Beliefs about the Afterlife (xi)

Preaching In Hades

So Christ, when he died, exited "the land of the living," and then in spirit descended into "the land of the dead," to Sheol, or Hades, into the Underworld. He also came there with a "proclamation." He had gone to Hades and "preached to the spirits in prison," as Peter testified. What does all that imply, however? The fact is fascinating in itself, but the readers of Peter's words cry out with questions, such as - "what did he preach?" And, "What did he say and to whom?" And, "What was the purpose of his preaching?" We might even wonder what words and questions were addressed to Christ by the occupants of the Underworld during the time Christ was there "in spirit." 

Who would not want to hear some of the discourses Christ gave in Hades? The greatest sermons and homilies of Christ that are recorded in the gospel, well known sermons, such as "the sermon on the mount," and the "Olivet Discourse" (uttered on the "Mount of Olives"), etc., are memorable indeed, but what of his preaching in Hades? Many things that Jesus did and said are not written, and the apostle John said further, that if they were written, the world could not contain the volumes of scrolls. (John 21: 25) The words Christ spoke while in Hades have not been "written down." We wish they were. 

That is why, when we read these two passages in Peter's first epistle and hear Peter say that Christ went to Hades and preached to the dead, to the spirits who were its occupants, we eagerly wait for the rest of the story. Okay Peter, so what did the Lord say in his preaching? Peter tells us very little. He tells us of the fact of Christ's descent into Hades and of his preaching and communicating while there, but then says very little else about that historical fact. He does however say some few things and gives us some hints.

Let us not assume that because Peter refers to one particular group of spirits in the Hadean prison (in this case the disobedient ones in the days of Noah) he therefore means to exclude the possibility or fact that other groups of sinners in Hades were also spoken to by the Lord of glory. That is a false assumption that some commentators make. As we have seen, he did go to the side of Hades where the righteous were living in comfort and delight, to "Abraham's Bosom," and led them out of there and into the third heaven or to paradise. It is reasonable to think that he would dialogue with, and preach to, those people. 

Let us first talk about the meaning of the word "preached" (English) and its word in the Greek. Let us see if the word itself, and its common usage in scripture, helps us answer the question about the kind of preaching it was, and what its likely subject was. 

The Nature of the Preaching

Wrote one scholarly writer on the meaning of "preached" per the Greek word of the text (here):

"proclaimed" (or in many Bibles, "preached"). Most objective commentaries will note that this word in the Greek (ekêruxen from kêrússô) means in general "to be a herald," "to proclaim," "to announce," "to publish," "to preach." Although it can be used as such, it does not necessarily mean "to preach the gospel to" or "to preach salvation to." Because Peter does not specify what Jesus "proclaimed" or "announced," to assume the preaching of the gospel is not warranted." (Ibid)

Wrote Dr. Albert Barnes in his Commentary said this about the Greek word translated "preached":

"The word used here (ἐκήρυξεν ekēruxen) is of a general character, meaning to make a proclamation of any kind, as a crier does, or to deliver a message, and does not necessarily imply that it was the gospel which was preached, nor does it determine anything in regard to the nature of the message. It is not affirmed that he preached the gospel, for if that specific idea had been expressed it would have been rather by another word - εὐαγγελίζω euangelizō." 

This "preaching" was not for the purpose of saving any of those who were condemned on the torment side of Hades. There is no chance of salvation after death. The word "preaching" simply means to make an announcement, to make a proclamation, to inform. However, there is another possible piece of biblical evidence to consider in ascertaining the nature and purpose of the preaching of I Peter 3: 19.

Enter I Peter 4: 6

"Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit." (I Peter 4: 5-6) 

If this verse is an extension of I Peter 3: 19 then all the argument over whether the "preaching" of Christ in Hades (3: 19) included preaching the gospel is at an end. It positively says that what was preached included "the gospel." 

Further, the text (4: 6) indicates that it was preached not just to the "disobedient" people who died in the flood, as does the text from chapter three, but "to them that are dead," which would indicate that in some way it was preached to all the dead in the Underworld. 

Many bible students ask, in regard to I Peter 3:18-19, "why it is that Christ only preached to one class of the condemned in Hades?" Why not preach to all the wicked dead in Hades? Well, obviously, from the words of 4: 6, he did preach to the other peoples and groups in Hades. It was wrong for commentators to think that the reference to Christ preaching to one particular group of inmates in prison (3: 19) implied that he spoke to no other groups, not to the entire population. In looking closer at 4: 5-6, let us begin by citing these comments from the Pulpit Commentary: 

