I was told that when Jesus was crucified he preached in hell until his resurrection. If this is true where can I find that in the Bible?

Answer:

Here is the verse which speaks of this:

1 Peter 3:18-20  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.

One things is certain, there was the underworld (hell) which was divided into two literal compartments before Christ’s life and death here on earth. The first was a holding place where the saints went (paradise) and they were released to go to the Father in Heaven as Christ himself ascended. Matthew 27:51-53  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

As for the first verse concerning there are two interpretations that can be given to the scripture:

1. Jesus in form of the Spirit was present in the days of Noah and His message was preached to the men and women during the days of Noah, where only 8 accepted his message and was saved
2. That as part of Christ’s work during his time in the grave He not only released those being held in paradise but he also went and preached the gospel to those souls that were lost in the days surrounding the flood and prior events. In fact, this is where the Catholic church gains much of their doctrine about their being a purgatory after death that even the ungodly can still be rescued from. Even if this were the case during Christ’s descent into the grace at that time, it would not hold true today because these would have been lost souls not having a chance to understand the saving grace of Christ and His blood, not people in the days after Christs work on Calvary where we have the chance in this lifeltime to either accept or deny Christ.

In any case, the saints were released from paradise…and this today is empty as well since a believer today will immediately be in Heaven with Christ after their death.

Good question,
Pastor Brad