Prison Spirits

[Guest ninhao]

 

It means that in the days of Noah the people around him were given an opportunity to believe in the savior as he spoke to them through the preaching of Noah, however they did not repent and now (as peter writes) they are in prison awaiting the final judgement. 

 

 

Hello Reformed Baptist,

 

I like your explanation and I would like to add the section in 1 Peter 3 concerns encouragement to believers to stand firm in the face of adversity as did Noah. We also have Jesus to bolster our proclamation of the need for humans to turn to God.

[RobertStone]

These verses talk about a few interesting concepts.

 

One of them is: It tells us where Jesus went after His death. The verse before what you quoted tells us that His death allowed him to go preach to these spirits in prison. Did you ever wonder where Jesus' spirit went for the 3 days he was dead? Some will say paradise, because He tells the thief on the cross that they will be together in paradise, but they assume paradise means the throne of God, or basically heaven. The reference in 1 Corinthians 12:4 is a general term of paradise, meaning better than here. But in that context, Paul is talking about the third heaven (which is a whole other topic), not the throne of God. Anyway, there is a problem with that assuming that paradise means the place where the Father resides because when Christ returns and talks to Mary, he tells her that he had not been to His Father yet. If he had not been to His Father, then He was not in heaven. Paradise must mean something else. Some have offered that it is the place where souls await resurrection and judgment, there is a good side and a bad side. The good side being paradise, the bad side being prison.

 

Peter then tells us in 1 Peter 4:6 that the gospel was preached to those in this prison who are dead, so they could be "judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." In other words, he is saying that they were preached to in the hopes of them converting and to be judged equally with us. Why else would you preach to someone? Just to tell them they are damned forever? No, the reason to preach is to convince them to repent and turn to Jesus and be cleansed. It is the ultimate act of mercy on Jesus' part, to reach out to those who still have a chance before the resurrection and final judgment comes.

[Izzel]

These verses talk about a few interesting concepts.

 

One of them is: It tells us where Jesus went after His death. The verse before what you quoted tells us that His death allowed him to go preach to these spirits in prison. Did you ever wonder where Jesus' spirit went for the 3 days he was dead? Some will say paradise, because He tells the thief on the cross that they will be together in paradise, but they assume paradise means the throne of God, or basically heaven. The reference in 1 Corinthians 12:4 is a general term of paradise, meaning better than here. But in that context, Paul is talking about the third heaven (which is a whole other topic), not the throne of God. Anyway, there is a problem with that assuming that paradise means the place where the Father resides because when Christ returns and talks to Mary, he tells her that he had not been to His Father yet. If he had not been to His Father, then He was not in heaven. Paradise must mean something else. Some have offered that it is the place where souls await resurrection and judgment, there is a good side and a bad side. The good side being paradise, the bad side being prison.

 

Peter then tells us in 1 Peter 4:6 that the gospel was preached to those in this prison who are dead, so they could be "judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." In other words, he is saying that they were preached to in the hopes of them converting and to be judged equally with us. Why else would you preach to someone? Just to tell them they are damned forever? No, the reason to preach is to convince them to repent and turn to Jesus and be cleansed. It is the ultimate act of mercy on Jesus' part, to reach out to those who still have a chance before the resurrection and final judgment comes.

Some think that this verse means that when Christ died on the cross that he went to hell and preached to the spirits in prison.

One of the keys is verse 18-19 which says

” being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,” the question is who is the individual mentioned in the words “by whom” found in verse 19?

If you read the verse it says “by the Spirit, 19 by whom” Thus the “by whom” is the Holy Spirit. So with that in mind the verse says the following that Christ by the Holy Spirit “went and preached to the spirits in prison”. 

[Izzel]

These verses talk about a few interesting concepts.

