I believe he “descended into hell” which, prior to His arrival, contained all the dead since they had no means of entry into Heaven, having died before Christ opened the gates to Heaven via His sacrificial death.
Those who embraced Christ’s message were released.
Those who rejected His message remained.
After His resurrection, God’s saving grace was and remains available.
Only those who obey him perfectly in this life can enter Heaven directly.
Those who are free from serious, unrepented sin must undergo temporary purification in purgatory.
Those who refuse His grace and die obstinate in their sins go to hell.
Yes! Until His death, there was no way for anyone to enter heaven. This nebulous world is sometimes referred to as 'Sheol'.
The Greek wording in the Apostles' Creed is ?????????? ??? ?? ????????, ("katelthonta eis ta katôtata"), and in Latin descendit ad inferos. The Greek ?? ???????? ("the lowest") and the Latin inferos ("those below") may also be translated as "underworld", "netherworld", or as "abode of the dead". Thus, sometimes this phrase is translated as "descended to the dead." The first use of the English "harrowing" in this context is in homilies of Aelfric, ca.1000. Harrow is a by-form of harry, a military term meaning to "make predatory raids or incursions"[2]. The term "Harrowing of Hell" refers not merely to the idea that Christ descended into Hell, as in the Creed, but to the rich tradition that developed later, asserting that he triumphed over inferos, releasing Hell's captives, particularly Adam and Eve, and the righteous men and women of Old Testament times.