“Destination:Known Pt. 2”

Monday, February 25, 2019

(This post is in response to “Destination: Known”)

You just stated that Jesus went to Paradise when He died, but aren't you forgetting 1 Peter 3:18-19 where it states that He went and preached unto the spirits in prison?  Although there might be differing interpretations of this verse, the Bible indicates Jesus did something.  He went and preached.

Sincerely,
Missed A Verse

Dear Missed A Verse,

1 Pet 3:18-19 is a very difficult passage, and there are a number of different interpretations of what it means that Jesus “preached to the spirits in prison”.  Some believe it refers to Jesus literally descending into the darkest depths of Hades to preach to those awaiting eternal punishment, but this directly contradicts other Scriptures where Jesus specifically says He was going to Paradise (Lk 23:43).  Either Jesus was wrong, or that interpretation of 1 Pet 3:19 is wrong – we here at AYP will trust that Jesus knew where He was going after death.

The other options for that verse are numerous, but the two most likely are:

1. That the spirits in prison were the people that Jesus preached to before or after His resurrection.  Those enslaved to sin are most definitely imprisoned spirits (Jhn 8:34).
2. The other likely option is that Jesus, through Noah (2 Pet 2:5), preached to the pre-Flood world and showed longsuffering to them, just as He does to us today.  After all, 1 Pet 3:20 identifies the “spirits in prison” as those who were disobedient during the days of Noah.  Most likely, 1 Pet 3:18-20 is making the case that Jesus has always been patient with the disobedient, but that unless we choose Christ, we will perish just like they did.  In either case, it doesn’t change the fact that Jesus went to Paradise at His death, not to torments.

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