We believe that after the Lord Jesus Christ died on the cross, His physical body was placed in the tomb while His soul descended into Hell in the heart of the earth. He was not left in Hell, nor did His soul see corruption, but He came forth from the dead according to the Scriptures.
We believe that before Christ’s resurrection, the heart of the earth contained distinct places. Hell was the place of conscious torment for the souls of the lost, while Paradise, also called Abraham’s Bosom, was the place of comfort for the righteous dead. These places were separated by a great gulf and should not be understood as the same place.
We believe that during His descent Christ proclaimed His victory and judgment to the spirits in prison associated with the days of Noah. We also believe He went to Paradise, where the righteous Old Testament saints awaited the completion of redemption. Having accomplished redemption, He afterward led captivity captive, and Paradise was transferred upward so that the saved dead are now with the Lord in Heaven.
Christ’s descent into Hell did not constitute continued suffering or additional payment for sin. His atoning suffering and payment for sin had already been completed on the cross when He declared, “It is finished.” His presence in Hell therefore does not mean that He was being punished or burned there as a lost sinner.
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