He Descended into Hell

We have our text today in Jonah 1:17. So all of that third-day stuff in the Old Testament, including Jonah being in the belly of the great fish for three days, happened for what reason? One reason only: the Messiah would come, and he would lie in the earth for three days, and he would rise again. Now, as great as that is, let's think about Jesus being in the heart of the earth for three days. That's what he said: Matthew 12, “For just as Jonah was for 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.” You cannot help but think about the words of the Apostles' Creed: “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only beloved son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell.” We confess this. Jesus would descend to Sheol. You see this language in Jonah. He would descend to the realm of the dead. He would rise from the dead. Literally from “the dead ones” is how the New Testament writes it. When you hear the word “Sheol,” understand it as the spiritual realm of the dead, akin to the word “hell” or “Hades'' in the New Testament. And just a brief side note, the “place of eternal torment”, “the final state,” “final judgment” is referred to differently: “Gehenna,” the lake of fire, the outer darkness, that's the language. “...suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to hell.” To do what? Psalm 16:10 reads this: ”For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol…” says David, meaning you will not allow it to stay there, “...or let your holy one see corruption.” Peter picks this up in the Pentecost sermon in Acts two, where Peter says this, having quoted Psalm 16:10, he says, “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being, therefore, a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption.” The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is a fulfillment of Psalm 16:10. In Romans 10:6-7, we read these words, “But the righteousness based on faith says, ‘Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend to heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down) or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).’” Implication? Christ already came from heaven. He did his work. Christ has already descended into the abyss and has been raised. Everyday Grace 023