1 Peter 3:18-20 (ESV), 18 “For 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, 19 in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because they formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared,…”
Who were the spirits in prison?
These fallen angels mingled with women, producing the giant "Nephilim," an unauthorized hybrid human/angelic race, resulting in violence and suffering. After the flood, they were restrained and unable to materialize, but they are still active, waiting for judgment and attempting to possess, manipulate and deceive living people. Genesis 6:2,4 (ESV), 2 “the sons of God (the disobedient angels) saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. ... 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”
When the flood came, all humans (except Noah’s family of eight people) drowned, as did all the Nephilim. However, the fallen angels simply rid themselves of fleshly bodies. They did not drown. They returned to their natural state as spirit beings. God chose to punish Satan and these demons by confining them with chains of darkness. (We believe that to mean being restricted within the earth’s atmosphere, but there is direct scripture on that, but their leader, Satan, is described as the “prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2.) Jude 1:6 (CSB), “and the angels who did not keep their own position but abandoned their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deep darkness for the judgment on the great day.”
How did Jesus preach to the fallen angels?
Jesus preached to the spirits both before and after his resurrection. During the 3 and 1/2 years of his earthly ministry, Jesus’ holiness, love and compassion for degenerate men must have astonished these angels. Then when he voluntarily died on the cross, that “living sermon” clearly showed his supreme love for God and man.
After Jesus’ resurrection, he spent 40 days on earth before he ascended to heaven. He reassured and comforted his disciples during this time, and it is reasonable that he could have gone to the spirit realm, to tartaroo (2 Peter 2:4), to preach to the repentant, imprisoned angels. He may have given them instruction and hope as to how they might change to be reinstated to their holy status during the time period of judgment day. We don’t know. Yet, Isaiah wrote, “For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’” Isaiah 57:15 (KJV)
This Greek word tartaroo refers to a concept found only once in the Bible, in 2 Peter 2:4. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance #5020 indicates it is actually a verb, not a physical place. Therefore, it is described as an action or a condition of being incarcerated or restrained. It describes the action of casting down rebellious spirit beings (angels who sinned) from heaven. These angels were cast into a condition of darkness and limitation. It represents the action of being held in dark restraints. In the context of 2 Peter 2:4, the sinful angels are described as being in "pits of darkness" or "chains of thick gloom," reserved for judgment. This means they were cut off from heavenly communication and the light of God, experiencing spiritual disfellowship.
Tartaroo is sometimes translated as “hell” or “tartarus.” However, it is distinct from other biblical terms for the state of being dead, such as hades or gehenna.
Additional Resource:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1305: “How Do Satanic Demons Influence Our World?”
Establishing the origin, power and methods of dark spiritual beings
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