Did Jesus Ever Visit Hell?

Jesus in Hell?! Preposterous!

Yet, that is exactly what is said in Acts 2:27...in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible.*

Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell….

Now, before going any further, the Greek text has the word for Hades (hadays). So, did the translators of the KJV err? 

Perhaps not.

Two English words developed from a German ancestor that meant, a covered place:

• Hall: a covered (with a roof) place; and
• Hell: a covered (with earth) place.

Considering that people are buried in the ground after death, a covered with earth place (hell) describes the place of the dead. That is true in many cultures including that of the ancient Hebrews and Greeks. So, both the Hebrew word Sheol and the Greek word Hades referred to the place of the dead, or the underworld. Clearly, the original meaning of the English word hell fit both Sheol and Hades. So, at one time the word hell would have been a natural choice for translators.

Did the KJV translators think that hell meant place of the dead or underworld? It is impossible to read minds, but they did use the English word hell to translate the Hebrew word Sheol in 31 of its 65 occurrences. In the New Testament the English word hell was used to translate the Greek word Hades in all occurrences but one. So, it would appear that the KJV translators were using the original meaning of the English word hell.

Modern translations, however, now use the word hell fairly consistently for the eternal destruction of the ungodly after the final judgment. For that reason, the text of Acts 2:27 in modern translations reads as follows:

You will not abandon my soul to Hades….

With a better understanding why the KJV has the word hell in Acts 2:27, let’s reword the question for today using modern translations:

Did Jesus ever visit Hades?

To answer, first remember that Hades is not for the righteous, but the unrighteous dead. Their final destination will be the lake of fire.

Next, consider the text of Acts 2:27. Peter was preaching and quoted an Old Testament prophecy in reference to Jesus. The quotation was a plea that the soul of Jesus would not be abandoned in Hades. That suggests that Jesus was in Hades at some point.

Shortly after that prophetic statement Peter proclaimed that God had raised Jesus from the dead (v. 32). So, the resurrection of Jesus shows that He was not abandoned in Hades. Yet, it also suggests that Jesus was in Hades for the time between His death and His resurrection. Does that make sense?

The prophet Isaiah looked forward to the coming Messiah saying that He would bear the sins of many. Validating its fulfillment Peter wrote:

He [Jesus] Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness…. 

—1 Peter 2:24

Since Jesus “bore our sins,” He went to Hades after His death. However, the sins He bore were not His own. So, He did not deserve death and He did not deserve Hades. It is for that reason that God did not abandon Him in Hades. So, “Yes,” Jesus did go to Hades temporarily, so that we would not have to suffer eternal death.

That is why, on the day Jesus was crucified, people heard that heart-wrenching cry...

My God! My God! Why have you forsaken Me?

He was forsaken by God...but not abandoned!

Mark Stinnett

September 25, 2022


*The Douay-Rheims Bible (1609), an official English translation of the Roman Catholic Church, also used the word hell in Acts 2:27.

The Pit and Divine Judgment

In previous weeks I have explored a number of biblical terms referring to destinations in the afterlife, such as Sheol and Hades. These have accompanied the current sermon series on 'Judgment.' A less familiar judgment term is the pit. It is often used in the Bible as a parallel to Sheol, but also connects to other biblical terms that are relevant. Let’s see what the Bible says about the pit.

There are eleven different Hebrew words that are translated pit. In each case the meaning could simply refer to a hole in the ground. You can imagine how the word pit could be used to refer to an open grave. For that reason, pit is sometimes used in Hebrew poetry as a parallel to the grave, death or Sheol.

However, out of the 148 occurrences of Hebrew pit terms, 94 occurrences appear in the context of imprisonment or destruction, often in prophetic warnings of divine judgment. Examples:

• Judgment against Babylon: “You will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:15)
• Judgment against Moab, “The one who flees from the terror will fall into the pit, and the one who climbs up out of the pit will be caught in the snare.” (Jeremiah 48:44) i.e. There is no escape from divine judgment.
• Judgment against the king of the city of Tyre: “They [invading nations] will bring you down to the pit, and you will die the death of those who are slain.” (Ezekiel 28:8)

Outside of a few literal uses of the word pit in the New Testament, it is used in Revelation 9 in reference to a bottomless pit. In John’s vision an angel of God held the key to the bottomless pit and was told to release destructive locusts. The locusts were allowed to torment (but not kill) the ungodly people on earth for five months. The bottomless pit was also referred to as the abyss (v. 11). The king over the abyss is named Abaddon (Hebrew) and Apollyon (Greek) (v. 11), both names meaning destruction.

Much earlier a large number of demons begged Jesus not to command them to go into the abyss (Luke 8:31). In Matthew’s parallel account the demons ask Jesus if He was about to torment them before “the time” (8:29). This appears to be the same abyss seen in the book of Revelation.

There is one other similar use of the term pit* that is parallel in meaning to the abyss. In 2 Peter 2:4 we read: “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….” In this case the word hell is the Greek word Tartarus and is described as pits of darkness. A parallel statement written by Jude will add to our understanding: “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….” (v. 6)

Connections and Conclusion:

• Tartarus (pits of darkness) is a place for sinful angels (not humans). There they are kept in eternal bonds until judgment.
• The abyss (bottomless pit) is a place of torment and is associated with Tartarus. Demons are destined for the abyss. Though its king is named destroyer, an angel of God holds the key to the abyss, therefore showing God’s ultimate authority over the abyss.
• When the pit is used in judgment prophecy it is applied to the ungodly as an inescapable place, death or destruction.

So, the pit is often used in judgment prophecy for destruction. There is a pit that is referred to as the bottomless pit, also called the abyss. That is descriptive of Tartarus, a kind of Hades for sinful angels and demons, before their final destruction in the lake of fire. For Christians, these things help to round our our understanding of the spiritual realm and how God deals with evil. However, we can rest easy knowing that these things are not a threat to those who belong to God.

