Posted by Khew Chee Keong (202.166.126.232) on March 08, 2003 at 21:39:16:
In Reply to: Meaning of spirits in prison in 1 Peter 3:19 posted by Khew Chee Keong on March 07, 2003 at 19:48:05:
Hi, Elder Yong. Something to add on to my obervations previously. I continue to read on to Chapter 4 of 1 Peter and found out that verse 5-6 sort of affirm my observation that the spirits in prisons are really prisoners down in cell.
It mentioned that even the dead had the Gospel been spread to them and that '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'
Some proposed that the dead are actually dead Christians while other propose that the dead are those dead in spirit. I somewhat do not agree on the second proposal.
Here are my views:
1) It says that '..live according to God in the spirit' If those are dead in spirit, then it couldn't have live according to God in the spirit.
2) Yes, the prisoners are in fact judged according to men in the flesh as they committed crime but if they accepted the Gospel spread to them by the Apostles as i mentioned in the earlier discussion, then their spirit truly live according to God. Just like the robber besides Jesus Christ..
3) 1 Peter is written in around A.D 60s and it is somewhere near to when Apostle Paul is imprisoned in Romans and the believers are undergoing persecution spreading the Gospels.. so i believe that it is linked. Do correct me if i am wrong.
Thanks. :)
God Bless,
zhiqiang