The Darkest Day of the Year

The physical body of the Lord Jesus was placed on a slab inside a carved-out, stone tomb on Friday afternoon.

But when he "yielded up the ghost" (Matthew 27:50), and gave up his soul or spirit, where was the Lord Jesus?

He descended into the Abyss (ἄβυσσον, Romans 10:7).

Psalm 68:17 points back to bringing the Ark of the Covenant, created at Mount Sinai, into Zion, the City of God. But it also points forward to our Lord's ascending into heaven (Psalm 68:18).

From where did he ascend?

From the place to which he descended (Ephesians 4:9-10; Romans 10:7), that is the Abyss (ἄβυσσον), Hades (ᾅδης), or Sheol (שְׁאוֹל).

This is a place where both the godly and ungodly were contained prior to the ascension of Christ, a place where there was an impenetrable barrier separating the righteous from the unrighteous dead (Luke 16:26).

Think of it.

The Lord Jesus cried out: '"Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is to say, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"' (Matthew 27:46).

But his being forsaken by the Father did not end at the moment he died, it continued on until sometime after sundown on Holy Saturday: "He descended into hell" (Romans 10:7).

That is why we celebrate his rising from the dead on the first day of the week, a day that began after sundown on Saturday.