Was Jesus in Hell for three days?

Quick Answer: Was Jesus in Hell for three days? Some believe 1 Peter 3:19 teaches that Jesus went to Hell for three days to preach to demons or the unsaved before His resurrection. Some even claim this trip to Hell was necessary to complete Christ’s work on our behalf. However, Peter was simply saying that Jesus (long ago, through Noah) had preached to the people of Noah’s day (in that day!). The people of Noah’s generation heard Jesus’s message through Noah and rejected it. As a result, they died in the flood and are now in a spiritual prison (Hell). Jesus did not go to Hell for three days nor was it necessary for Him to do so in order to complete His finished work on our behalf. Perhaps the clearest indication of where Jesus was after He died is given to us in His words to the thief on the cross: “Today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Diving Deeper: Some teach that Jesus went to Hell for three days after the cross. Some who believe this even say this time in Hell was necessary to complete the finished work of Christ. However, this suggests that something was lacking in Christ’s death – that His suffering on the cross was not enough.

Scripture teaches Christ’s death was the perfect offering which brought total forgiveness to God’s children (Hebrews 10:14). It also states that Christ’s death began the new covenant (Luke 22:20). Nothing is ever suggested about Christ needing to journey into Hell to complete His work.

Many interpret 1 Peter 3:19 to mean Jesus preached the Gospel to people in Hell after His death and before His resurrection. However, Peter was simply saying that Jesus (through Noah) preached to the people of Noah’s day. Noah’s generation heard the message through Noah and outright rejected it. Then, they died in the flood and are now in the spiritual prison known as Hell.

In sum, Jesus did not go to Hell for three days nor was it necessary for Him to do so in order to complete His finished work on our behalf. And the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are sufficient to save us. Perhaps the clearest indication of where Jesus was after He died is given to us in His words to the thief on the cross: “Today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Let’s Make It a Conversation!
1. Had you ever heard that Jesus went to Hell for three days? What did you think?
2. React to this statement: 1 Peter 3:18-20 means Jesus was speaking through Noah to Noah’s generation.
3. How does settling this issue about Jesus in Hell help us better understand the finished work of Jesus Christ?