Jesus' descent into hell - Revision history

PeterDuffy: Marked this version for translation

2025-10-03T19:47:34Z

Marked this version for translation

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:47, 3 October 2025
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	[[File:Descent into Hell 1933.jpg\|thumb\|<translate>''Descent into Hell'', Nicholas Roerich (1933)</translate>]]		[[File:Descent into Hell 1933.jpg\|thumb\|<translate><!--T:24--> ''Descent into Hell'', Nicholas Roerich (1933)</translate>]]

	<translate>		<translate>

PeterDuffy at 19:47, 3 October 2025

2025-10-03T19:47:16Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:47, 3 October 2025
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	<!--T:8-->		<!--T:8-->
	<blockquote>... the fate of those who had died before the gospel was preached.... Christ went down “in the spirit,” says Peter, into Hades,... in order to offer salvation to sinners who had died without hearing the gospel and getting a chance to repent.... In the apocryphal Gospel According to St. Peter (ca. <small>A</small>.<small>D</small>. 130), among the wonders attending the [[Crucifixion]] we read the question, “Hast thou preached to those who have fallen asleep?” To which the answer was heard from the Cross, “Yes.” And in the Middle Ages the harrowing of hell was a common theme in popular poetry and theology.<ref>''The Interpreter's Bible'', 12 vols. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), 12:132, 133.</ref></blockquote>		<blockquote>... the fate of those who had died before the gospel was preached.... Christ went down “in the spirit,” says Peter, into Hades,... in order to offer salvation to sinners who had died without hearing the gospel and getting a chance to repent.... In the apocryphal Gospel According to St. Peter (ca. <small>A</small>.<small>D</small>. 130), among the wonders attending the [[Crucifixion]] we read the question, “Hast thou preached to those who have fallen asleep?” To which the answer was heard from the Cross, “Yes.” And in the Middle Ages the harrowing of hell was a common theme in popular poetry and theology.<ref>''The Interpreter's Bible'', 12 vols. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), 12:132, 133.</ref></blockquote>
			</translate>

	== Jesus’ account of this event == <!--T:9-->		[[File:Descent into Hell 1933.jpg\|thumb\|<translate>''Descent into Hell'', Nicholas Roerich (1933)</translate>]]

			<translate>
			== The Ascended Master Jesus’ account of this event == <!--T:9-->

	<!--T:10-->		<!--T:10-->

PeterDuffy at 21:19, 2 December 2023

2023-12-02T21:19:16Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:19, 2 December 2023
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	<!--T:14-->		<!--T:14-->
	<blockquote>When you determine to be a world server with Jesus, with [[Nada]], with [[Uriel and Aurora]], take heed. For you serve at the point where mankind create turbulence and turmoil and dark rhythms.~~</blockquote>~~		<blockquote>
			When you determine to be a world server with Jesus, with [[Nada]], with [[Uriel and Aurora]], take heed. For you serve at the point where mankind create turbulence and turmoil and dark rhythms.

	<!--T:15-->		<!--T:15-->
	~~<blockquote>~~This is why Jesus descended into the astral plane in order to preach to these lower forms of life. This is not only the requirement of those who ascend (because it is a requirement of passing through the sixth ray), but it is the mark of the Piscean conqueror. And this is what you shall be—sons and daughters of dominion of the water element bearing the cross of Christ, bearing that cross in that [[solar-plexus chakra]], destined to be the purple and gold of the [[Elohim]].~~</blockquote>~~		This is why Jesus descended into the astral plane in order to preach to these lower forms of life. This is not only the requirement of those who ascend (because it is a requirement of passing through the sixth ray), but it is the mark of the Piscean conqueror. And this is what you shall be—sons and daughters of dominion of the water element bearing the cross of Christ, bearing that cross in that [[solar-plexus chakra]], destined to be the purple and gold of the [[Elohim]].

	<!--T:16-->		<!--T:16-->
	~~<blockquote>~~Thus every thrust of fire, every momentum of victory in the heart rises to the throat for release in the sacred Word and then descends to the solar plexus to turn back the tides of darkness. This is the momentum that you have generated by your devotion. This is the momentum you must keep. This is the mystery that I show you and that I show the saints ascended and those in the [[etheric plane]] serving on the sixth ray, who are taking their initiations.~~</blockquote>~~		Thus every thrust of fire, every momentum of victory in the heart rises to the throat for release in the sacred Word and then descends to the solar plexus to turn back the tides of darkness. This is the momentum that you have generated by your devotion. This is the momentum you must keep. This is the mystery that I show you and that I show the saints ascended and those in the [[etheric plane]] serving on the sixth ray, who are taking their initiations.