 

One of them is: It tells us where Jesus went after His death. The verse before what you quoted tells us that His death allowed him to go preach to these spirits in prison. Did you ever wonder where Jesus' spirit went for the 3 days he was dead? Some will say paradise, because He tells the thief on the cross that they will be together in paradise, but they assume paradise means the throne of God, or basically heaven. The reference in 1 Corinthians 12:4 is a general term of paradise, meaning better than here. But in that context, Paul is talking about the third heaven (which is a whole other topic), not the throne of God. Anyway, there is a problem with that assuming that paradise means the place where the Father resides because when Christ returns and talks to Mary, he tells her that he had not been to His Father yet. If he had not been to His Father, then He was not in heaven. Paradise must mean something else. Some have offered that it is the place where souls await resurrection and judgment, there is a good side and a bad side. The good side being paradise, the bad side being prison.

 

Peter then tells us in 1 Peter 4:6 that the gospel was preached to those in this prison who are dead, so they could be "judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." In other words, he is saying that they were preached to in the hopes of them converting and to be judged equally with us. Why else would you preach to someone? Just to tell them they are damned forever? No, the reason to preach is to convince them to repent and turn to Jesus and be cleansed. It is the ultimate act of mercy on Jesus' part, to reach out to those who still have a chance before the resurrection and final judgment comes.

 Christ by the Holy Spirit “went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient,” when? The verse states ” when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.”

So Christ by the Holy Spirit preached to the spirits in prison in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared. 

[Remnantrob]

 

I didn't write it but it makes sense to me.

 

Didn’t Jesus preach to the spirits in prison?

 

Text in question: 1 Peter 3:19

“...by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison.”

Proof texts: 1 Peter 3:18–20

Many churches today routinely recite the Apostle’s Creed as part of their worship services. This is a standard recitation of fundamental beliefs supposedly carried down from the apostolic days. The most controversial line of the Creed, which is considered optional or flatly omitted by some of the churches that recite it, is a line that reads, “He descended into hell,” referring to Jesus in between the time of the cross and the resurrection. It is this idea—that Christ preached the gospel to the souls of the dead who are in hell—that is most commonly associated with the text in question, 1 Peter 3:19. Using this view, the spirits are immortal, disembodied souls of deceased people and the prison is eternal hellfire.

Strangely, this is not the only interpretation given to this text. Some churches teach that human beings had a pre-existence as spiritual creatures and return to that spiritual life once their bodies die. This spiritual realm after death is an additional learning ground where God continues to teach the dead about Himself. The text from Peter is used to support this idea. Stranger still, this learning ground, where apparently the spirits are in the presence of God, is called a prison.

It would seem that a text with such varying interpretations and controversy must be ambiguous in nature, or else the world’s churches would reach a consensus about its meaning. Yet, when the context of the passage is considered, it becomes unmistakably clear. When we read the verses both prior to and following the verse in question, the passage states:

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water” (1 Peter 3:18–20).

Truly, the passage is referring to Jesus Christ, and it does plainly say that he preached to spirits in prison. However, it also removes the guessing that leads to the conflicting interpretations. It says that Christ died but was made alive again through the Spirit of God, “by whom” He preached to spirits in prison. So we know that the one who did the preaching was actually the Holy Spirit, not Christ directly. The Spirit speaks the words given to Him by Christ (see John 16:13), and therefore is Christ’s representative (but nonetheless a distinct entity of God). We therefore know that the passage cannot mean that Jesus descended into hell to preach, because it was the Holy Spirit that did the preaching, not Jesus.

But when, and where, is this prison, and who are the spirits to whom the Holy Spirit preached the words of Christ? Verse 20 provides the answer.

The spirits “were formally disobedient.” Disobedience to God is sin. The Bible clearly states that sinners in open rebellion toward God are “slaves to sin,” or prisoners of unrighteousness (see Romans 6:16). For additional texts where prisoner imagery is used to describe the condition of sin, see Psalm 142:7, Isaiah 42:6, 7, and Luke 4:18. So the “spirits in prison” are those in rebellion against God, or sinners.

