Film director Mel Gibson is planning to return with a sequel to the highly successful movie, Passion of the Christ. One possible aspect of this upcoming film will show what Jesus did in an otherworldly realm during those three days, before he returned from the dead. Jim Caviezel, who played the role of Jesus in the Passion of the Christ, believes the upcoming film on the resurrection of Jesus, is "going to be the biggest film in world history."
Brief releases of the film suggest that in focusing on “what Jesus did in an otherworldly realm during those three days”, would rely heavily on the Apostles’ Creed. After affirming that Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried, the Creed contended that Jesus “descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead”.
The Apostles' Creed is a good summary of Christian doctrine. However, there is a primary concern regarding the phrase “He descended into hell.” This view is expressed in the Catholic Catechism and held among many Protestants as well. However, I do not believe that the New Testament teaches that Jesus went to hell between his crucifixion and his resurrection.
The key New Testament passage that is often cited in the discussion is 1 Peter 3:18-19. 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits. The words “alive in the Spirit refers to the Spirit of Jesus. The contrast is between the fleshly body of Jesus and His Spirit. His body was in the tomb, but His spirit, having departed at His death was elsewhere for three days. (“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit” Matthew 27:50).
According to Peter, sometime between Jesus’ death and His resurrection, He made a special proclamation to some imprisoned spirits. Who were these imprisoned spirits to whom Jesus spoke? Peter states that they were “those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built” (1 Peter 3:20).
In order to understand what Peter is saying here, it is necessary to carefully examine the context from which he was writing. In chapter one of his letter, he argued that prophets, including Noah, “spoke of the grace that was to come…trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing…” (1 Peter 1:10-12). In other words, while the prophets were speaking, they were inspired by the Spirit of Christ, to say things they did not understand. Christ was speaking through the prophets by means of His Spirit.
2 Peter 1:21 tells the same story: “For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit”. From this understanding, one can conclude that Peter was indicating that Noah was inspired to actually preach in the Spirit of Christ. He was not contending that Jesus actually or physically spoke to people in the days of Noah.
However, the Bible teaches that Jesus “made a proclamation to imprisoned spirits”. Where and when did this meeting take place? This meeting of the spirits would have taken place during those three days, between his crucifixion and his resurrection. That meeting would have taken place in the realm of the dead. The New Testament refers to this place as Hades (Sheol in the Old Testament). The word simply means “the place of departed souls/spirits”. Whereas the place of the dead is temporary, hell is permanent. Revelation 20:14 teaches that hades was thrown into the lake of fire or hell – that is the second death. Jesus did not go to hell, He went to hades.
The Bible is not very clear regarding what exactly happened during those three days between the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus. However, whatever happened could be described as outcomes of the crucifixion. These would have included Jesus leading a host of captives (Ephesians 4:8). Interestingly, all post-crucifixion references connote scenes of victory. These victories apply to the entire scope of human history. From “the seed of the woman who would crush the head of Satan” in Genesis, to the restoration of the Garden of Eden in Revelation.
For these reasons, I would delete the words, “he descended into hell” from the Apostles’ Creed. For these reasons, I would also celebrate the impact of the crucifixion of Jesus. The crucifixion of Jesus touches all of human history and even creation, “which groans as in the pains of childbirth” (Romans 8:22-25).
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