	<!--T:17-->		<!--T:17-->
	~~<blockquote>~~These souls carry torches, and they descend wearing robes of white. They pass through a dark tunnel, one which would remind you of the catacombs where the early Christians fled, where all is night and blackness. It is a dark tunnel, as though it goes into the very bowels of the earth. These souls descend carrying the flame that you have invoked, the flame of ministration and service. They are allowed to descend into the astral plane because you hold the balance and the fulcrum in the physical plane through your decrees and invocations.~~</blockquote>~~		These souls carry torches, and they descend wearing robes of white. They pass through a dark tunnel, one which would remind you of the catacombs where the early Christians fled, where all is night and blackness. It is a dark tunnel, as though it goes into the very bowels of the earth. These souls descend carrying the flame that you have invoked, the flame of ministration and service. They are allowed to descend into the astral plane because you hold the balance and the fulcrum in the physical plane through your decrees and invocations.

	<!--T:18-->		<!--T:18-->
	~~<blockquote>~~And why do they descend into the astral plane and why do they carry torches? Not only do they do so to light their way, but they use the torches to find the children of God who are lost in these caverns, in these caves that are wet and dark—children of God who have been lost between embodiments, lost for hundreds of years who were taken there as in the worst horror movies that you could imagine, far beyond those that have been created upon earth.~~</blockquote>~~		And why do they descend into the astral plane and why do they carry torches? Not only do they do so to light their way, but they use the torches to find the children of God who are lost in these caverns, in these caves that are wet and dark—children of God who have been lost between embodiments, lost for hundreds of years who were taken there as in the worst horror movies that you could imagine, far beyond those that have been created upon earth.

	<!--T:19-->		<!--T:19-->
	~~<blockquote>~~These are souls of light, children of light who have been kidnapped by the fallen ones, and it is the ministration of the Christed ones to descend deeper and deeper into the astral plane in order to rescue the children of light, to draw them up again into the light of day and into the dawn of the Christ and the victory of the Mother. So these Christed ones are going forth into the astral plane this night because you have cared enough to keep the flame.<ref>Saint Germain, “The Mark of the Piscean Conqueror,” Part 1, {{POWref\|62\|31\|, August 15, 2019}}</ref></blockquote>		These are souls of light, children of light who have been kidnapped by the fallen ones, and it is the ministration of the Christed ones to descend deeper and deeper into the astral plane in order to rescue the children of light, to draw them up again into the light of day and into the dawn of the Christ and the victory of the Mother. So these Christed ones are going forth into the astral plane this night because you have cared enough to keep the flame.<ref>Saint Germain, “The Mark of the Piscean Conqueror,” Part 1, {{POWref\|62\|31\|, August 15, 2019}}</ref>
			</blockquote>

	== See also == <!--T:20-->		== See also == <!--T:20-->

PeterDuffy: typos

2021-10-12T03:21:20Z

typos

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:21, 12 October 2021
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	<!--T:5-->		<!--T:5-->
	In his exegesis on this verse in ''The ~~Interpreter's~~ Bible'', Achibald M. Hunter points out that		In his exegesis on this verse in ''The Interpreter’s Bible'', Achibald M. Hunter points out that

	<!--T:6-->		<!--T:6-->
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	<!--T:16-->		<!--T:16-->
	<blockquote>Thus every thrust of fire, every momentum of victory in the heart rises to the throat for release in the sacred Word and then descends to the solar plexus to turn back the tides of darkness. This is the momentum that you have generated by your devotion. This is the momentum you must keep. This is the mystery that I show you and that I show the saints ascended and those in the [[etheric plane]]serving on the sixth ray, who are taking their initiations.</blockquote>		<blockquote>Thus every thrust of fire, every momentum of victory in the heart rises to the throat for release in the sacred Word and then descends to the solar plexus to turn back the tides of darkness. This is the momentum that you have generated by your devotion. This is the momentum you must keep. This is the mystery that I show you and that I show the saints ascended and those in the [[etheric plane]] serving on the sixth ray, who are taking their initiations.</blockquote>

	<!--T:17-->		<!--T:17-->

Pduffy: Marked this version for translation

2021-04-02T18:15:34Z

Marked this version for translation

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:15, 2 April 2021
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	<languages />		<languages />
	[[File:Harrowhell.jpg\|thumb\|<translate>Harrowing of Hell, from ''Petites Heures of Jean de France'', Duc de Berry, folio 166 (14th cent.)</translate>]]		[[File:Harrowhell.jpg\|thumb\|<translate><!--T:1--> Harrowing of Hell, from ''Petites Heures of Jean de France'', Duc de Berry, folio 166 (14th cent.)</translate>]]

	<translate>		<translate>
			<!--T:2-->
	It is a Christian belief that between his crucifixion and resurrection '''[[Jesus]] descended into hell''', where he preached and brought salvation to souls imprisoned there. Christian tradition states that this was not “hell” as the state of eternal punishment for sin but a realm where all the dead abided.		It is a Christian belief that between his crucifixion and resurrection '''[[Jesus]] descended into hell''', where he preached and brought salvation to souls imprisoned there. Christian tradition states that this was not “hell” as the state of eternal punishment for sin but a realm where all the dead abided.

