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Did Jesus preach in Hell?

January 17, 2024

1Peter 3:18-19 says, "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."

According to the text, Jesus preached to the spirits in prison. The question that we must answer is—who were these spirits and where was this prison? In order to do that, we must understand the context of 1Peter 3:18-19.


In order to understand the context of 1Peter 3:18-19, we must see a recurring principle in Peter's epistles. This recurring pattern is found in multiple places, but they all consist of these three parts:


  1. Refer to the crucifixion of Christ.
  2. Correlate Christ's death, burial, and resurrection to believers who have spiritually died and resurrected as new creatures.
  3. Recall believers past life before they were spiritually crucified with Christ.


Now, watch all three parts of this pattern play out in 1Peter 2:24-25:

[1] Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, [2] that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. [3] For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.


Again, we see this pattern in 1Peter 4:1-3: [1] Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: [2] for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin. 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. [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:


Hopefully, you can clearly see this theme in both of the above references. However, what you may not yet realize is that this theme also occurs in 1Peter 3:18-19! Notice what it says:


[1] For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, [2] being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; [3] 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.


Hopefully, you can see why it was necessary to see the pattern before explaining the meaning of verse 18 & 19. What we must understand is that we are those spirits who Christ preached to in prison! Now, that you understand who Jesus preached to, let's understand how we hermeneutically arrived at this conclusion:


Are we spirits?

In the original Greek, the word for spirit can have various interpretations. As Seventh-day Adventists, we should understand the concept of the Spirit if we understand the state of the dead. According to Gen 2:7, God created Adam from the dust of the earth, breathed into his nostrils, and he became a living soul. In studying the breath that God gave Adam, we also understand, that according to Job 27:3, this breath is also known as His spirit.


Spirit in the New Testament often refers to the Holy Spirit or angels; however, because the spirit is also understood to be the source of our lives, the spirit is also seen as our essence in the New Testament. Here are a few examples:


For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 1Corinthians 2:11


To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 1Corinthians 5:5


To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. Hebrews 12:23


Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1John 4:1


In this manner, we believers embody our spirits and thus our spirits represent the very essence of who we are. If we can understand this concept, then we should be able to see that the spirits that Christ preached to were believers.


Where is the Prison?

Now that we understand we are the spirits referred to in 1Peter 3, we also must see that the prison being referred to is this earth.


As students of the Bible, we should see that this earth becomes a prison for Satan at the Second Coming. Regarding this earth at that time, the prophet Jeremiah says, "I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger." Jeremiah 4:26


According to the Prophet Isaiah, this is the time when Satan will "be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." Isaiah 14:12-15


The Bible makes it plain that earth becomes a prison for Satan, but what we may not realize is that those of us who are in sin are already considered to be Satan's prisoners. Notice what the prophet says next:


They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? Isaiah 14:16-17


We were these prisoners! And we were not able to escape Satan's prison of wickedness. However, it was Jesus who came down to this earth and fulfilled the following promise:


The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Luke 4:18


Conclusion

If I we were to rewrite 1Peter 3:18-21 to encompass this understanding of the text, it would look like this:


For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, [thus, just like Christ, we believers] being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: (vs. 18)


[And it was by the Holy Spirt] which also he went and preached unto [us], the spirits in prison; (vs. 19) 


[Yes, it was us who] sometime were disobedient, [and just like] 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. (vs. 20)


[We can see that just like they were saved by water] The like figure whereunto even [the water of] baptism doth also now save us... (vs. 21)



Additional Information


  • False Interpretation 1: Jesus went and preached to the demons in hell

    Some believe that when Jesus died, He descended into the abyss and stood where Satan and his all fallen angels could see Him and preached a message to them. As popular as this view is, it prompts us to ask a few questions that must be addressed: 


    Q. Is there consciousness in death?

    A. No.


    The Bible says, "For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten." Ecclesiastes 9:5. According to the text, there is no consciousness in death. Jesus, our example, suffered the same death we are facing if we live long enough. Thus, we should understand that Jesus did not go to heaven, nor did He visit an underground hell. The Scriptures are clear that Christ rested in the grave.


    Q. Are Satan and his angels in a place of torment at this moment? 

    A. No.


    A text that is often used to support the idea that demons are roaming under the earth's surface is 2Peter 2:4, which says, "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."


    In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus encountered two men possessed by a legion of demons. According to the record, when these demons realized they were in the presence of the Master, they said, "...What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?" Matthew 8:29. Notice these demons weren't yet in a place of torment. Nor was there a cavern in the center of the earth that Jesus commanded them to go back into. 


    Because the Bible reveals Jesus was unconscious in the grave, and because the holy Scriptures confirm that demons have not yet entered their place of torment, we disqualify this interpretation. 

  • False Interpretation 2: Jesus preached to the sinners living in hell

    Some believe that all the sinners who died, went to hell and received a visit from Christ after He was crucified. However, we are once again faced with reality that the dead know nothing. Peter understood the state of the dead when he told the people, "For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand." Acts 2:34. If the righteous haven't ascended, then the wicked haven't descended.


    We also must remember that 2Peter 1:10 says "to  make your calling and election sure." The reason why our calling and election must be sure is because there isn't a second chance to be saved. God already deemed that He doesn't know those who are lost, thus, a sermon to sinners burning in hell would not benefit them.



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