Preaching to the Spirits in Prison - Frank Brancato

Before we begin, let me say that a few years ago, I actually

preached on this passage and because this subject comes up

all the time, I thought I might preach on this passage again.

So I pulled that old sermon out and I really didn't like it at

all. I didn't think it was very clear

and I was very critical of my own sermon.

So I decided to put together a new one, put it on PowerPoint,

and maybe it would be a little easier to understand perhaps

less confusing on a subject. T', that's very much

misunderstood today among people that follow or study the Bible.

There are three erroneous positions that come from this

passage, and they are these number one that Jesus after his

death. And before his resurrection on

the third day, descended down into the hadean realm and preach

to the Des parted spirits that were there, that's number one, a

second. Erroneous position is this that

Jesus after His death and before his resurrection on the third

day, preached only to the disobedient spirits of those who

lived before the flood and third, we find that Jesus after

his death. And before his resurrection on

the third day, descended down into Hades as a ceremonial

Proclamation, whether that was literal or figurative.

And undoubtedly, there are variations of these three

arguments But let's first take a historical.

Look at this idea or where these positions actually came from.

I tried to go back Beyond this and I cannot find anyone before

this. But according to Alexander

Campbell there is a preacher by the name of Jesse be Ferguson in

1844 and may I say before we go any further, this man is a

perfect example of what happens when a preacher is good.

What happens when a preacher is Well known and what happens when

a preacher is well-liked. This is what happens when a man

like that deters or drifts into error. 18:44, Jesse be Ferguson

in First Peter chapter 3 and verses 19 and 20.

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

He was the first one to take in at the consideration, a

sectarian view of this passage. The passage reads this by whom.

He also went and preached to the spirits in prison who formerly

were disobedient. His conclusion was simply this

that Jesus preached to those in Hades while he was dead.

Figuratively. Glee or dead physically.

You know, Alexander Campbell wrote this.

I thought it was very interesting, Alexander Campbell

described this man and he said, you know, he was a man It worked

with a church in Nashville, Tennessee.

Alexander Campbell said that that church was made up of

Nashville's Elite. In fact, from the preaching of

Jesse Ferguson, the congregation literally exploded into several

hundred members. Now notice what happens though

when you leave what is right, this is according to Alexander

Campbell. This is a direct quote.

I'm going to put on there when he called him and what he

actually said. He said brother Ferguson's

official position. Here it is that Jesus Christ in,

or by his spiritual nature did after his death actually and

personally, descending to Hades, usually called hell, the

invisible world of wicked Spirits, embracing both ante,

and post diluvian by the way. That's a fancy way of saying

before. And after the flood, Both ante

and post alluvion, but especially in the case before us

to preach the gospel to all the dead, not those in the flesh.

But actually two Spirits, then in prison indeed, he says, he

preached to the imprisoned. In as his congregation Alexander

Campbell wrote, I wish you would have kept it to himself.

Let me tell you what happened. Hey, a congregation in size of

several hundred. This is what happened as a

result after Jesse. Ferguson and I quote, finish

teaching people, his erroneous views about the spirits in

prison. The church was virtually

destroyed. When others went in to try to

restore the church less than 60 members, could be found who were

willing to worship together and by that time, brother Ferguson

was an avowed. Universalist, Now, what's that

mean? Are Universalist is somebody

that believes that no matter what you do in life?

No matter how good or how bad you are, no matter what you

practice, no matter what you do, it doesn't really matter because

in the end eventually everybody is going to heaven.

That's a Universalist, in fact that that suits and fits Roman

Catholics Roman Catholicism in their doctrine of purgatory.

Several years ago, there was a gentleman he is now passed on

and I was talking to him on a job site.

He was the father of a general contractor that we were painting

that house. And I was talking to him about

stuff and all of a sudden he said, now wait a minute, it

doesn't matter what you do. I mean, he liked to cuss like a

sailor. He like to do whatever he wanted

to do, he said, doesn't really matter what you what we do

because we're all going to the halfway house.

Anyway, in other words, we're going to go and serve whatever

sentence. We have to serve after this

life. But in the end, in the end it's

going to be okay because everybody's going to make it.

That's a Universalist. Very dangerous and may I say

this to, if it doesn't matter, please get this.

If it doesn't matter what I do one way or the other, that

eventually I'm going to make Heaven, I could have teed off at

River Lakes this morning about 8:00 a.m.

