This question has been rolling around in my mind a lot lately. On the Saturday in between Good Friday and Easter, where was Jesus?
The Apostles Creed states the belief that Jesus spent Saturday in hell, but I would like to respectfully disagree.
I agree with most of what the Apostles Creed states and have recited it for much of my life, but as I dive into the Word more and more I have grown to believe that Jesus didn’t spend Saturday in hell.
Jesus didn’t spend Saturday in hell, he actually spent it in heaven at the feet of His father.
In Hebrews 9 11-14 Paul states:
“But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
The “greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands” is speaking of the heavenly tabernacle on which the earthly tabernacle was based.
The tabernacle is where the Israelites went to offer grain, animals, oil, and food to God as a sacrifice for their sins. Once a year the high priest would be allowed beyond the veil, into the most holy place of the tabernacle where the presence of God resided. While beyond the veil the high preist would sacrifice “unblemished” animals to God in order to wipe the Israelites clean of their sin. If anyone else were to go beyond the veil, or if the high priest weren’t cleansed properly, they would die instantly because they were unfit to step into the presence of God.
In the passage above, Paul specifically titles Jesus as both the high priest and the sacrifice. This would mean that beyond the veil in the heavenly tabernacle, Jesus Christ was both the sacrificer and the sacrifice.
Jesus, during his time on earth, was both 100% God and 100% human. As God He cannot be killed, and as a result cannot be offered as a blood sacrifice. As a human He was both mortal and perfect and therefore, He was able to offer himself as a sacrifice.
This means that Jesus as 100% God was the high priest who had to offer himself as 100% human as a blood sacrifice.
In the earthly tabernacle, the Most Holy Place is where God’s Spirit resides, therefore in the heavenly tabernacle the Most Holy Place would be the place where God resides. This means that the Most Holy Place in the heavenly tabernacle is the Throne Room.
So just imagine this for a moment… Jesus Christ, lying broken and bloody in the Throne Room, at the feet of His father, as the high preist, offering himself as the final sacrifice.
Wow.
I don’t believe Christ died and descended into hell. Instead, in light of Hebrews 9:11-14, I believe Christ ascended into heaven to lay at the feet of His father.
Also, hell is a punishment, it’s not a place one goes without judgement first. That means that before descending into hell Jesus would have had to go to heaven. Not just anywhere in heaven but into the throne room.
As Jesus laid bloodied, broken, and covered in all of our sins, he was not only being judged, but he was also interceding for each of us as the perfect and final sacrifice.
On Saturday, I believe Jesus was in the Throne room of heaven acting as both the high priest and the sacrifice, interceding on our behalf.
