could be true. Metaphors are grounded in reality. From this

passage we may at least gather that the rich man and the poor man were in the same general area

(Hades), and that the rich man was experiencing anguish while the poor man was comforted

(perhaps Abraham’s Bosom could in some sense be referred to as Paradise). Further, that there

was a great chasm or impassable barrier between them, creating different regions. So it would

seem that going to Hades was an essential part of the human experience, for both the righteous

and the unrighteous. Would Jesus choose to skip out on this part of being human and go directly

to his Father’s throne?

Tartarus is a Greek word which refers to a location in the deepest bowels of Hades

(likely bumping the number of regions to at least three), reserved for those most deserving of

punishment. In Greek mythology, this is where the Titans are imprisoned. Tartarus is the word

that Peter uses when he writes, “4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast

them into hell (Tartarus) and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the

judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness,

12 Luke 16:19-31.

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with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly…”13 Likewise, Jude

reads, “And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their

proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the

great day”14 From these passages we know that Hades was a holding place for both human souls,

whether righteous or unrighteous, and also for sinful angelic spirits. This opens a whole new can

of theological worms.

What would Jesus do (in hell)?

The following key passage now becomes more complicated than many theologians

have supposed.

18 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.15

Many theologians throughout history have assumed that the aforementioned “spirits in prison”

are human spirits, and that Jesus was preaching to them in some capacity. People often use this

passage to support some idea of a second chance, be it for all people or only for those up until

Jesus’ arrival. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas both got caught up in this debate in their

respective times. But that is not the only reading, and the argument is moot in light of another

reading. It struck me that each of these passages mention “the days of Noah.”

13 2Pet 2:4-5.

14 Jude 6.

15 1Pet 3:18-22.

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The Days of Noah and the Nephilim

What was happening in the days of Noah? One word: Nephilim. 2 Pet 2, Jude, and

1Pet 3 are all referencing 1Enoch, and Jude even quotes from it directly.16 But 1Enoch is drawing

from Genesis.

1 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years." 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.17

A number of attempts have been made to demythologize this text. One suggested reading

references Psalm 82:6 to argue that the “Sons of God” were persons of high rank who corrupted

the women of their dependents. A popular Jewish view, it can be seen the Targums, as well as the

writings of Aben Ezra, Rashi, and Kimchi. Another take is that the “Sons of God” refers to sons

of the godly line of Seth, who remained faithful, while the “Daughters of men” were daughters of

the wicked line of Cain. Harper notes that this was the position taken by Chrysostom, Augustine,

Jerome, Luther, and Calvin.18 As with the previous theory, this one seems to be popular because

it is a natural view which takes all the mythology out of the issue. This position also argues that

“They took them as wives” implies a lasting contract beyond mere reproduction. However, it is

argued against both this theory and the prior that the marriage of godly (or high class) men to

ungodly (or low class) women could not yield the birth of “mighty men of renown.”

Furthermore, according to the Hebrew, “Daughters of men” would necessarily include all women

of mankind regardless of lineage, whereas “Sons of God” could have multiple meanings.

The ordinary meaning of the phrase translated “Sons of God,” as used in Job 1:6, 2:1,

3:7-8, and Ps. 29:1, 89:7, means “angels.” Such a reading proposes that some angels married

human women. Supporters of this view include: Philo, Josephus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, and

16 Jude 14.

17 Genesis 6:1-4.

18 William R. Harper, “The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men. Genesis VI” The Biblical World 3, no. 6 (1894): 442.

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among modern authorities: Gesenius, Ewald, Kalisch, and Delitzsch. Some opponents suggest

that such an idea contradicts Mark 12:25, though the passage in Mark refers only to angels in

heaven.19 Harper cites Kalisch as suggesting that fallen angels would be able to discard their pure

and ethereal nature.20 While obedient angels do not reproduce with humans, the argument goes

that there is nothing to stop fallen angels from perpetrating the act. Regardless of which theory, if

any, is correct, it is clear that a grievous sexual perversion was committed when the “Sons of

God came in unto the daughters of men,” which resulted in the Nephilim. 21

1Enoch certainly takes the position that angels were reproducing with human women

to create monsters.

1 And all the [two hundred angels] took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms 2 and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they 3 became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed 4 all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against 5 them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and 6 fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.22

Now there are some problems with the Book of Enoch, but this is the book which 1&2Peter and

Jude are referencing, so it warrants an examination. In each of the three Scripture passages it is

being referenced as a teaching against false teachers. It would seem that Peter and Jude mean to

suggest that these angels were the falsest teachers of all time, and the report of their judgment is

meant to be an encouragement to the reader. After all, these angels sought to corrupt the seed of

man, the vehicle for the promised messiah, by interjecting their own seed. Their offspring were

much stronger and full of evil, and would have destroyed every human, if left unchecked.

