1 Peter 3:18-20 "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 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."
Who are these "spirits in prison"?
Hebrews 1:7 "And of the angels He says: "Who makes
His angels SPIRITS and his ministers a flame of fire."
Hebrews 1:13-14 "But to which of the angels has He ever
said, Sit on my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool? Are
they not all ministering SPIRITS, sent forth to minister for those
who will inherit salvation?"
Angelic beings are referred to as "spirits" and "sons of
God", so then could it be speaking of fallen angels in prison?
Several passages speak of a rebellion and fall during the "days of
Noah".
Genesis 6:1-8 "Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply
on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of
God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives
for themselves of all whom they chose. And the LORD said, "My Spirit
shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days
shall be one hundred and twenty years." There were giants on the earth
in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the
daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men
who were of old, men of renown. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man
was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on
the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, "I will
destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and
beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made
them." But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."
The term "sons of God" is only used when speaking of angelic
beings:
Job 1:6 "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them."
Job 2:1 "Again there was a day when the sons of God came to
present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to
present himself before the LORD."
The sons of God that presented themselves before the Lord were clearly
angels.
Job 38:7 "To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its
cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God
shouted for joy?"
During the creation of the earth, no humans existed, only the sons of God,
the angels, were present and shouted for joy.
Angelic beings, sons of God - not sons of men - saw the daughter of men and
desired them and furthermore they had children with them! The result of this
union were the giants, a race of beings that God had not created but were
instead a product of an ungodly union between angels and men. This happened
during "the days of Noah".
II Peter 2:4-5, 9 "For if God did not spare the angels who
sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of
darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient
world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness,
bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;.. the Lord knows how to
deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under
punishment for the day of judgment,"
Jude 1:6 "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain,
but left their own habitation, He has reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness for the judgment of the great day; as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the
cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves
over to fornication andgone after strange flesh, are set forth as an
example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."
During the times of Noah, angels "left their own habitation" and
went after "strange flesh", after the daughters of men. They are now
"reserved in everlasting chains under darkness waiting for the judgment
day."
It is very clear that Jesus preached to the angels in the Abyss. Jesus went
and preached, or made a proclamation to these angelic beings.
So why did Jesus preach to these fallen angels imprisoned in the Abyss? It
would indicate by these passages that Jesus was preaching "deliverance to
the captive angels". If there had been no deliverance for them, why would
Jesus have bothered to preach to them? Was there a possibility that they would
repent and be forgiven?
Philippians 2:6-11 "Who, being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and
took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
It seems likely in this verse that those "under the earth" refers
to these angels imprisoned in the Abyss.
1 Peter 3:18-20 "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 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."
Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the
brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of
sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, "
It is important to note that the term here "sometime" means
"once" or "formerly", and implies that these spirits might
no longer be disobedient, some may have repented in earnest, but it is clear in
Rev 9:1-11 that a great many do repent, "And there came out of the smoke
locusts [fallen angels] upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the
scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should
not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but
only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads." they are
tormenting the godless.
