Tag: Tartarus

Did Jesus Go to Hell? Clearing Up a Common Misunderstanding

Brent Pollard

How often we hear it said—in songs, in sermons, even recited in ancient creeds—that Jesus “went to hell” after His crucifixion. The phrase rolls off the tongue with such familiarity that few pause to question whether Scripture actually teaches such a thing. Yet here is where we must be careful, for familiarity can breed assumption, and assumption can obscure truth.

The reality is both simpler and more glorious than the popular notion suggests. Yes, Jesus descended somewhere after His death—but it was not to the hell of eternal punishment. The confusion arises from a tangle of translation issues, historical traditions, and well-meaning but imprecise language. However, God’s Word speaks with unmistakable clarity once we understand what terms like Hades, Sheol, and Gehenna actually mean.

Let us think clearly about this matter, for the truth of Christ’s death and resurrection deserves nothing less than our most careful attention.

The Root of the Confusion: Words Matter

Much of our confusion stems from a problem as simple as translation. Scripture employs three distinct words to describe the afterlife, each with its own meaning:

  • Sheol (Old Testament): The realm of the dead—a shadowy place where all departed souls once dwelt
  • Hades (New Testament): The Greek equivalent of Sheol—the temporary abode of the dead
  • Gehenna: The place of final, eternal punishment—what we properly call hell

Here lies the problem: older English translations, particularly the King James Version, routinely render all three of these words as “hell,” even though they carry distinct meanings. Imagine the muddle this creates! It’s rather like using the word ‘home’ to describe a house, a hotel, and a prison all at once.

Consider Acts 2.27, which in the King James reads: “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell.” But the Greek word Peter quotes from the Psalms is Hades, not Gehenna. Peter is declaring that God would not abandon Jesus to the realm of the dead—the temporary holding place of departed souls. He is not saying Jesus entered the fires of eternal judgment.

This distinction matters immensely. To collapse these words into one English term is to blur what God has made clear.

The Apostles’ Creed and Historical Development

Many point to the Apostles’ Creed, which states that Christ “descended into hell,” as proof of this doctrine. But even here, history reveals something important: this phrase did not appear in the earliest versions of the Creed. When they first added the term, they translated it as “Hades” instead of “hell.” This translation emphasizes that Jesus did not suffer punishment; instead, He truly died and entered the realm of the dead.

The Creed intended to combat early heresies that denied Jesus’ full humanity. The Creed was saying, in effect: “He really died. His death was no illusion.” This statement is orthodox truth. But somewhere along the way, “descended into Hades” morphed in popular understanding into “descended into hell,” and theological precision—accurately understanding and articulating biblical truths—gave way to theological confusion.

Medieval Imagination and the “Harrowing of Hell”

If you’ve seen medieval art or passion plays, you’ve likely encountered dramatic depictions of Jesus storming the gates of hell, releasing captives, and binding Satan in chains. These images are vivid, memorable, and deeply rooted in Christian culture. There’s only one problem: none of it comes from Scripture.

The so-called “Harrowing of Hell” developed from apocryphal writings—texts that early Christians never accepted as inspired Scripture. These stories captured the imagination and found expression in art, literature, and liturgy throughout the medieval period. They tell a good story, but they are not God’s story.

Here we must be discerning. Just because something appears in Christian tradition does not mean it appears in Christian Scripture. We honor the past, yes, but we bow only to the authority of God’s revealed Word.

What About 1 Peter 3.19–20?

Some appeal to 1 Peter 3.19, where Peter writes that Christ “went and preached to the spirits in prison.” At first glance, this might seem to support the idea that Jesus descended into hell to preach. But look closer.

Peter never uses the word Gehenna here. He doesn’t say Jesus entered the place of eternal punishment. The “spirits in prison” likely refers to the fallen angels of Genesis 6 or to the souls of the disobedient from Noah’s day. And the “preaching” mentioned is not an offer of salvation—it’s a proclamation of victory.

Think of it: Would the triumphant, risen Christ journey to hell to offer redemption to those who had already rejected God? This concept contradicts everything Scripture teaches about the finality of death and judgment, which means that once a person dies, they face judgment (Hebrews 9.27). What Peter describes is not an evangelistic campaign in the underworld, but a declaration of Christ’s conquest over sin, death, and the powers of darkness.

Where Did Jesus Actually Go?

Scripture answers this question with beautiful simplicity:

  • His body was laid in the tomb (Matthew 27.59–60)
  • His spirit went to Hades—specifically to Paradise, the place of blessing for the righteous dead (Luke 23.43)
  • God did not abandon Him there (Acts 2.27, 31)
  • He rose victoriously on the third day (1 Corinthians 15.4)

Notice what Jesus promised the thief on the cross: “Today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23.43). Not hell. Not torment. Paradise—the blessed side of Hades, where the righteous awaited the resurrection.

Hades is the temporary realm of the dead, not the final hell. It is the waiting room, not the eternal chamber. Jesus never set foot in Gehenna, the place prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25.41). To say otherwise is to add to Scripture what God never said.

Why This Matters

Why be so careful about these distinctions? Because truth matters. Because God’s Word deserves precision. Because the gospel itself is at stake.

If Jesus suffered the fires of hell as part of our redemption, then His sacrifice on the cross was incomplete. But Scripture declares that on the cross, Jesus cried, “It is finished” (John 19.30). The payment was complete. He accomplished His work. He descended into death, yes—but not into damnation. This reaffirms the fullness of our redemption and the security of our faith in Christ.

God’s sovereignty shines through this truth. He orchestrated redemption exactly as He planned—through the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son. Jesus conquered death by entering it and emerging victorious. He didn’t storm the gates of hell; He broke the chains of death itself.

