“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water,” (1 Peter 3:18–20).
1 Peter 3:19 is sometimes used by traditionalists in support of people being conscious after death. But, from the context, I don’t believe the verse can be used that way. Though I affirm that people continue to consciously exist after physical death, a lack of clarity in this passage means that it can be interpreted in different ways and is not, therefore, conclusive. There are three main questions raised by this section of Scripture:
- When did Jesus make the proclamation?
- What did Jesus proclaim?
- Who are the spirits that are now in prison?
When did Jesus proclaim/preach?
It appears that the proclamation that was made by Christ was during the period between his death on the cross and his physical resurrection. However, it is not the goal of this article to establish that as the proper interpretation. Instead, it will focus on the more relevant topics as it relates to consciousness are non-consciousness after death.
What did Jesus proclaim/preach?
It would not make sense that Jesus was offering a second chance to people for salvation since Hebrews 9:27 states that it is appointed to men to die once and then the judgment. Nothing in Scripture speaks of second-chances after death. Therefore, I agree with most commentators who maintain that Jesus was proclaiming his victory over death via His sacrifice on the cross. It was not an evangelistic message, but a proclamation of his atoning work.
The word for “proclamation” in the Greek is κηρύσσω kērússō. It means to preach, to harold, to proclaim. The word Greek word occurs 61 times in the New Testament. In the NASB it is rendered as “preach” and “preaching” 41 times and “proclaim” and “proclaiming” 20 times. Other translations render it differently.
- Preach – ASV 1901, ERV, Geneva, NCV, NKJV, Darby, AV, GNB, NWPNT, NET, NIRV, RSV, YLT
- Proclaim – NASB, ESV, ISV, LEB, NIV, HCSB, NRSV, TNIV
Who are the spirits to whom Christ proclaimed/preached?
In the context of our examination, this is the most relevant question. If Jesus were preaching to the people who died during the time of Noah’s flood, then it would support conscious awareness apart from the physical body between a person’s death and his bodily resurrection. If however, Christ was proclaiming his message to the demonic realm who were disobedient at the time of Noah; namely, the Nephilim, then the verse would not be supporting the traditional view of consciousness after death.
The word “spirits” in Greek is πνεῦμα pneúma. It occurs 379 times in the New Testament. Of those found in the plural form “spirits,” there is a total of 32 occurrences. Excluding 1 Pet. 3:19, the verse under examination, the word occurs in different contexts and is in reference to…
- Evil spirits, 20 occurrences
- Matthew 8:16; 10:1; 12:45; Mark 1:27; 3:11; 5:13; 6:7; Luke 4:36; 6:18; 7:21; 8:2; 10:20; 11:26; Acts 5:16; 8:7; 19:12-13; 1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 16:13-14
- Good or bad spirits, 2 occurrences
- 1 Cor. 12:10; 1 John 4:1
- Good spirits, 1 occurrence
- Heb. 1:14
- Human spirit, 4 occurrences
- 1 Cor. 14:32; Heb. 12:9, 23; Rev. 22:6
- Seven Spirits of God, 4 occurrences
- Rev. 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6
- Note cross-reference this with Isaiah 11:2, “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.”
So, since the word ‘spirits’ is in the plural and has a variety of meanings in different contexts, we must rely on the immediate context to determine what is intended. But, the immediate context does not seem to be as clear as we would like to be. Nevertheless, I think that Peter helps us out in his second epistle.
2 Peter 2:4–5, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.”
Conclusion
It would appear that the evidence provided from both of Peter’s epistles (1 Pet. 3:18-20; 2 Pet. 2:4-5) would suggest that those spirits to whom Christ proclaimed his victorious message of the cross, would be the angels that sinned and not people. It is a proclamation, not an evangelistic message that he preached. This is why I don’t think that 1 Pet. 3:19 is the best verse to use for traditionalists in support of their position that people retain conscious awareness after their physical death before their physical resurrection.
