Article 5: He descended into hell, the third day he rose again from the dead. The hell that Jesus descended to wasn't the hell of popular culture (the home proving grounds of Satan). Hell was a word that ancient Jews and Christians used to describe the place of the dead-both good and bad. Before Jesus's death brought salvation to the world, Christians believe, all the souls of history (even those of loyal servants to God such as Abraham and Solomon) had wait in the place of the dead until Jesus opened the gates to heaven. Jesus released them, they didn't get paroled from hell for good behavior.
This passage also states that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, meaning that he came back from the dead under his own power. It wasn't that he was "dead" for a few minutes and came back to life, he was completely and utterly dead, but came back to Earth. He also wasn't some kind of supernatural zombie, but rose with a new and glorified body.
Article 6: He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father almighty. Christ's ascension serves as a reminder that once his human and divine natures were united in the Incarnation, they could never be divided again. In other words, after his Resurrection, Jesus didn't leave his body behind on Earth, but brought it with him into heaven. Catholicism teaches that his human body will last forever. Humans hope that they will be able to join him there someday.
Article 7: From thence he shall come again to judge the living and the dead. This article restates the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the world to serve as its judge. Judgment Day is the term used to describe the end of time, when what's called the General Judgment will occur. Catholics believe that when you die, your soul goes immediately to your private judgment and your soul is sent to either heaven, hell or purgatory. Purgatory is the term used to describe the intermediate phase that prepares a person for proper admittance into heaven. At the end of time, when the General Judgment happens, everyone's private judgment is revealed-so everyone knows who got into heaven, who was damned, and why this is the case. Private judgment is what Catholics primarily care about, as they believe they are judged by their faith and how they exercised this faith while on earth. The General Judgment is merely God's revealing of everybody's private judgment; it is not a second chance or appeal.
Article 8: I believe in the Holy Spirit. This part reminds the believer that God exists in three persons - the Holy Trinity - as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not an inantimate object or force, but a distinct person of God on equal terms with the other two persons.
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