“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; 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.” —I Peter 3:18-20
That the truth of God’s Word cannot be properly understood and appreciated except by taking into account its entire testimony on a given subject is well illustrated by its several statements concerning the condition and whereabouts of Jesus during the interim between his death and his resurrection.
In an Old Testament prophecy concerning Jesus, quoted by the Apostle Peter, and applied by him to the death and resurrection of the Master, Jesus is said to have been in hell. (Ps. 16:10; Acts 2:27-32) Through a misunderstanding of what Jesus himself said to the thief on the cross many have been led to believe that he went to “paradise” the moment he died; and from a surface reading of our present text it would appear that he went somewhere to preach to “spirits in prison.”
In a previous discussion we learned that the Bible hell is the condition of death; that sheol in the Old Testament and hades in the New are words which describe a condition of utter unconsciousness. (Eccles. 9:10) As Jesus died a ransom, or substitute, for father Adam and his race, thus taking the sinner’s place, it therefore was necessary that he go into this condition of death, the Bible hell.
“He made his grave with the wicked,” declared the prophet concerning Jesus. (Isa. 53:9) It is in harmony with this basic fact of biblical truth that we must seek an understanding of whatever else the sacred Word may have to say concerning the whereabouts of Jesus between the time of his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead the third day thereafter.
In order to understand clearly just how it was possible for Jesus to preach to “spirits in prison” at a time when other scriptures show that he was unconscious in death it is necessary first of all to determine who the “spirits” were to whom he preached. It is this information that Peter gives us in the words, “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah.”
In his second epistle, Peter furnishes us with even more definite identification of the “spirits,” saying: “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; and spared not the old world, but spared Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly.”—II Pet. 2:4,5
From the foregoing quotation it will be seen that the “spirits” to whom Jesus preached were a certain group of “angels” who had been disobedient to God at the time of the flood. The Apostle Jude also mentions these same beings, similarly referring to them as “angels,” and describing their special sin as being that they “kept not their first estate.” Jude also explains, even as Peter does, that these “angels” are now imprisoned, Jude adding that they are in “chains of darkness,” waiting for the judgment of the great day.—Jude 6
These “spirits in prison” then, are not the “spirits” or “ghosts” of human beings who have died, but are spirit creatures on the angelic plane of existence. This is an important truth ever to keep in mind.
We are well aware that on God’s earthly plane of creation, which is visible and understandable to us, there are various levels of existence, from the lowest form of “single-celled” life up to man, who in his perfection was the king of this material, or earthly domain. The Scriptures show that this same variety in the divine creation extends to a higher realm, far beyond that which is visible to us, that above man, the highest of God’s earthly creatures, there is a spirit world; and that in this spirit world, even as in the natural, there are various orders of beings, such as angels, cherubim, etc.
Concerning man the psalmist declares, “Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels.” (Ps. 8:5) When Jesus came to earth to die as man’s Redeemer, he was “made flesh,” and as a man he died; but when resurrected he was highly exalted “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.” (Eph. 1:21) Thus do the Scriptures point out a clear line of demarcation between the earthly and the spirit planes of existence.
The Bible indicates that at the present time there are both holy and unholy angels; although when created all these spirit creatures were in harmony with God, and served him in various capacities. Of those angels which remained in harmony with the Creator the apostle says that they are now “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.”—Heb. 1:14
Again, “Of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.” (Heb. 1:7) Concerning these angelic servants of Christians, Jesus said: “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”—Matt. 18:10
EARTHLY AND HEAVENLY “ANGELS”
The student of the Scriptures should not be confused by the fact that in the Bible the term “angel” is sometimes applied to human beings. The word literally means “servant,” or “messenger,” and it is always necessary to determine from the context whether or not the passage in which it is used has reference to human messengers or to heavenly, or spirit messengers.
