Easter Devotional - Day 6: The Gospel's In-Between Day

Where did Jesus go after the crucifixion? We know He died on the cross. We also know that on that cross Jesus gave up His spirit (Luke 23:46). That is, His soul was separated from His body.
We know the soldiers did their duty and made certain that had happened. We know that Joseph requested and was given Jesus’ body and laid it in his own tomb (Luke 23:50). And we know that tomorrow morning Jesus’ body will be rejoined with His soul in a bodily resurrection (Luke 24:6). So when He gave up His spirit, where did He go?
 
We have the single most detailed picture of the (before Christ's death and resurrection) afterlife of anywhere in the Bible in Luke (Luke 16:22-31). There we see that Sheol (Old Testament Hades) had two compartments. One for those who did not trust in the coming Christ and the other compartment for those who had. One is a place of torment, the other is a place of comfort, separated by a great chasm. When Jesus died on the cross, victory was won. He went to the good side of Old Testament Sheol and led the saints there to the third heaven (2Cor. 12:2). The Catholic version of the Apostle's Creed says He died and went to hell. They erroneously teach that Jesus had to pay a further penance so it was necessary for Him to literally go to Hell. That's false, and really way off. He went to Sheol and led a host of captives (Eph. 4:8) (Romans 3:25) one of which would have been the thief to whom He promised to be with in paradise (Luke 23:43).
 
This is important good news; because of Christ, absent from the body IS present with the Lord (2Cor. 5:8). Today, when those who have trusted in Christ die, they go directly to the presence of God in His heaven. Jesus made the way for us.

Take this special day to praise God for what Jesus did between His death and resurrection.