To His Deliverance From the Anguish and Torment of Hell

Q. Why did Christ descend into hell - the state of death, the grave? 

A. In my greatest sorrows and temptations I may be assured and comforted that my Lord Jesus Christ, by His unspeakable anguish, pain, terror, and agony, which He endured throughout all His sufferings... 

For the Bible Tells Me So...

Psalm 18:5,6 

• The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me. 
• In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry came before Him, even to His ears. 

Psalm 116:3 The pains of death surrounded me, and the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me; I found trouble and sorrow. 

Matthew 26:36-46 

• Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 
• And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 
• Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.” 
• He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” 
• Then He came to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour? 
• “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 
• Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 
• And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy. 
• So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 
• Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 
• “Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

Matthew 27:45,46 

• Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 
• And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 

Hebrews 5:7-10 

• …who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 
• though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 
• And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 
• called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,” 

but especially on the cross, has delivered me from the anguish and torment of hell.

For the Bible Tells Me So...

Isaiah 53

The Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 16