Meanwhile, the angels were preoccupied with directly teaching humans how to commit greater

acts of violence and other sin. 1Enoch goes on to describe how the fallen angels were subdued

19 T. Desmond Alexander, “Genesis” The Crossway Study Bible: English Standard Version, (2008): 61.

20 Harper, “The Sons of God,” 443.

21 Alexander, “Genesis,” 61

22 “Book of Enoch” Wesley Center Online, accessed December 9, 2014, http://wesley.nnu.edu/index.php?id=2126

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and imprisoned deep under the earth in utter darkness, just like in 2Peter and Jude, which serve

as a link to 1Peter.

Proclaim victory (or grammatical time travel?)

If we apply this understanding of God’s judgment upon the angels and their Nephilim

offspring, we can see that there is quite a lot of glory for Christ to get over the angels who plotted

to prevent his birth into the world. If God wanted to get glory over Pharaoh, how much more

would he want to get glory over a host of fallen angels who plotted against his plan for

salvation?23 And that, I propose, is precisely what is meant by 1Peter 3:19 saying, “he went and

proclaimed to the spirits in prison” (Additionally, there would be a lot of righteous human spirits

in Abraham’s Bosom eager to hear that their long-awaited messiah has come and triumphed at

last). Against this view some have argued that it is too convoluted for the reader to understand.

Wayne Grudem writes, “Peter’s readers would have to go through an incredibly

complicated reasoning process to draw this conclusion when Peter does not explicitly say it.

They would have to reason from (1) some demons who sinned long ago were condemned, to (2)

other demons are now inciting your human persecutors, to (3) those demons will likewise be

condemned some day, to (4) therefore your persecutors will finally be judged as well, to (5)

therefore do not fear your persecutors.”24 While this may be an incredibly complicated reasoning

process for modern readers who are unaware of Jewish traditions and extrabiblical literature, and

whose understanding is not helped by subconsciously or consciously rationalistic and

modernistic teaching, I think it would have been the most natural process for the first-century

Jewish reader, who was the target audience. The Book of Enoch, while never canonical, was

clearly familiar to the community and widely used, since Peter and Jude can reference it so

casually. And it makes sense of what is meant by “the days of Noah.” But Grudem and Piper

subscribe to another reading.

23 Exodus 14:14, 17

24 Grudem, “He did not descend,” 109.

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Augustine proposed that Christ’s spirit was at work before he was ever born. As John

Piper writes, “Christ, through the voice of Noah, went and preached to that generation, whose

spirits are now ‘in prison,’ that is, in hell. In other words, Peter does not say that Christ preached

to them while they were in prison. He says he preached to them once, during the days of Noah,

and now they are in prison.”25 Or, to quote Grudem again, “The verse does not refer to something

Christ did between his death and resurrection, but something he did ‘in the spiritual realm of

existence.’”26 They both turn to 1Peter 1:10-11, which reads, “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.” I am not convinced that is a Christologically

sound argument, considering the grammar of the passages in question

Let us consider orthodox Chalcedonian Christology in light of this argument. The

second Person of the Trinity, having two natures, has two spirits/souls; one is Divine, and one is

human. To further complicate things, the third Person of the Trinity is THE Spirit. Now, the ESV

translates 1Peter 1:11 as “inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was

indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories” (Italics added

for emphasis). Depending on the type of genitive, it could mean “Christ in the Spirit,” or it could

mean the Spirit belonging to Christ. Note that the ESV translates it as an upper-case Spirit,

indicating that it is the Holy Spirit, who is sent by Christ. Of course, this is a translation decision

and is not definitive, but either way it could not have been Christ’s human spirit, since he was not

yet incarnated. 1Peter 3:18-19 reads, “18 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” (Italics added for

emphasis). Here we have a lower-case spirit, and his alive spirit is being contrasted with his

dead, human flesh. Grammatically, it seems to me that in order for v. 19 to be referring to a past

25 Piper, “Saturday in Hell.”

26 Grudem, “He did not descend,” 110.

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event, it would necessitate that the spirit into which he is being made alive is the spirit from said

past event, and that spirit from said past event could not have been his human spirit, since he was

not yet incarnated in the time of Noah. Talk about an incredibly complicated reasoning process.

And, as I said, his alive spirit is being contrasted with his dead flesh, so it seems to be the human

nature that is being discussed, and not at all the divine nature. Therefore, the most natural reading

is more likely accurate.

