JESUS IN HELL - He Descended into Hell? - Following his death for sin, Jesus journeys to Hades, to the City of Death, and rips its gates off the hinges - He liberates Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, John the Baptist, and the rest of the Old Testament faithful, ransoming them from the power of Sheol. After his resurrection, Jesus ascends to heaven and brings the ransomed dead with him, so that now paradise is no longer down near the place of torment, but is up in heaven where God dwells - “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. We all know that Jesus died. “‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last.” But what happened after he died? His body was laid in Joseph’s tomb, but what about his human soul? Reflecting on this question not only sheds light on the Bible’s teaching about death and the afterlife, but it also is a great encouragement to us, who must face death and seek to do so without fear. Death is separation, a dividing of things that ought to be united. Death marks the separation of the soul from the body. God made human beings to be embodied souls and ensouled bodies, and death rips this union asunder.

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Jesus in Hell

He Descended into Hell?

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Following his death for sin, Jesus journeys to Hades, to the City of Death, and rips its gates off the hinges - He liberates Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, John the Baptist, and the rest of the Old Testament faithful, ransoming them from the power of Sheol. After his resurrection, Jesus ascends to heaven and brings the ransomed dead with him, so that now paradise is no longer down near the place of torment, but is up in heaven where God dwells

Article by Joe Rigney

Professor, Bethlehem College & Seminary

 “You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” - Psalm 16:10

Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. (Mark 15:46)

We all know that Jesus died. “‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46).

But what happened after he died? We know that his body was laid in Joseph’s tomb, but what about his human soul?

Reflecting on this question not only sheds light on the Bible’s teaching about death and the afterlife, but it also is a great encouragement to us, who must face death and seek to do so without fear.

What Is Death?

First of all, what exactly is death?

Death is separation, a dividing of things that ought to be united.

Fundamentally, it is separation from God.

Paul suggests as much in Ephesians 2:1–2, “You were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked.”

To walk in sin is to be dead, to be enslaved to dark powers, to be separated from God, to be children of his wrath.

This type of separation is an estrangement, a hostility, an alienation from the life and hope of the living God.

In this sense, all of us, by nature, are born dead, and it is this death that Jesus endured in his suffering on the cross.

But of course, death is more than just separation from God. Death also marks the separation of the soul from the body.

God made human beings to be embodied souls and ensouled bodies, and death rips this union asunder.

But what happens to these two parts after they’re separated?

Psalm 16:10 gives us a window into the biblical teaching.

“You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.”

This passage directs us to the normal account of what happened when a human being died prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The soul was abandoned “to Sheol,” and the body saw corruption or decayed.

In Acts 2:29–31, Peter tells us that David, in writing this psalm, foresaw the resurrection of Christ, “that he was not abandoned to Hades [that is, his soul wasn’t], nor did his flesh see corruption” (notice that Peter reads the second line as a reference to Jesus’s body or flesh).

Thus, prior to Jesus, at death, souls normally went to Sheol (or Hades), and bodies (flesh) decayed.

We’re all familiar with the latter, but the former is more opaque.

A quick Bible study will show us why Peter thinks that David’s prophecy in Psalm 16 is such good news.

What Is Sheol?

In the Old Testament, Sheol is the place of the souls of the dead, both the righteous (like Jacob, Genesis 37:35, and Samuel, 1 Samuel 28:13–14) and the wicked (Psalm 31:17).

In the New Testament, the Hebrew word Sheol is translated as Hades, and the description of Sheol in the Old and New Testaments bears some resemblance to the Hades of Greek mythology.

It is under the earth (Numbers 16:30–33), and it is like a city with gates (Isaiah 38:10) and bars (Job 17:16).

It is a land of darkness — a place where shades, the shadowy souls of men, dwell (Isaiah 14:9; 26:14).

It is the land of forgetfulness (Psalm 88:12), where no work is done and no wisdom exists (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Most significantly, Sheol is a place where no one praises God (Psalm 6:5; 88:10–11; 115:17; Isaiah 38:18).

In the New Testament, the most extended depiction of the afterlife is found in Luke 16:19–31.

There we learn that, like the Hades of Greek mythology, the biblical Sheol has two compartments: Hades proper (where the rich man is sent, Luke 16:23) and “Abraham’s bosom” (where the angels carry Lazarus, Luke 16:22).

Hades proper is a place of torment, where fire causes anguish to the souls imprisoned there.

