For some people, death means the end of existence. As Christians, we know that death is the doorway to eternity. Our acceptance or rejection of Jesus as our Savior determines where we spend eternity. But what about the three days that followed the crucifixion of Jesus? We know His body was taken from the cross and carried to a tomb where it was wrapped in fine linen. But what about the spirit?

The most direct answer was given to us by Jesus Himself while He was still on the cross. Turning to one of the thieves, Jesus said in Luke 23:43, “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.” There are all kinds of debates on where paradise is. Revelation 2:7 would seem to indicate that paradise is heaven. But is that talking about before or after the ascension? Ephesians 4:7-9 says that before Jesus ascended, He first descended into the lower parts of the earth. 1 Peter 3:22 tells us that after Jesus ascended to heaven and was seated at the right of God the Father, all angels, powers, and authorities were made subject to Him. Some say that when Jesus descended into the lower parts of the earth, He went to Hades. If He did, it must have been a shock to Lucifer and his demons because, based on 1 Corinthians 2:8, they thought that when Jesus was crucified, that was the end of the story. If they had known it was going to turn out like this, they would not have killed Him. Based on Revelation 1:18, Jesus not only conquered the grave, but He now has the keys of death and hell. It was a busy three days.

I’ll let the theologians argue and debate all these particulars. What I know is this. According to 2 Corinthians 5:8, when Christians vacate this body, we will be present with the Lord. And that’s all I really need to know.