I have always wanted to understand what happened to Jesus when he took on my sin and died. Did he actually go and experience hell? Do you have any insight on how I can study this out and understand through the scriptures what really took place during his separation from God and how long it lasted? -- Karen Goodlow (Nashville)
Jesus was punished for our sins. He was not cast into the lake of fire, so he did not go to hell. The older creeds affirm, "He descended into hell." But "hell" in the language of the older creeds is the word for Hades--the unseen world of the dead. ("Hell" is related to the word hole, referring to the underworld.) Jesus apparently paid a visit to the world of the dead.
1 Peter 3 is probably referring to this. At any rate, even though he did not go to hell, he certainly tasted hell. As Hebrews puts it, "He tasted death."
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