Mark Stinnett

September 18, 2022

*The abyss is also found in Romans 10:7, but as a reference to Hades. This appears to be an exception to the way it is used in other passages in the Bible.

What Does the Bible Say about Purgatory?

The word Purgatory is not found in the Bible. So, some folks would prefer that I answer the title question by leaving a long blank space. However, the word trinity is not in the Bible either, yet most Christians believe in a three-person Godhead: God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. So, perhaps, like the term trinity, the concept of Purgatory is somewhere in the Bible.

What is Purgatory?

The word Purgatory comes from the Latin word purgare, meaning, to cleanse, or purge. It is defined as a place where a person temporarily suffers after death in order to expiate (i.e. atone for) his sins. (Webster) In Roman Catholicism it is a place for those who have died in a state of grace. (Encyclopedia Britannica) Souls are sent to Purgatory because they have not been purged (purified) of unforgiven venial sins. Venial sins are pardonable less offensive sins to God. (New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia)

Souls in Purgatory are believed to be cleansed of their sins by suffering and by the aid of the living who are faithful. Aid is given through prayers, fasting, almsgiving, sacrifices, indulgences and other pious works. Once atonement is made, the soul can be released from Purgatory.

Where Did the Teaching Originate?

The teaching of Purgatory appears to have originated from a passage found in an apocryphal book*, 2 Maccabees 12:45. Judas Maccabee “offered an atoning sacrifice to free the dead from their sin.” This was to benefit soldiers who had died in battle defending the Jews.

However, the doctrine of Purgatory was not officially accepted by the Roman Catholic Church until the Middle Ages at the Council of Lyon (1245). It was never a part of the teachings of Jesus and His apostles.

Is the Doctrine of Purgatory Biblical?

The doctrine of Purgatory states that a person must pay for unforgiven sins through suffering and/or the pious works of the living. However, consider...

My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. 

—1 John 2:1-2

So, according to the Apostle John, Jesus is our propitiation, that is, the sacrifice offered to atone for sins. In addition, the Hebrew writer emphasized that Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice “once for all.” In other words, His sacrifice was sufficient so that additional sacrifices for sin are simply not necessary. (Hebrews 7:27; 9:12)

So, atonement for sin is based on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, not man. Yet, the doctrine of Purgatory says that the debt of sin can be paid by man. This contradiction is insurmountable; only one of these teachings can be correct.

Since the writings of the Apostle John and the writer of Hebrews are not in question, then the origin of the doctrine of Purgatory must be questioned. Either the book of 2 Maccabees is not authoritative, or Judas Maccabee acted on his own without divine authority. In either case, the doctrine of Purgatory lacks authoritative biblical support.

Conclusion: Purgatory is not a biblical doctrine.

Mark Stinnett

September 4, 2022

*The Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church accept 2 Maccabees as authoritative. However, most, if not all, Protestant and Jewish groups do not consider apocryphal writings to have the same authority as other books of the Bible.

Who Was the Son of Man?

I know the answer to the title question; do you?
The Son of Man was Jesus.

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Wait! Is that all there is to it? It is true that Jesus was called the Son of Man in the New Testament, but why?

The Phrase
The phrase, son of man, appears twelve times in the Old Testament prior to the book of Ezekiel. It is often found in poetic sections as a parallel description to man.

What is 'man' that You take thought of him,
And the 'son of man' that You care for him?
—Psalm 8:4 (emphasis added)

The word human or the phrase human offspring could be inserted for son of man without loss of meaning. At times the phrase emphasized the stark contrast between man and God.

God referred to the prophet Ezekiel as son of man more than 90 times. Son of man was more descriptive of Ezekiel’s relationship with God. Ezekiel was created, not divine; an offspring of humans, not deity. Son of man did not appear to be a term of endearment; nor was it demeaning. It seemed to emphasize the great difference between God and the man Ezekiel.

As a son of man, the Spirit of God entered Ezekiel so that he could speak to God’s people. This might suggest that a mere human was not sufficient to carry the message of deity, so only with the aid of the Holy Spirit could the divine message of God be spoken.

Son of man appears next in the book of Daniel, in a prophecy about the Messiah.

The Son of Man
In Daniel’s prophecy “One like a Son of Man was coming” and the Ancient of Days, a reference to God, gave Him “dominion, Glory and a kingdom” so that all people might serve Him. (Daniel 7:13-14) The Jews accepted this to be a prophecy of the coming Messiah.

Son of Man is found in the New Testament, but almost exclusively in the gospel accounts, even then, a descriptive phrase used by Jesus in reference to Himself. With the Old Testament as a backdrop, the two-fold significance of this descriptive phrase comes into focus. However, note first that by using the phrase Son of Man in reference to Himself, Jesus was able to make true statements about Himself that did not offended the Jews who did not believe that He was the Messiah.

It is significant that Son of Man indicated that the Son of God was also human. Such an idea was difficult and mysterious to people then and now. There are doctrines that have denied that the Son of God was actually a human. However, Jesus boldly insisted that He was the Son of Man. He was born in the flesh and understands the human experience. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Equally significant, by referring to himself as Son of Man, Jesus identified Himself as the prophesied Messiah. He linked Himself to the prophecy in Daniel that said that the Son of Man would receive an everlasting kingdom from God. He was the coming king. He has come. He reigns today—Son of Man and Son of God.

One other significant fact: Daniel’s prophecy was set in the context of God’s judgment. The coming of the Son of Man would mark a time of divine judgment separating the godly and the ungodly. The Son of Man came calling people to faith and repentance with divine purpose:

“For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.” 

—Matthew 18:11

Mark Stinnett

September 4, 2022