The Harrowing of Hades: Christ’s Underworld Mission

The early Church teaching known as the Harrowing of Hades (or Hell) is studded throughout the New Testament. It brings together many passages of Scripture which reveal what is known as the earliest Christian atonement model: Christus Victor (Christ is Victor!). It is also referenced in the Apostle’s Creed (‘He descended into Hades (Hell)’), but what did this phrase mean to the early Christians who penned this, and to us today?

To understand Christ’s descent to Hades and its harrowing, we first need to examine the afterlife realms of the physically dead, as revealed in the Bible and the New Testament Greco-Roman culture in which the biblical texts are set.

The New Testament Topography of the Afterlife

Hades was considered by the Septuagint (LXX) translators to be the underworld fortress of the dead known as Sheol in Hebrew. When the Septuagint writers chose to translate the word Sheol into Hades, they were very aware of the varied topographies of these afterlife realms:

• The Hebraic afterlife was where the immaterial part of a person (spirit) went to Sheol upon physical death, whilst the physical body went to the grave (Hebrew qeber). Everyone, good, bad and indifferent went to Sheol. It was a fortress-like place, with bars, gates, paths, and a place of dust, shades, the noble dead (Rephaim) and the ancestral dead. However, later on, it was understood that within Sheol there were green pastures, still waters and bright fountains of water for the righteous dead, and Paradise was thought to be a place within this realm.
  
  
• The Greek afterlife, like the above, was replete with its various areas for the righteous and unrighteous, such as the Elysian Fields (the area of the blessed dead as referred to by some of the Early Church Fathers such as Tertullian – Against Marcion, 4.34), the Phlegathon (river of fire surrounding Tartarus, the prison of certain pre-Flood fallen spirit beings), the river Styx (over which the dead were carried by the ferryman Charon).

The Hebraic Cosmology

Hades, the Greek Underworld

Despite some differences in Hebraic and Greek understanding of the afterlife, the Septuagint writers were satisfied enough to be able to translate Sheol as Hades for their Jewish readers, knowing full well that the readers would already know what Hades was like. They were happy enough that little, if any, confusion would be caused by their translation.

With this summary of the afterlife realms, we can begin to understand what the Harrowing of Hades (or Hell) means for the early Christians: between his death and resurrection, Christ descended to Hades and rescued people from their various states there to the Paradise (third heaven) realm, across the chasm/river to the other side.

Christ’s First Missional Task: Making Atonement for Sin

Have you ever wondered why there was darkness over the land between midday and 3pm at the crucifixion of Jesus? Often physical darkness appears when there is the presence of spiritual darkness, according to those involved in deliverance ministry. The dark spiritual rulers of the world (the Bulls of Bashan) descended upon Christ at the Cross, gloating and celebrating over his impending death, in the same way that the tenants of the vineyard took the life of the vineyard owner’s son in Jesus’ story of the wicked vineyard tenants (Mark 12:1-12). These ‘Bulls of Bashan’ were the Sons of God, spirit beings tasked with looking after the nations, but had fallen and accepted worship themselves (see Genesis 10:25; Genesis 11; Deut. 32:8,9). It is important to note that God the Father did not kill Jesus, the fallen Sons of God caused his death through the actions of wicked humans who had given themselves over to the darkness (Luke 22:3; John 13:30).

Remember that he who was without sin (Jesus) was made to be sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). Being the sinless one who brought the sins of the world to the lords of the dead gathered at the Cross, he legitimately nails our sins to it (Col. 2:14). This fits neatly with the very first atonement model recorded in Leviticus 16, where two goats (not sheep – sheep are symbolic of Passover) were presented to the high priest (Lev. 16:5). Lots were cast and upon the chosen goat were placed the sins of the people (Lev. 16:10, 21-22). This goat was not sacrificed, but sent out into the wilderness (synonymous with the place of the dead in Hebraic thinking), to the evil spirit being, Azazel (remember him?) (Lev. 16:10, 22, 26).

Having drawn out the dark spiritual forces to witness his crucifixion and having nailed our sins to the Cross, he then shouts aloud, “It is finished!” which is the ancient Greek word “Telestati”, a legal term written over a debt, which meant “Paid in Full”. The wages of sin – death – which all humans were bound under as part of our humanity in Adam, was paid by the death of the Sinless One. All could be made alive in Christ (1 Cor. 15:22).

