Day 90: Christ Descended into Hell (631-637)

• It’s Day 90!!

• We are reading ARTICLE 5 HE DESCENDED INTO HELL: ON THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD

• Yesterday we talked about how Christ TRULY DIED

• What is death?

• Death is the SEPARATION OF BODY AND SOUL

• We also maintained that EVEN IN DEATH Christ POSSESSED HIS BODY to preserve it from corruption

• Christ also preserved HIS SOUL

• Why?

• Because of PARAGRAPH 1 - CHRIST DESCENDED INTO HELL

• He has a MISSION

• Paragraph 632 says, “This was the first meaning given in the apostolic preaching to Christ’s descent into hell: that Jesus, like all men, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead.”

• HE TRULY EXPERIENCED DEATH!!

• HIS SOUL WENT TO THE ABODE OF THE DEAD!!

• Paragraph 632 continues, “But he descended there as Savior, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there.”

• We get that from 1 Peter 3:18-19

• THAT IS SUCH AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT THING!!

• JESUS TRULY EXPERIENCED DEATH!!

• AT THE SAME TIME…

• As He descended to the realm of the dead, He descended there as SAVIOR, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there

• So when we say “abode of the dead” or “hell” what do we mean?

• Paragraph 633 says, “Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, ‘hell’-Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek-because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God.”

• ETERNAL HELL is the PERMANENT deprivation of the vision of God

• It is PERMANENT separation from God

• THIS IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND!!

• Paragraph 633 continues, “Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man, Lazarus, who was received into ‘Abraham’s bosom.’”

• The rich man dies and Lazarus dies

• The rich man goes to a place of TORMENT

• Lazarus goes to rest in the BOSOM OF ABRAHAM

• A place of PEACE

• A place of REST

• So it is not the same experience even though the abode of the dead is that place where all the dead would go and be deprived of the vision of God

• UNTIL…

• Christ came and preached to the souls of the righteous to bring them into Heaven

• THIS NEXT PART IS VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND!!

• Paragraph 633 continues, “Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him.”

• THAT IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT FOR US!!

• There are the souls of the JUST in the Old Covenant PRIOR TO JESUS

• It is to THEM that Christ announces the Good News

• He comes to the abode of the dead to deliver those who were righteous as their Savior

• THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT!!

• We pray this in the Apostles’ Creed every single time we pray it

• We say it in the Nicene Creed 

• Do we though? Here is the Nicene Creed that we pray at Mass: 

THE NICENE CREED

I believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

• I think Fr. Mike mis-spoke here but I could be wrong…. 🤔

• He descended into HELL

• When we say this, what do we mean?

• So to open our hearts and minds and be able to enter into this TRUTH that Jesus Christ descended all the way to Hell FOR US

• He descended into Hell to demonstrate that there is NO DEPTH AND NO PLACE THAT HE WILL NOT GO

• Let’s ask the Lord to help us today as we pray!!

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, we give you praise. We thank you so much for bringing us to this moment. We thank you so much for the gift of your son. We thank you so much for the fact that His love knows no bounds. That even the abode of the dead is not out of bounds for your love. We thank you for the fact that Christ descended into hell, that He descended to the abode of the dead to rescue the righteous. Help us to walk with righteousness. Help us to walk in right relationship with you so that we can live forever in right relationship with you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen”

• JUST REMARKABLE!!

• INCREDIBLE!!

• We affirm that Jesus TRULY EXPERIENCED DEATH

• We also affirm that JESUS DESCENDED INTO HELL

• Why?

• AS THE SAVIOR!!

• It is SO IMPORTANT to understand the reality of the abode of the dead PRIOR TO CHRIST

• All of the dead there were deprived of the vision of God

• AND YET…

• Their EXPERIENCE of death would would be DIFFERENT

• One would be a place of peace and rest

• THE BOSOM OF ABRAHAM

• For others it would be a place of torment that hell actually is

• Jesus descending into hell DID NOT DELIVER THE DAMNED

• Because those who have chosen against God CANNOT CHANGE THEIR CHOICE

• They don’t WANT to change their choice

• Jesus also did not destroy the hell of damnation

• He freed the just who had gone before Him

• THIS IS CRAZY!!

• Paragraph 634 says, “The descent into hell brings the Gospel message of salvation to complete fulfillment.”

• Why would that be the case?

• This is a really BOLD statement

• Paragraph 634 continues, “This is the last phase of Jesus’ messianic mission…”

• Jesus didn’t just come for those people who happened to be alive while He was on this earth

• This Messianic Mission is for THEM

• This Messianic Mission is also for THOSE WHO CAME AFTER

• This Messianic Mission is for ALL MEN AT ALL TIMES IN ALL PLACES

• As Jesus descends to the abode of the dead death, which comes to EVERY HUMAN BEING and had come to EVERY HUMAN BEING who existed prior to Jesus on this earth…

• Paragraph 634 continues, “A phase which is condensed in time but vast in its real significance: the spread of Christ’s redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption.”

• It’s not just for those who came AFTER Christ

• That’s the big question some people ask, “What about everyone who existed BEFORE Jesus? What about all those people who had died before Christ could open the gates of Heaven?

• The answer is that JESUS CAME FOR THEM AS WELL

• When Jesus descended into hell/the realm of the dead, He went to rescue all of those who had CHOSEN GOD

• Those who had not REJECTED or REBELLED against God

• But who were unable to enter into God’s presence

• So what happens?

• GOD GOES TO THEM TO DELIVER THEM!!

• Think about this…

• This is the logic of the Incarnation

• GOD GOES TO THEM TO DELIVER THEM!!

• Just like…

• GOD COMES TO US TO DELIVER US!!

• In the Incarnation, what does God do?

• GOD COMES TO US TO DELIVER US!!

• In the Sacraments, what does God do?

• GOD COMES TO US TO DELIVER US!!

• In His Grace and His Holy Spirit, what does God do?

• GOD COMES TO US TO DELIVER US!!

• To those souls held captive in the abode of the dead, what does God do?

• GOD GOES TO THEM TO DELIVER THEM!!

• The Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday in Paragraph 635 says, “He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as a lost sheep.”

• As Fr. Mike is recording this episode, he is looking at an icon/image of Jesus descending into Hell and He has two people by the wrist and lifting them out of their graves

• One is ADAM

• One is EVE

• The Ancient Homily in Paragraph 635 continues, “I am your God, who for your sake have become your son…I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead.” 

• THAT IS SUCH A POWERFUL TRUTH!!

• GOD DID NOT CREATE YOU TO BE A PRISONER IN HELL!!

• Long before we can choose it, we choose Jesus

• We are SO GRATEFUL for the Lord who demonstrates that HIS LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDS

• HE COMES TO RESCUE US!!

• HE COMES TO US TO SAVE US!!

• JUST LIKE HE ALWAYS DOES!!

• SO WE GIVE GOD PRAISE TODAY!!

• WE GIVE GOD THANKS TODAY!!

• Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!

• Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!

• I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow!!