Where was Jesus for 3 days after He was buried?
The Devotional Answer
The three days between the cross and the empty tomb are not an empty gap—they are a time of absolute victory. When Jesus died, His body was in the tomb, but His spirit was at work.
He was securing the final victory, not suffering defeat. The Bible tells us that Jesus descended to preach His triumph to the spirits of the dead.
This act demonstrated that His authority extends not just over the living, but over death itself. It is the ultimate assurance that when you trust Christ, even death is just a passage into His presence, not a final destination.
The Simple Answer
When Jesus died, two things happened:
His Body: Was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
His Spirit: Went to the place of the dead, often called Hades (or Sheol in the Old Testament).
He went there not to suffer (His saving work was finished on the cross), but to proclaim His victory to all who had died before Him and to take the keys of death and Hades. On the third day, His spirit was reunited with His body, and He was resurrected!
The Deeper Dive:
The place Jesus went is often misunderstood due to modern definitions of "Hell." In the New Testament, the Greek word is Hades, which is the general realm or holding place of the dead, and is distinct from the final, eternal place of punishment (Gehenna).
1. Paradise vs. Hades (Old Covenant)
Before Christ's death, the realm of the dead was traditionally understood to be divided into two sections:
Abraham's Bosom (Paradise): Where the righteous dead waited in comfort for Christ's ultimate victory. Jesus promised the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43).
Hades/Sheol: Where the unrighteous dead were held.
2. The Proclamation of Victory
The Apostle Peter gives us the most direct clue about Jesus's activity in the unseen realm:
"For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. After being made alive, he went and preached to the spirits in prison." — 1 Peter 3:18-19 (NIV)
This "preaching" is understood by most scholars not as a chance for people to repent after death, but as a triumphant announcement that the price for sin had been paid and death had been defeated. Jesus marched into the enemy's territory and declared Himself the victor!
3. Taking the Keys
When the Apostle John sees the risen Christ in Revelation, Jesus confirms His ultimate authority:
"I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." — Revelation 1:18 (NIV)
Jesus's descent and reappearance confirmed that He has the authority to unlock the chains of death for all who trust Him. His presence in the realm of the dead was a necessary step to claim universal authority.
God’s Assurance
God's choice to allow longer lives in the early world shows His original plan was one of abundance, health, and endless time. Although our lifespans are now shorter, God assures us that:
The life we have in Christ is eternal. The incredibly long years of the patriarchs are merely a shadow of the eternal life promised to all who believe in Jesus. You may not live 900 years on Earth, but you are promised an eternity in a perfected world where there is no aging or genetic decay.
Your Takeaway Thought
Don't mourn the 900 years you won't live. Focus on the eternal life you have already been given through Christ. The long lives of Genesis point toward the kind of perfect, undegraded health that awaits us in the New Creation.
Use the time you have here—whether it's 70 years or 90—to share the Gospel, build God's Kingdom, and prepare for the endless life to come!