What a sting operation that was! The lords of darkness, not knowing what they were doing had scored a massive own goal, for had they known what would happen next, they wouldn’t have crucified him (1 Cor. 2:8).

Thus, the atoning work of Christ was completed on the Cross. And when it had been finished, the darkness, physically and spiritually, was lifted after those three hours. These fallen Sons of God, the princes of the world, had been stripped of their legitimate legacy of death over humanity.

But more lay in store! What about those already in Sheol/Hades who did not know this good news and were not in the realm of the blessed dead known as Paradise/Vale of Abraham? Jesus needed to declare this good news them so that they might be able to respond and enter a blessed state in the afterlife as they awaited resurrection.

Christ’s Second Missional Task: The Descent to and Harrowing of Hades

These ones all died in faith,
not having received the things promised…
having only seen them from afar…

Hebrews 11:13

Whilst Jesus’ body may have been in the tomb (Greek mnēmeion – Luke 23:55; 24:22; John 11:31), his immaterial spirit had descended to Hades (Acts 2:27, 31):

For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
    or let your Holy One experience corruption. – v.27

Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying,
“He was not abandoned to Hades,
    nor did his flesh experience corruption.” – v.31

Paul writes in his epistle to the Ephesians that Jesus descended to the ‘lower parts of the earth’ (Eph. 4:9). This does not mean simply the grave, but is ancient terminology for the underworld. This fits with the Hebraic understanding that the physical body went into the grave (Hebew qeber) whereas the immaterial part went to the underworld fortress of the dead Sheol. Qeber is not Sheol in the ancient Hebraic language and cosmology (see this article which describes the differences in more detail). Jesus, being fully human (as well as fully God) would have experienced everything any other human would have at this stage – including his body going to the grave (Greek, mnēmeion) and his immaterial spirit entering the afterlife realm of Sheol / Hades.

The Battle at the Gates of Hades: Taking the Keys

Christ, having descended to Hades in his sinless spirit took the battle for life to the very gates of Hades itself (described further in this article), as per his words to Peter at the temple grotto called ‘The Gates of Hades’ in Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 16:18). Having previously nailed our sins to the Cross, he takes the keys of Death and Hades (Revelation 1:18) from them, giving him his legitimate access to the other parts of the realms of Hades.

As spoken of by the psalmist, the ancient gates opened up to the King of Glory:

Lift up your heads, O gates!
    and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
    that the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory?
    The Lord, strong and mighty,
    the Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates!
    and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
    that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
    The Lord of hosts,
    he is the King of glory.Selah

Psalm 24:7-10 (NRSV)

According to 1 Pet. 3:18-19, he then preached to the fallen Watchers from pre-Flood times (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). This realm was called Tartarus (2 Pet. 2:4) and was, according to the Greek understanding of Hades, surrounded by the river of fire called the Phlegathon. These beings would not have been able to have witnessed the spectacle of the crucifixion, being imprisoned in the depths of the underworld. They needed to know the victory of Christ was total.

Jesus Preaches to the Spirits of the Dead

Jesus then does something utterly amazing: he preaches to the dead in Hades (1 Pet. 4:6). Many Christians, who don’t believe in an active afterlife before the resurrection, will try to desupernaturalise this verse by claiming Peter is talking about preaching the gospel to the Gentiles who were spiritually dead. However, they forget that the chapter divisions are arbitrary and not in the original epistles. Add to that his statement in the next sentence about being judged in the flesh, there’s a definite comparison between this realm of existence and the afterlife realm. Furthermore, Peter, having just spoken about Christ’s preaching in the underworld, then uses the past tense when referring to the preaching of the gospel, rather than the present tense:

For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they might live in the spirit as God does.

1 Peter 4:6

The intention of the writer of this epistle in this part is to teach about the work of Christ in between the crucifixion and the resurrection – teaching the earliest Christians understood as what would later be termed the Harrowing of Hades (or Hell).

This was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years previously:

The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined. – Isaiah 9:2

The ‘shadow of death’ (also used in Psalm 23:4, a psalm of the afterlife) is synonymous with Sheol, the land of the dead. Matthew records the beginning of Jesus’ ministry to the Gentiles with this very prophecy:

He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
    on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
the people who sat in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
    light has dawned.’

