Death and Hades; Where do the Souls of Saints Go After Death?

unsplash.com

While all souls in the days of the Old Testament went to Hades (Sheol), it did not mean those who had hope in God ended up in the same location within Hades. A good analogy for this is to consider Hades as a concentration camp. There are multiple separate barracks, some better, some not so lovely. In Luke 16:19–31, there is a story about a confident, rich man and a poor, destitute man called Lazarus.

Jesus describes what happened when both died and went to Hades. He further describes a separation between the rich man and Abraham and Lazarus. The same Abraham, whose story is in the book of Genesis, became the patriarch of the people of Israel. All three were in Hades, but not in the same holding place. This was the condition of the dead before Jesus’ resurrection.

The mystery of salvation is an evolving revelation.

Not even the angels in heaven know all the details and are anxious to see how it plays out (1 Peter 1:10–12), so without the Spirit of God, no knowledge or insight is possible. I have shared that Hades is dark and gloomy, like a dungeon or prison. Old Testament faithful and the rebellious are contained there, although in different areas and conditions.

Continuing Peter’s line of thought from Chapter 1, the prophets of old spoke of things they did not directly benefit from. They spoke of the coming Christ and the ultimate redemption from death, but like seeing it in the distant future. This is further confirmed in Hebrews 11:39 regarding the Old Testament saints and prophets, “yet all of these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.”

It’s important to remember that. Jesus claimed in Matthew 19:30, “But many who are first will be last, and the last shall be first.”

A mystery is seen in 1 Peter 4:6, where Peter claimed, the gospel was preached to the dead, that although they died under the judgment of sin, they might yet live in the spirit. He further delves into a deeper aspect of the mystery in 1 Peter 3:18–21. Peter claims that Jesus, after death, proclaimed the gospel to the spirits in prison.

He is not describing artificial jails but a comparison of Hades as a prison of spirits. While these spirits perished in the flesh in days past, they were offered the same opportunity to respond to the gospel messages as the living. Some scholars think these spirits are the Watchers and their offspring, the Nephilim.

That Christ is mocking them, preaching the gospel as their fates are sealed. This seems uncharacteristic of Jesus; preaching of the gospel is good news that salvation is now possible.

There is further good news as Peter includes the rebellious sinners lost during the flood described in Genesis 7:1–24. This shows the mercy of God as dying in the flesh while wicked and unprepared didn’t necessarily exclude them from the potential of spiritual salvation. The message is that those who were first before the gospel received the promise after the age of Jesus.

The living who accepted the gospel message were the first to inherit the promised Kingdom of God by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit while still alive. Those who died in faith prior to the gospel enter the Kingdom of God altogether as souls at rest, but not yet resurrected. The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.

Now, many theologians desire to refrain from speculating on what Peter refers to as spirits in prison being preached to in Hades. This is due to the importance and emphasis on living believers of preaching the gospel to the living. However, Jesus said the time would come (and is now here) when the dead would hear his voice (John 5:25–29).

I see the doubt on this as a lack of spiritual insight.

Many Old and New Testament writings are both prophecies embedded with dialogue. It’s a mosaic with interruptions in a train of thought on an actual historical event or observation. The Psalms are such a document, along with the writings of the major and minor prophets.

For example, in Isaiah, chapter 9, we see a general description of gloom and darkness in certain tribes of Israel. We see a transition in verse 2: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who live in a land of deep darkness have a great light on them, and a great light has shined.”

We see a reference to this prophecy in Matthew 4:15–16, where Jesus is preaching in the region of Israel called Galilee — the tribal lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, mentioned in Isaiah chapter 9. Matthew claims this is a fulfillment of Isaiah’s vision of that land, seeing a great light, but there is a more hidden meaning in verses 16–17. Matthew rephrases Isaiah’s original words: “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.”

This implies that not only did those alive in Galilee see the light, but those in the regions of Hades and death also saw it. We see another aspect of the impact of Jesus’ death and resurrection in Ephesians 4: 8–10. Jesus is said to have descended into the earth’s lowest parts after his death and ascended upwards to Heaven.

In this process, He made captivity itself a captive and gave gifts to his people. What is being described here is that Jesus descended into Hades, where the spirits in prison were released, and gifts of the Holy Spirit were given to those still living followers. We see the gifts spelled out in verses 11–13 to build unity and purpose within the body of Christ, the church.

The release of the faithful spirits from Hades relates to the release of the Holy Spirit to the faithful in this world. Without the first, there is no second — the first is last, and the last is first.

The released spirits go to the presence of God, awaiting the resurrection of their new bodies; the living get the Spirit to guide them through life on earth and to wake them after death to join those redeemed spirits later in heaven. We get the promise first while alive; those dead get the results long after their deaths and days on earth.

The prophets foresaw this coming but did not get the promise during their lifetimes. They were first to get a hint of the future, but later to gain the benefit of that knowledge.

Matthew adds a unique perspective not seen in the other gospels in Chapter 27: 52–53: “The tombs were also opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep (died) were raised. After his resurrection, they emerged from the tombs, entered the holy city (Jerusalem), and appeared to many.”

Nothing further was said about the visitation from these resurrected saints of old. These first fruits of the resurrection were signs of what Jesus had accomplished. We see scripture passages like Hebrews 12: 22–24, “But you have come to Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in Heaven, and to God the judge of all, and the spirits of the righteous made perfect.”

What is seen in these passages is another great unseen mystery.

The saints of old, trapped in Hades after death, were released and accompanied Christ to Heaven. They are no longer in Hades. Christians who place their faith in Christ will not experience Hades but depart this plane of existence to dwell with Christ and the other made-righteous spirits.

We see this in a vision of John in Revelation 7:9–17, where he describes a multitude from every nation dressed in white standing before the throne of Jesus. John is asked where these people come from. A heavenly elder answered, “These are they that come out of the great ordeal: they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Prophetic visions can and often are metaphorical. These spirits are not yet resurrected in new bodies, as that occurs at the end of the age when Jesus returns with his angels to gather the dead and living after the last trumpet. We see a comparison of the white robes with the righteous deeds of the saints in Revelation 19:7–8.

That leaves the many unrepentant and wicked remaining in Hades until the end of days. This event is described in Daniel 12:1–4 and Revelation 20:4–6, 11–15. Those still sleeping in the ground or Hades will rise within their appointed times. This is a process that takes time and occurs over time.

That is a great mystery; we refer to one thousand years between the first and second resurrections. This is a complex compilation of Scriptures from the Old and New Testaments. The New Testament book of Romans, chapters 9–11, is a good synopsis of the fate of the Nation of Israel, which in turn ties into the one-thousand-year reign of Christ on earth.

© Bob Russell