What does it mean when Jesus was said to “descend” before he “ascended”?

The ascension is a reference to Jesus returning to heaven following his death, burial, and resurrection from the dead. The passage where we learn that Jesus first descended before he ascended is Ephesians 4:8-10 -

⁸This is why it says:

“When he ascended on high,

he led captives in his train

and gave gifts to men.”

⁹(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? ¹⁰He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)

The idea is that Jesus went into the earth before he ascended above the earth. This may be a reference to one of two things: 1. It refers to Jesus simply being buried, or 2. It refers to Jesus going into Hades/Abraham's Bosom.

1 Peter 3:19,20 reads, “Also he went and preached to the spirits in prison ²⁰who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.” Though I prefer the simple understanding of descended as a reference to his burial, this passage in Peter shows Jesus actively going into Hades/Abraham's Bosom to preach to those people who had already died.

CONTEXT BREAK

Hades is a place of torment and suffering beneath the earth for people who actively choose to live against God while alive, and thus died outside of God's family. Prior to Jesus' death and payment for sin (with his blood), the spirits of people who did obey God also had to go to Hades, but not into the suffering part. Jewish theology most thoroughly develops the idea of Abraham's Bosom as the named place beneath the earth where the spirits of dead saints (people who chose God in life). However, Jesus himself makes a direct reference to this place of “waiting” in his story about a beggar named Lazarus.

Luke 16:19-31 shows Jesus telling about a beggar and a rich man. Upon death, both men go to Hades, but while the rich man suffers he sees the beggar being comforted by Abraham. Abraham comments that neither man can cross to where the other is because of a great chasm between the two locations.

Back to 1 Peter 3:19,20 – Jesus went to Hades and filled them in on God's plan worked out in his life.

Back to Ephesians 4:8-10 – Jesus led people out of Hades (“captives”- whose faith in God saved them).

Summarized then, Jesus died and was buried for three days. During those three days he preached to the people in Hades. After rising from the dead (and instructing his disciples for 40 days), Jesus returned to heaven, taking with him all of the saints who were in Hades and awaiting the Savior they believed was coming just as God had promised.

Note from Craig Bruyn – not the artist- but the OVHS graduate -

This is a teaching that hinges upon 3 small passages of Scripture. If God wanted us to know more about it He would have told us more. It would not be wise or valuable to argue these points with someone (like a Catholic, maybe). These are interesting things I would discuss, but there are other things in the Bible worth arguing over.