Jesus in Hell?

[Ooberman]

In his debate with Raymond Bradley, William Lane Craig said "Jesus endured Hell for us so that none of us would have to endure it ourselves".



Did Jesus endure an eternity in Hell?

What scriptural support is there for this?


And, if Jesus only went to Hell for a little while, why would that be "enduring", and why would it be fair that Jesus only has to "endure" Hell for a short time?


And, if Hell is separation from God - how can God go to Hell?

Is this another example of muddled Christian thinking?

[Jashwell]

[Replying to post 1 by Ooberman]

He probably meant it figuratively.

But still, isn't Jesus meant to have made a sacrifice?
Jesus never had to go to hell yet we're expected to act like he suffered especially just because he was crucified like thousands of other people?
If Jesus HAD gone to hell, infinite punishment, willingly, then you could argue he made a sacrifice.

[Ooberman]

[Replying to post 1 by Ooberman]

He probably meant it figuratively.

But still, isn't Jesus meant to have made a sacrifice?
Jesus never had to go to hell yet we're expected to act like he suffered especially just because he was crucified like thousands of other people?
If Jesus HAD gone to hell, infinite punishment, willingly, then you could argue he made a sacrifice.

I'm not sure. I know there is a quote from some religious text claiming Jesus went to Hell for three days, then his Dad paid bail and got him out.

Side note:

Why do Christians claim that people can't accept Jesus after they die? Why can't a person call God, like they can call their parents to bail them out?

What possible reason would God have such a draconian rule that people have to decide while on Earth?

[ttruscott]

...

Is this another example of muddled Christian thinking?

It sure is. Here are the main verses about what Christ did for the time between His death and His resurrection that started this foolishness:

Eph 4:9 Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
There is no mention of any hellish place here but there is a controversy about what the lower parts of the earth refers to as shown by the editors of the English Standard Version choosing: In saying, “He ascended,� what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? ie the earth IS the lower region or there is a lower region within the earth itself.

Act 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it. The pains of death has no mention of hell in it except as provided by the interesting interpretation by the Catholics from their Douay-Rheims Bible: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the sorrows of hell, as it was impossible that he should be holden by it. Maybe the speaker was a Catholic...?

1Pe 3:18 ...being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit, 19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which reflects : 2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to tartarus, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; in which tartarus is often translated (wrongly) hell.

You may remember that I contend that there is a spirit world called sheol wherein all the sprits created in GOD's image lived pre-earth. Sheol has parts, high and low places with various names: hades, paradise and tartarus, the waiting place of the spirits without bodies. (It is not really profitable to call them dead as they are self aware and able to communicate, though some are dead humans.) These terms are never used for hell or ghenna or the outer darkness all of which refer to the final place of the reprobate, not the waiting spirits.

[Aside: After HE went and preached in sheol, paradise was moved from sheol to a part of heaven.]

Peace, Ted

[ttruscott]

...

Why do Christians claim that people can't accept Jesus after they die? Why can't a person call God, like they can call their parents to bail them out?

What possible reason would God have such a draconian rule that people have to decide while on Earth?

This doctrine rides on a phrase: Hebrews 9:27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment...

which is indeed open to interpretation but is bolstered by the idea that GOD can either bring one of HIS sinful elect back to faith in one life or that person is not an elect at all but reprobate, unable to be saved. <shrug>

Peace, Ted

[JoeyKnothead]

From the OP:

...
Did Jesus endure an eternity in Hell?

No. He never married.

What scriptural support is there for this?

He hung out with a bunch of dudes.

...
Is this another example of muddled Christian thinking?

It's redundant to use the terms "muddled" and "Christian thinking" in the same sentence.

[Ooberman]

...

Why do Christians claim that people can't accept Jesus after they die? Why can't a person call God, like they can call their parents to bail them out?

What possible reason would God have such a draconian rule that people have to decide while on Earth?

This doctrine rides on a phrase: Hebrews 9:27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment...

which is indeed open to interpretation but is bolstered by the idea that GOD can either bring one of HIS sinful elect back to faith in one life or that person is not an elect at all but reprobate, unable to be saved. <shrug>

Peace, Ted

Yes, seems a rather important distinction. But unless people lose their Free Will, or somehow their personality after they die, I'm not sure why a Good, gracious and loving God would care what a person does while in his meat suit - full of sin, etc. - when it's such an insignificant blip in the persons existence?


Frankly, it seems like a made-up way for humans to influence other humans to believe in their God.

"You must choose now!"

"who says?"

"Uh... God! Yeah... that's the ticket! You gotta do it before you die - and that could happen any second!"


In the world of sales, this tactic is used to get people to buy things they might not want. If you create a sense of urgency ("Buy now or you lose out on the offer"), the "fight or flight" sense kicks in and overrides Reason.

Seems a smarmy tactic when salespeople do it, seems worse if it's God.

[Leucius Charinus]

In his debate with Raymond Bradley, William Lane Craig said "Jesus endured Hell for us so that none of us would have to endure it ourselves".



Did Jesus endure an eternity in Hell?

What scriptural support is there for this?

The key text is probably the heretical "Acts of Pilate".

According to the text, the authors were two of the zombies wandering around downtown Jerusalem after the crucifixion event, named Karinus and Leucius. They were rounded up by the authorities, taken to a court and given pens.

They each wrote an account of the descent of Jesus into Hell, where miraculous events were disclosed and then, when they put their pens down, and the authorities realised they had written identical word-for-word accounts, the two zombies disappeared in the middle of the people .... with a blinding FLASH !!!!

[center]suddenly they were transfigured and became
white exceedingly and were no more seen.
But their writings were found to be the same (lit. equal),
neither more nor less by one letter.[/center]


FWIW this text is also known as the "Gospel of Nicodemus".

Really exiting story !!!

its stories like this that suggest to me that at least some of these "Heretical Gospels and Acts" are MONTY-PYTHONISH renditions of the One True Story.

For a list of similar "Gnostic Jokes" see
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 06&start=0