Releasing The Captives

After Jesus died, did he descend into Hades to set the captives free? If so, who were the captives?

Q. After Jesus died, did he descend into Hades to set the captives free? If so, who were the captives?

A. In Luke 4:18 Jesus said that His mission was to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and to release the oppressed. This is a reference to freeing us from the bondage of sin and the impossible requirements of man’s religion.

Matt. 28:53 says that after the Resurrection many holy people who had died came out of their tombs, and Ephesians 4:8 tells us that “When He ascended on High He led captives in His train.”

This means that after He had paid the price for their sins with his death, those who had died in faith that He would one day do so were released from their temporary place of comfort in Paradise and welcomed permanently into the Presence of God.