219 – DID CHRIST DESCEND INTO HELL? Part I
April 24, 1960
Pastor Henry F. Kulp
Ephesians 4: 7 - 11 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Now in this portion of Scripture we have the gifts that Christ gives to His body, and these gifts are the direct outcome if His glorious victory that is here in verses 8 - 10 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Having triumphed over His foes and our foes, He gives gifts to men that they might share His victory. But before we can study these gifts that have been given to the Church, the body of Christ, let us notice His glorious victory that has been presented here. It is a wonderful truth, one that will thrill our hearts.
1/ Now before we start, we have a sad note to proclaim. Much of Christianity does not understand this portion that God is bringing out here. In the Apostle’s Creed some folks quote Sunday after Sunday, or at Communion time, they talk of Christ’s descending into hell, and many folks say this proves that Christ descended into hell, which is Hades or Paradise, He preached to the folks who were there, and then He took the Old Testament saints up to Heaven with Him when He ascended. Now this point of view is absolutely foreign to Scripture— this is not what is being brought out in Ephesians 4: 7 - 11 at all.
2/ It is well for us to notice, and it is important that because many people believe something that is not necessarily true, just because many people believe it, does not make it true. It has to stand up with a close study of the Word of God. We should not be interested in what the majority teach or state, but what does the Lord teach in His Word? So, let’s give a very close look at the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ as presented in verse 8 - 10 that He gives gifts to the church.
3/ Let us look at the picture that is presented here. First of all, it says that when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Then the One Who ascended, the Lord Jesus Christ, He descended first into the lower parts of the earth, and He that descended is the One Who has ascended far above all Heavens. Now what does that mean?
4/ The Scripture tells us that He descended before He descended before He ascended. What does that mean? First of all, when it says He descended into the lower part of the earth, It does not mean it quite as the King James version brings it out to us. He descended to the lower parts, that is to say the earth, for the earth itself is the lower part as viewed from Heaven. Actually, Paul is not speaking of physical descending and a physical ascending, for that is not what this portion of Scripture bring out at all. How is it possible for Him to ascend far above the Heavens? Right now He is on the right hand of God in Heaven.
5/ You’ll notice that verse 10 says He ascended far above all Heavens—so that it is not talking about a physical ascension at all. The words far above in the Greek are HOOP – ER – ONNA and it does not mean a physical ascension it means a position, rank, or power or authority.
6/ So if the ascension, does not mean physical ascension, how can it mean when all it says He descended, that it means a physical descending—it is not sensible at all—it is talking about Jesus Christ Who is God, leaving Heaven’s glory, coming down to this earth, and placing Himself in the place of subjugation. Making Himself a slave of man.
7/ Let us just think about this phrase that we have had here in Ephesians – ascending far above all Heaven. Let us compare it with Hebrews 7: 26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
Here we notice, that He has been made higher then the Heavens. The first word is “made” implying that He was not always in this exalted position, He was made it—then also, He has already been exalted—He has been made higher than the Heavens, and this is not again talking about physical space, but about position, and rank, because Jesus Christ was willing to become Man, come down to this earth and die on the cross of Calvary for us, He has been exalted after His resurrection to this wonderful place of rank and position in the universe.
8/ This same thing is brought out to us in Philippians 2: 5 - 11 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
First of all, I want you to notice, verse 7 made Himself of no reputation—it means He took the place of subjugation, He laid aside the position He had, the rank He had. For notice, He took upon Him the form of a servant—means a slave, and He was made in the likeness of men. In days gone by He was on equal footing with God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit. No one ever ordered Him about—no one ever told Him what to do—He was never in the place of subjection—but now suddenly He is placed in the place of subjugation—He takes this position, He became a Man, and in becoming a Man, He became a slave.
9/ At this point let’s contrast, in verse 6 – in the form of God, with verse 7 He was found in the form of a slave. In eternity past, He was in the form of God, and no one could order Him about. No one could tell Him what to do, He was the Creator of the universe—He was the One who brought it into existence, but now He not only becomes a Man, He becomes a slave. Under the laws of that day, a man who had a slave could kill him if he wanted to, and he would not have to answer to the government. The government did not consider him a murderer—a slave had no rights—so when Jesus Christ came to this earth, He laid aside all His rights, His position and His rank. He descended to this awful position.
10/ Notice His life on earth—He was subject to His parents, He did what they told Him to do. He was subject to the government. When they told Him to pay taxes, He did—He made a fish bring the money to Him so He could pay the taxes. When He was told to carry the cross, He picked up the cross and bare it. Oh, how He descended in rank and position and authority.
11/ If you want a picture of Jesus Christ being a slave, laying aside His authority, His position, His rank you have it very clearly presented in the Word of God.
John 13: 4, 5 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
Here we have Jesus Christ washing the disciple’s feet. It says He took a towel and washed the disciple’s feet. The picture is that of coming in from the road where it has been dusty, so if He would come in for a meal, He would be a guest, of course, and His host would have a slave there to wash His feet. So what happened? At the Last Supper, here, Jesus Christ as a slave, washes the feet of the disciples. This showed His position as a Slave.
12/ He did what a slave would do—He took a towel, and girded Himself—that is the picture of the garb of lowly service, and that is what He took when He became a Man—He became a slave, He descended upon the face of this earth.
