Who were the Spirits in Prison to whom Christ Preached?

Why preach to lost people that rejected God and were judged for that rejection?

If he were going to do the above would He not also preach to the rest of the lost of the Old Testament that also had rejected?

 

4_Hisglory, I wrote my thesis on this passage from a Greek perspective, gave an oral defense of my thesis, yet I really don't know exactly what Peter has in mind.

I examined the Jewish traditions, the textual variants, the scholarly journals and Istill don't know exactly what Peter has in mind.

But I do like your position for the moment. I do think that v. 20 is the key to this whole discussion:

"to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water" (TNIV).

 

It is not the preaching of the gospel, but the proclamation of his victory over Satan and sin. This accords with the context of 1 Peter.

Then the word is "proclamation" as in the TNIV not "preached" as in other versions.

1 Peter 4:6 makes this clear, where a different Greek term is used for "preaching the gospel."

 

I believe it to be:

Isa 61:1¶The Spirit of the Lord GOD [is] upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to [them that are] bound;

I believe the answer is in "Spirit" and "by which".

Which shows He did preach to those in prison more than once, as the days of Noah, by the Spirit.

BBob,

 

Well, for a seminary class that we did on 1 Peter I wrote a little research paper on the text as a requirement for the course, so when it came to choosing a thesis, I simply expanded. I made my work easier. :laugh:

 

BBob, though some of the same elements are shared by both texts, there's a difference:

In the Isaiah text, which was fulfilled in Luke 4, Jesus is seen releasing the captives,

but

In 1 Pet 3:19, 20 he is proclaming to the spirits in prison, who, according to verse 20, were disobedient in Noah's day.

This part is not in the Isaiah text.

 

I was just showing how, he preached to them in prison, in those days, such as:

Act 7:38This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and [with] our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto

I had a reason for doing so, for many say that he went "back" and preached to them in prison while he was dead.

BBob,

 

4 His Glory Wrote
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Here is my interpretation:

The spirits in prison are the disobedient people in the days of Noah who rejected the message he declared. It was the spirit of Christ who was preaching through Noah, just as it was the spirit of Christ was predicting His own suffering and the glories to follow (1Peter 1:11). These people continued to disobey and perished in the flood, and are now in prison.

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Amen clear as day

 

Christ went and preached to those in prison that He might set them free who were captive.

Those who reject the message before death have no hope after death of being redeemed.

The ones in prison Christ ministered to were the righteous dead, not the wicked lost.

*I might add that those who rejected the message before death have no hope. Why preach an idle message that will not save? He preached a message of liberty, not a rub it in your face "You should have obeyed my Father" type of message.

 

Since the grave is a prison of sorts, I believe the language to be poetic or hyperbolic. His death and resurrection freed mankind forever from the grave (prison), and that is how He preached and declared victory over death.

 

For now, that is what I believe, but it is quite debatable.

 

But Peter singled out the days of Noah not all mankind.

Why he did that, I don't know?

 

Well, if you believe any of them were saved, then it would have to be repentance after death.

 

"It is not the preaching of the gospel"

Don't recall saying it was.

 

The word simply means "to announce or to proclaim something." It is not the preaching of the gospel.

For the preaching of the gospel, a few verses later Peter uses another word (4:6).

 

Ok, you are not saying any were "saved". I agree with that, if we are talking about "going back" but if He preached repentance in those days by the "same Spirit" through some of the Prophets, then I do believe some must of been saved. Of course in the days of Noah, only eight souls were saved. I still do not agree that His Spirit went "back" and preached to them in prison. I wonder what you think He would be preaching, if not repentance.

BBob,

 

I don't believe he went back; I believe this is referring to that time between his death and resurrection.

I prefer to use the word "proclaim or announce," which would avoid the idea of his "preaching" repentance, giving them an opportunity to repent.