“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, He Led Captivity Captive, and gave gifts unto men. ⁹ (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?” (Ephesians 4:8-9 (KJV)

There are many confusing and contradictory theological explanations offered for these verses. After close study I’ve personally changed my earlier traditional religious view concerning what is meant by the words concerning how Jesus Christ “led captivity captive.”

One common misunderstanding is whether or not Christ actually “descended into hell” as said to be according to the age old traditional religious creed called “The Apostle Creed,” (Catholic Catechism #194) that many Christians have held for many years. While this question may be something of an aside, it is important as it touches on many other related and important mistaken understandings, such as the truth regarding “the thief on the cross” and Jesus story of “the rich man and Lazarus.”

Let’s first consider our text of Ephesians 4:8 within its context. (I’ve added some word definitions.)

“⁷But unto every one of us is GIVEN Grace (unmerited favor) according to the measure of the Gift of Christ.

⁸ Wherefore (considering the foregoing) he saith (as in Psalm 68:18), When he (Jesus) ascended (Gk. anabaino, rose) up on high, he led captivity (Gk. aichmaloteuo, the prisoners) captive (Gk. aichmalosia, led away as captives), and gave GIFTS unto men.

⁹ (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens (to the 3^rd heaven), that he might fill all things.)

¹¹ And he GAVE some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors (elder shepherds) and teachers;

¹² For the perfecting (furnishing) of the saints (the believers), for the (their) work of the ministry, for the edifying (building up) of the body of Christ: (Ephesians 4:11-12)

Herein we will specifically consider these three questions and answer some commonly associated questions.

1. Jesus “descended” - What exactly is Paul thinking about when he says, “he (Jesus) also first ‘descended’ into the lower parts of the earth” (Eph. 4:9)?
2. What or who exactly is this “captivity” and “captive” that Paul is thinking about when he quotes Psalm 68, “He led captivity captive” in Eph. 4:8?
3. “He led” - What does Paul have in mind by writing, “He led’ captivity captive” (Eph. 4:8)?

1.  Jesus “descended”? In Eph. 4:9 above Paul refers to David’s Psalm 68:18 “Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men (the 1^st and 2^nd resurrections); yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.” This is as a prophesy of the ‘ascension’ of Christ on high. Paul says this ascent is to “far above” the highest 3^rd “heaven,” and should be considered together with Jesus’ prior ‘descent’ into “the lower parts of the earth.”

This lines up with Paul’s earlier teaching. “… that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; ⁴ And that he was buried (in the tomb or grave), and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” (1 Cor. 15:3b-4)

Did Jesus descend into the so-called ‘good side’ of “Hades” as so many Christians believe?

First, there is no good or bad side of Hades… it is simply “the grave.” This erroneous religious idea is taken from Jesus’ story of “the rich man and Lazarus,” in which He mocks and exaggerated the false teachings of the Pharisees… who loved “mammon,” money (Luke 16:13-14). This is the context of Jesus’ ‘story’ of “the rich man and Lazarus,” which includes many elements that clearly contradict the balance of Scripture.

Actually, “descended first into the lower parts of the earth” is just descent into “the grave” is as applies to all the dead. Notice that Paul does not teach that Christ descended into ‘hell.’ Jesus Himself likened this to being “in the belly” of the Jonah’s “whale” (Matt. 12:40). Consider the corollary Jesus draws between His ‘three days in the grave’ and Jonah “three days in the belly of the whale.” So, Jesus’ “descent” that Paul writes of is the fact that Christ died and was buried, being ‘swallowed up in the darkness of death,’ while He was all the time, for three days, lying down in “the grave (tomb),” before He was resurrected.

Now consider ‘The Thief on the Cross’: First note the ‘comma’ placement in Luke 23:43 as seen in the KJV and most Bibles. “Jesus said unto him (the thief), Verily I say unto thee, to day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

We should realize that originally, neither the Greek or Hebrew capital letters or no punctuation. All punctuation was added through the years by various translators according to the theology of their day. Now note the proper placement of the comma, “Jesus said unto him (the thief), Verily I say unto thee to (this) day, shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

“I say unto you” is a phrase Jesus used 28 times; and “this day” appears 22 times, and “to day” 10 times in the four gospels. By correctly placing the ‘comma’ after the words “to day,” the verse then says “Paradise” is not the immediate abode of the thief or any believer. Consider these facts;

