We all know that the body of Jesus was took away by Joseph of Arimathea after seeking Pilate’s permission. Joseph was accompanied by Nicodemus who bought a mixture of myrrh and Aloes. They wrapped the body of Jesus with pieces of linen according to Jewish customs and laid the body of Jesus in a new tomb in the garden near by the place he was crucified. (John 19:38-41)
Even though Christ’s flesh died, but His spirit remained alive. Jesus’ body was in the tomb, of course, but His spirit, having departed at His death (Matthew 27:50), was elsewhere for those three days.
A key passage in the discussion on where Jesus was for the three days in between His death and resurrection is 1 Peter 3:18–19, which says, “Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison” (ESV).
Jesus not only came to save souls on earth but from hades too. That’s our Christ who accomplished His mission perfectly and wanted every single soul for God’s Kingdom. The New American Standard Bible says that Jesus went to “Hades” (Acts 2:31), but Hades is not hell. Hades is a term that refers, broadly, to the realm of the dead, a temporary place where the dead await resurrection. Revelation 20:11–15 in the NASB and the NIV makes a clear distinction between Hades and the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the permanent, final place of judgment for the lost. Hades is a temporary place for both the lost and the Old Testament saints.
He delivered a message to spirit beings—probably fallen angels (see Jude 1:6); and the imprisoned spirits because they were somehow involved in a grievous sin before the flood in Noah’s time (1 Peter 3:20).
Who are the fallen angels?
The spirits in prison cannot be holy angels,
in Genesis 6:1–4, which records the “sons of God” mating with the “daughters of men” and producing a race of giants, the Nephilim. If the “sons of God” were fallen angels, then the sin of Genesis 6 involved angels leaving the place where they belonged in an act of disobedience before the Flood—and that corresponds to what the apostle mentions in 1 Peter 3:19. It could be that the demons who cohabited with human women were imprisoned by God to prevent them from repeating that sin and to discourage other demons from trying it.
Who are the “the spirits in prison” ?
They were those who were “disobedient” in the days of Noah. They were drowned in the great deluge that the Lord sent.
Peter does not tell us what Jesus proclaimed to the imprisoned spirits, but it could not have been a message of redemption, since angels cannot be saved (Hebrews 2:16). What Jesus proclaimed was probably a declaration of His victory over Satan and his hosts (1 Peter 3:22; Colossians 2:15).
In sum, He did two things: He comforted the departed saints and brought them to their eternal home, and He proclaimed His victory over the fallen angels who are kept in prison. What we can know for sure is that Jesus was not giving anyone a second chance for salvation; we face judgment after death (Hebrews 9:27), not a second chance. Also, Jesus was not suffering in hell; His work of redemption was finished on the cross.
Finally, We acknowledge that we are more privileged to live in the period of grace. It’s high time to analyse our sins and seek Christ’s mercy and forgiveness. The count down started for Christ’s second coming. So let’s be prepared to be taken up to the heaven along with him. Each and every soul is precious for our Lord. As we read before he even went to hades to meet the spirits.
Even though our spirit may be down with many issues today, trust Jesus that he proclaimed the victory already for each and everyone of us. There will be resurrection or restoration in our lives soon.