Conclusion: Death Conquered, Not Hell Invaded

The belief that Jesus “went to hell” is born from translation confusion, historical development, medieval imagination, and misinterpreted Scripture. But when we let God’s Word speak for itself, the picture becomes clear: Jesus entered Hades—the realm of the dead—and triumphed over it.

He truly died. He truly descended into the domain of death. And He truly rose again, bringing life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 Timothy 1.10).

What practical difference does this make? Everything. Because Jesus conquered death—not hell—we can face our own mortality with confidence. “Because I live,” Jesus said, “you also will live” (John 14.19). That’s not just doctrine; that’s hope. That’s victory. That’s the gospel.

So let us speak carefully about these things. Let us honor Scripture’s precision. And let us marvel at the One who entered death’s dark valley and emerged with the keys of death and Hades in His victorious hand (Revelation 1.18). He didn’t invade hell—He abolished death. And because He lives, we shall live also.

Unveiling Sheol

Brent Pollard

Unveiling Sheol: Exploring the Depths of the Old Testament’s Concept of the Afterlife

During my junior year at Faulkner University, I enrolled in Hebrew classes. Unfortunately, I had to miss a semester due to illness. Because of the rotational nature of the Biblical languages courses at Faulkner, I took Greek when I returned and only passed thanks to Dr. Carl Cheatham’s grace. Because the documents of the Christian faith are written in Koine Greek, knowing the language makes more sense. However, I’ve always been interested in archaeology and Old Testament history. I still wish I could have barely passed Hebrew instead.

Consequently, I always like to plumb the depths of Jewish scholarship, tempering it with my Christian worldview. The idea that the Greek Hadean realm influenced the Christian concept of the afterlife has always piqued my interest, even though I know it is incorrect. People will say the Old Testament presents no such ideas about the afterlife. Yet that is not true. There is one word that one encounters particularly within the poetry section of the Old Testament: Sheol. The King James Version calls it “the grave.” Unfortunately, the King James translators ruined the tapestry’s richness by rendering it generically.

Sometimes the context tells you that the realm of the dead being discussed is associated with the concept of destruction. This association makes it sound like Tartarus (translated “hell” in 2 Peter 2.4) in Hades . This possibility becomes apparent when you pair Abaddon with it, as in Proverbs 27.20.

“Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied.” (NASB95)

Proverbs 27 extols virtues such as humility, wise decision-making, healthy relationships, self-control, and diligent stewardship as keys to a fruitful life. In verse 20, Solomon compares this life and one where greed rules. Greed has the same appetite as Sheol and Abaddon. 

Indeed, such concepts denote a location, but they take on a personification akin to our true adversary, who roams the earth seeking whom he may devour (cf. 1 Peter 5.8). As a result, by the time one reaches the end of the New Testament, assuming that John’s Apocalypse was the last book written, he finds Abaddon and his Greek counterpart Apollyon as rulers of the abyss (Revelation 9.11).

I understand that Revelation is difficult for modern readers to comprehend fully, but it is simple to imagine this figure as the devil. It is not my intention to delve into the interpretation of Revelation here. To summarize, there is no need to read a future yet to-be-realized into this text as if there were some nebulous end times ahead of us. Because these concepts are associated with destruction, more than one commentator has pointed out that they could easily describe the actions of Christians’ persecutors that resulted in their deaths. And as the angel told John at the outset of his Revelation, these things would shortly occur (Revelation 1.2-3; 22.10). As a result, rather than a demonic figure or a fallen angel, the rulers of destruction could have been imperial Rome’s rulers. 

However, when Sheol appears alone, it refers to the concept of the realm of the dead. For example, when Joseph’s brothers convinced their father Jacob that a wild animal had killed him, Jacob tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. Jacob warned his family that his mourning would send him “down to Sheol” (Genesis 37.35 NASB95). Jacob uses a trip to Sheol to suggest his mourning will kill him.

Hebrew is a unique language because it lacks vowels. As a result, assigning vowel sounds is dependent on the diacritical marks Jesus referred to as “tittles” or “strokes” (Matthew 5.18). As a result, you have some pairings that can mean different things depending on where one places those strokes. In other words, changing the vowel sounds creates an entirely different word or meaning. Therefore, we can reduce Sheol to “shin-aleph-lamed.” In this case, the root is aleph-lamed,” which one uses as a negation word. As a result, Sheol would be a place of nothingness or belonging to nothingness.

This understanding does not refer to the atheistic belief that after death, one becomes like the dog Rover: dead all over. Instead, it demonstrates that current opportunities are no longer available. Consider Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes 9.10:

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might; for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going.” (NASB95)

That understanding fits well with what the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 9.27. We have a date with death, and then we will be judged. The implication is that there are no actions we can take after death to change our fate.

Returning to the concept of “shin-aleph-lamed,” the word means “to ask.” When the Israelites left Egypt, they were to ask their neighbors for gold and silver articles (Exodus 3.22). With this new dimension to Sheol, we get the idea of the earth reclaiming what God took away when he created man (cf. Genesis 2.7). It reminds us of the fleeting nature of life, that we are like vapors appearing only for a brief moment (James 4.14). As a result, as Moses stated in Psalm 90.12, we must learn to number our days. As Paul puts it, we must redeem our time (Ephesians 5.15–17).If there is an overarching theme to this brief discussion of Sheol, it is not to impress you with my research but to encourage you to go deeper in your study of God’s word. Simple tools such as Greek and Hebrew lexicons, Bible dictionaries, and reliable commentaries can help you extract far more value from the scriptures than a casual reading. And sometimes, a better understanding of even the most straightforward words can change your entire perspective on life and death.