Who were the Spirits in Prison to whom Christ Preached?

[4His_glory]

Doesn't verse 21 make the subject of the passage clear. Isn't this about baptism?

No, vs. 21 is just another illustration for the afflicted believers comfort. The significance of baptism (a public expression of an appeal to God for a good conscience- i.e. faith) gives comfort to the suffering believer because he knows that the suffering is not the wrath of God upon him since he is buried and risen with Christ (of which baptism is the symbol). This can strengthen the heart to face affliction.

 

[TCGreek]

The spirits in prison can not be all OT saints or the Bible would have said that. I do not believe they ever were "saints" because the only saints in the time of Noah were Noah and his family. The rest were children of disobedience. That is why Peter says that they were in another time disobedient- he is speaking of the past.

The text makes the clear, v. 20.

Also I do not see anywhere in this text where it says Christ did this proclaiming or preaching ( I personally think they are the same) between the time of His death and resurrection. In fact it really is not clear when he preached to them. That is why I think it was the Spirit of Christ preaching through Noah just as he did through the OT prophets. To me this makes the most sense- but again I certainly have my doubts because this is just one of those hard to understand passages. It makes for good discussion though!

The text also says that Christ went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison. That's in the text.

There's a natural order of the events as outline by Peter: 1. Christ was put to death in the flesh; 2. made alive in the Spirit; and 3. in which state he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison.

How can we saw that we don't know when? We just have to let Scripture speak for itself.

Christ is God and can do whatever He desires. He does need our permission. If the Bible says He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, then I'll go with the Bible every time.

 

[TCGreek]

Doesn't verse 21 make the subject of the passage clear. Isn't this about baptism?

Some commentators see the entire letter of 1 Peter as a baptismal treatise, but such is unconvincing.

The context of these verses in Triumph over oppressors. The same way Christ triumphed over His oppressors, the believers in Peter's day will triumph.

Notice that baptism comes in as a type of the waters back in the flood of Noah's day and is now linked with that salvation experience, but only through the Resurrection of Christ--that is triumph, my brother.

 

[Rex77]

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

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I misread your interpretation on this matter (must have been half asleep)
the verse clearly says that he preached (proclaimed) to the spirits where?
in prison, what spirits ? the ones from Noah's day.

 

[Steven2006]

I like J. Vernon McGee's explanation.


"This is the most misunderstood passage of Scripture, They key word to this entire passage is in verse 20; it is the little word when-

"When did Christ preach to the spirits in prison? "When once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah." In Christ's day, the spirits of those men to whom Noah had preached were in prison, for they had rejected the message of Noah. They had gone into shoel. They were waiting for judgment; they were lost. But Christ did not go down and preach to them after He died on the cross. He preached through Noah "when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah." For 120 years Noah had preached the Word of God. He saved his family but no one else. It was the Spirit of Christ who spoke through Noah in Noah's day. In Christ's day, those who rejected Noah's message were in prison. The thought is that Christ's death meant nothing to them just as it means nothing to a great many people today who, as a result, will also come into judgment."

 

[standingfirminChrist]

I like J. Vernon McGee's explanation.


"This is the most misunderstood passage of Scripture, They key word to this entire passage is in verse 20; it is the little word when-

"When did Christ preach to the spirits in prison? "When once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah." In Christ's day, the spirits of those men to whom Noah had preached were in prison, for they had rejected the message of Noah. They had gone into shoel. They were waiting for judgment; they were lost. But Christ did not go down and preach to them after He died on the cross. He preached through Noah "when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah." For 120 years Noah had preached the Word of God. He saved his family but no one else. It was the Spirit of Christ who spoke through Noah in Noah's day. In Christ's day, those who rejected Noah's message were in prison. The thought is that Christ's death meant nothing to them just as it means nothing to a great many people today who, as a result, will also come into judgment."

I believe that J. Vernon was on to something with that message.

Which would further back what I originally said that the prisoners Christ preached to in His death were the righteous dead. That is why many were seen in the city at His death. He preached life into them.

 

[TCGreek]

It seems like McGee and others are taking the cafeteria approach to Scripture: "I'll take what I want and leave what I don't want."

Peter identifies the spirits in prison as those who were disobedient in Noah's day.

Why is this so hard to grasp?

At any rate, whether McGee or whoever, I'll go with the plain reading of Scripture.

 

[zrs6v4]

I am no theologist, nor am I going to argue. the spirits in prison. tartarus= greek word for prison. It seems to me to be a holding for all sinful souls who died in their sins and rejected Christ the Spirit of God through Noah in those days and in present days. they are held in tartarus, solitary confinement if you will, until the return of the Lord when they will be judged and sent to Hell for what they had done and all have done and deserve.

It like this "when a man is found guilty for breaking the law he is not thrown directly into prison, but in holding until he goes to court and is judged. the same seems to be with the kingdom and when it comes all will be judged."

 

[zrs6v4]

Sorry, to split this in two. I believe the spirits in prison He is referring to are all the spirits in tartarus now. In the days of Noah he is referring to the sons of God who some think are fallen angels materialized in the flesh that bred with women. I personally think he is referring to the men and women on earth that were preached to at the time by Noah who he preached through and now are in prison. I don't think he personally went to prison to preach because they had a chance in the flesh and now are done. So you seem to be right in line to my interperetation. This is a little off subject but I do not think fallen angels can materialize to sum up my other point. I do in fact think in prison are the bad of the bad demons along with lost souls. I do believe that there are demons on this planet today and can control those who are not cleansed in the blood of Christ. Which is what sons of God seems to refer to. sorry to go off subject a little.

 

[zrs6v4]

while your on that chapter see that this is interesting. it is interesting how Christ is the ark of safety for us now as in the days of noah the ark was the safety. It was no the water that saved them it was the ark. just as today it is not baptism that saves, but Christ. just for extra enjoyment.

 

[Salamander]

The souls saved as by water are the eight souls used to preserve human life by the Lord, it is only a picture of salvation, not the element of it, else water took the place of the Blood until Calvary.

All souls are disobedient to some degree.

The question may have already been asked, but let me ask it. What was "preached"/proclaimed, to the captives?

It was that Jesus Christ came and died for all man's sin and those who accept Him as Messiah/Saviour could enter into Heaven through Him and His Blood. That they may also have eternal life through Him alone and be ressurected to new life.

If this weren't the case, we'd have people thinkingthey could bypass the Cross and Jesus would have died in vain due to the (supposed) ability to enter into Heaven by some other means.

When one attempts to discect the word of God they are expecting to find the organs so they may label them scientifically, then the Lord sttempts to show them what the spiritual aspect is that only the spiritual can discern what the natural man is blinded by.