JWs: If Jesus was "dead and knew nothing" for three days, how did He "visit the spirits in prison (1 Pet. 3)"?

Question

Abdijah: It still says that Jesus was alive IN THE SPIRIT, and that He visited the SPIRITS IN PRISON... how can you reconcile that with your belief that the Spirit is only the animating force in the body that makes it a soul and cannot live on its own?

Answer 1

The passage in question plainly teaches that Christ did not "preach" or "herald" to the demon spirits until AFTER Christ had been resurrected and "made alive in the spirit".

(1 Peter 3:18-19) Christ died... but being made alive in the spirit. In this state also he went his way and preached to the spirits in prison

(1 Timothy 3:16) He was made manifest in flesh, was declared righteous in spirit, appeared to angels, was preached about among nations, was believed upon in the world, was received up in glory.

Interestingly, this concept helps bible students to recognize that God and Christ are two distinct persons.

(2 Corinthians 5:18) But all things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ

(Philippians 2:5-6) Christ Jesus, who, although he was existing in God's form, gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God

(1 Corinthians 15:28) But when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him

(1 Corinthians 11:3) I want you to know that the head of every man is the Christ; ...in turn the head of the Christ is God

(1 Corinthians 8:4-6) There is no God but one. For even though there are those who are called "gods," whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many "gods" and many "lords," there is actually to us one God the Father, out of whom all things are, and we for him

Thanks again for an opportunity to share what the bible actually says about the distinct persons of Jesus Christ the Son and Jehovah God the Father!

Learn more!
http://watchtower.org/e/ti/index.htm?article=article_05.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20050422/
http://watchtower.org/e/20020515/
http://watchtower.org/e/rq/index.htm?article=article_03.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/lmn/index.htm?article=article_04.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/pr/index.htm?article=article_04.htm

Answer 2

The spiritual house is built up of all believers in Christ, and is therefore the same as the church. The church has this in common with the temple of the Old Testament that it is the dwelling place of God on earth (1 Kings 6 v 11-13 and Ephesians 2 v 22). But it is contrasted with the temple, a physical, tangible building made of beautiful but lifeless, perishable materials. The church is a structure built of living stones. Now the fiture changes swiftly from a spiritual house to the holy priesthood that functions in connection with the house. Believers are not only living building blocks in the house; they are holy priests as well. Under the Mosaic Law, the priesthood was limited to the tribe of Levi and the family of Aaron. And even those who were priests were forbidden to approach the Presence of God. Only the high priest could do that on one day of the year following the precisely ordained procedure outlined for the event by the Lord.

Answer 3

Penguin, I haven't actually researched this before. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. It's an interesting point.

I looked up 1 Peter and read the entire context and the cross references, and this is what it seems to be saying. (If I find that I am wrong on this, I will let you know by e-mail. Sorry in advance if I am.)

Peter says, "Why, even Christ died once for all time concerning sins, a righteous [person] for unrighteous ones, that he might lead YOU to God, he being put to death in the flesh, but being made alive in the spirit.  In this [state] also he went his way and preached to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient when the patience of God was waiting in Noah’s days, while the ark was being constructed, in which a few people, that is, eight souls, were carried safely through the water."

When he visited the "spirits in prision," it is clear that this is speaking of after his resurrection as a spirit. After the two and a half days. From the verse directly after that, the spirits in prision seem to refer to the wicked angels that disobeyed in Noah's day, the demons. The "prision" refers to Tartarus.

1 Peter 2:4 says, "Certainly if God did not hold back from punishing the angels that sinned, but, by throwing them into Tartarus, delivered them to pits of dense darkness to be reserved for judgment;"

This is what the Insight on the Scriptures says about Tartarus : "A prisonlike, abased condition into which God cast disobedient angels in Noah’s day...Tartarus is a condition rather than a particular location...The dense darkness is not literally a lack of light but results from their being cut off from illumination by God as renegades and outcasts from his family, with only a dark outlook as to their eternal destiny...Tartarus is, therefore, not the same as the Hebrew Sheol or the Greek Hades, both of which refer to the common earthly grave of mankind. This is evident from the fact that, while the apostle Peter shows that Jesus Christ preached to these “spirits in prison,” he also shows that Jesus did so, not during the three days while buried in Hades (Sheol), but after his resurrection out of Hades."

