Now that Christ has risen from the dead those who die that have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and repented of their sins go to heaven into the presence of the Lord. Though their physical bodies remain in the grave until they are resurrected in what many call the Rapture at which point their bodies are glorified and join their spirits already in heaven.
Acts 16:31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.”
2 Corinthians 5:8 “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.”
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
But prior to Christ, those whose faith was counted as righteousness went to a waiting place called Paradise. In modern terms, a purgatory. Don’t confuse this with the Catholic interpretation of purgatory whom they say still exists, this is not correct, it does not exist any longer. According to the scriptures, there was a place, probably in the heart of the Earth, that existed that was divided into two compartments separated by a gulf. The Hebrews called this Upper Sheol which was Paradise and a place for the righteous dead and Lower Sheol which was a place of torment for the wicked dead. Sheol literally interprets ‘the place of the dead”. Remember Jesus’ words in Luke 23:43 records telling one of the criminals on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” This statement implies immediate consciousness after death in a place called Paradise.
Isaiah 14:9-11 speaks of lower Sheol as a place of torment: “Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. “All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee.”
This is taught very clearly by Jesus himself in Luke 16:19-31 where he describes a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus who die. In Jesus’ story Upper Sheol is called Abraham’s bosom. :
“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”
In this place the dead dwelled until when Christ was laid in the tomb for three days. During these three days in the tomb Christ descended into Paradise and preached to those waiting there, preaching to them the gospel and giving them the opportunity to believe on him to be saved. His visit gave people there an opportunity to respond to the gospel. That’s why the Apostle’s Creed says he “descended into hell” – preaching to spirits imprisoned. He did not suffer the flames of Hell as some believe. He went there to address those in paradise and give them opportunity to ascend to heaven when he did.
1 Peter 4:6 “For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”
Jesus bridged the gap between paradise and torment, making salvation available to those who believed.
Ephesians 4:8-10 “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)”
The Apostles’ Creed, one of the oldest Christian creeds, makes a direct reference to Jesus’ descent into hell. Specifically, it states that after Jesus “was crucified, died, and was buried, he descended into hell.” This line affirms the widely held belief in the early church that Jesus visited the realm of the dead after his death on the cross. The Apostles’ Creed served as a baptismal confession in the early church, so Christians were professing their faith in Christ’s defeat of death and triumph over evil powers through his descent into hell. Jesus did not remain in hell but rose victorious on the third day.
1 Peter 3:18-19 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
Most theologians believe Jesus boldly entered into Sheol to affirm His power and supremacy over darkness, fulfilling the prophecy of the Messiah’s mission and absolute defeat of the devil as well as death, hell and the grave. In just three days, Christ thoroughly dominated and disarmed the forces that had held humanity captive for eons and took the keys to death, hell and the grave!
Colossians 2:15 “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”
Revelation 1:18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
1 Corinthians 15:55-57 “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
His resurrection crushed evil’s strongholds for good!
These righteous souls then rose from the dead when Jesus did and were even seen walking the streets of Jerusalem until he ascended on high at which point they rose with him to heaven.
Matthew 27:50-53 records, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.”
Up from the grave he arose, setting captivity free from their waiting place. Paradise was emptied out that day and hell enlarged itself.
Isaiah 5:14 “Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.”
God never deserted his people, those who believed on him, all through time. And neither will he turn a deaf ear to anyone who calls upon his name and believes on him.
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