Christ preaching to the spirits in prison.

[Chris V++]

Hi I was wondering what you make of Christ preaching to the 'spirits in prison.' These spirits are from the time of Noah. This isn't like any concept of purgatory ever taught that I'm aware of (not that that says anything.) These are (were) apparently lost souls. Thanks in advance.


' For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: ' 1 Peter

 

[ewq1938]

1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
1Pe 3:21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
1Pe 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
1Pe 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
1Pe 4:2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
1Pe 4:3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
1Pe 4:4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
1Pe 4:5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
1Pe 4:6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.




1 Peter 4:6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.

Now, one must understand that the word Hell is used for more than one place. The Hell he went to is known as Hades, the place of the spirits of the physically dead and prison for fallen angels.



He went in order to preach the gospel similar to going into a hostile or bad area to preach the gospel!


The dead were given a chance to hear the Gospel and be judged as if they were alive and heard the Gospel. It was so those who received and accepted it could live according to God in the spirit ie: receive salvation.





Luk_23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

John 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

John 16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.


These prove that Jesus did at least for short time go to his father after he died.

This also proves he was not dead and sleeping in the grave after physical death.




Act 2:25 For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved:
Act 2:26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope:
Act 2:27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Act 2:28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
Act 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Act 2:30 Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Act 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell (hades), neither his flesh did see corruption.
Act 2:32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.


Proof Jesus' soul was in Hades.


Eph 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Eph 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)


Hades is said to exist "downward" implying it's somewhere in the Earth, in a spiritual dimension of course, 2Pe_2:4, Luk_10:15, Eze_31:16, Isa_14:15.

 

[Chris V++]

Now, one must understand that the word Hell is used for more than one place. The Hell he went to is known as Hades, the place of the spirits of the physically dead and prison for fallen angels.
He went in order to preach the gospel similar to going into a hostile or bad area to preach the gospel!
The dead were given a chance to hear the Gospel and be judged as if they were alive and heard the Gospel. It was so those who received and accepted it could live according to God in the spirit ie: receive salvation.

Thank you so much. So what could this mean for unrepentant souls that ended up in Hades since the resurrection? Is there still hope for those souls before the final judgement? Or was this specifically God's provision for those souls that passed before the resurrection? Is there any way to know? Thanks again!

 

[Rescued One]

Thank you so much. So what could this mean for unrepentant souls that ended up in Hades since the resurrection? Is there still hope for those souls before the final judgement? Or was this specifically God's provision for those souls that passed before the resurrection? Is there any way to know? Thanks again!

No, there isn't hope for the wicked!

From Ligonier Ministries:

In verses 18–20 we read that Jesus, though put to death, was made alive in the Spirit in which he spoke to the “spirits in prison” who disobeyed in the days of Noah. Though many in church history see in these verses a reference to a literal descent of Christ into hell, that is probably not the best interpretation of this verse. Space prevents us from going into all reasons for rejecting this view. We will say that first of all, Jesus viewed His entire mission as one of announcing freedom to the captives (Luke 4:18–19) — which captives were living people and not fallen angels or dead human beings. Secondly, given the Son of God’s attributes of omnipresence and eternity as well as His interrelatedness with the Holy Spirit, it is probably better to see in these verses a reference to the pre-incarnate Son of God speaking through Noah to the sinners of Noah’s day by the Spirit, warning them of God’s impending judgment (2 Peter 2:5).
Ligonier Ministries

Hebrews 9
27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Isaiah 55
6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

I hope that helps.

 

[Rescued One]

2 Peter 2
4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds) 9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

 

[ewq1938]

Thank you so much. So what could this mean for unrepentant souls that ended up in Hades since the resurrection? Is there still hope for those souls before the final judgement? Or was this specifically God's provision for those souls that passed before the resurrection? Is there any way to know? Thanks again!

I don't think God speaks of that, only mentioned people who had died before the Messiah came. God will be fair, we can trust in that.