Lapho uNkulunkulu esebeke isono sezwe phezu kukaJesu Kristu futhi uJesu wenziwa isono esiphambanweni, UJesu wehlela esihogweni (IHayidesi), lapho uJesu wahlala khona izinsuku ezintathu nobusuku obuthathu. But what did Jesus do in hell? Lithini iBhayibheli ngoJesu’ stay in hell?
The sign of the Son of man to the generation of fallen man
Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (uJona 1:17)
Ngoba njengoba uJona wayesekhona izinsuku ezintathu nobusuku obuthathu esiswini somkhomo; Indodana yomuntu iyakuba izinsuku ezintathu nobusuku obuthathu enhliziyweni yomhlaba (Mathewu 12:40)
Kwathi sebebuthene abantu, He began to say, Lesi isizukulwane esibi: bafuna isibonakaliso; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation (Luka 11:29-30)
Jesus spoke many times about His sufferings, ukufa, nokuvuka. Jesus mentioned a.o. that the sign of the Son of man would be as the sign of Jona. Because as Jona was a sign unto the Ninevites, Jesus would be a sign to the generation of fallen man.
Jesus compared His death, His time in hell (IHayidesi), which is in the heart of the earth, novuko kwabafileyo, with Jona, who was swallowed by a great fish due to his disobedience to God, and was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, and while Jona was in the belly of the fish, which Jona described as hell, Jona prayed unto God. God heard the prayer of Jonah and spake unto the fish and the fish obeyed the words of God and vomited out Jonah upon the dry land (uJona 1,2).
“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”
Then answered the Jews and said unto Him, What sign shewest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these things? UJesu waphendula wathi kubo, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up (UJohane 2:18-19)
Another example of the sign of the Son of man, wherewith Jesus announced His death and resurrection from the dead, was the destruction and rise of the temple in three days.
This all came to pass and is not only a sign for the people of Israel, but for the whole of humanity.
UJesu wenziwa waphansi kancane kunezingelosi
Thou madest Him a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst Him with glory and honour, and didst set Him over the works of Thy hands: Zonke izinto uzibeke phansi kwezinyawo zakhe. Ngokuba ngalokho wakubeka konke phansi kwaKhe, akashiyanga lutho olungafakwanga phansi Kwakhe. Kodwa manje asikaboni zonke izinto zibekwe phansi Kwakhe. Kepha sibona uJesu, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, umqhele ngenkazimulo nodumo; Ukuthi ngomusa kaNkulunkulu ukunambitha ukufa ngenxa yawo wonke amadoda (amaHebheru 2:7-9)
Ngakho-ke njengoba abantwana bahlanganyela igazi nenyama, Yena ngokwakhe ngokufanayo wathatha ingxenye efanayo; ukuthi ngokufa angambhubhisa owanamandla okufa, leyo, usathane; futhi abakhulule labo ababeboshelwe ebugqilini ukuphila kwabo konke ngokwesaba ukufa. For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, ukwenza ukubuyisana ngezono zabantu. For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted (amaHebheru 2:14-18)
When Adam became disobedient to the words of God and sinned, man fell from his position and Adam was placed beneath the angels, and the devil and death reigned over mankind.
In order to release the prisoners of death and restore (philisa) the fallen state of man and the peace between man and God, Jesus also had to be made lower than the angels in the hierarchy.
Therefore Jesus had to become equal to the state of Adam (indoda ewile), in order to be placed beneath the angels and enter hell and suffer death.
Therefore Jesus was made sin by God, so that He became equal to the state of fallen man and enter hell legally (Oh. Isaya 53, 2 AbaseKorinte 5:21, 1 UPetru 2:24).
Only by becoming subject to the authority of the devil and death, Jesus could overcome the devil (ingelosi enkulu ewile), who had the power over death and (ethaka) indoda, and release the prisoners, Ngamandla kaNkulunkulu.
And so Jesus entered dead and descended into hell; the kingdom of death and tasted the death for everyone.
Jesus prayed and preached to the spirits in prison
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yebo, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, angiyikunyakaziswa. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption. Uyakungazisa indlela yokuphila: ebukhoneni bakho kukhona ukugcwala kwenjabulo; Esandleni sakho sokunene kukhona okujabulisayo kuze kube phakade (Amahubo 16:5-11)
Ngokuba noKristu wahlupheka kwaba kanye ngenxa yezono, Ukulunga kwabangalungile, ukuze Asiyise kuNkulunkulu, ebulawa enyameni, kodwa waphiliswa (enziwe aphile) ngoMoya: Ngayo futhi wahamba washumayela imimoya ejele; ababengalaleli ngesinye isikhathi, lapho ukubekezela kukaNkulunkulu kwakulindile ezinsukwini zikaNowa, ngenkathi umkhumbi usalungiswa, lapho abambalwa, okungukuthi imiphefumulo eyisishiyagalombili yasindiswa ngamanzi (1 UPetru 3:18-20)
Lithi iZwi, that Jesus prayed, which was prophesied by David, and preached to the spirits in prison, ababengalaleli ngesinye isikhathi, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah.