Abraham’s bosom, on the other hand, while within shouting distance of Hades, is separated from it by “a great chasm” (Luke 16:26) and is, like the Greek Elysium, a place of comfort and rest.

While much mystery remains, the picture begins to take shape.

All dead souls go down to Sheol/Hades, but Sheol is divided into two distinct sides, one for the righteous and one for the wicked.

The righteous who died prior to Christ dwelt in Sheol with Abraham, and though they were cut off from the land of the living (and therefore from the worship of Yahweh on earth), they were not tormented as the wicked were.

Where Did Jesus Go When He Died?

What, then, does this tell us about where Jesus was on Holy Saturday?

Based on Jesus’s words to the thief on the cross in Luke 23:43, some Christians believe, that after his death, Jesus’s soul went to heaven to be in the presence of the Father.

But Luke 23:43 doesn’t say that Jesus would be in the presence of God; it says he would be in the presence of the thief (“Today you will be with me in paradise”)

And based on the Old Testament and Luke 16, it seems likely that the now-repentant thief would be at Abraham’s side, a place of comfort and rest for the righteous dead, which Jesus here calls “paradise.”

Following his death for sin, then, Jesus journeys to Hades, to the City of Death, and rips its gates off the hinges.

He liberates Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, John the Baptist, and the rest of the Old Testament faithful, ransoming them from the power of Sheol (Psalm 49:15; 86:13; 89:48).

They had waited there for so long, not having received what was promised, so that their spirits would be made perfect along with the saints of the new covenant (Hebrews 11:39–40; 12:23).

After his resurrection, Jesus ascends to heaven and brings the ransomed dead with him, so that now paradise is no longer down near the place of torment, but is up in the third heaven, the highest heaven, where God dwells (2 Corinthians 12:2–4).

Now, in the church age, when the righteous die, they aren’t merely carried by angels to Abraham’s bosom; they depart to be with Christ, which is far better (Philippians 1:23).

The wicked, however, remain in Hades in torment, until the final judgment, when Hades gives up the dead who dwell there, and they are judged according to their deeds, and then Death and Hades are thrown into hell, into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:13–15).

Good News for Us

What implications does this have for Holy Week? Christ’s journey to Hades demonstrates that he was indeed made like us in every way.

Not only did he bear the wrath of God on our behalf; he endured death, the separation of his soul from his body.

His body was in Joseph’s tomb (Luke 23:50–53), and his soul was three days in Sheol, “in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40).

But as Psalm 16 makes clear, Jesus is not only like us, but different. Jesus’ body was buried, like ours, but it did not decay.

Jesus’s soul went to Hades, like the Old Testament saints’, but wasn’t abandoned there.

God raised him from the dead, reunited his soul with a now-glorified body, so that he is the firstfruits of the resurrection harvest.

And this is good news for us, because those in Christ now bypass the land of forgetfulness, where no one praises God.

Instead, when we die, we join with the angelic choir and the saints of old to sing praises to the Lamb who was slain for us and our salvation.

The Lord is risen. The Lord is risen indeed.

Your Sorrow Will Turn to Joy

Joe Rigney (@joe_rigney) is assistant professor of theology and literature at Bethlehem College & Seminary and author of The Things of Earth: Treasuring God by Enjoying His Gifts. He is a pastor at Cities Church.

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/he-descended-into-hell

ANSWERING HARD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE AFTERLIFE - The Bible teaches us that heaven is going to be light and beauty beyond anything man can comprehend. In heaven, we will receive a higher level of understanding. Heaven will offer many answers to Earth's puzzles. There will be time for praising and worshipping God, but there will be time for service too, because service is another form of worship. Heaven is a place of endless joy. Heaven is where we will fellowship with Christ forever. Surely death could not blot out recognition of loved ones, no matter how changed the glorified body may be, for we know one another by tone of voice, style of walk, habit patterns and ways of expression as much as by physical features. Lovers separated by death will find solace, comfort and pleasure in each other's arms.

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Answering Hard Questions About the Afterlife

JUDSON CORNWALL

Years ago, I preached an extended series of sermons on heaven.

A few months after the series ended, my youngest daughter, Tina, had a very serious automobile accident and lay unconscious for several days.

When she finally regained her senses in the intensive care unit of the hospital, she whispered to me, "Oh, Daddy, it's just like you described it, only far more beautiful. I felt like I had been there before, because of your preaching, but it was so wonderful I didn't want to leave it. If Jesus Himself hadn't come to me and told me that my time on Earth was not up, I would have stayed forever."