I could have done all manner of things today.

My point is, if it doesn't matter, why bother if nothing in

our life matters, what we do and everybody's going to be saved

anyway, then why why bother this man was a avowed.

Universalist he went on further to say this but as is often the

case, those who are in the process of changing from truth

to error, leave behind a twisted trail of division.

So I think it's obvious that everybody here understands that

I am saying Jesus did not go down to the place of disembodied

spirits and preach to them, but let's just do this, let's set

that conclusion aside and let's for sake of argument.

Let's say that he did. Let's say that's exactly what

the passage means. Here's my question.

What did he preach? If he actually did that, what

did he preach? If Jesus went into Hades and

preach to anyone at that time, what did he preach?

That he preached the gospel to them, what benefit?

Could it be? That Jesus would preach a

message of Salvation to people that were already dead?

What do you preach? Also this to, why would he

preach something about a message of salvation for change?

When in Hades, you don't have the option of changing your

status at all. If they could it certainly

supports Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory beautifully.

So what does the Bible say in John chapter 9?

John 9 · chapter mention

I love that narrative there. Where Jesus heals, the man that

was born blind and I'm not going to go into that story.

We all know what happens, he sends him down to the pool of

Siloam. He watches the clip from his

eyes and he is healed and now he could see what I want to do is I

want to go back before that and notice two verses.

This is what Jesus said to his disciples.

This is what he said. In John 9 verses 4 and 5.

John 9:4

What did Jesus say? I must work.

The works of him. That's God.

Who sent me? That's Jesus.

While it is day, in other words, there's a time for me to work.

The night is coming when no one can work.

And as long as I am in the world, I am the light of the

world. When is Jesus the light of the

world himself preaching? Personally, when he's in the

world? Because there comes a time when

nobody can work, he calls that night time.

So preaching books is done to the living.

Notice, what else? How about this second

Corinthians, 6 and 24. He says, in an acceptable time I

have heard you and in the day of salvation, I have helped you

behold. Now is the accepted time behold.

Now is the day of salvation. Talking about in this life.

Let's go step further. What happens after this?

What happens after this, Hebrews 9:27 and as it is appointed unto

Hebrews 9:27

man once to die but after this the Judgment.

So what does this mean? It means that preaching and

changes have to be done when a person is alive.

According to this in John chapter 9 verses 4 and 5

John 9:4

preaching is done in this life, according to First Corinthians 6

and to obedience is also done. In this life.

Furthermore, I'm going to put something on here.

That is extremely encouraging. I'm gonna sit on there for a

minute. You know what this means.

This means that when you die, If you die in a safe condition, you

will never be lost. We always talk about the flip

side of that will do that too. But from a negative standpoint,

What about a positive standpoint?

What about this? What about when I draw my last

breath? And I passed from this life, and

I have died in a safe condition. What about all of our loved ones

that have we have loved and lost that died in Christ Faithfully

unto death. You know what they will?

Never be lost ever Okay, stay with me.

Here's the flip side of that, we got to put it up there.

If that is the case, and those that died in a safe, condition

will never be lost in. It also is the case that those

that die in a lost condition can never be saved.

Remember this after this life is the judgment.

You know what that means? That means there's no second

chance. It means there's no second

chance. It means that I can't go

somewhere and pay some sort of a sentence somewhere in a

spiritual world and have somebody.

Pray me out of there and someday I get to get out.

There is no Second Chance. Here's the point is to be done

in this. Life preaching is done in this

life. Obedience is done in this life.

What's next? The judgment?

If I die in a safe condition, I've never lost it by Dinah,

lost condition. I will never be saved.

Okay, let's talk about the hadean realm.

Now, for just a minute, In the hadean realm, we understand

this. Now, by the way, when we talk

about hadean realm, I'm just talking about the place where

you go, when you die. And everybody, that dies goes to

the hadean realm, in fact, when a person dies and they die in

Christ, sometimes people think they went to heaven.

They didn't go to heaven because there needs to be the judgment

and the judgment is as sentencing day.

Not necessarily a judgement day. Our life is the trial at the

point of death. We're here.

Either guilty or not guilty. And when Jesus comes back and

those that are saved long for that return, guess what we get

our entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom, not barely

not squeaking by, but we have an abundant entrance into the

Everlasting Kingdom. Great stuff.