• It was not that “to day” when Christ ascended to heaven. It was after “three days and nights” of sleeping in “the grave” that Jesus rose and ascended to heaven; then returning for 40 days before He was taken up at the Mount of Olivet. Jesus remains in heaven today as ‘the King in exile’… until His ‘enemies are made His footstool’ (cf. Matt. 22:44) in the Tribulation judgments.
• “The Paradise of God” with its “tree of life” are currently in heaven (cf. 2Cor 12:4, Rev 2:7). The fact is that the saved ‘thief on the cross’ will ultimately go to the “Paradise of God,” but only in “the 1^st resurrection” along with all those saved under “the gospel of the kingdom,” which Jesus preached to Israel. The saved thief will be resurrected to eternally dwell in “The Paradise of God” when it comes down from heaven to the “the new earth,” as seen in Rev. 22:14.

Did Jesus descend into “hell”?

Some say “When Jesus was buried, His soul went into “hell.” No! The “Hell” of “Hell fire” (Matt. 5:22) in Greek is “Gehenna,” called “the lake of fire.” Jesus’ soul was clearly located in “the grave,” not hell. ‘Sheol’ is the Hebrew and ‘Hades’ is the Greek word for “the grave.”  In Psalm 16:10 Jesus said this to The Father;

“You will not leave my soul in ‘Sheol’ (in O.T. Hebrew; this is the same as the Greek ‘hades,” meaning “the grave”) nor will you let your Holy One see corruption (disintegration / eternal death by ‘the lake of fire’)”

So, we see that Jesus’s “soul” was in “Sheol (Hebrew),” which is “Hades” in Greek, not the “hell fire” of “eternal destruction” (2Thes. 1:9) in the “lake of fire.” If it was really speaking of “hell” it would be the Greek “Gehenna,” properly translated as “hell.”

Peter also quotes Psalm 16:10 in his preaching on the day of Pentecost using the word “Hades,” not Sheol; “You will not leave my soul in Hades, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption (Grk., diaphthero, destruction)” (Acts 2:27). The Greek word “Hades” (Acts 2:27) is that same as the Hebrew word “Sheol” in Psalm 16:10. Thus, Jesus’ soul was in “Hades,” not in the Hell fire of Gehenna’s, “the lake of fire.”

NOTE also that the word for “Hell” was improperly transliterated in these two verses below. It should have been “Hades” as seen in the Greek. This refers to a vision John saw concerning of the end of all ages.

“And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell (Grk. Hades, the grave) delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. ¹⁴And death and hell (Gk. Hades, the grave) were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second (and final) death.” (Rev 20:13-14).

Jesus said to the religious Pharisees, “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned (judged) to Hell (Gehenna)?” (Matt. 23:33). At death the human “spirit” of these religious vipers “will return to the Lord who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7), their bodies will wind up in “hell fire” of “Gehenna,” i.e., “the lake of fire,” which can be considered the incinerator of the dead bodies of the lost. Their souls will thereby be eternally and totally snuffed out, extinguished with the loss of the life of their “breath (spirit)” (Gen. 2:7).

“Hades” is the “the grave” of both the lost and the righteous. All the dead, both the lost and righteous, are ‘asleep’ in “the grave” called Hades. Nobody is in Gehenna Hell (“the lake of fire”) as yet. The “Beast and False Prophet” (Rev. 20:10) will be first, then 1,000 years later “Satan” and then all the lost whose names are “not written in the book of life. The lost dead await their bodily reawakening at the 2^nd resurrection, deduced from Rev. 20:6, so as to “stand” at the “Great White Throne Judgment,” then to “the lake of fire.”

The lost go to “the lake of fire” is where the bodies of all the wicked go after judgment. Their human spirits will have “return(ed) to the Lord who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7) and their souls will have thereby been extinguished. Men’s souls are born filled with ‘desire,’ as a ‘fire’ within man. The word desire covers a wide range of man’s wants, emotions, cravings, all of which are extinguished at death by the loss of one’s spirit (Eccl. 12:7) … then the soul sleeps in unconsciousness (Eccl. 9:5)

 ‘The Thief on the Cross’ raises the issue of; Do believers go to heaven immediately when they die?

Let’s permit the Scripture to answer our question.

“All (men) that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth.” (John 5:28-29)

“David ... is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day” “For David is not ascended into the heavens.” (Acts 2:29, 34) (Note: This was after Jesus’ resurrection and Pentecost.)