On the other hand, the Scriptures clearly indicate that there are spirit creatures called “angels.” For example, the night that Jesus was born an “angel” announced his birth to the shepherds. That it was a spirit being who performed this service is evident from the words: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:10-14) Likewise, it was a spirit being that announced to Mary that she was to be the mother of Jesus, and it was also a spirit being that ministered to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus referred to heavenly beings when he said that he could ask of his Father and more than twelve legions of angels would be provided to assist and protect him.—Luke 1:26-38; 22:43; Matt. 26:53
But as we have already seen, not all of these angelic creatures remained loyal to Jehovah, their Creator—some of them having been “disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah.” (I Pet. 3:20) These unfaithful ones, by common usage, have come to be designated as the “fallen angels.” The Scriptures show that as a punishment for their rebellion they are now held, or imprisoned, in “chains of darkness.”
WHERE ARE THE “SPIRITS”?
In a text already quoted the apostle gives us some very important information as to what constitutes the prison house of these fallen angels. We quote the text again: “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.”—II Pet. 2:4
The word “hell” in the passage just quoted is not a translation either of the Greek word hades or of Gehenna. The term here used by the apostle is tartaroo; and this is the only time it appears in the Bible. Tartaroo is from the Greek word tartarus, a term used in Grecian mythology as the name for a dark abyss or prison. In the text under consideration the entire expression, “cast down to hell,” is used to translate tartaroo; so evidently the word refers more to an act than to a place. The fall of the angels who sinned was from honor and dignity into dishonor and condemnation; so the thought seems to be: “God spared not the angels who sinned, but degraded them, and delivered them into chains of darkness.”
These angels in their original state of holiness were mighty and powerful and honorable. They evidently possessed great liberties; and in their service of God and of his earthly friends they probably were frequent travelers between the earth and other parts of the Creator’s vast universe. Jude says that these angels “kept not their first estate.” This throws light on the words of Genesis 6:2, which reads: “The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” In other words, the “sin” of these angels was, in part, at least, that of materializing as human beings and indulging in illegitimate relationship with the daughters of men.
At different times during the historical period covered by the Bible various ones of the holy messengers, or angels, were sent to earth to deliver messages to the prophets and others; and on many of these occasions they were permitted to materialize and appear as human beings. An example of this is furnished in the visit of the three angels to Abraham prior to the birth of Isaac. (Gen. 18:1-22) Such materializations were permissible when sanctioned by the Lord, and when the angels taking part in them did not exceed their privileges. The angels that sinned before the flood “kept not their first estate,” that is, they preferred to continue their association with mankind as human beings.
Having limited and degraded their own powers by illicit relationship with the fallen human race, how fitting it was that their punishment should be that of being cast down, or abased, and at the same time “restrained in chains of darkness.” The thought contained in the use of the word “prison,” as found in our text, is that of the restraint of liberty; so these “spirits” have indeed been in “prison,” restrained of much of the normal liberty that was theirs while in full fellowship and harmony with the Creator.
There is much scriptural evidence to support the thought that the place of incarceration of these fallen angels is that of our earth’s atmosphere, their sphere of influence being limited largely to a more or less indirect contact with the human family. In the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry we find frequent mention of his casting out “devils,” or “demons.” Later, the apostles were privileged to render a similar service for different ones. While higher critics try to prove that these cases of “obsession” thus dealt with by Jesus and the apostles were but cases of insanity or nervous disorders, there is altogether too definite a thought of personality attached to these “devils” to permit any such liberal interpretation.
KING SAUL AND THE WITCH OF ENDOR
Not only in the New Testament, but in the Old as well, we find evidence of the limited activities of these fallen angels or “spirits in prison.” There is, for example, the case of King Saul and the Witch of Endor. All witchcraft was forbidden by the Mosaic Law, yet these ancient spirit mediums persisted in their nefarious practices even though it was at the risk of death. Just as spirit mediums today claim ability to communicate with the dead, so evidently the Witch of Endor made similar professions. When King Saul, because of his wickedness, lost the favor of God and saw that he was in grave danger of being defeated by his enemies, he appealed to the witch to get in touch with Samuel to see if the dead prophet could do anything for him.