When did the Holy Spirit preach to sinners? Can we know whether these sinners were alive or dead when this occurred? The passage continues to talk explicitly about the “days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared.” The passage, in its proper context, is describing Christ’s ministry, through the person of the Holy Spirit, to reach sinners in the time of Noah, before the flood. Nowhere does the passage give us license to send Jesus to hell in between the cross and the resurrection, nor does it allow us to make the “prison” a heavenly learning ground after death. The passage is clear: the Holy Spirit preached to sinners in the days of Noah before the flood.

To further clarify this point, Peter continues his argument in verse 21 by stating:

“There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).

An antitype is a prophetic fulfillment. Peter says that, just as the eight souls were saved “through water” on the ark, in the same way we are now saved by baptism through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The water washed away the filth from the earth in Noah’s day, and the water symbolically washes away our guilt through Christ’s sacrifice. The Holy Spirit is involved in both processes: He preached to sinners to try to save them before the flood, and He preaches to us to bring us to repentance and baptism (see John 16:8, 9).

In light of this comparison to baptism, there cannot be any other meaning to the text in question except that the Spirit preached to sinners in Noah’s day. The flood is significant to the point Peter is making. Without it, any comparison to an “antitype” in baptism is meaningless. Certainly, baptism cannot be compared to the fires of hell! When we understand this meaning, it becomes clear that this text cannot be used to support any theology about death or the afterlife at all.

 

 

Amen!  I enjoyed how you interpreted the text with other bible texts.  God bless. Gonna have to use this one.

[other one]

What is your take on 1 Peter 3:18-20

One of the most confusing verses in the Bible is found in 1 Peter 3:18-20 which says 

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.”

 

What does this verse mean?

Did Jesus preach to spirits in hades or hell?

Or did He preach to fallen angels?

Or does this verse mean something completely different?  

 

 

Thanks 

who or what spirits do we know that were put in prison during the pre flood days???

[Izzel]

 

What is your take on 1 Peter 3:18-20

One of the most confusing verses in the Bible is found in 1 Peter 3:18-20 which says 

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.”

 

What does this verse mean?

Did Jesus preach to spirits in hades or hell?

Or did He preach to fallen angels?

Or does this verse mean something completely different?  

 

 

Thanks 

who or what spirits do we know that were put in prison during the pre flood days???

 

Some think that this verse means that when Christ died on the cross that he went to hell and preached to the spirits in prison.

[Butch5]

What is your take on 1 Peter 3:18-20

One of the most confusing verses in the Bible is found in 1 Peter 3:18-20 which says 

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water.”

 

What does this verse mean?

Did Jesus preach to spirits in hades or hell?

Or did He preach to fallen angels?

Or does this verse mean something completely different?  

 

 

Thanks 

Hi Izzel,

 

No, He didn't preach to spirits in Hades or Hell. It was spirits that were disobedient in the days of Noah. The Greek word that is translated "preached" is not the same word used of the Gospel. This Greek word means to herald or make an announcement. He went to make an announcement to those spirits. Notice the order, He suffered, was put to death, was raised, and went and heralded a message. He went after He was resurrected. The message is likely the same message that He gave the apostles. 

 

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (Mat 28:18 KJV)

 

When Jesus rose God gave all power in Heaven and in earth to Him, He told this to the apostles and like it is the message he heralded to the disobedient spirits that are spoken of by Peter.

[Butch5]

 

I didn't write it but it makes sense to me.

 

Didn’t Jesus preach to the spirits in prison?

 

Text in question: 1 Peter 3:19

“...by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison.”

Proof texts: 1 Peter 3:18–20

Many churches today routinely recite the Apostle’s Creed as part of their worship services. This is a standard recitation of fundamental beliefs supposedly carried down from the apostolic days. The most controversial line of the Creed, which is considered optional or flatly omitted by some of the churches that recite it, is a line that reads, “He descended into hell,” referring to Jesus in between the time of the cross and the resurrection. It is this idea—that Christ preached the gospel to the souls of the dead who are in hell—that is most commonly associated with the text in question, 1 Peter 3:19. Using this view, the spirits are immortal, disembodied souls of deceased people and the prison is eternal hellfire.