Jesus spoiled principalities and powers and made a shew of them openly and triumphed over them
Ye men of Israel, yizwa lamazwi; uJesu waseNazaretha, a Man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, uNkulunkulu akwenza ngaYe phakathi kwenu, njengoba lani lisazi: Yena, ihanjiswa ngeseluleko esimisiwe langokwazi ngaphambili kukaNkulunkulu, ye have taken, futhi ngezandla ezimbi baye babethela futhi babulala: uNkulunkulu wamvusa, esethukululile izinhlungu zokufa: ngoba kwakungenzeki ukuthi abanjwe yikho. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
Madoda nabazalwane, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, He would raise up Christ to sit on His throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see corruption. UJesu lo uNkulunkulu wamvusa, esingofakazi bakho thina sonke (IzEnzo 2:23-32)
Kuwe kuqala Nkulunkulu, having raised up his Son Jesus, umthume ukuba akubusise, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities (IzEnzo 3:26)
UNkulunkulu wawobaba wamvusa uJesu, enambulala, namlengisa esihlahleni. Yena uNkulunkulu wamphakamisa ngesandla sakhe sokunene abe yiNkosi noMsindisi, ukuze anike uIsrayeli ukuphenduka, lokuthethelelwa kwezono (IzEnzo 5:30-31)
And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, naseJerusalema; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: Him God raised up the third day, and shewed Him openly; Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with Him after He rose from the dead (IzEnzo 10:39-41)
And having spoiled (disarmed) principalities and powers, He made a shew (spectacle) of them openly, enqoba phezu kwabo kuwo (AbaseKolose 2:15)
When Jesus died en entered hell, Jesus fully trusted His Father and knew that His soul wouldn’t be left in hell and that His flesh wouldn’t see corruption. And His faith in God didn’t fail Him (Oh. IzEnzo 13:33-34, AmaRoma 4:24; 6:4; 8:11, 1 AbaseKorinte 15:15, 2 AbaseKorinte 4:14, Kwabase-Efesu 2:46, 1 UPetru 1:21).
By faith in God and His power, Jesus accomplished His mission and spoiled (disarmed) the principalities and powers, and made a shew of them openly, and triumphed over them. Jesus overcame the devil and death and rose from the dead in all His glory as Victor with the keys of death and hell (IHayidesi (IsAmbulo 1:18)).
The deliverance of the saints from hell
Na-, bheka, Iveli lethempeli lalibizwa ngamabili ukusuka phezulu kuya phansi; Umhlaba wazamazama, namadwala aqasha; Amathuna avulwa; nemizimba eminingi yabangcwele ababelala yasukuma, Futhi baphuma emathuneni emva kokuvuka Kwakhe, wangena emzini ongcwele, futhi kwavela kwabaningi (Mattheus 27:51-53)
Jesus wasn’t the only one, who rose from the dead. Lithi iZwi, that after the resurrection of Jesus, the graves were opened and that many bodies of the saints, who slept, came out of the graves and went to the holy city and appeared to many.
Jesus ascended up on high and led captivity captive
Ukhuphukele phezulu, Thou hast led captivity captive: Thou hast received gifts for men; yebo, nakwabahlubukayo, ukuze iNkosi uNkulunkulu ihlale phakathi kwabo (Amahubo 68:19)
Kepha yilowo nalowo kithina uphiwe umusa ngokwesilinganiso sesipho sikaKristu. Ngalokho uthi, Lapho enyukela phezulu, Wahola abathunjwa, wapha abantu izipho. (Manje njengoba Wenyuka, kuyini ngaphandle kokuthi wehlela ezindaweni eziphansi zomhlaba? Lowo owenzayo uyefana nalowo wakhuphukela ngaphezu kwawo wonke amazulu, ukuze Agcwalise izinto zonke. (Kwabase-Efesu 4:7-10))
Kepha uNkulunkulu, Ngubani ocebile ngesihe, Ngothando lwakhe olukhulu asithanda ngalo, Ngisho nalapho besifile esonweni, Uphilisise Kanye NoKristu, (Ngomusa nisindisiwe;) Futhi wasikhulisa ndawonye, Futhi sasenza sahlala ndawonye ezindaweni zaseZulwini kuKristu Jesu (Kwabase-Efesu 2:46)
Lapho uJesu enyukela ezulwini, He led them with Him, where they, and all the captives, who are born again in Christ and are delivered from the power of darkness and entered into the Kingdom of God, lapho uJesu Kristu eyiNkosi futhi ebusa, wait for the Day of Judgment.
‘Yiba usawoti womhlaba’
