The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 1301-B, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 4."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.  ©1976. All Rights Reserved.

Question

Explain I Peter 4:6, with reference to I Peter 3:19.

Answer

Now, I Peter 4:6 says, “For this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead.” Oh my. Second chance, right? Then you go back to 3:19: “By whom also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison.” Now, wait a minute. Preaching the gospel to the dead in 4:6 and preaching to the spirits in prison in 3:19—what have we here?

You have to take the context, folks. I Peter 4:6 means this: “For this cause,” that is, because it was so important that men hear the gospel before they died, “was the gospel preached to them that are now dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.” He’s simply saying this: “We’ve always preached the gospel. We have preached the gospel to men that are now dead. We preached it to them before they died!” That’s the point. “We preached the gospel to men that are now dead in order that they might be ready for that, that they might be even dead in the flesh, but—what? Live! You see, God is ready to judge the living and the dead. And so we preach to men to prepare them to for that and we have preached to some who are now dead, but though they’re dead physically, they’re what? They’re alive in the Spirit.”

So, 4:6 isn’t talking about any preaching to dead people, giving them second chances; it is referring to believers who have already died. He’s simply saying that sinners who do not respond to the gospel must face the judgment, and some have and some have heard the gospel and been saved, but some have heard it and died! “We preached it to them; they died never having responded to it.”

Now go back to 3:19. This is an important verse. What does it mean by “whom or which he went and preached to the spirits in prison”? Now, let’s take the context. Now, some people say this is a second chance. You get down there in hell and the Lord comes down and preaches to you. Well, look at verse 18: “For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God.” Now, what incident in the life of Christ is in view here? What is it? His crucifixion, his death. He was put to death in the flesh. Did his body die there? Or, did his spirit die on the cross? Did He go out of existence? No. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit (small “s”). It’s arbitrary to put a large “s” there. I don’t think it’s talking about the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was physically dead, but his real self was what? Alive. How long was his body in the ground or in the grave? Three days. Have you ever thought about where He was? Where was He for three days? It tells you right here! You say, “It does?” Right there! “By his spirit, He went and preached to the spirits in prison.” He did. What happened was this: his body is dead and so for the time that his body is dead, his spirit goes somewhere and preaches. It’s very important to look at the word “preached.” It’s not the word “euaggelizo” (“to preach the gospel”); it’s the word “kerusso” (“to announce a proclamation; to proclaim a victory”). Very important to note that difference. He’s not preaching the gospel; He’s proclaiming a triumph. And He proclaimed a triumph unto the spirits in prison.

Now, who are the spirits in prison? It tells you in verse 20, “who at one time were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah.” Whoever these spirits are, they were disobedient in the time of Noah. Do you know who they were? They were angels, weren’t they? And they were the angels that did what? That came down and cohabitated with the sons of men. They were the angels that sinned in Noah’s time.

You compare the Book of Jude with this and you’ll find the same indication. Those spirits—now watch—those angels, apparently there was some place where they could pick up bodies when they needed them. And they were the fallen angels, the demonic angels, and they came down and cohabitated with men on the earth. That’s why God sent the flood, because you see, He had to wipe out that whole messed-up society of people that those angel-men created, or spawned. It was like a whole bunch of Rosemary’s babies everywhere! And that was what precipitated the flood. And those angels immediately were cast into chains and bound in prison—in fact, it says in the New Testament with “everlasting chains.”

So, watch this. I’ll give you a little chart, a little diagram. Line one: you have angels, two kinds of angels: holy, elect angels and fallen angels. Two kinds of fallen angels: loose ones, known as demons, and bound ones. Two kinds of bound ones: permanently bound and temporarily bound. You say, “What’s the difference?” The permanently bound ones are these—everlasting chains. The temporarily bound ones are the ones that come out of the ground in Revelation 9. Remember reading in the tribulation, like locusts coming out of the pit?

So, you see, these are the demons bound in prison. Well, here’s the point: Satan’s great blow at Christ was what? The cross. In the midst of the cross, Christ descended down into wherever those demons were held—Tartarus, the place of their captivation—and He went and proclaimed his triumph over them. Then He went over to paradise and scooped up the Old Testament saints and led captivity captive and hauled them up to heaven?

He was busy! You say, “Oh, boy, how did you ever concoct such a thing?” Well, it’s right there in the passage! Plus, look at verse 22: “He is now gone into heaven on the right hand of God,”—angels—“and authorities and powers being made”—what? “Subject to him.” That tells you who they were right there: they were “angels,” “authorities,” and “powers,” all terms describing demons.

Colossians 2:14 supports this understanding of the passage: “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances against us, He nailed it to his cross.” Now watch: “At the same time He was on the cross, He spoiled principalities and powers.” Who were they? Demons! “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers.” He spoiled them, made a show of them openly, triumphing over them.

Openly, at the cross, Christ proclaimed his triumph over demons. That is the meaning of that passage. The Bible teaches nowhere a second chance for salvation.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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