Since then, I have talked with several people who have had extensive visions of this paradise of God, and the more they told me about it, the more homesick I became for heaven.

They have told me that while much of it looks like the most beautiful portions of this Earth, even more looks like nothing we have ever seen in this world.

They were impressed with the complete perfection they saw everywhere and the absolute absence of withered leaves or dying vegetation.

There was no sign of aging, no incident of infirmity, no unpleasantness and no unwholesome desires.

But let's not look only at personal experiences of heaven, which may be fallible. Let's look at seven things that God's book, the Bible, tells us about heaven.

1)    Heaven is beauty beyond explanation. The Bible teaches us that heaven is going to be light and beauty beyond anything man can comprehend (1 Corinthians 2:9).

Just as the mole boring in the depths of the earth, living its entire life from birth through death beneath the surface of this planet, cannot comprehend or visualize the beauty on the surface, so we who were born beneath heaven are equally incapable of imagining what heaven is like.
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2)   In heaven, we will receive a higher level of understanding. In his beautiful eulogy on faith, Paul declared, "For now we see as through a glass, dimly, but then, face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, even as I also am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Heaven will offer many answers to Earth's puzzles.

3) Heaven is a place of service. Revelation 7:15 says, "Therefore, they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple."

There will be time for praising and worshipping God, but there will be time for service too, because service is another form of worship.

4) Heaven is a place of endless joy. This is consistent with Revelation 21:4 and with Christ's impartation of joy to His disciples (John 15:11).

5) Heaven is a place of safety and security. There is no permanence on Earth. But when we get to heaven, everything will be perpetual, and we can enjoy it to the fullest because we know that no one is going to snatch it away from us.

6) Heaven is a place of fellowship with others. Heaven is going to be a place of social joys (Hebrews 12:22-23).

We were created to be sociable creatures. Sometimes relationships can be complicated.

But in heaven, interpersonal complications, misunderstandings and the like will cease to exist as we enter into harmonious relationships with others.

7) Heaven is where we will fellowship with Christ forever. The Word tells us that heaven is going to be a place of fellowship with Christ (1 Peter 1:6-9).

Fellowship with God is why we were created in the first place.

Will We Recognize Our Loved Ones?

Listening to a Christian telecast, I heard a guest tell of her visit to heaven some years ago. She said that although her mother had died in giving her birth, she instantly recognized her, and the mother recognized the full-grown daughter.

Some years later, a relative showed her a newly discovered, tintype group picture, and she quickly picked her mother out from among the group of people, although no other photo of her mother existed.

She recognized her mother because she had seen her in heaven.

Of those who have written of their visions or experiences of heaven, all have expressed an intuitive knowing of those in heaven.

Many have testified that the first person they met after entering heaven was a very close loved one.

Others have declared that a father or husband conducted them through the river of life.

Surely death could not blot out recognition of loved ones, no matter how changed the glorified body may be, for we know one another by tone of voice, style of walk, habit patterns and ways of expression as much as by physical features.

That recognition will trigger reunion. Mothers and fathers will enjoy the thrill of having their children gathered together for a family picnic in heaven's beautiful paradise park.

Lovers separated by death will find solace, comfort and pleasure in each other's arms.

Children who died before maturity on Earth can proudly display their development to their mothers and fathers, while the parents rejoice that the death of the earthly body had not impeded the development of the soul and spirit of their children.

Everything that sin has snatched from us, heaven will restore to us — including our Christian loved ones. What a glorious reunion that will be!

There will be so much to discuss and share and so many loved ones to look up that there might be a sense of panic if there were not such an awareness of eternity in everyone.

Though we will not know everything once we enter heaven, I believe the story of the rich man and Lazarus teaches us that our memory goes with us into eternity.

But since experience, though a hard teacher, is a thorough teacher, it is inconceivable that our memories in eternity would ever let us be involved in anything that could cost us our freedom from sin's calloused control.

We will have no desire for sin.

You may ask, "If in heaven I am aware and recognize saved loved ones, what about the loved ones who did not make it into heaven? Won't their absence produce sorrow and regret?"

Apparently, it will not, for we are assured that there will be no sorrow there.

If God chooses not to remember our sins (Jeremiah 31:34), then we also will be able to choose not to recall anything that would distract from the joy of heaven.

When those who have had brief visionary trips into paradise were asked if they missed certain loved ones who had rejected Christ on Earth, they have stated that they were totally unaware of their absence.

