Hades, the Greek, or Sheol, the Hebrew, these two words mean the world of spirits. By many the terms "Hades" and "Sheol" are understood to designate the place of departed spirits, comprising both paradise and the prison realm.

What does the Catholic Church say Christ did during the 3 days prior to His resurrection. Answer: Christ went to hell to open the gates of heaven for the just who had gone before him. Catholics believe that "Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned,...but to free the just who had gone before him.

Now lets look at what the Bible says Jesus did during these 3 days. Peter the Apostle wrote about Christ:

1 Peter 3:19-20 "By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water."

What did Christ do in spirit prison? Answer: He preached the Gospel to the disobedient people that lived from Adam 4000BC to Christ 34 AD. The Bible says nothing about the righteous dead, only that Christ preached to the disobedient spirits which were in prison in Hades. Catholic Church says that "He descended there as Savior, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there. What spirits is the question. Catholics believe Christ went to the righteous and liberated them from hell and opened the gates of Heaven, but that’s not what the Bible says.

The bible says that Christ went and preached to the disobedient spirits that lived from Adam to Christ’s day. Why did Christ do this. Answer: So that even those in spirit prison would have an opportunity to hear the gospel message, and either accept or reject that message. Yes the Bible proclaims that even after death the dead will have the opportunity to hear the gospel message, which the Catholic church denies.

Once again Catholic tradition runs contrary to the truths contained in the Bible.