2 3 the lineage of Adam are never referred to make an announcement.” The word itself as being in prison; nor are individuals from gives no indication concerning either the type Preaching to Imprisoned Spirits the human race, living or dead, ever called announcement or the content of the message. Time, Recipients, content of the Message “spirits.” Man has a spirit, but he himself is These things must be determined from the never called “a spirit.” context or other related Scripture. Scripture speaks of “the spirits of just Kerusso appears numerous times men” (Heb. 12:23) and refers to Christ, follow- throughout the New Testament and is al- ing His resurrection, as “a quickening spirit” most always used in connection with pro- (referring to His position as Life-Giver in His claiming some facet of the gospel message. resurrection body [a spiritual body — I Cor. In these passages though, either the Greek By Arlen L. Chitwood 15:44, 45 — a body of flesh and bones, the same word euaggelion (“gospel,” “good news”) or body which had been placed in the tomb, other related qualifying words appear with but now possessing the Spirit rather than the kerusso to make this connection (e.g., Matt. “Because Christ also suffered for sins blood as the life-giving, animating principle 4:23; I Cor. 1:23). once, the righteous for the unrighteous, of the body]). But there is nothing in I Peter 3:18-20 that he might bring us to God; being put But the descendants of Adam cannot be which would even remotely connect kerusso to death in the flesh, but made alive in the referred to by the use of the word “spirit” in with the gospel message. In fact, the word Spirit; this sense, for they have not received such could not refer to the proclamation of the gos- In which also he went and preached bodies, with the possible exception of Enoch, pel. The message in this passage is directed [delivered a proclamation] unto the spirits Moses, and Elijah. to “spirits [angels],” and the gospel is for the in prison, Among God’s created beings, only angels descendants of Adam, not angels. Kerusso is That aforetime were disobedient, are called “spirits” in the Word of God: used in I Peter 3:19 in the same sense that it is when the longsuffering of God waited used in Rev. 5:2 — a proclamation concerning “Who maketh his angels spirits, and his something other than the gospel. in the days of Noah, while the ark was ministers a flame of fire. a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight The time of this proclamation did not Are they [angels] not all ministering spir- occur, as many infer, between Christ’s death souls, were saved through water” (I Peter its, sent forth to minister for them who shall be and resurrection while He was in Hades; nor, 3:18-20, ASV). heirs of salvation?” (Heb. 1:7b, 14). as others infer, did this proclamation have The “spirits” in this passage are said to The “spirits” in I Peter 3:19 can only anything to do with the strange interpretation have been “disobedient” during days preced- be identified as the angels who had left their which is termed “the preaching of Christ [by ing the Flood. For this reason not only are positions of power in the heavens, had taken the Holy Spirit] through Noah” during days they imprisoned but Christ also appeared upon themselves the form of man, and had preceding the Flood. I Peter 3:18, 19 clearly in their presence at a time following their cohabited with women in the human race reveals that Christ delivered this proclama- imprisonment and delivered a proclamation. during days preceding the Flood. The prison tion Himself, following His resurrection. The time and purpose of this proclamation in this passage is Tartarus; and according to In verse eighteen, Christ was “put to evidently center around the reason for their both II Peter 2:4 and Jude 6, these angels are death in the flesh, but made alive in the previous actions, and the passage must be not only confined in this prison but they are Spirit.” At the time of His death, Christ pos- interpreted with this in mind. chained, awaiting judgment. sessed a “soulical [psuchikos]” body of flesh, These imprisoned spirits cannot be iden- The word for “preach” in I Peter 3:19 is blood, and bones. The life-giving, animat- tified as descendants of Adam. The dead from kerusso in the Greek text, which means, “to ing principle of this body was the blood (Lev. 4 5 6 17:11). But at the time of His resurrection antecedent of “which” can only be “Spirit” (To see the full extent of Christ’s finished Christ possessed a “spiritual [pneumatikos]” (a neuter relative pronoun agreeing with its work at