Harrow it

Catholicism has a rich tradition of the Christ’s journey to Hades, known as “The

Harrowing of Hell.” Allen Cabaniss renders it gloriously.

If the land of the dear departed was a place of gloomy shadows, a prison-dungeon of somber silence or of low, sibilant whispers ; if it was a place of no return for all alike, whether good or bad, and hidden from the presence of God; and if it was the place which the Lord invaded victoriously between His cruel death and His mighty resurrection, then His visit there was a successful and triumphant raid, a veritable harrowing, which "brought life and immortality to light" and which was not overcome by the darkness; 13 which broke in sunder the bonds holding "the spirits in prison"; 14 which brought the piercing, joyful sound of a trumpet-blast to the dismal quietness of the grave; 15 which wrought a clear distinction between the condition of the pious dead and the impenitent dead ; 16 which proved that the power of death was abolished and that the dead would live again; 17 and which above all exemplified God's dominion over the world of the departed as well as over the realm of the living. 18 12 Ps. 116 : 15; 139 : 7-10; Prov. 15 : 11; Wisd. 3:1-3. 13 Π Tim. 1 : 10; John 1 : 5. 14 Ps. 107 : 14; I Pet. 3 : 19. 15 I Cor. 15 : 52. 18 Matt. 25 : 46; 27 : 52; Luke 16 : 22-26; I Pet. 4 : 6; II Pet. 2 : 4. 17 Rom. 6 : 8; I Cor. 15 : 52-57; II Tim. 1 : 10. 18 Rom. 14 : 8 f.; Rev. 1 : 18.27

Of course I would have to disagree with his interpretation of 1Peter 3:19, but how glorious is the

rest! As a brief aside, it seems to me that there are a few good things that were lost by Protestants

during and after the Reformation. The Reformation occurred during the beginnings of

Rationalism, which would lead to the Enlightenment, to Modernism. While the Reformation

freed Christianity from a great deal of Catholic oppression and superstition, certain

mystical/mythical thoughts may have been unnecessarily labeled as superstition and discarded.

While our society and much of mainstream Christianity is plummeting headlong into

Postmodernism, the fault in our orthodox doctrine is that we sometimes try to reduce the Bible to 27 Allen Cabaniss, “The Harrowing of Hell, Psalm 24, and Pliny the Younger: A Note,” Vigiliae

Christianae 7, no. 2 (April 1953): 68.

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a textbook. As one of my professors puts it, we take a leaf blower to the Shekinah glory that

would otherwise settle over our Christian experience.

Relocate Paradise

We can reconcile some verses and viewpoints here if we consider the possibility that

Jesus went to hell in order to move it. Or a part of it, more precisely. Jesus said to the criminal,

“Today you will be with me in Paradise.” That day, having been put to death in the human flesh,

yet alive in the human immortal soul, they both went to the place where all immortal souls had

hitherto gone: Hades. Being righteous and/or perfect, they arrived in Abraham’s Bosom. Christ

proclaimed his victory throughout all of Hades, eliciting groans and wailings from Tartarus, and

triumphant shouts of joy from Abraham’s Bosom. Christ, having no sin to keep him in Hades and

apart from the Father, and having paid the price for all the sins of his faithful who had been

waiting there, kicked open the gates of hell with his mighty, bruised heel.28 “8 Therefore it says,

‘When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.’ 9 (In saying, ‘He

ascended,’ what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? 10

He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all

things.)29 The God-man led his people out from the gates of hell and into the gates of heaven,

where he resettled them in the third level, and called it Paradise. No longer was it merely a nice,

comfortable prison; it became a proper paradise, where Paul would later visit. “2 I know a man

in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out

of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into paradise--

whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.”30 Once Jesus had finished

this task, before he had ascended to his Father in the highest heaven, he returned from the third

heaven to earth and raised his body from the dead. When Mary met him at the tomb he was able

28 Genesis 3:15.

29 Ephesians 4:8-10.

30 2Corinthians 12:2-3.

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to say, “I have not yet ascended to the Father.”31 Now, when the souls of those who are in Christ

are separated from their bodies by death, they follow in the way prepared by Christ’s own soul

and meet him (in his glorified body) in heavenly paradise. Amazing. Praise the LORD!

Application

Some would say that this is all speculation and ultimately baseless. Some would say

that it’s a waste of time and that we should focus on what we can know for sure. I hope that I

have shown otherwise, but beyond that I can only reply that the Bible is a story.

So what, who cares?

The Bible is the best story. It’s the story of God’s glory in salvation through judgment.