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.

Matt 4:13-14

Note that ‘across the Jordan’ was understood by their ancestors to be the wilderness realm of the dead, which the Israelites had to cross through before crossing over the river Jordan and entering the Promised Land. It was the region of Abarim/Oberim, a symbolic realm of the dead where we still find thousands of dolmen burial mounds today. It’s a region mentioned in Ezekiel 39 where the supernatural hordes of Gog are finally buried in the last battle at the end of this Age.

Isaiah’s prophecy is twofold: first to the living Gentiles, who could physically hear his good news of the kingdom of heaven through his preaching in this realm, and secondly to the Gentiles in the underworld who did not have the knowledge of the promised saviour of the world and who would now be able to hear that same good news!

Crossing to the Blessed State in Hades

Jesus, having preached to the dead in Hades who didn’t know or understand the good news of the Kingdom of God, was now able to offer them escape and entry into the realm of the blessed dead. Jesus was now able to carry those who wished over the chasm (or river) into the promised land in the afterlife – Paradise or the Vale (Bosom) of Abraham. This chasm no one could cross alone, as Jesus earlier told in his story of the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:26). It is in the Harrowing of Hades (Hell) that we see the teaching of posthumous salvation opportunity, which was believed by the earliest Christians and is found in the scriptures, when you understand what you’re reading.

When Jesus told the ‘thief on the cross’ that he would see him in paradise that very day, he wasn’t joking or superfluously using the word ‘today’ to refer to him telling him on the day they were being crucified. He was telling him that, having accomplished the first part of his mission in the underworld, he would be taking him with him to the paradise region of the blessed dead within that realm that first ‘Good Friday’.

Conclusion of the Harrowing of Hades

From the time of Adam (representing the fall of humanity) through the time of Moses (representing the Law), Death reigned over the spirits of the dead (Romans 5:14), particularly those who were not able to cross over the chasm/river from other, less pleasant, parts of Hades into Paradise (the Vale / Bosom of Abraham).

In the Harrowing of Hades, and the subsequent victorious resurrection of Jesus in his incorruptible physical body, he had disarmed the powers and principalities (the fallen spiritual beings assigned over the nations in Deut. 32:8,9 such as the Princes of Persia and Greece) of their power over humans (Col. 2:15). He took captivity itself as a captive and gave the gift of life in Paradise (and subsequently in the restored earth after the Final Judgement) to those who had been long held in Hades, unable to cross over the chasm/river by themselves.

The Harrowing of Hades is a beautiful account of the underworld mission of Jesus, offering us hope that even now, Christ, having filled all things with himself, including the afterlife realm of Hades, can save to the uttermost, even those who:

• have never heard of him through ‘accident’ of birth (due to limitations of time and geography),
• are incapable of understanding the person and message of Christ (e.g. through mental restrictions), and
• who have been given such a bad impression of Christ through the poor witness of the Church that they’ve turned their backs on him (they will be able to see him and know, even as they are fully known (1 Cor. 13:12) making a perfectly informed, free will decision without other humans having messed them up along the way).

All in the afterlife are now able to decide whether they want him as Lord or not. Given the state of Hades outside of the region of the blessed and the free offer, it seems inconceivable that souls there would choose to reject that offer, but perhaps the gift of free will means that some would choose death rather than life under the lordship of Christ.

The Harrowing of Hades comes from a holistic understanding of the supernatural mission of Christ, spanning the Gospel message for the whole of humanity, either alive in the flesh, or out of it. For those who prefer an understanding of the afterlife as being either stasis or inactive sleep (“soul sleep“), the Harrowing of Hades makes no sense, and they are left with a word salad of verses which don’t have the beautifully cohesive nature of Christ’s mission for the whole of humanity as revealed through the golden threads woven throughout the scriptures.

Where shall I go from your presence?
Or where shall I flee from your Spirit?
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there…

And where the Spirit of the Lord is,
There is freedom.

Psalm 139:7-8; 2 Corinthians 3:17

To read more about the heavenly realms in the Bible, please see The Invisible Dimension. Read more about it, including its endorsements and author.

Have a blessed, knowledgeable and victorious Easter!