hello Darrel C
The Holy Spirit.........when those people were alive in the preflood days of Noah. Now they are in torment awaiting the White Throne Judgement:thumbs:
Then we see 1st Peter 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: 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."
So you believe only those people heard when He went to Paradise and Preached across the Great Gulf? Paul said in Ephesians 4 that He descended first, then Peter said He preached to those in Prison. Do you believe it was just those?
Luke 16:22 "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
Luke 23:42 "And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."
Verse 43 shows Jesus descended into the same Paradise as Lazerus. Jesus could speak to those in Torments from His own words about the rich man and Abraham speaking across the great gulf.
So we have Peter saying Jesus spoke to those in Prison, Paul says He descended before He ascended. We see then Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:5-6, 5 "Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:"
At some point Paradise was moved. For we know Christ is said to be in Heaven seated at the Fathers right hand, and those in paradise are there just as our souls will be there.
Meaning He needed to say nothing to those in Torments when they saw all the Saints taken up into heaven, but Peter said He preached to the souls in Prison.