"The aorist εὐηγγελίσθη directs our thoughts to some definite occasion. The absence of the article (καὶ νεκροῖς) should also be noticed; the words assert that the gospel was preached to dead persons - to some that were dead. These considerations lead us to connect the passage with 1 Peter 3:19, 20. There St. Peter tells us that Christ himself went and preached in the spirit "to the spirits in prison;" then the gospel was preached, the good news of salvation was announced, to some that were dead. The article is absent both here and in ver. 5 (ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς). All men, quick and dead alike, must appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; so St. Peter may not have intended to limit the area of the Lord's preaching in Hades here, as he had done in 1 Peter 3. There he mentioned one section only of the departed; partly because the Deluge furnished a conspicuous example of men who suffered for evil-doing, partly because he regarded it as a striking type of Christian baptism. Here, perhaps, he asserts the general fact - the gospel was preached to the dead; perhaps (we may not presume to dogmatize in a matter so mysterious, about which so little is revealed) to all the vast population of the underworld, who had passed away before the gospel times."

I also think it is most reasonable and likely that Peter's words in 4: 6 repeat and enlarge upon what he had said earlier in 3: 19. Interpreters disagree however. But, who can deny that both passages say that the dead were addressed in preaching? Though Christ is not mentioned as the one doing the preaching in 4: 6, as he was in 3: 19, I firmly believe it is the same preaching, for it is the normal meaning of the words, linguistically, syntactically, and contextually. Who could prove it was not the same preaching in both texts? Both texts speak of preaching to the dead (spirits in prison) as being a past event, a completed act, and not as something that is ongoing. The text therefore does not warrant us thinking that the dead, in Peter's mind, were still being preached to by the Lord nor by anyone else. It seems to me that the apostle Peter has in view a single action of the past, in the context of Christ's sufferings and death, and not to an ongoing preaching activity in Hades. Christ's preaching in Hades probably filled the entire three days, the "three days and three nights." Further, his preaching in Hades during the time when he was dead would be, as expected, a momentous and highly significant event with profound repercussions and consequences. 

Thus it is true that the gospel was proclaimed or announced to all the occupants of the Underworld, to the righteous dead of the old testament period, to the fallen angels and to their monstrous offspring, and to the irredeemably damned, to all wicked spirits and demons. But, for what purpose? Was it multi purposeful? Did the preaching in Hades include the offer of pardon, as it did his preaching on earth? Was it purposed so that some in the afterlife would believe and repent and submit to Christ and be saved? Must the fact of Christ "preaching the gospel" in Hades imply a chance given for salvation? Must preaching only be for the purpose of saving from Hell? 

What if this "preaching or proclaiming" was in the context of a warden visiting the prison over which he rules and governs? Or in the context of a prosecutor or court official speaking to the inmates who are there awaiting trial? Suppose the setting is a pre-trial hearing on the charge of having rejected the gospel and its offer? Would not the gospel need to be stated and defined? The crime of unbelief must be ascertained by showing what it was that was not believed (as the crime is defined by the criminal statute).

Notice that the specific ones mentioned in 3: 19-20 were the "disobedient" who were living in a violent and depraved world and who were "the world of the ungodly" (II Peter 2: 5) and who were all destroyed in the global flood in the days of Noah. Nothing is said in this text about his preaching to people in "purgatory," to those who 1) died as infants or young children, or who 2) lived and died as mentally insane, or who 3) died without ever having heard the gospel. 

Some think that the fallen "sons of God," or angels, of Genesis chapter six, verse 1-8, who took human wives, and produced "Nephilim," or "giants," a monstrous hybrid of human and angelic, are alluded to. Christ "had a message for" each group of criminals in the Hades prison, and this would include the fallen angels and the Nephilim. However, it seems that the disobedient of Noah's day are human beings, those who were destroyed in the flood. 

What a memorable day in the history of Hades' prison! Millions and millions of wicked human spirits entering the land of the dead, to the place of Dives, on the lower side of the gulf that divides the two major divisions of Hades, during the early days of the flood waters!

Notice these words of the Lord Jesus about the coming judgment day trial for the criminals of Hades, for those who have disbelieved and disobeyed the good news of God's word.

“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day." (John 12: 48)

If the gospel that Christ preached is what will be the measuring rule for deciding a legal case, in the day of judgment, it must be defined and described, or reported, proclaimed, announced, preached. Rather than preaching for the purpose of saving from Hades all the spirits in prison, who died in a condemned state, why could the preaching of the gospel be in the manner of "you rejected the gospel which says..."? 

Christ in his "Hades Prison Address" to the "disobedient" who were destroyed in the flood would have reminded those criminals (I imagine) of the charges against them, the leading charge being "you rejected the offers of pardon," or "you rejected the only Savior." The gospel would be reported in the reading of the charges and the indictment. That is certainly reasonable to believe, and it may be the reason for Christ preaching to the damned in Hades, rather than for the purpose of effecting repentance to salvation. I can also envision Christ saying the following things to those who lived in Noah's day and died in the deluge: 1) Enoch warned you, 2) Noah warned you. I can envision Christ saying something like this to the lost who died in the flood:

You heard the gospel, the basics of which were given in the dialogues between God, the Serpent, Adam, and Eve, after they disobeyed God in eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. My coming as the world's promised Savior was told to you by Adam, Seth, Enoch and Noah, etc. But, you rejected that promised Messiah and the call to repentance and lived in rebellion against your God and Creator. 

