Jesus’ death and his descent into hell
In Luke 23:43 Jesus says, "Today you will be with me in paradise." In our creeds, however, we say, "He descended into hell." I am certain the the Bible is true, and I am not trying to sound like a skeptic, but could you explain where Jesus went after dying and how these two statements are compatible?
On the cross, Jesus told the repentant thief: “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). At death, the body and soul separate. When Jesus died on Good Friday, his body and soul separated, as did the body and soul of the repentant thief. Their bodies remained on earth, while their souls entered paradise, heaven. Recall that just prior to his death, Jesus cried out: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
While the body of the repentant thief remains in some form on the earth and his soul is in heaven, Jesus’ body (which did not decay—Acts 2:31) and soul were reunited “on the third day,” just as Jesus had said numerous times (e.g., Matthew 16:21; 17:23).
Before Jesus appeared to people on earth on Easter Sunday morning, he descended into hell with his body and soul to proclaim his victory over sin, Satan and death (1 Peter 3:18-20).