“If I wait, the grave is mine house.” (Job 17:13)

Nobody, neither saved or lost, will immediately go either to heaven or hades at death. All go to “the grave” to “sleep,” awaiting their “resurrection,” either ‘the Rapture’ or one the 1^st or 2^nd resurrection (Rev. 20:6).

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt (Heb. unrecoverable abhorrence). (Dan. 12:2)

2. What then is “Captivity Captive”?

The simplest explanation of “he led captivity captive” (Eph. 4:8) is to think of captivity as slavery. Paul thinks of our new birth as our willing enslavement to Christ after releasing us from enslavement and captivity to Sin (cf. Rom. 6:6, 16-18). When Christ died and was buried, rose from the dead and ascended to the right hand of God. He ‘led’ by setting the captives free from Sin’s dominion, then taking us captive to Himself. He continues to lead us even today and until He comes again, “that he might fill all things” (Eph. 4:10). After salvation believers are held securely and lovingly… captive to Christ.

That “he led captivity captive” (Eph. 4:8) is actually prophecy of our redemption… being “bought with a price.”

“All have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).

 “the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk. 10:45).

He thereby paid the price due so as to release us from captivity in sin, to purchase us as his own as slaves to righteousness (cf. 1Cor 6:20).

 “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12-14).

As captive slaves of Christ, we find a liberty in our captivity. This is paradox, not a contradiction, because as Christ’s slaves we are the blessed “sons of God... heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17).

Jesus ascended Alone:

The statement “When he ascended on high he led captivity captive” (Eph. 4:8) could seem to imply that when Jesus ascended into heaven he led a host of captives in train who ascended into heaven with him, but this is not the case. There’s not a word of heaven in this passage.

I myself, as many others have, have erroneously said Jesus led the O.T. believers who were captive from “Hades,” taking them with Him to heaven. But, I stand corrected by “the word of God,” which does not say this. There’s no such event recorded in scripture; it says Jesus ascended into heaven alone.

“And when he (Jesus) had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; ¹¹ Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:9-11)

“… Christ (is) risen from the dead, and become THE Firstfruits of them that ‘Slept.’ ²¹For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. ²²For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

²³But Every Man in his own order: Christ The firstfruits; Afterward they that are Christ’s At His Coming.

A proof of this is that Peter, some days after the cross and Jesus’ ascension, preached that David was still in his grave and has “not ascended to the heavens.”

“… let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day…. ³⁴ For David is not ascended into the heavens…” (Acts 2:29, 34a)

3. Christ has “led” and yet also He ‘leads’ us as the “Captain” of God’s “many sons,” individually, bringing them to the full expression (full blossoming) of His glorious “life.”

Christ leading us, His “captives,” is also Christ’s leading His church corporately, “that he might fill all things” (Eph. 4:10; cf. Col. 1:18-19). This interpretation certainly reflects the context in which Paul mentions the prophecy – leading us “till we all come to the unity of the faith” (Eph. 4:13). Paul is discussing His leadership of the church, called to “edify (build-up)” “His body” in faith (cf. Eph. 4:1-16 for context.)

Today Christ is the ruling “Head” of “His body” giving “gifts unto men” (Eph. 4:8b) through the dispensing of His Spirit working in each member, per “the mystery, which is Christ in you the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).

• First, He “gave” us the free gift of salvation “by grace through faith” in Christ alone (Eph. 2:8-9).
• Then He “gave” us the indwelling “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” to dwell in and lead us individually. His Spirit thereby equips “His body” for the spread of “the gospel of the grace of God.”
• And He “gave” His “body” certain ministries (for teaching and preaching) that would be used of God to furnish “His body” with “rightly divide…  the word of God” so as to equip each sincere member of “His body” with the message and words that are “spirit and life,” having power to save and build up every believer with His “Spirit of life.”

“And he (Christ) GAVE some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors (elder shepherds) and teachers; ¹² For the perfecting (Gk. karartismos, furnishing) of the saints (“sanctified” as believers), for the work of the ministry, for the edifying (building up) of the body of Christ:” (Eph. 4:7-12)

Christ has “led” a host of “captives (all the believers)”; gifting them through the agency of the Holy Spirit with His divine life and inspiration. Thus, today He leads and empowers believers to live and preach the grace gospel to all Satan’s captive slaves of sin, delivering true message of liberty, to lead them for Christ into light and ‘liberty as captives of Christ.’

Thus, Christ today exercises His leadership as “Head of the body” from heaven through the providence of His Spirit, the inspired writings of the Bible, and the preaching of those whom he especially gifted for that work.