Answer 4

In 1 Peter 3:18-20, a most curious reference appears on the surface to be an affirmation that Jesus descended into the spirit realm and preached to deceased people. However, a close consideration of the grammar will clarify the passage.

First, the preaching referred to was not done by Jesus in His own person. The text says Jesus did the preaching through the Holy Spirit: “…the Spirit, by whom…” (v. 18-19). [“My Spirit” (Genesis 6:3) = the Spirit of God = the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9; Ephesians 2:17).]

Other passages confirm that Jesus was said to do things that He actually did through the instrumentality of others (John 4:1-2; Ephesians 2:17). Nathan charged King David: “You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword” (2 Samuel 12:9), when, in fact, David had ordered it done by another. Elijah accused Ahab of killing Naboth, using the words, “Have you murdered and also taken possession?” (1 Kings 21:19), even though his wife, Jezebel, arranged for two other men to accomplish the evil action.

Paul said Jesus preached peace to the Gentiles (Ephesians 2:17), when, in fact, Jesus did so through others, since He, Himself, already had returned to heaven when the first Gentiles heard the Gospel (Acts 15:7). So the Bible frequently refers to someone doing something that he, in fact, did through the agency of another person.

In fact, within the book of 1 Peter itself, Peter already had made reference to the fact that the Spirit “testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow” (1 Peter 1:11). But it was the prophets who did the actual speaking (vs. 10). Then, again in chapter 4, Peter stated that “the gospel was preached also to those who are dead” (1 Peter 4:6).

Here were individuals who had the Gospel preached to them while they were alive (“in the flesh”), and who responded favorably by becoming Christians. But then they were “judged according to men in the flesh,” i.e., they were treated harshly and condemned to martyrdom by their contemporaries.

At the time Peter was writing, they were “dead,” i.e., deceased and departed from the Earth. But Peter said they “live according to God in the spirit,” i.e., they were alive and well in spirit form in the hadean realm in God’s good graces.

Second, when did Jesus do this preaching through the Holy Spirit? Notice in verse 20, the words “formerly” (NKJV) and “when”—“when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah.” So the preaching was done in the days of Noah by Jesus through the Holy Spirit Who, in turn, inspired Noah’s preaching (2 Peter 2:5).

Third, why are these people to whom Noah preached said to be “spirits in prison”? Because at the time Peter was writing the words, that is where those people were situated. Those who were drowned in the Flood of Noah’s day descended into the hadean realm, where they continued to reside in Peter’s day. This realm is the same location where the rich man was placed (Luke 16:23), as were the sinning angels (“Tartarus”—2 Peter 2:4). However, Jesus did not go to “prison” or “Tartarus.” He said He went to “Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Fourth, why would Jesus go to hades and preach only to Noah’s contemporaries? Why would He exclude those who died prior to the Flood? What about those who have died since? Since God is no “respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11), Jesus would not have singled out Noah’s generation to be the recipients of preaching in the spirit realm.

Fifth, what would have been the content of such preaching? Jesus could not have preached the whole Gospel in its entirety. That Gospel includes the resurrection of Jesus (Romans 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15:4). However, at the time the alleged preaching was supposed to have occurred, Jesus had not yet been raised!

