When Jesus therefore had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!
And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
John 19:30
It is finished! Those are the words of Jesus right before He died. He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
His body was placed in a tomb, and on the third day, He rose again.
The question is, where did His spirit go?
Jesus told the thief that he would be with Him that very day in paradise (Luke 23:43).
So, why do some people think He went to hell that weekend?
Let’s find out what the Bible says.
Table of Contents
Did Jesus Spend a Weekend in Hell?
There is no evidence that Jesus went to hell while His body lay in the grave. However, this doctrine has been around for a long time. Historically, some believed that Jesus visited the abode of the dead to preach to the “spirits in prison” and offer them a second chance at salvation, while others claim He only went to the righteous dead to announce His victory and their liberation. Still, others said Jesus visited the wicked dead and preached to the spirits who were disobedient in the days of Noah. More recently, the weekend in hell doctrine changed into Jesus did not finish atoning for sins on the cross but needed to go to hell for the final payment.
The Weekend in Hell Doctrine
Traditionally, this doctrine made its way into various creeds, most notably the Apostles creed around 750 A.D. Notice where it says, “He descended into hell.”
It’s unclear when this doctrine began or who started it, but it was based on an expanded version of the old Roman creed.
You can read more about this doctrine at Bible Study Tools, Did Jesus Actually Descend into Hell?
The most likely Scripture used for this doctrine:
1 Peter 3:18-20 For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it, only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water.
First, notice how it says that Jesus “was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.” Only His body was in the grave.
The next part, “through whom he went and preached to the spirits in prison,” is difficult to understand and is interpreted in several ways.
Four Traditional Interpretations
One interpretation claims that in between Jesus’ death and resurrection, He went to Hades and offered those who lived before Noah a second chance for salvation.
Others understand this verse to say that Jesus went to Hades to announce His victory and their freedom but didn’t offer a second chance to be saved.
A third view says that Jesus descended into hell to preach to the disobedient spirits or fallen angels in the times of Noah.
Jude 1:6 And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged.
For more on these disobedient spirits mentioned in Genesis 6:2, see 1 Enoch 6-10.
The Ryrie Study Bible note says, “Most likely this is a reference to the preincarnate Christ preaching through Noah to those who, because they rejected the message, are now spirits in prison.”
In other words, this verse is saying that Jesus, back in the days of Noah, spoke through the preaching of Noah and not that He went to hell while He was in the grave.
A Recent Interpretation
In more recent times, another view has emerged that originated with faith healer E.W. Kenyon.
It says that Jesus died spiritually and physically on the cross. His spirit went to hell to make the final atonement for our sins and so we can claim our healing.
Other Word of Faith leaders have expanded on this view:
Kenneth Copeland says the following in Believer’s Voice of Victory, Vol. 19, No. 9, Sept. 1991:
For three days He suffered everything there is to suffer. Some people don’t want to believe that. They want to believe that after His death, Jesus just stayed in that upper region of Sheol that the Bible calls paradise, but they’re mistaken! If He had simply stayed there, there would have been no price paid for sin.
Joyce Meyer, in her book, The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make: A Complete and Thorough Understanding of What it Means to be Born Again, makes these statements:
Jesus paid for our sins on the cross and went to hell in our place. Then, as God had promised, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead . . . When Jesus hung on the cross, He took our sin upon Himself. God cannot stay in the presence of sin. As Jesus took our sin, He was separated from the presence of the Father . . . He committed His Spirit to the Father and died. So they put Him— that is, His body— in a grave, and His spirit went to hell because that is where we deserved to go . . . There is no hope of anyone going to heaven unless they believe this truth . . . Jesus went to hell for you. He died for you (Kindle locations 249-250).
Jesus paid on the cross and went to hell in my place. Then as God had promised, on the third day Jesus rose from the dead. The scene in the spirit realm went something like this: God rose up from his throne and said to demon powers tormenting the sinless son of God, “let him go.” Then the resurrection power of Almighty God went through hell and filled Jesus. On earth his grave where they had buried him was filled with light as the power of God filled his body. He was resurrected from the dead–the first born again man (second printing, May 1993, page 36). [5]
In an interview about Kari Jobe’s song Forever, Kari had this to say:
My favorite part of the whole thing is … we talk about the death on the cross and we talk about the resurrection, but that time in between was when Jesus was in hell rendering hell. And ransacking hell. And defeating the enemy – taking those keys to death and hell and the grave to be victorious over that when he rose from the dead.
These leaders want you to believe:
- Jesus died spiritually
- Jesus went to hell to pay the debt for sin
- Jesus went to hell in our place
- Jesus was separated from the Father’s presence
- Jesus was the first man to be born again
- Jesus defeated the enemy in hell
But is that what the Bible teaches?
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It is Finished
Nowhere does the Bible teach that Jesus’ death on the cross wasn’t enough to atone for our sins. On the contrary, it says it was. Christ made the full payment for sin on the cross.
Colossians 2:14 He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.
1 Peter 2:24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
Additionally, Jesus committed His spirit into the hands of the Father. In other words, His spirit went to paradise, not hell.
John 19:30 When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.
Luke 23:46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And with those words, he breathed his last.
Luke 23:43 I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.
So, the Bible teaches:
- Jesus didn’t die spiritually
- Jesus went to paradise
- Jesus wasn’t separated from the presence of God
- Jesus finished His work on the cross
- Jesus didn’t need to be born again
Final Thoughts
Did Jesus spend a weekend in hell?
In the past, the idea that Jesus’ spirit went to hell while He was in the tomb had to do with proclaiming victory or preaching to those who were disobedient in the times of Noah.
They used 1 Peter 3:18-20 to support their doctrine.
Today, when spiritual leaders talk of Jesus’ spirit descending into hell, they are often referring to Jesus needing to suffer and defeat the enemy, so He could claim victory over death, hell and sin.
Additionally, some claim that Jesus was the first to be born again.
These leaders twist Scripture to support their ultimate view that now we can claim healing based on what Jesus did in hell.
It’s difficult to understand what they think the cross accomplished because they seem to say the victory all happened while Jesus was in hell.
However, Scripture makes it clear that Jesus defeated sin and death on the cross. And He didn’t need to go to hell.
The cross is the focus when talking about our need for salvation and how to get to heaven.
There is nothing more important than your eternal destiny. Do you know where you will go?