“For it became him (The Father), for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory (meaning, “full expression,” not heaven), to make the captain of their salvation perfect (complete) through sufferings. (Hebrews 2:10)

Christ leads each member of “His body” by His Indwelling Spirit “in us.” Jesus ascended into heaven and was exalted to God the Father’s “right hand,” the seat of authority. His leadership includes the work Christ has done and is doing and will do today through the agency of His Holy Spirit.

First, the Holy Spirit was given to Jesus “little flock” (Luke 2:32) of disciples of Israel.

 “he breathed on them (His Jewish disciples), and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:” (Jn. 20:22)

“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13)

 “(Jesus) Having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this which you both see and hear” (Acts 2:33).

Today, we of “His body” enjoy that He has freed us and that He leads individually as members of “His body.”

 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Cor. 3:17)

 “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: (Colossians 1:27)

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14)

“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)

Ultimately, He will gather up all those whom He ransomed from the earth, both the living and the dead; they will ‘awake’ and ‘ascend’ as Jesus did. Christ has led us in view of His resurrection and His ascension. Jesus Christ is the “firstfruits” (1Cor. 15:20-23), the “forerunner” (Heb. 6:19-20) of all His ransomed slaves, all the redeemed from the beginning of time unto “the dispensation of the fullness of times” (Eph. 1:10).

Since we are viewing the words “he led” (Eph. 4:8) as an act of Christ, beginning with his ascension, and continuing throughout the grace gospel age, then we should see those words as including what will be His final act of leadership on earth. That final act is one that He will perform personally at his second coming to earth to 1) judge in wrath, 2) save Israel, and 3) set up His Millennial kingdom on earth.

Summing Up Ephesians 4:7-10:

• Jesus “... descended ...” - Christ’s descent was “into the lower parts of the earth” at His burial.

Again, Jesus’ soul did not go into the ‘Hell (Gehenna),’ “the lake of fire,” or “Paradise,” but to “the grave” of Hades. Jesus had said.

“fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy (Gk. apollymi, totally destroy, annihilate) both soul and body in hell (Gehenna, “the lake of fire”)” (Matt. 10:28).

No power on earth can destroy a soul, but God can snuff it out by the loss of one’s spirit that gave it life as a “living soul” (Gen 2:7). The soul is the very person, the self, the being that exists now and beyond physical death, lying asleep in “the grave” until it is awakened and resurrected. Only the lost souls will go to the Gehenna “(the lake of fire),” the place of “eternal destruction” (2Thes. 1:9) of the body… after their “spirit returned to the Lord who gave it” (Eccl. 12:7), thereby their soul is simultaneously extinguished.

• Christ “led captivity captive” in that God, through the “redemption” in Christ’s blood of cross, released believing sinners of the O. T., who until then only had their sins “covered.” Now their sins were “forgiven” (Rom. 3:25). They were thus set free from the domain of Satan’s kingdom, and transferred into Christ’s kingdom. They will partake of the “first resurrection” to reign on earth at His 2^nd coming.
• Jesus was the One who “led” all believers. Christ is the leader, being the “first fruits” in “resurrection,” as the “forerunner” guaranteeing the resurrection of all believers. Upon His ascension to glory, He took the ownership as the leader of His now ‘freed slaves’ by the power and gifts of His Holy Spirit already discussed earlier.

All dead believers of every age will one day soon “awake” and resurrect from “the grave” to meet Him;

• First, the members of “the body of Christ” will be “caught up” (raptured) to dwell “eternal in the heaven: (2Cor 5:1b).
• Seven years later the believers of Israel’s “gospel of the kingdom” will awake and be resurrected in “the 1^st resurrection” to co-reign on earth with Christ in His Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 5:10, 20:6).

Thus, all believers will go to their eternal reward – either to reign on earth, as applies to Israel, or… “reign with Him” in heaven (2Tim. 2:12), as applies to the members of “the church, which is His body.” (Eph. 1:22b-23a)

Today Christ reigns from heaven:

1) as the King, Shepherd and soon as the Bridegroom of Israel, and also

2) as the “Head” of “the body of Christ,” as the “captain (Gk. archegos, chief leader) of our salvation.”

Christ will “in the dispensation of the fulness of times” in-gather all His “elect” (all believers of all ages) into His One glorious overarching kingdom, to reign both “in heaven” and “on earth.”

“That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:” (Eph. 1:10)