Where Did Jesus Go?

By Tommy Mann

Have you ever wondered where Jesus went after He died?

Did He go to heaven or hell? Did His soul remain in the tomb? Where Did Jesus Go? explores where Jesus spent the time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, and it offers an in-depth look at many places that people are curious about, including Heaven, Paradise, and New Jerusalem; Hell, Hades, and the Lake of Fire; and Gahenna, Tartarus, and Purgatory. Come find out for yourself where Jesus soul was while His body was in the tomb.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Dec 6, 2013
• ISBN: 9781490816913

Tommy Mann

Tommy Mann graduated from Arlington Baptist College as a Bible major, and has spent more than eight years in the ministry. His other books include All the Law, Who is God? and Asleep in Heaven’s Nursery. Tommy is an Orlando native who now lives in South Carolina with his wife, Alicia, and their daughter, Reagan.

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Copyright © 2013 Tommy Mann.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-1690-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1691-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013921436

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/05/2013

CONTENTS

Chapter 1   Where Did Jesus Go?

Chapter 2   Where Do People Go?

Chapter 3   Jesus Did Not Go To Heaven

Chapter 4   Jesus Did Not Go To Hell

Chapter 5   A Different Kind of Hell

Chapter 6   Paradise

Chapter 7   Heaven

Chapter 8   New Jerusalem

Chapter 9   The Garden of Eden

Chapter 10 Gahenna

Chapter 11 Tartarus

Chapter 12 Purgatory

Endnotes

To my Mom:

From miles away I still feel

your love and support. Thanks for all

you have done for me. I love you!

CHAPTER 1

WHERE DID JESUS GO?

Where did Jesus go? This is a question that many people wonder about. After His death on the cross the body of Jesus remained in a tomb, but the soul of Jesus had to go somewhere. So where did Jesus go? Where did He spend the time between Good Friday and Easter Sunday?

Many people believe that Jesus naturally went up to heaven; after all, if anybody deserved to go to heaven after death it would be the sinless Son of God. And after all that He went through on the cross to please the Father one would think that heaven would be His immediate reward.

Others believe that the soul of Jesus descended into hell; in order to truly defeat death and hell would He not have to go down there and do battle with the evil one? Christian theology teaches that Jesus was the substitute for the sins of the world, and since humanity deserves hell because of its sin, would not a substitute have to face hell in our place?

People who adhere to these two theories use Bible verses to back up their beliefs. Naturally they cannot both be right, despite the fact that they are using the same Bible to form their theology. There also exist some groups that use no Scripture to support their thoughts of where Jesus went.

Perhaps there is some other theory; maybe, some claim, that the soul of Jesus simply remained in the tomb with the body. Maybe angels came and ministered to Him like after His forty-day fast in Matthew 4:11. Maybe Jesus went to purgatory. But these are only theories. They have no Scriptural support, and too many teachers today are leading students astray with their thoughts and opinions instead of what the Holy Spirit has already inspired for us in the Word of God.

This book will look at Scripture to form the conclusion to the question of where Jesus really went, as well as what He did once He got there. There is certainly room for debate on some of these topics, so any personal opinions from the author will be specified as being just that, opinions from my biblical imagination. Otherwise, all facts will be derived from the very words of Jesus in the gospel accounts, and the very words that God breathed through the holy men of God that served as the human authors of the Bible.

CHAPTER 2

WHERE DO PEOPLE GO?

Before we can look at where Jesus went we have to fully understand where people go. When people die today there are only two options for their soul’s eternal destination: heaven and hell. How do we know this? All through its pages the Bible teaches about both heaven and hell. These are undeniable facts in the Word of God. However, one would search the Scriptures in vain looking for a reference to a third option. There is no such word or idea that conveys the thought of a purgatory, a middle ground, an eternal sleep, or just ceasing to exist, as some religions and cults claim (see Chapter 12 for more on purgatory).

Some groups are content to claim that the Bible is their final authority, and yet they form their post-mortem theology on periodicals, magazines, or the oral teachings of their leaders. If the Bible is the one and only Word of God then we do not need to read The Watchtower, The Pearl of Great Price, or put our eternal stock in the teachings of a man who claims to be the spokesman of God.

The apostle Paul said that if anyone were to present some other gospel than what has already been presented then that person will be cursed (Galatians 1:8-9). He even said that an angel might come with another gospel. An angel might come with an extra-biblical message for someone, but that does not mean that the angel is from the Lord, for there are fallen angels who work for Satan. These messengers are to be marked and ignored, and all preachers of the true gospel must call them out by name as Paul did in II Timothy 2:16-18.

We will now return to the question posed at the beginning of this chapter, where do people go? Where do they go when they die?

Most go to hell. I know right away that this is not an encouraging thought, but it is the gospel truth. Jesus Himself said these words: Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13-14).

Jesus said that the path that leads to hell is broad, and that many (compared to few) will walk down that path to their own eternal destruction. Why do so many choose the path bound for hell? First of all, they are born on that path. Every person who has ever lived (with the exception of Jesus Christ) has sinned (Romans 3:23); we are that way by birth. When Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden they passed sin on to all of their descendants¹.

God’s standard for admittance