Where was Jesus during the period from His death to resurruction? Possible Duplicate:
  Did Jesus spend time in Hell between the crucifixion and resurrection?  




Jesus died and was raised from death on the third day. 

Where did Jesus go during the period from His death to resurrection? Was He was with God or still on Earth? 

What is the significance of three days?

Some believe that He was in purgatory. However, He died for our sins because He was sinless - in that case, this belief (regarding purgatory) is questionable. 

Is there a biblical answer, or one within the realm of Christian faith?
Jesus' body was in the tomb (Matthew 27:59ff; cp Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19).

Jesus' spirit was in Paradise (Luke 23:42ff) - else He could not have truthfully promised the thief crucified with Him that "today you will be with Me in Paradise". See also Luke 16:19-31.

Jesus paid our debt in completion while on the cross - while He absorbed the full wrath of God to be our propitiation (Hebrews 2:16ff; cp Romans 3:24ff), He was not put into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:9ff) and pulled back out (Revelation 19:20), as that would have been a victory for the Devil whom Christ had already broken (Genesis 3:15) by becoming our atonement.

Three days is significant for a variety of reasons, both in foreshadowing, and in practicalities.


it is a finite period of time
the body won't begin to decay yet (Psalm 16:10)

compare to Lazarus in John 11:17 &amp; 39:

"So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days." &amp;
"Jesus said, 'Remove the stone.' Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, "Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.'"


it was presaged by Jonah (Matthew 12:38ff; cp Jonah 1:17)
it was how long the plague of darkness lasted in Egypt (Exodus 10:21ff)
Jesus said it would only be three days (Matthew 26:61; cp 27:63, Mark 8:31, John 2:19)