The notion of people being given a second opportunity to hear the Gospel in the afterlife is an extremely dangerous doctrine that is counterproductive to the cause of Christ. Why? It potentially could make people think they can postpone their obedience to the Gospel in this life. Yet the Bible consistently teaches that no one will be permitted a second chance. This earthly life has been provided by God for all human beings to determine where they wish to spend eternity. That decision is made by each individual based upon personal conduct. Once a person dies, his eternal destiny has been cinched. He is “reserved for judgment” (2 Peter 2:4; cf. vss. 9,17). His condition will not and cannot be altered—even by God Himself (Luke 16:25-26; Hebrews 9:27).

Answer 5

Jesus body died. His soul/spirit alive and well. And because He was without sin, His body metomorphed a new everlasting temple; spirit, soul & body. So we, who are born of His Spirit through faith in Christ, will raise up a new spirit, soul & body at day of redemption complete.

Answer 6

1 Peter 3:18-20 reads:

"18 Why, even Christ died once for all time concerning sins, a righteous [person] for unrighteous ones, that he might lead YOU to God, he being put to death in the flesh, but being made alive in the spirit. 19 In this [state] also he went his way and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who had once been disobedient when the patience of God was waiting in Noah’s days, while the ark was being constructed, in which a few people, that is, eight souls, were carried safely through the water."

Verse 19 plainly shows that this was AFTER he was raised from the dead, NOT while he was dead.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Verse 18 tells us that "he being put to death in the flesh, but being made alive in the spirit."

Since by being "put to death in the flesh" means that his physical human body dies, then the contrasting point that he was "made alive in the spirit" simply means he was resurrected as a mighty spirit creature, just as his Father is a spirit. (John 4:24) The spirit of fleshly beings IS their animating force.

Answer 7

We know that Christ, now that he has been raised up from the dead, dies no more; death is master over him no more.” (Romans 6:9) If Jesus did not die, how could it be that death was his master?

What you are doing is taking one verse and pulling it entirely out of context with the rest of the Bible.

Eccl. 9:5 says that "the dead are conscious of nothing." If that did not apply to Jesus, then he did not really die. And if he did not die, then he did not pay for mankind's sin with his life.

And if Jesus weren't really dead, why does Gal. 1 :1 say that it was "God the Faher who raised [Jesus] from the dead"?

As to the time of Jesus’ preaching to the “spirits in prison,” Peter, after pointing out that Christ had been “made alive in the spirit,” continues: “In this state [that is, Jesus’ state as a spirit person] also he went his way and preached to the spirits in prison.” (1 Pet. 3:18, 19) This would place Jesus’ preaching to them AFTER his resurrection to spirit life. And Peter’s use of the past tense (“preached”) suggests that such preaching was done prior to the writing of his first letter (about 62-64 C.E.).

Before you criticize us for our Bible-based beliefs, don't just read the verse in question, read also the context (that is, the surrounding verses). That will help you get a clearer picture.

Attn. Mya. I did not remeber that was you. But I did not threaten you.

Answer 8

The JWs have a wrong understanding of the Divinity of Jesus. He was God in the flesh, and after he was raised from the dead(no longer in the flesh) he was Spirit and proved his wisdom and knowledge of all things. Jesus knew these things because he is God. He did not visit the spirits in flesh.

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Edit: LINEDANCER I've asked you FOUR TIMES in the past not to email me privately. Still you continue. If there is something you have to say, post it publically. You are not someone I want to communicate with off the public forum. As I've told you many times, you've proven your true nature just by the private harassing messages you send me.

Rather than respect my requests not to contact me, you had the audacity to threaten me in the past, by suggesting I get rid of my email option if I don't want to hear from you again. Very Christian. Do you do this door to door as well? As I told you before, I have no intention of replying to you privately again, nor have I initiated contact with you in the past. I have saved my original request for you not to contact me, along with every email you've sent afterwards with dates just so that you know.

Answer 9

When you die it is only your body that is dead. Your spirit lives on and travels. We will all get new bodies when we get to heaven. (If we get there)
The physical body and the spiritual body are 2 different entities.

Answer 10

He was God. He knew everything. He could go anywhere.