It seems that God blots out the memory of those who chose not to go to heaven and accentuates the awareness of those who have entered in.

My former pastor, the late Rev. Fuchsia Pickett, illustrated this beautifully in saying that if we are seated in a well-lighted room, it is not possible for us to see out the window into the darkness, but anyone standing in that darkness can see into the room easily.

When heaven's Shekinah (glory) illuminates all of heaven, there can be no looking out into the darkness into which the lost have been cast eternally.

Perhaps they can see us (as was the case in the story Jesus told of the rich man and Lazarus), but if so, it will only increase their torment.

Our ecstasy will not be eclipsed by any sense of tragedy. God's justice in refusing admittance for the non-repentant will satisfy every heart, for God's law, not our earthly love, will be the prevailing attitude in heaven.

Will We Get to Meet David, Isaiah and Others?

I do not mean to project that earthly ties will continue into heaven, for marriage is only "until death do us part," but the one factor of eternity that we have been allowed to enter into while still on earth is love.

Love is not earthly but divine: "God is love" (1 John 4:8), and unlike earthly lust that will pass away with our bodies, it will abide eternally.

Whatever measure of true love we have shared with others will carry into eternity, because love is an expression of the soul, not the body.

Furthermore, that love will mature and develop to a high degree of perfection when fleshly lusts, earthly fears and cultural repressions are no longer hindering forces.

The divine love we will share with one another in heaven will be imparted by God and shared one with another in an unashamed, unrestricted and unlimited manner.

For many of us who have had great difficulty in expressing tender feelings down here, this release would almost "be heaven" without any of the other benefits.

Not only will there be joyful reunions with loved ones, but there will also be delightful recognition of and fellowship with members of the bride of Christ who lived in a different span of time or geographical location than we did.

I once spoke from Isaiah to a large gathering of believers in Cincinnati, Ohio.

After the service had ended, a sweet sister approached me to say, "Isaiah is my favorite book in the Bible. When I get to heaven, I'm going to have a long talk with Isaiah."

"Do you think you will recognize him?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "I've read his writings so often I believe I'll recognize him from the way he talks."

She is probably right, for in listening to a reading of the Bible, it is easy to tell the difference between Peter and Paul, or Moses and Malachi.

How exciting it will be to ask Adam about the first paradise or to discuss the great flood with Noah.

What pleasure will be ours as we listen to David sing his psalms to their original tunes or discuss the Song of Solomon with the author.

If merely meeting an earthly author produces excitement down here, try to imagine the stimulation of talking with one of the inspired writers of Scripture.

But that will not exhaust our source of fellowship, for the saints of all ages will be there. We will meet Martin Luther, Charles Wesley, John Knox, Charles Spurgeon and hundreds of others whose lives became milestones on the pathway to heaven.

We will listen to the singing of great vocalists who have stirred thousands to holiness and identify with the prayers of men and women who have moved entire communities to God from their prayer closets.

We will have a chance to hear some of the great preachers of generations ago and to see how the great variances in theology have merged into one complete picture after men have fully seen that which on Earth could only be partially seen.

We will have the opportunity to thank John Bunyan for writing The Pilgrim's Progress while incarcerated and to thank the martyrs who victoriously died, often most painfully and ignominiously, rather than recant their faith.

We will meet the pioneers and missionaries who endured such hardships to spread the gospel beyond the borders of Europe and who have made our Christian heritage possible.

Will We See Jesus Face to Face?

Yet personally, neither seeing my father, nor my eldest brother, nor the great saints of the ages hold top priority in my desire for fellowship in heaven. I long to see Jesus!

It is He who took our place, died the death that we deserved, delivered us from sin, purchased our redemption and brought us into His own residence.

Although we have not seen Him, we love Him. He has become the theme of our song, the expression of our confession, the joy of our lives, the basis of our blessings and the foundation of our hope of heaven.

But despite all this, we have not really seen Him or known Him. We are acquainted with Him as our need-meeter, but we do not know Him very well as a person.

We have learned much about His works and something about His ways, but few have known Him.

We have embraced Him as our Savior, received Him as our guide and proclaimed Him as our Lord, but we do not yet know Him as our lover.

Paul admitted, "For now we see as through a glass, dimly, but then, face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, even as I also am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Since most of our earthly knowledge comes to us through our senses, our capacity to receive spiritual knowledge is necessarily limited — we see in a mirror whose silver has darkened with age. But John declares that in heaven "His servants ... shall see His face" (Revelation 22:3-4) and that "we shall see Him as He is" (1 John 3:2).