Here is what Enoch preached to the disobedient in his day and who were spirits in the prison of Hades in the days of Peter:

"Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (Jude 1: 14-15)

I can envision him saying to the unbelievers who died in the flood, those of "ancient world," how they had been warned of judgment and imprisonment in Hades, by Noah, great grandson of Enoch the great, Noah being a "preacher of righteousness," and yet you rejected his message and so Lord God destroyed you all in the flood and put your spirits under guard in this jail prison, this furnace of fire. (II Peter 2: 5) The flood was brought upon "the world of the ungodly" and you were ungodly, never repenting or seeking pardon. It was the ungodly who Enoch warned, and you are "ungodly sinners" who have "spoken against" the Lord and against his Son and Messiah. Noah was "divinely warned" and heeded the warning, but none of you heeded the warning when he conveyed the warning to you. By his preaching and example Noah "condemned the world," the ungodly world, and condemned you are.  (Heb. 11: 7)

Enduring Word Commentary (See here) well said (emphasis mine):

"Apparently, this work was done in the period after Jesus’ death, but before His first resurrection appearance to the disciples. Jesus went to Hades – the abode of the dead – and preached to the spirits there. But why would Jesus preach to these imprisoned spirits? In all probability, this was “preaching” (the proclamation of God’s message) but not “evangelism” (the proclamation of good news). Jesus probably preached judgment to these disobedient spirits. The Bible says that even those under the earth must acknowledge Jesus’ ultimate Lordship. Jesus went to Hades and announced this truth: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth. (Philippians 2:10)"

That is the way I see the kind of "preaching" that Christ did to the unredeemable. It is in fact the kind of preaching many think of today when they say "stop preaching at me." What they mean is "quit warning me," or "quit saying 'I told you so'," or "stop your fault finding," or "get off my case," etc. Oh yes, Christ will "preach to" the wicked spirits, and he will say "you should have..." He will say "I warned you" no matter how much they may not like to hear it. It is the kind of preaching that parents do when scolding their children, or when a judge is sentencing a criminal and speaking in direct address to the guilty.

Recall that we also called attention to Revelation 5: 13 where those in the Underworld say "blessing and honor and glory and power be to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever." They will say such things in Hell because they cannot do otherwise. But, saying such as the above does not take away their guilt and from their sentence of eternal death. We also see the inhabitants of Hell "confess" the truth "Jesus Christ is Lord." Yet, such a confession does not save them. Wrote Paul:

"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." (Phil. 2: 10-11)

Even the demons, said James, brother of the Lord, "fear and tremble" before the Lord, and acknowledge God's sovereignty, and yet they are not acquitted of their crimes nor granted pardons for such a belief and confession. (James 2: 19) 

So, what good news would he proclaim, and to who, and for what purpose? 

1. What would he tell them all together in a general address?

2. What would he say to the righteous who had been waiting for his arrival?

3. What would he say to the condemned who had rejected Christ via the gospel?

4. What would he say to the fallen angels and the giants?

Address To The Wicked

As to what else he may have said to the unrighteous, we can envision his "giving it to them straight," not giving false hopes, and advising them of the uselessness of thinking or hoping for salvation through another, perhaps through Satan. He would tell them that they are fools for hoping such. There is no hope of salvation from another savior or lord, he would assure them. He would demonstrate his lordship over them and Hades and advise them to accept their punishment as just. 

He would also no doubt tell them that there is no salvation after death. He would remind them that they had their chances of reconciliation and salvation when they lived and that they had refused to avail themselves of the opportunity, and that their dying in their sins was final. He would tell them that they all must serve out their sentences as justly condemned rebels against God. They will all be forced to confess or acknowledge his rule over them and their prison. He would tell them as a warden might, to behave and obey all the rules while they are serving their sentences and that doing so may ease them of their pain and give them prison privileges. There are degrees of punishment in the afterlife, after all, according to the bible.

He no doubt would also speak of their coming trial, of judgment day, of preparations being made for it, and of "the court's calendar." He may also have told them that they would have a chance to defend themselves and present their defenses, or give their excuses, and that they would all be given a just and equitable trial. 

