Matthew 27:52

The Harrowing of Hell

Follower of Jheronimus Bosch - The Harrowing of Hell

It is known through the scriptures that Jesus was crucified, died and was buried. As the Nicene Creed then says, “He descended into hell, and the third day rose again from the dead.” Here is some of what the scriptures have to say:

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: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; 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. (KJV) I Peter 3:18-20

Scripture also says:

And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, Matthew 27:52

There are some documents that did not make it into the official version of the Bible. One of these is the Gospel According to Nicodemus, otherwise known as the Acts of Pilate. In this, it talks about Christ’s descent into hell and various of the Old Testament believers speak: Isaiah, Seth, and Adam. John the Baptist also speaks and the saints rejoice. It describes how the Lord led the saints out of hell, which is also mentioned in the above verse in Matthew.

Continue Reading