The answer to whether Jesus went to Hell (Hades in Greek) after His death on the cross is “yes” and “no.”
Jesus provided a detailed picture of Hell’s unique blueprint in Luke 16:19-26 when relaying the death of two men. He described it as having two chambers or compartments separated by a great chasm that could not be crossed.
One compartment of Hell is a place of judgment, suffering, and torment reserved exclusively for the unbelieving dead until they are cast into the Lake of Fire. The other chamber of Hell is a place of comfort and blessing that housed the believing dead prior to Jesus’ death*. This section is also referred to as Paradise or Abraham’s Bosom in Scripture. Additionally, each chamber of Hell was visible to the other, and words spoken in one could be heard in the other.
Several Scriptures confirm that Jesus went to Hell after His death. However, He was not subject to Hell, nor did He suffer punishment or wrath in the torment compartment because He had already endured God’s judgment against sin on the cross on our behalf. Rather, Jesus went to the blessed chamber of Hell to proclaim His victory over sin and death through His blood.
One proof that confirms Jesus descended into Hell is Luke 23:43. Before passing away, Jesus said to the repentant thief crucified next to Him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Another Scripture that affirms Jesus was in Hell is Ephesians 4:9-10. It says, “Now this expression, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.”
A third confirmation that Jesus went to Hell after the cross is 1 Peter 3:18-20. It says, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.” (Note: Jesus’ “preaching” in Hell was not evangelistic in nature because there are no second chances for salvation after death. Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.” Therefore, His “preaching” was an announcement of His victory on the cross, which served two purposes: It provided notice to those who died in faith prior to the cross that the “missing piece” to their salvation had been accomplished—their atonement, and it sealed the unbelieving dead in their condemnation and confirmed their future judgment.)
Other passages that indirectly relate to Jesus going to Hell are Psalms, Isaiah, and Ephesians. It says of the Coming Messiah in Psalm 68:18, “You have ascended on high; You have led captivity captive.” Isaiah 61:1 states, “He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” Similarly, Ephesians 4:8 says of Jesus, “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”
Therefore, although Scripture clearly states that Jesus went to Hell after dying on the cross, His purpose for going was to proclaim His triumph over sin, death, and the grave through His shed blood and to ultimately set the captives in Paradise free, taking them to Heaven*.
*Those who died in faith before the cross were not allowed into Heaven because their sins had not yet been atoned for. Therefore, they were confined to the Paradise side of Hell to await the Messiah’s sacrifice in comfort and peace (see Luke 16:19-26 and Hebrews 11:39-40). However, after Jesus died on the cross, He emptied that comfort chamber, taking those confined believers to Heaven, and Paradise has remained empty ever since. All believers who have died in faith since then, having trusted Jesus for what He accomplished on Calvary, go immediately to Heaven without delay (see 2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:22-24; 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11).
Unfortunately, the suffering chamber of Hell remains active and occupied with the unbelieving dead who are enduring its torment until the Great White Throne Judgment, when they will be sentenced to the Lake of Fire.
