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It’s in this chapter that Peter makes a strange statement about Jesus going to hell after his death and preaching to the evil spirits there.
“For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring you to God, after being put to death in the fleshly realm but made alive in the spiritual realm. 19 In that state He also went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison 20 who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while an ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people—were saved through water.”
1 Peter 3:18-20 HCSB
What does this mean? I don’t think we know for certain. However, if we look back to the time of Noah in Genesis 6, we read of horrific sins.
“When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves.”
Genesis 6:1-2 HCSB
At many other points in Scripture, the sons of God refer to angelic beings, or demons. There is much evidence to conclude that there were unnatural unions taking place being supernatural beings and women. It is probable that the master plan of Satan was for his angelic beings (demons) to infect the genetic race with their corrupt nature. This would have been effective in stifling the coming Salvation of Jesus since demon possession would have been rampant and possibly even infected the lineage of Christ.
We know the spirits Peter is speaking of here existed during this corrupt time of Noah. Why would Jesus go down and preach to them? From what we see in Scripture, I believe this was not as much preaching but more what the NASB translates as “proclaiming.” In completing His mission and triumphing over evil, I believe Jesus went down to proclaim his victory to these evil spirits. It could have been a message of final judgment and condemnation based on His authority and power as the Son of God, the slaughtered lamb who atoned for all sin.
“Consequently, Christians can confidently stand up to hostility and bear a courageous witness (1Pe 4:1-6), knowing that they will be vindicated just as Christ was.”
IVP New Testament Commentary