In 1 Peter 3:19 By which he also went and preached unto the spirits in prison. Verse 18 must be included to give some understanding. For Christ also has 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 this same spirit Jesus preached to the spirits in prison. When anyone dies their human spirit, the breath of life, goes back to GOD. What this means is that ALL people who die go to heaven saint and sinner alike. GOD keeps these spirits in their unconscious state and assigns for each which resurrection they will be in. No human being is in prison in hell. This cannot be referring to demons because Satan and the demons already have much of what is salvation as they are immortal spirit beings, they have “seen” GOD. They are not involved in salvation but the righteous angels do serve as ministering spirits to humans that do have that promise. Hebrews 1:14 Angels, good or evil, are not heirs of salvation. The demonic spirits already know their fate. Matthew 8:28-29 If we realize that Jesus Christ died the exact same death as any human being does then he had no consciousness after death either . He was unconscious for 3 days and 3 nights before the FATHER raised him from the dead, therefore Jesus couldn’t have preached to anyone.
The spirits Jesus preached to are human beings. All humanity is in a spiritual prison and Satan is the warden, their god. All humanity is under an everlasting death sentence because of sin, then Jesus came and publicly preached the gospel to humanity, the good news that through him the FATHER would forgive the truly repentant, give a portion of HIS spirit to the elected saints and by that spirit through Jesus the mediator teach the saints HIS truth.
Isaiah 61:1 The spirit of the Lord YAHWEH is upon me because HE has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. HE has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.
Luke 4:18 HE has sent me to proclaim the gospel to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the oppressed free.
As far as the disobedient of the time of Noah, these people long ago were in the same spiritual prison as people are today. People in Noah’s day didn’t go to hell anymore than people today do. Noah is the one who preached to the people who disobeyed and perished in the flood, 2 Peter 2:5 Peter was bringing out the comparison of Noah flood to the baptism in Christ for the 8 people who survived the flood.
Jesus did not exist in the days of Noah and only came into existence when GOD created him in the womb of Mary. In times past GOD dealt with humanity through prophets and angels but in these last days only by HIS son. Hebrews 1:1-2
Jesus Christ preached to the prisoners held captive by the Devil and for those called and chosen provided freedom from that prison.
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