Q: My wife and I are debating where the Messiah went after His death on the cross. I was taught that His suffering was a preview for all to see how bad it was for the Messiah after His death and that He had to actually pay for the past, present, and future sins of all people during the three days that preceded His resurrection. My wife was taught that His day of suffering and death on the cross was the payment because before He died, He said “Tetelestai,” which means “paid in full.” There was no work left for Him to do. Others we have spoken to said that the Messiah was with the Father, who helped Him to overcome death and that the Messiah ministered to the dead. So, did the Messiah complete the payment for all sins for all of mankind before proclaiming “Tetelestai,” or was there more work to be done during the three days?
A: The payment for sin was the actual death of the Messiah, and it involved the shedding of His blood. That paid the penalty for all sins past, present, and future. However, what the Messiah accomplished by means of His death is applied only to those who believe the gospel.
As for where Yeshua actually was during the period between His death and His resurrection, two things may be noted: His body was taken from the cross and put into a rich man’s tomb. His immaterial humanity—meaning His soul, spirit, heart, mind, conscience, and will—went into the section of Sheol or Hades that is known as “Abraham’s Bosom.” While there, He made a proclamation to the spirits that were disobedient at the time of Noah. These were the spirits of a select group of fallen angels who were guilty of the sin in Genesis 6 when they took on human male form and married human women. Satan’s goal in this action was to corrupt the Seed of the woman of Genesis 3:15. He tried to keep the Seed from coming to earth and providing atonement. The fact that the Seed—Messiah—was now in Abraham’s Bosom showed that this attempt to keep Him from coming had failed and that He had made atonement. This act guaranteed that the fallen angels will be judged during the Great White Throne judgment and cast into the lake of fire.