Where Was Jesus Between the Cross and the Resurrection?

[HKHaugan]

Where was Jesus between His Cross and Resurrection? This has been a lingering question over the centuries. Scripture does not deal with it in great detail. What we do have are some very powerfully suggestive statements in the Old and New Testament that generally cover the submission and victory of Jesus over all that is evil and its destruction in the lake of fire (Rev.20:14). Let's look at a few passages and then briefly address them

Psalm 16:10 You will not abandon me to Sheol (the grave).

Ps.88:6-8 You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
Your wrath lies heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves.
You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape; my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, Lord, every day;

John 12:31-32 "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. "And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."…

Eph.4:8-10 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.

Acts 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

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;

1 Peter 4:5-6 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. 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.
Col.1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

Rev.20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Three conclusions can be made from the above Scriptures. First, Jesus died and descended into spiritual darkness alone. Sin, which He embraced, is its isolating force. He carried its full pressure into the place of evil. Remember, since all Creation began in the Spirit out of and by the Word of God so Jesus walked physically and spiritually alone into death's darkness. Death is the devil's final weapon and death is the isolation of the soul into a lonely eternity. Jesus trusted His Father in the Spirit. (Gen.2:18 It is not good for the man to be alone.). Hell, its tempter the devil and its condition are described in Gen.3--- isolation, distrust, guilt, fear, blame, pride, hiding, rationalization and self-justification from which only God can save us. Jesus' faith in His Father carried Him through it.

Secondly, He preached to those who died before Him to give them the opportunity to join Him in paradise and eternity (Lk.23:43, 1Peter 3:18-22) thus covering with His perfect blood all past sin.

Thirdly, for all who believe in Him, judgment is declared already and they will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. As quickly as sin and death entered the world through Adam and Eve, life in Jesus' presence is immediate and eternal “in the twinkling of an eye.”

Now think of the phrase “He led captivity captive” in the Eph.4 passage above and liken it to a prison, its warden and guards. Spiritually we have the devil, hell and evil spirits with all the prisoners, each guilty of sin, in solitary confinement, where each cell is a conscious isolation from God and everyone else. That is death, the devil's stinger and goal. Then Jesus comes taking the condemnation of sin, death, put in its prison, having given His life on the Cross. But His death was the perfect sacrifice that enabled him to use it as the master key unlocking every cell personally and taking the whole system captive. That is what happened when He rose from the dead. His Resurrection brought all that out in the open for us to see and gave us gifts to live a restored life through faith in Him. He exposed the devil, his spirits and demons and his hellish kingdom. He gave us His Word to identify the spiritual reality that is fallen and the eternal spirituality that rights every wrong. He released us from that captivity so that through faith in Him our destiny is freedom in Him. He gave us His Holy Spirit to bring Him into our hearts and who prompts us from within to be light in the world.

What we are looking at in the overall context of Scripture is that “death is conquered, we are free and Christ has won the victory (Easter Hymn---He Has Risen).” He accomplished all of that between the Cross and the Resurrection. Now we have something to really celebrate, the Feast of the Resurrection of our Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ, Son of God, Prince of Peace. Amen and Amen.