As it's believed in many circles, Jesus Christ after going to the cross then decended to hell. i have done a few studies on this typic and have not come to any kind of a final conclution. i did hear an interesting point of view on this the other day though, it went kinda like this.
That Christ never decended to hell, though he did suffer it. But that was on the cross and that after that the work was totally finished. That may sound just fine to some, it will no doubt get up the nose of others. Either way we still have to reckon with scripture. Here is just one example for now.
1Pe 3:17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1Pe 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
In verse 18 Peter explains the atonement, the very heart of the Gospel. Christ (the just) suffered once, (for who) for the unjust, and what happened? He was put to death in the flesh BUT quickened by the Spirit. v19 by which (or by the same Spirit that quickened him) He went and Preached unto the spirits in prison.
ok thats great you say but what does that mean? Well, I am not really 100% sure to be honest. It's possible that this is talking about Christ's preaching in his earthly ministry but doubtful, More likely is, that Spirit (the 3rd member of the trinity) was the same one in which he preached through Noah to those disobedient sinners in that day. This would explain verse 20 in that these people where not free but in bondage to sin having already been judged by God, the sentence of the dammed is delayed only by the long suffering of God as Noah preached. No matter what is being said here i think we can understand it in different ways, still surely he means only one thing by it and further study may yet uncover this mystery text.
lets not forget this creed of the faith that affirms of the decent to hell.
The Apostles creed,
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:
Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He arose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty,
whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