How God, being all powerful and righteous and just, yet mercifully reconciled a damned people

to himself by sending his own Son as a ransom. How that Son broke the system of sin and death

that had a monopoly on life. Whatever is most awesome and epic, that is what God did, that is

what he is doing, and that is what he will continue to do. For the sake of our souls and the souls

of those around us, it behooves us to devote our lives to being amazed by God. If we cease to be

amazed by God, the source of life, then we will experience death, and our witness will be death.

“8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything

worthy of praise, think about these things.”32 Don’t stop believing. I know for myself that writing

this paper and thinking about these things has deepened my appreciation for and love of Christ. It

may not change where I’m going, but it will make my journey there better.

Let’s just focus on what we can know

There is a place for solid, air-tight doctrine, and it is very necessary to keep us

grounded. That does not, however, discount the value of righteous speculation. If we only study

31 John 20:17.

32 Philippians 4:8.

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what we think we can know for certain, it will severely limit our ability to learn new and glorious

truths. God is infinite and there will always be infinitely more wonderful things to learn about

him. Let us hold fast to Scripture as our final authority and stay in healthy community with

accountability. If we speculate from such a place, it is hard to go wrong. Besides, how many

things have we known throughout history that we now know better? “16 Have you entered into

the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been

revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the

expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.”33 Let this again be a comfort, as well, “8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything

worthy of praise, think about these things.” Note that it does not say “whatever you think you

know for sure, whatever makes you feel better than everyone else, whatever is less complicated.”

We have the joyous privilege of exercising our minds to the glory of God. Let’s not build

pharisaical fences around ourselves, and let’s not take a leaf blower to the Shekinah glory.

Summary and Conclusion

Over the course of writing this research paper, I have come to believe that

Sheol/Hades is a real place deep in the earth that has existed since sin and death entered into the

world. It consisted of no less than three parts, namely Abraham’s Bosom for the righteous dead, a

general region or regions of torment for the unrighteous dead, and Tartarus in the deepest, most

tormented area for the evil dead and other evil spirits (i.e. the fallen angels who spawned the

Nephilim). The latter was possibly added specifically for the angelic spirits who sinned

grievously in the time of Noah. An impassible chasm separated Abraham’s Bosom from the other

regions, and it was a place of limited rest for the righteous dead, though they were still apart

from heaven and the full glory of God.

33 Job 38:16-18.

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I believe that Jesus, in his human soul, willfully descended into Hades in order to

proclaim his victory and get glory over death and the wicked spirits, and to deliver those waiting

there whose faith was counted to them as righteousness. Having atoned for the sins of the

righteous, Christ brought them with him out of Hades, relocating Abraham’s Bosom to Paradise

in the third heaven. He then returned to his body on earth and took it up again in resurrection to

complete his physical earthly ministry by encouraging his disciples, after which he ascended to

sit at the Father’s right hand until he comes again to judge the living and the dead. Until Christ’s

return, when the souls of the righteous dead leave their bodies, they travel directly to Paradise in

the third heaven, following the way prepared for them by Jesus.

Using scholarly sources and Scripture I have addressed a number of oppositions to my

position, and have attempted to show how they can be reconciled in Scripture. I have argued that

alternative readings are either less likely than my own, or that they are outright incorrect because

they fail to take all of the available information into account (including proper grammar and

orthodox Chalcedonian Christology). Finally, I have argued for the value of grounded theological

speculation and an awakening of interest in Christian “myth” as a departure from our

Modernistic tendencies. I pray that this paper has been as much of a blessing to you as it has

been to me. Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cabaniss, Allen Cabaniss. “The Harrowing of Hell, Psalm 24, and Pliny the Younger: A Note.” Vigiliae Christianae 7, no. 2 (April 1953): 65-74.

Dennis, Lane T. ex. ed. The Crossway Study Bible: English Standard Version. Illinois: Crossway Bibles, 2008.

Grudem, Wayne. “He Did Not Descend Into Hell: A Plea For Following Scripture Instead of the Apostles’ Creed.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 34, no. 1 (March 1991): 103-113.

Harper, William R. “The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men. Genesis VI.” The Biblical World 3, no. 6 (1894): 440-448.

Piper, John. “Did Jesus Spend Saturday in Hell?” The Desiring God Blog, April 12, 2012. Accessed November 29, 2014. http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/did-jesus-spend-saturday-in-hell--2.

Sproul, R.C. “What does the Apostles’ Creed mean when it says that Jesus Descended into hell?” The Ligonier Ministries Blog, July 15, 2009. Accessed November 29, 2014. http://www.ligonier.org/learn/qas/what-does-apostles-creed-mean-when-it-says-jesus-d/.

Wesley. “Book of Enoch.” Wesley Center Online. Accessed December 9, 2014, http://wesley.nnu.edu/index.php?id=2126.

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