On the other hand, those that died lost or in a lost

condition, they go to the hadean realm to, but they go to another

place in the hadean realm, and at the time of Christ, when

Jesus comes back, their sentence will be in Hell.

According to the scripture is not me, didn't make that up.

All right, so let's talk about some in possibilities in

possibilities in the hadean realm.

The Bible talks about the fact that there is an impassable

Gulf. It is between them and may.

I say, I'll just call the names out.

And I'm going to prove it to you on one side, the place, where

save people go. It's called Paradise on the

other side, it's where lost people go.

And we call that Tartarus even though you can't read that

English word, in our translations, In this passage,

I'm going to prove to you. That's exactly what the word is,

all right. in Luke chapter 16 now This is a very familiar

Luke 16 · chapter mention

Passage. And it's the rich man and

Lazarus, right? So you got the rich man and you

got Lazarus the rich man fared sumptuously day by day.

But Lazarus was a beggar and all he wanted was the crumbs that

fell from the master's table like some dog somewhere.

So, eat a terrible life. He had an awful life, they both

die. Now sometimes Scholars say that

this is not a true-to-life narrative and some say that it's

a parable. I'm saying this, I believe it is

a true-to-life narrative and this is the reason in all the

Parables of Jesus, Jesus never mentioned anybody's name.

But here he mentions name, he says a certain rich man.

And he says, Lazarus a specific person and he mentions the name

of Abraham and calls the place Abraham's bosom, or the place of

comfort, all that being said, it doesn't matter.

Here's why. If it's a parable, a parable is

a laying alongside. In other words, something from

the Physical Realm laying it, along side, something of the

spiritual realm, or spiritual idea.

And they both had add to be true.

All Parables were true. And for a parable to be true,

has to be true on the physical side, as well as on the

spiritual side. All right?

All Parables were true. So guess what?

If this is a true-to-life narrative, it is what already

has been. And if it's a parable, it is

what will be. It doesn't matter.

So here we go. So it was that the beggar died

and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.

Like what Joe hisle said, I don't know 20 years ago.

I heard him say this from the pulpit.

I believe it was here. It plans, Road and Joe.

Hisle said you know I just think somehow some way when I crossed

over it it comes my time to leave this world.

I think I'm not going to be afraid and he referred to this

phrase right here. Don't you think it just might be

one of the angels that take you to Abraham's bosom and you're

not afraid. You cross the chilly Waters of

death, but like this man, that was saved.

He was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom, but then, there

was the rich, man. He also died and was buried.

And being in torments, in Hades, I've highlighted this word for a

reason. This word Hades is translated.

Also in the King James version as hell, what that is, that's

the English version of the Greek word Tartarus.

So, if anybody ever wonders, where you Guitar Taurus.

It's this word right here. It's the same word that's found

when it talks about Satan in the third of the hosts of Heaven

were cast out of heaven and cast down to Hell or Hades it.

Start Taurus. In other words, that's where

lost people go, they go to Tartarus, Watch What Happens.

He lifted up his eyes and he saw Abraham afar off.

And Lazarus in his bosom. Then he cried and said, Father

Abraham I have mercy on me and send Lazarus that he may dip the

tip of his finger in water and cool.

My tongue for I am tormented in this Flame Now, I gotta tell

you, I know that whatever pain, he was feeling, I can't relate

to, because we live in the Physical Realm still.

So when I think about thirsty, I think about being physically

thirsty, when I think about pain, I think a physical pain.

This is a spiritual world or spiritual realm.

So I don't know, specifically what all that means.

All I know is he knew he was lost.

He knew he was in torment and he wanted Lazarus, just tip the tip

of your finger and water. Just put that on my tongue.

Let's go further. But Abraham said, Son.

Remember that in your lifetime, you received your good things

and likewise Lazarus, evil things.

But now he is comforted and you are tormented and notice talking

about the impossibilities in the hadean realm and beside this

between us, and you, there is a great Gulf fixed.

So that those who want to pass from here to you cannot nor can

those from their pass to us. This impassable Gulf here.

This Great Gulf 18 Robertson says it's a permanent.

Chasm, a be Bruce says it's location is fixed and Final.

You know what that means? It's impossible to go from one

side to the other. Where did Jesus go?