Calvary and how it affected the com- body of flesh and bones, without blood. The neuter antecedent). plete demonic world, whether those presently life-giving, animating principle of this body With this in mind, note what is in view chained in Tartarus or those ruling over the was the Spirit of God. insofar as the time and manner of the proc- nations with Satan, refer to the author’s article, The body which Jesus possessed following lamation are concerned. In verse eighteen, “The Preaching of the Cross.” His resurrection was the same body He had Christ was “made alive in the Spirit.” Jesus This finished work of Christ at Calvary had to do with not only the unsaved but also the possessed before His death. The words “souli- possessed a resurrection body animated by saved. And, as well, this finished work forms cal” and “spiritual,” in the preceding respect, the Spirit, capable of actions which cannot an announcement for the complete demonic have to do with the life-giving, animating be accomplished in the natural body (cf. Luke world, which would be part and parcel to the principle of the body, not the body itself (cf. I 24:36-51; Acts 1:9-11). announcement which Christ delivered to the Cor. 15:44-50). Then verse nineteen states, “In which spirits in prison following His resurrection.) The thought in verse eighteen is contin- also he went and preached [delivered a proc- ued in verse nineteen by the statement: lamation] unto the spirits in prison.” The The only proclamation which Christ relative pronoun “which,” with its anteced- could have delivered to the imprisoned angels “In which also he went and preached ent, “Spirit,” can only refer to His resurrection in Tartarus would have had to center around [delivered a proclamation] unto the spirits in body. Jesus, in His resurrection body, went to the fact that what they had attempted to do prison.” Tartarus for the specific purpose of making preceding the Flood was for naught. An un- In verse eighteen, Christ was put to death an announcement to a particular group of corrupted human race existed — a race uncor- in a soulical body and then raised in a spiritu- imprisoned angels. rupted by what these angels attempted — and al body. Then, in verse nineteen, Christ went These angels imprisoned in Tartarus had the resurrected Christ stood in their presence. to Tartarus and delivered a proclamation to sought, under Satan, to completely corrupt And not only would the resurrected Christ, as the angels who had been directly responsible the lineages of all the families of the earth, the second Man, the last Adam, one day take for the judgment of the Flood. evidently attempting to prevent the appear- the kingdom, but a great host of individuals The word “which” (v. 19) is a translation ance of the Seed of the woman in Gen. 3:15. But redeemed from the lineage of the First Adam of the Greek relative pronoun “ho.” A rule now, the second Man, the last Adam, stood would reign as co-heirs with Him. of Greek grammar states that the relative in their presence. Not only this, but He stood The angels in Tartarus could now look pronoun must agree with its antecedent in there in His resurrection body with His work of forward to only one thing: remaining chained, both gender and number. “Ho” is a singular redemption completed. awaiting consignment to the lake of fire. case form of the word which can be either He had met Satan face to face in the Satan and the angels continuing to reign masculine or neuter (both case forms in this wilderness, showing that He was fully quali- with him could, likewise, now look forward to instance are the same in the Greek text, but fied to redeem that which the first man, the only one thing: biding their time, awaiting the feminine is different). first Adam, had forfeited in the fall. He then the day Christ takes the kingdom, followed The wording in verse eighteen, in the paid redemption’s price at Golgotha, His Own ultimately by their consignment to the lake of English text, would seemingly allow for two shed blood. Man’s redemption was now not fire, “prepared for the devil and his angels.” possible antecedents to be considered: “flesh,” only an accomplished fact, but redeemed man and “Spirit.” However, in the Greek text, (having descended from Adam through Noah The Lamp Broadcast, Inc. “flesh” is a feminine word and thus cannot and his three sons [an uncorrupted lineage]) 225 S. Cottonwood Ranch Road be the antecedent. “Spirit,” on the other could ultimately realize the purpose for his Cottonwood, AZ 86326 www.lampbroadcast.org hand, is a neuter word. Consequently, the creation in the beginning.