Heaven would be glorious even without this, but after seeing Him as He really is, heaven's joys will be absolutely overwhelming.

Moses is the only man in the Bible who was afforded the privilege of face-to-face communication with God, but in heaven, we all shall see Him "face to face."

This is the basis for our hope and the blessing of that hope — interpersonal relationship with Christ Jesus our Lord.

This will complete the circle of time, placing it into the circuit of eternity.

The era of God and man walking and talking together in paradise's garden, which was lost through Adam's fall, will be restored again, and God's original purpose of creation will be realized — fellowship between creature and Creator with complete understanding, compassionate caring and companionate sharing.

We are here for a short season as preparation for the hereafter, and now we only sing about seeing Him face to face, but in heaven, we will experience it and much more. Heaven is God's home, His abode, and He will share it with me. That will be the joy of heaven.

Judson Cornwall was well-known as a pastor, teacher, author and traveling ambassador of Christ. He was a skillful communicator and learned Bible scholar. In 2005, he passed from our earthly world to the heavenly one he describes in his book From This Life to the Next.

https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/56966-hard-questions-about-the-afterlife

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CLAIRALIENCE : Miraculous Sixth Sense - Believers consider clairalience to be a miraculous part of the "sixth sense" that helps people access knowledge spiritually, beyond their physical senses. Experiencing clairalience means smelling a fragrance that comes from a spiritual source (such as God or His angels) rather than a physical one. You suddenly smell something that has symbolic significance to you, without having any physical stimuli near your nose to create the scent.

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Clairalience: Miraculous Sixth Sense

What is the Clairalience 
Form of ESP?

Is Clairalience Part of a Miraculous Sixth Sense?

by Whitney Hopler

Clairalience (which means "clear smelling) is a form of extrasensory perception (ESP) that involves getting psychic impressions through your sense of smell.

Believers consider clairalience to be a miraculous part of the "sixth sense" that helps people access knowledge spiritually, beyond their physical senses.

Experiencing clairalience means smelling a fragrance that comes from a spiritual source (such as God or His angels) rather than a physical one.

You suddenly smell something that has symbolic significance to you, without having any physical stimuli near your nose to create the scent.

The Sweet Scent of Roses

If you smell roses while you're praying or meditating but there are no natural roses around you, the scent likely indicates the presence of God's Holy Spirit or one of His angels with you.

Roses are a sacred symbol of God's love.

God may choose to encourage you as you seek Him by sending you the sweet scent of roses through clairalience.

Fragrances that Remind You of Loved Ones Who have Died

You may also experience clairalience after people you love have died, through scent messages that remind you of them.

For instance, you may smell your mother's favorite perfume suddenly while thinking of her or praying for her -- even though her actual perfume isn't physically around you.

Or, you may smell the aroma of your friend's favorite meal, fried chicken, when you're thinking about him or praying for him -- even though no actual food is nearby.

Some people believe that such signs are messages that their loved ones send to them directly from the afterlife.

Others believe that God sends the signs (sometimes through His angels) to comfort them in their grief with the assurance that their loved ones are in heaven.

Whitney Hopler has covered stories about faith professionally since 1994. She believes in both angels and miracles, and welcomes readers from all perspectives to learn more about these exciting topics. 

Experience

Throughout Whitney’s career, she has researched angels and miracles extensively. Whitney, who has some personal experience with angelic encounters and miraculously answered prayers, has also professionally interviewed people who say they have encountered angels or experienced miracles. She enjoys communicating information about angels and miracles to challenge readers to consider how God may have been at work in those situations. Whitney has served as the religion editor for a secular newspaper chain in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, as well as an editor on staff at Crosswalk.com and The Salvation Army’s national magazines. She has written for a variety of national publications, including the Guideposts magazine Angels on Earth.

Education

Whitney graduated with honors from George Mason University, where she studied comparative religion and earned a bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in writing.

Whitney Hopler

Angels and miracles can show glimpses of God at work and encourage people whose lives they touch. Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, you’re welcome here as we explore stories of angels and miracles and what lessons those stories may teach us. I believe that each of our individual stories are all connected to the ultimate story of what God is doing in the world, so I look forward to hearing your stories. As we consider angels and miracles together, we can all enrich our spiritual journeys!

https://www.thoughtco.com/clairalience-clear-smelling-form-of-esp-124709