What about those beautiful words when Jesus was on the cross?

And that Thief, says to him, Lord remember me when thou

comest into thy kingdom? And Jesus says today, Thou shalt

be with me in Paradise. Where was Jesus?

He was on the other side of the gulf fixed, he was over there.

Where Lazarus went, he was over there at Abraham's bosom.

He was over there with all the redeemed, waiting for the second

coming of Christ. All of those that were doing

that, that's where Jesus was the rich man.

He was on the other side where Satan and a third of the hosts

of Heaven are chains of Darkness waiting the resurrection.

So the thief went to Paradise, are there.

Wicked people there too. No, the wicked rich man was on

the other side of the golf, The Impossible place to cross.

Jesus goes to the hadean realm of the pave paradise, where the

righteous go. So, here's my point.

There's no reason to preach to those that are in paradise and

no way to preach to those, that weren't By the way, did the

righteous need to be preached to?

Nope, they made it. They made it.

Did the wicked need to be preached to sure but it's too

late. So the righteous don't need

preaching in that realm. And the wicked can't get it.

It's too late. According to this.

Because there's a great Gulf fixed so summing up so far.

Stay with me number one, Jesus did not preach to anyone.

In Hades pre or post diluvian before or after the flood as his

congregation which is the doctrine of supported by

universalism. Number two, Jesus did not preach

to the disobedient in the days of Noah after he died three.

This passage does not mean that when he died, his Proclamation

was so great. That it even reached hell do You

know why? Because those that were saved

knew that were saved and those that were lost knew they were

lost. No Proclamation.

You know, there's something kind of sobering about that.

It's wonderful on one hand. But it's also very sober and you

know what it is. The second that I died.

The very second that I died. If I die in a safe condition,

I'm going to know, I'm saved. But if I die in a lost

condition, I'm a gnome lost. There's no Proclamation

necessary, folks. You know, you're safe and you

know you're lost, okay? So all that being said, what is

the passage mean? I just told you everything that

it doesn't mean. What is the passage actually

mean. Let's look at it from this

perspective. Let's look at the passage again

on the screen. First Peter, 3, 18, and 19 by

whom. Also, he went and preached to

the spirits in prison who formerly were disobedient.

When Once the Divine long-suffering, waited in the

days of Noah. While the ark was being Prepared

in which a few that is eight Souls were saved by water.

There are two key phrases in here.

Watch one, it was in the days of Noah.

And two. It was while the ark was being

prepared. So in other words, there's the

time frame, it was in the days of Noah.

And number two, it was. While the ark was being prepared

and incidentally, it took 120 years to build that thing.

We're talking about preaching that was done in that time

period. Now here are some identifying

characteristics and considerations here.

They are. Number one.

They were spirits that live during the days of Noah.

Number two specifically there were those that were disobedient

during the 120 years of the got that the ark was being prepared,

three, they were taught while Noah was building the ark. 4.

Therefore, they were disobedient during the time that the ark was

being built and number 5, and finally, Jesus Christ Spirit was

involved, all of those considerations are true.

So, okay, alright. Well, the question is How this

is so simple. I'ma tell you something folks.

This is so simple. It takes a preacher to fill this

up. This is so simple.

This is how very, very easy to understand Jesus Christ in his

spirit. And not in the flesh.

During the days of Noah. Proclaim God's truth to evil

people. Pre-flood generation.

And he did so through Noah. A preacher of righteousness.

He had a preacher do it. He had a man, do it.

That's what he did. We talked about the preacher of

righteousness. Second Peter 2 and verse 5.

More about Noah and did not spare the ancient world.

But saved Noah the eight and eight people.

A preacher of righteousness bringing in the flood on the

world of the ungodly. That's very key to explaining

First Peter chapter 3 and verse 18.

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

All it was is this Jesus Christ in spirit through Noah, preach

to people that were alive. Did you get that?

They were alive. What do we already established?

Jesus says, I got to do it, but during the day I got to do my

preaching, I got to do my work during the day because there's

going to come a time when nighttime comes and no man can

work, right? So, the preaching was done in

the day. Also, Paul said, to those at

Corinth, obedience is now in the day.