Strangely, this is not the only interpretation given to this text. Some churches teach that human beings had a pre-existence as spiritual creatures and return to that spiritual life once their bodies die. This spiritual realm after death is an additional learning ground where God continues to teach the dead about Himself. The text from Peter is used to support this idea. Stranger still, this learning ground, where apparently the spirits are in the presence of God, is called a prison.

It would seem that a text with such varying interpretations and controversy must be ambiguous in nature, or else the world’s churches would reach a consensus about its meaning. Yet, when the context of the passage is considered, it becomes unmistakably clear. When we read the verses both prior to and following the verse in question, the passage states:

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water” (1 Peter 3:18–20).

Truly, the passage is referring to Jesus Christ, and it does plainly say that he preached to spirits in prison. However, it also removes the guessing that leads to the conflicting interpretations. It says that Christ died but was made alive again through the Spirit of God, “by whom” He preached to spirits in prison. So we know that the one who did the preaching was actually the Holy Spirit, not Christ directly. The Spirit speaks the words given to Him by Christ (see John 16:13), and therefore is Christ’s representative (but nonetheless a distinct entity of God). We therefore know that the passage cannot mean that Jesus descended into hell to preach, because it was the Holy Spirit that did the preaching, not Jesus.

But when, and where, is this prison, and who are the spirits to whom the Holy Spirit preached the words of Christ? Verse 20 provides the answer.

The spirits “were formally disobedient.” Disobedience to God is sin. The Bible clearly states that sinners in open rebellion toward God are “slaves to sin,” or prisoners of unrighteousness (see Romans 6:16). For additional texts where prisoner imagery is used to describe the condition of sin, see Psalm 142:7, Isaiah 42:6, 7, and Luke 4:18. So the “spirits in prison” are those in rebellion against God, or sinners.

When did the Holy Spirit preach to sinners? Can we know whether these sinners were alive or dead when this occurred? The passage continues to talk explicitly about the “days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared.” The passage, in its proper context, is describing Christ’s ministry, through the person of the Holy Spirit, to reach sinners in the time of Noah, before the flood. Nowhere does the passage give us license to send Jesus to hell in between the cross and the resurrection, nor does it allow us to make the “prison” a heavenly learning ground after death. The passage is clear: the Holy Spirit preached to sinners in the days of Noah before the flood.

To further clarify this point, Peter continues his argument in verse 21 by stating:

“There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21).

An antitype is a prophetic fulfillment. Peter says that, just as the eight souls were saved “through water” on the ark, in the same way we are now saved by baptism through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The water washed away the filth from the earth in Noah’s day, and the water symbolically washes away our guilt through Christ’s sacrifice. The Holy Spirit is involved in both processes: He preached to sinners to try to save them before the flood, and He preaches to us to bring us to repentance and baptism (see John 16:8, 9).

In light of this comparison to baptism, there cannot be any other meaning to the text in question except that the Spirit preached to sinners in Noah’s day. The flood is significant to the point Peter is making. Without it, any comparison to an “antitype” in baptism is meaningless. Certainly, baptism cannot be compared to the fires of hell! When we understand this meaning, it becomes clear that this text cannot be used to support any theology about death or the afterlife at all.

 

Hi Will,

 

 One reason for the confusion is that three different places are called Hell. The Nicene Creed says that Jesus went to Hades, which is the grave. There is no theological problem with that statement. The problem is that many think Hades is a subterranean place where the ghosts of the dead go. That idea is a Greek teaching, not a Scriptural one. In the OT sheol is not used to speak of a place where the ghosts of the dead go. In the OT Sheol is translated Hades and in both the Hebrew and Greek OT Hades means the Grave. This Greek idea of Hades being forced onto the Scriptures causes much confusion.