The account of this ancient seance is recorded in I Samuel 28:7-20. Many students of the Bible, in reading this story of Saul’s supposed communication with the dead prophet Samuel, have concluded that it furnishes excellent scriptural proof that the dead are not really dead at all, but alive somewhere, and that they can be communicated with under certain conditions, especially by the aid of a spirit medium. In fact, all down through the ages, Satan has used this same method of deceit in an effort to give the lie to the plain teachings of the Scriptures that the “wages of sin is death.” As we examine briefly some of the facts concerning Saul’s visit to the witch, we will readily discern that much the same analogy could be applied to modern seances, and with the same result.—Rom. 6:23
First of all, it will be noted that according to Saul’s own words, he was no longer in favor with God. He said to the witch, “God is departed from me and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams.” While Samuel was alive he was a faithful servant and prophet of the Lord, and was never willing to go contrary to the Lord’s wishes; yet here we find Saul, who himself admitted that God would not favor the idea, asking the witch to obtain a message from this faithful prophet.
Are we to suppose that in the event Samuel were alive, either in heaven or some other place, he would be any less obedient to the Lord than he was while here on the earth? Or are we supposed to believe that this wicked witch, under condemnation by the Lord, had the power to thwart the divine will, and not only produce Samuel, but inveigle a message from him to comfort this rebellious king? Evidently, then, this account is given us in the Bible merely as an historical record of important events in Saul’s life, but with no thought of accrediting the witch’s claim of having seen and talked with Samuel.
The methods used by the evil spirits through the medium at Endor were similar to those in use today. They caused to pass before the witch’s mental vision the familiar likeness of the aged prophet, wearing, as was his custom, a long mantle. When she described the mental or “astral” picture, Saul recognized it at once as a description of Samuel. But Saul himself saw nothing—he “perceived,” from the description, that it was Samuel.
Easily convinced, as people under such circumstances usually are, Saul did not stop to question how it could be that Samuel looked as old and as stooped as he did while alive on the earth, if he were now a spirit being and far better off than before. Nor did Saul think to inquire why Samuel wore the same old mantle in the spirit world that he wore when he knew him as an earthly being— not even stopping to consider that the prophet’s mantle, gray hair, etc., had long before decayed in the grave. Saul had been forsaken by the Lord, and now was easily deceived by these “lying spirits” who impersonated the prophet and spoke to Saul in his name through their medium, the witch.
“Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up?” she represented the dead prophet as asking. It was generally understood by the Israelites in the days of King Saul that the dead were actually asleep in sheol, hence the question, “Why hast thou disquieted me,” would not sound strange. But can we imagine for a moment that this condemned witch had the power to raise the prophet from the dead? Or, to look at the matter from the standpoint of modern spiritualism, that Samuel was not really dead at all, but enjoying himself in the spirit world, does it not seem strange that he was declared by the witch to come “up” from earth instead of “down” from heaven?
From the standpoint of modern theology, how utterly absurd is “Samuel’s” prophecy concerning Saul’s defeat and death in the battle of the coming day! We quote: “Tomorrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the hosts of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.” Imagine the faithful Samuel and the beloved Jonathan together in the spirit world with the wicked King Saul! Does this fit very well with the creedal theology of the Dark Ages? Certainly not! Ultimately, of course, but not the next day, all these were together in death, in sheol, the Bible hell, where they still are awaiting the resurrection, when all will be called forth by the Son of Man; but it did not require any supernatural power on the witch’s part to forecast truly the approaching defeat and death of Saul. In fact, Saul already feared it, hence his appeal to the witch.
Charles Wesley was evidently puzzled by the manner in which the “medium” of Endor put both good and bad together in death, for he wrote:
What do those solemn words portend?
A gleam of hope when life shall end?
Thou and thy son shall surely be
Tomorrow in repose with me:
Not in a state of hellish pain,
If Saul with Samuel remain;
Not in a state of damned despair,
If loving Jonathan be there.