So so when Jesus Christ, Through Noah, preached to evil people,

they were alive on the Earth but I want to notice this passage

right here. This this shows about the spirit

of Jesus Christ in a preacher that was living of this

salvation. The prophets have inquired, and

searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace, that

would come to you searching. What or what manner of time, the

spirit of Christ was in them was indicating when he testified

beforehand, the sufferings of Christ and the glories that

Would follow. In other words, the spirit of

Christ was also In Those Old Testament prophets to just like

in Noah a preacher of righteousness.

So when Christ through Noah preached to those evil people,

they were alive on the Earth. But at the time that Peter wrote

the letter, they were long dead and their Spirits were suffering

in the prison of Hill known as Tartarus.

Do you know what this is called? This is called a prolepsis, let

me paraphrase. It this way, Christ Was Made

Alive in the spirit and in the spirit during the days of Noah,

he preached to evil people. Whose Spirits are now in the

prison of Tartarus punishment. This is called a prolepsis what

in the world is that what's up roli?

Sepsis. A prolepsis involves bringing

two time frames together into one expression.

We give an example. President Abraham Lincoln was

born in Kentucky. Was he president when he was

born? No but it's bringing two time

frames are two errors together in one expression involving that

President Abraham. Lincoln was born in Kentucky.

In other words, that is a prolepsis now.

It's a common mode of expression that Associates a current fact

with a prior or antecedent event And with reference to First

Peter, 3 18 and 19. The preaching was done by Christ

in spirit through a preacher that was alive named Noah in

ancient times to living people. And at the time of the writing

though, they were not alive. But let's furthermore go on.

What about first Peter four and six?

And the reason I wanted to talk about this is because this is a

passage that's often misunderstood and misapplied and

in doing. So the past and itself has been

used to support the idea of baptism by proxy.

In other words, it doesn't matter.

You're dead, you're gone but somebody that's living.

That's wonderful that loves you. They can be baptized for the

dead, there are religious Persuasions that believe that in

other words, something on the Physical Realm can be done.

For somebody on the spiritual side.

So that's this verse here, First, Peter, chapter 4.

And verse 6 says, for this reason, the gospel was preached.

Also to those who are dead, that they might be judged, according

to men in the flesh but live, according to God, in the spirit.

What is that? It's a prolepsis that gospel was

preached to the living. but at the time of the writing, they

were dead. Regarding prison.

Regarding this idea of prison. Burton Kaufman said this.

There's not a line in the passage that requires us to

believe that Jesus Christ. Preached personally to those

Spirits during the three days that he laid in the Tomb, folks.

That's a misunderstanding of the passage And if that's not the

case, what? He preached those on the safe

side, that's where Jesus was, you can't get across to preach

to those that are on the Lost side.

So, in conclusion, In conclusion, I'll just sum it up.

Again, this passage means this. That Jesus Christ by his spirit

in no. Preached through Noah a

preacher. Two people who were living

during the days of Noah. while the ark was being prepared for

the 120 years and while those people were still alive, but at

the time of Peter is writing, they were in the prison of

Tartarus and you know what folks?

They are still there. Today waiting for the Judgment

as it is appointed unto man once to die.

But after this the judgment. You know, it is not uncommon or

it's not hard or far-fetched to understand and believe that the

Lord Works through people. In fact, if you stop and

consider the word of God consider this please, we have as

one preacher said, one time, we have the power of God in the

hands of man. In other words, Jesus is not

going to work on people directly.

Miraculously, neither is God, nor the Holy Spirit.

The only way that people can make changes in their life.

According to what Paul said in second Corinthians is to make

them personally by way of choice while they're still living.

And during the time that you're still living, you can make all

manner of changes. You could change for the rest of

your life. In fact, I'll tell you this

right now, this is the greatest thing in the world is about

being a Christian, you know why? Because it's the only thing that

I'm aware of that you can mess up constantly and be forgiven

and change your life over and over again.

I don't know any other thing like that, you know what happens

in a job like that they go fired.

Fired. You know, happens if you do that

school, F kicked out. but with God, you could change your life

as long as you're alive. And those people in the days of

Noah during that 120 years while a preacher was preaching to

them, had a chance and a choice. And they chose not.

So only eight Souls were saved. What we do with the word of God

folks is we take the word of God to those that are living and

lost and need it. And they have to make the choice

to make the change. So Jesus didn't preach when he

died. It's a prolepsis combining two

time frames of when those people were living but at the time of

the writing in second Peter, at the time of the writing, they

had already died.