Some find the thought repugnant that Christ could be said to have gone to hell. But, in reply it may be said that hell in the bible does not always refer to the place of torment in the afterlife, and so Christ could easily go to one side and not to the other. However, there is no reason to deny that he went to the other side, for it seems to be necessarily implied that he was on the burning side (although he could stand on the good side of the gulf of Hades and preach to the bad side). However, consider how he would be in the fires of Hades as he was in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. (Daniel chapter three) What better way to demonstrate his Lordship and Divinity? There was no harm to his spirit in Hades just as there was no decay to his body which lay in the cave. 

Consider also how the Psalmist testifies that Lord God is in Sheol, in Hades, in the Underworld. Wrote the Psalmist:

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there." (139: 7-9 nkjv)

God, or Christ, as the pre-incarnate Son of God, in his divinity, being omnipresent, was already in hell before the human spirit of Christ descended there. If we can accept that God's presence is in the Underworld, why do we resist believing the record that Christ was present there in his disembodied spirit?

Having taken notice of what Christ may have likely said (or 'preached') to that multitude of rebels who died in the flood, and to the unsaved population of human spirits in general, let us now consider what Christ may have said to all of them at one time, in a general address to the whole population of Sheol, Hades, or the Underworld.

General Address

He would announce to them all that he obtained victory over sin, temptation and death, defeating Satan, and exercising all power and authority over all worlds, including the Underworld of Hades, and that now, as Lord of lords and King of kings has the keys of Heaven and Hades, and that he is the judge of the dead as well as of the living. 

He would say that he is here to release those in the upper part, those reclining with Abraham and the righteous around the festive table, to take them to the highest heaven, to paradise.

He would say that his arrival was not the start of the trial, but only a preliminary to the coming day of trial and judgment. He would tell them that on the day of the trial, they will be released from Hades, or come down from Heaven, to rejoin their resurrected bodies and stand for trial in body and spirit. After the trial, the righteous will enter into their eternal state in the new heavens and earth and the condemned will enter their eternal state, and Hades will be closed and its inhabitants moved to Gehenna, to the "lake of fire." 

Address To The Righteous Dead

As what he may have said to the righteous in Abraham's Bosom, we can also reasonably expect him to have said many comforting and exciting things to them. I envision it being much like it was after Christ was raised from the dead, where the record is - "being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1: 3). Oh to have the record of those dialogues of the Lord with the old testament saints! What excitement among them! Jubilation that no doubt rang out throughout the length and breath, and depth and height of the Underworld! It reminds us of the dialogues Christ had with Moses and Elijah while he was on the mount with them, when he was yet in the flesh. 

"And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease (departure) which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem." (Luke 9: 30-31) 

Christ spoke to the two persons mentioned above, from Moses who died long before Jesus was born, and therefore his spirit would have descended to Sheol, to the place of Abraham and Lazarus where were all the righteous dead, and to Elijah who went into the heavens by a chariot of God and has never died it seems. And what did Jesus talk to these two eminent old testament believers about? Answer: About his impending sacrificial death and of his descent into Sheol or Hades during the time of his burial, and of his resurrection and bodily ascension into heaven, and of his subsequent plans for the world. 

Since Christ, the moment he died, went into the heaven of heavens, to the third heaven, or to paradise, to the holy of holies, there to offer himself and his blood to the Father, to the throne of God, and upon the altar that is before the throne, he no doubt spoke of this to the waiting believers in the comforting confines of Hades during his time there. (Heb. 9: 12-14) 

I expect that these same things would be the foundation of his dialogues with the righteous dead in Hades when Christ was there in spirit. He would be speaking about the things that pertain to the kingdom of God, about his atonement for sin, about his plans concerning his reign, the day of judgment, and the new heavens and earth.

The Purpose Clause

It seems that the question of why Christ preached in Hades to the hardened criminals there, and to the righteous who were in the favored conditions of Hades, is given a partial answer by the apostle Peter in 4: 6. In that text, unlike 3: 19-20, we are given a word of explanation about why Christ preached in Hades, and we see that in the word "that" (Greek "hina"). Peter says it is "for this reason," or in order "that," this or that might be or might occur. Why did Christ preach to the dead? It was "that they might be judged," or perhaps, "that they might live to God in spirit." Amazingly, it is the latter part of I Peter 4: 6 that is the hardest to interpret, and a look at the various and significantly different ways it is translated into English demonstrates that fact. 

It does appear on the surface to say that one of the reasons why the dead in Hades had the gospel preached to them by the Lord was that they might be saved, that is, if salvation is alluded to in the words "that they might live to God in spirit." That point we will address in the next chapter when we analyze more closely the meaning of the purpose clauses of the text. 

As before stated, if we believe Christ did in fact go to the Underworld of Hades in his human soul or spirit, then we ought not to think it strange that he would have something to say to the inhabitants there. It ought not to be hard to understand and accept that Christ, upon entering Hades, also fulfilled some purpose, that it was part of his plan, his predestination.