Death

1. Why was blood necessary for the forgiveness of sins?

From the beginning God demanded blood to cover sin. Animals died to clothe Adam and Eve. Abel's blood sacrifice was accepted by God, but not Cain's bloodless sacrifice. The blood of sacrificial animals played a central part in Old Testament worship given by God through Moses. The key is given in Lev. 17:11. Blood equals life. The penalty for sin was death (Gen. 2:17). If the sinner's life is spared, someone else had to die in his/her place. The death and blood of animals in the Old Testament did not in themselves atone for sins, it pointed to the life (blood) of the unique Lamb of God that would atone for the sins of all saved sinners, all who accepted that sacrifice in their place. His blood is the only blood acceptable to God. To have blood and to give blood He had to become a human being.

2. Did Jesus suffer hell in our place before or after He died?

He had to become a human being to pay our sin-debt by suffering hell in our place. Obviously, when His human nature died on the cross He could not suffer hell in our place anymore. The essence of hell is to be completely abandoned by God. That happened when He cried out on the cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" After that He proclaimed that His task was finished and that salvation was accomplished. When He died He placed His spirit into His Father's hands. That's why He had said to the penitent criminal, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise." The proclamation of His victory to the spirits in captivity (1 Pet. 3:19) could only have taken place after His resurrection and before His ascension.