Actually, of course, Saul was not in communication with Samuel at all, but with one or more of the “spirits in prison” whose chief activity since the time of the flood has been to deceive mankind, particularly with respect to the condition of the dead. The mention in the Scriptures of these necromancers, witches, and mediums leads us to infer that through mediums these fallen angels were seeking fellowship with Israel. But apparently it is the custom for these mediums to change their manner of manifestation from time to time; just as witchcraft flourished for a time in New England and Ohio, and throughout Europe, gradually dying out and being succeeded by Spiritualism, whose tipping and rapping manifestations also are gradually giving way to clairvoyance and attempted materializations. In the days of the Lord and the apostles the operation of these “spirits” had evidently changed from the witchcraft method to that of obsession and possession.
MODERN WORK OF THE “SPIRITS”
Having been once given the power to materialize as men, yet abusing it, these fallen angels still seem bent on exercising their powers through human agencies, either by the use of “mediums” or through direct control of the mind, as in obsession. It is evident, however, that the human will must consent to this foreign domination before these “spirits” can take possession. But when they do take possession, apparently the will becomes so broken down that there is no longer any power of resistance; hence the service of Jesus and the apostles was so much appreciated by those possessed of devils in their day.
While these fallen angelic beings may change from time to time their method of contacting and deceiving the human race, their influence in general is always away from God and away from the truth of his Word. In modern times much ado is made about talking with the dead, yet in all the thousands of attempts that have been made—scientifically controlled, and otherwise— what has been the total result? True, by absurd “identifications” such as the Witch of Endor succeeded in foisting upon Saul, many have been convinced that they have been in touch with their dead friends and relatives—but here it has ended. No worthwhile information has ever been procured through spiritualistic sources.
HOW CHRIST PREACHED TO THE SPIRITS IN PRISON
Now that we have identified these “spirits” to whom Peter tells us Jesus preached, the question arises, How was this preaching accomplished? How could Jesus be in sheol, or hades, where there is no consciousness, yet at the same time be preaching to these fallen angels? The explanation of this apparent difficulty is simple when we examine the passage a little more critically. According to the King James Version, the apostle said that Jesus “went and preached to the spirits in prison.” Greek authorities are agreed that the words “went and preached” are used in the sense of accomplishing something and not in the sense of going to any particular place. In other words, these two words are a needless addition to the text. In olden times it was customary to use expressions of this kind, and even today we find they are sometimes used.
Dr. Benjamin Wilson, in his Emphatic Diaglott, translates this passage of Scripture, “He preached to the spirits in prison,” leaving out the two words, “went and,” as being unnecessary to a proper understanding of the text. In the footnote to this text he shows that other authorities agree with him in this respect. Leaving out then, these two unnecessary words, the full text reads, “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 preached unto the spirits in prison.” (I Pet. 3:18,19) The meaning here is apparent, namely, that it was by his death and resurrection that Jesus preached to these fallen angels—an object lesson, taught by his faithfulness to the Heavenly Father and Creator, against whom these “spirits” had rebelled.
Lucifer was the first of these spirit beings to rebel against God; and he evidently exercised a great deal of influence over those who later joined the ranks of the rebels. In Matthew 25:41 the expression, “the devil and his angels,” indicates a close relationship existing between Satan and these other fallen spirit beings. It was the spirit of ambition and pride that led to Lucifer’s fall (Isa. 14:14); and apparently the same spirit has pervaded the ranks of these lesser fallen angels. Jesus’ faithfulness, therefore, a faithfulness that led him to humble himself and become obedient unto death, would be a powerful sermon to these “spirits in prison.” The power of that sermon would be greatly increased when these “spirits” noted that Jesus, on account of his faithfulness, was raised from the dead and highly exalted to a place at the right hand of God, while they were degraded and abased because of their disloyalty.
Thus we find that one by one when properly understood, the various scriptural passages bearing on the condition of the dead are seen to be in harmony with that great fundamental truth that the “wages of sin is death,” and that the “dead know not anything.”—Eccles. 9:5