13/ Truly, the descending of Christ on earth is a picture of the humiliation of God Almighty. We do not realize how God was humbled to become a man. That is because we have a false idea of the dignity of the human race—we do not see the human race in its true picture. Depraved—filthy—foul—dirty individuals, and God had to stoop—not only to become a man, but to become a slave to redeem man.
14/ Every time I think of this truth of Ephesians 4 and Philippians 2 I think of something I read in the Pittsburgh Post a while back. A man who was bank president—He had luxurious surroundings there at the bank, and he lived in a mansion, and his family had the best of everything—but he was found guilty of a crime. A doctor had come to him and said, I want to borrow $15,000. He said, All right, I’ll see that you get the $15,000 but you will have to give a kick-back, or a payola of $2,000 under the table, and I’ll see that you get the loan. And so the loan went through that way. The man was sent to jail—and can you picture that? He will live in jail while his family is in a luxurious home. They will live in the mansion, while he will live in a cold, damp cell, they will have every enjoyment of freedom, while he will live with 1,000 criminals. He is humiliated. But that is nothing compared to the humiliation of Christ when He became a man. O, appreciate it. It was through this humiliation that we have salvation.
15/ Suppose you should come upon a very small pygmy race. They are tiny, and very beggarly, and in all their ways, they are unclean, and their moral conditions are terrible. They are mean, and they kill and they slaughter. They have language that other folks cannot understand, but suppose by some process you are reduced in size, so you can minister unto them. You tell them about God, and you willingly die for them there in the form of a pygmy—you say I’ll die for you. That is just exactly what God did. He went amongst man, He came from His exalted position and became a slave for man.
16/ How far did He descend upon the face of this earth?
Philippians 2: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Can you imagine Jesus Christ, God Almighty dying? It just wasn’t a matter that He died, it is the fact that He didn’t die a normal death—He died an accursed death. He didn’t die quietly among friends, He didn’t die a heroic death upon the field of battle. He was literally hanged. The death of the cross in that day was the death of the gallows, or the electric chair—the cross was the death of shame.
Let us go back to Deuteronomy 21: 23 His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
Here it talks about the disobedient son who is to be stoned, and the body is to be hung upon a tree, and to be hung upon a tree is to be accursed, of God. That is the death that Jesus Christ died—that is how far He descended.
Galatians 3: 13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Galatians tells us the same fact. He descended all right, from the position of rank and authority, to the place of a slave and the death of a criminal.
17/ But God has raised Him up. Then He tells us in Ephesians 4: 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
He ascended far above all heavens, what does that mean? Again this portion of Scripture is explained in Philippians 2 – Philippians 2: 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Philippians tells us the story. God highly exalted Him, and here in Philippians 2: 9 it says therefore can be translated for this reason—why was the Son of God highly honored? Because He was willing to descend and be made a slave.
18/ Why is God highly honored? Because He is the Creator of all things? No. Because He is the sustainer and upholder of all things? No, not at all. He has been highly exalted because He was willing to take the place of subjection, because He was willing to put others ahead of Himself.
19/ This point of being highly exalted ahead of everyone is an answer, of course, to part of the Lord’s Prayer—John 17: 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
He says, glorify Thou Me with the Glory which I had in Thee, before the world was. His original position.
20/ This should be in the beginning in verse 8. Here it is brought out to us, when He ascended up on high He led captivity, and gave gifts unto men. Our blessed Lord chose Apostles when He was here on earth, but in the time of regeneration, that is in the millennial age, they shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the tribes of Israel. As the ascended Christ, He has given Apostles and Prophets to His church, but they are given from Heaven.
21/ Then notice, the phrase—He led captivity captive. Now what does that mean? We can get a help from the Old Testament.
Judges 5: 12 Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.
Here we have the same expression. Deborah is praising the Lord for the great victory over Canaan, and here in the 12th verse we read—Awake, awake, Deborah—awake, utter a song—arouse Barak and lead thy captivity captive. What does the expression mean here? It can mean only one thing—lead captive him who held you captive.
22/ Then in Isaiah 14: 2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.
Here we have a similar expression which I think gives adequate interpretation of what we have in Ephesians, it says here—and the people shall take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and hand maidens, and they shall take them captive whose captive they were, and they shall rule over their oppressors.
Surely this makes the meaning clear, and in our present passage the meaning is this—our Blessed Lord in His triumph over death, led captive him who had the power of death up to that time, that He might deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Hebrews 2: 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
In other words, our mighty enemy Satan is now a conquered foe. He has been led captive at the chariot wheels of Christ.
23/ Now as we view this portion of Scripture we have a wonderful thought. I can’t help but be reminded as I read this potion of Scripture, that He the Lord Jesus Christ Who has gone up higher than ant other man ever went, once for our redemption went down lower than any other man has ever gone. He laid aside all He had and became a slave to man, and has now been exalted–ascended, He is now the man of the universe.
24/ I wonder if our souls really take in the fact that He is a man like ourselves, only, of course, glorified, sinless, and holy, sitting upon the throne of God. And that Man sits there, living to make intercession for His needy people as they go through this worldly scene.
AMEN
Ref: 04/24/1960 / 219 - DID CHRIST DESCEND INTO HELL? PART I / 07/31/2020
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