	== Christian theology ==		== Christian theology == <!--T:3-->

			<!--T:4-->
	The tradition of Jesus’ triumphant descent into hell, also called the “harrowing of hell,” became a part of the Church’s theology as affirmed in the Apostles’ Creed, the statement of the fundamental tenets of Christian belief that in its earliest form can be traced back to the second century. The Roman Catholic version of the creed states that Jesus “was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead.” I Pet. 3:19 states that Christ “preached unto the spirits in prison.”		The tradition of Jesus’ triumphant descent into hell, also called the “harrowing of hell,” became a part of the Church’s theology as affirmed in the Apostles’ Creed, the statement of the fundamental tenets of Christian belief that in its earliest form can be traced back to the second century. The Roman Catholic version of the creed states that Jesus “was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead.” I Pet. 3:19 states that Christ “preached unto the spirits in prison.”

			<!--T:5-->
	In his exegesis on this verse in ''The Interpreter's Bible'', Achibald M. Hunter points out that		In his exegesis on this verse in ''The Interpreter's Bible'', Achibald M. Hunter points out that

			<!--T:6-->
	<blockquote>Exegetes have differed about the interpretation of every word.... The simplest meaning is that our Lord descended between his passion and [[resurrection]], to preach to certain spirits imprisoned in Hades.... But who were the imprisoned spirits? Just possibly the [[fallen angel]]s of Gen. 6:1–4. Much more probably Peter meant the spirits of the rebellious generation who perished in the [[Flood]].</blockquote>		<blockquote>Exegetes have differed about the interpretation of every word.... The simplest meaning is that our Lord descended between his passion and [[resurrection]], to preach to certain spirits imprisoned in Hades.... But who were the imprisoned spirits? Just possibly the [[fallen angel]]s of Gen. 6:1–4. Much more probably Peter meant the spirits of the rebellious generation who perished in the [[Flood]].</blockquote>

			<!--T:7-->
	Hunter says that the early Christians may also have been concerned about		Hunter says that the early Christians may also have been concerned about

			<!--T:8-->
	<blockquote>... the fate of those who had died before the gospel was preached.... Christ went down “in the spirit,” says Peter, into Hades,... in order to offer salvation to sinners who had died without hearing the gospel and getting a chance to repent.... In the apocryphal Gospel According to St. Peter (ca. <small>A</small>.<small>D</small>. 130), among the wonders attending the [[Crucifixion]] we read the question, “Hast thou preached to those who have fallen asleep?” To which the answer was heard from the Cross, “Yes.” And in the Middle Ages the harrowing of hell was a common theme in popular poetry and theology.<ref>''The Interpreter's Bible'', 12 vols. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), 12:132, 133.</ref></blockquote>		<blockquote>... the fate of those who had died before the gospel was preached.... Christ went down “in the spirit,” says Peter, into Hades,... in order to offer salvation to sinners who had died without hearing the gospel and getting a chance to repent.... In the apocryphal Gospel According to St. Peter (ca. <small>A</small>.<small>D</small>. 130), among the wonders attending the [[Crucifixion]] we read the question, “Hast thou preached to those who have fallen asleep?” To which the answer was heard from the Cross, “Yes.” And in the Middle Ages the harrowing of hell was a common theme in popular poetry and theology.<ref>''The Interpreter's Bible'', 12 vols. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), 12:132, 133.</ref></blockquote>

	== Jesus’ account of this event ==		== Jesus’ account of this event == <!--T:9-->

			<!--T:10-->
	In a dictation delivered on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1969, through the Messenger [[Mark L. Prophet]], Jesus said he had come to exhort us with the same sermon he had preached to		In a dictation delivered on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1969, through the Messenger [[Mark L. Prophet]], Jesus said he had come to exhort us with the same sermon he had preached to

			<!--T:11-->
	<blockquote>... the rebellious spirits that in the days of [[Noah]] were disobedient unto God.... I preached and repreached and spoke again and again to each soul that I could find there who was in chains of bondage and despair. Many gazed upon me with dullness in their eyes, the dullness of despair, the centuries of timeworn care and fear and doubt. The very light of God seemed to them [to be] put out and I sought to rekindle it then as I do today to rekindle it in you God’s way.</blockquote>		<blockquote>... the rebellious spirits that in the days of [[Noah]] were disobedient unto God.... I preached and repreached and spoke again and again to each soul that I could find there who was in chains of bondage and despair. Many gazed upon me with dullness in their eyes, the dullness of despair, the centuries of timeworn care and fear and doubt. The very light of God seemed to them [to be] put out and I sought to rekindle it then as I do today to rekindle it in you God’s way.</blockquote>

	== A requirement for all who would ascend ==		== A requirement for all who would ascend == <!--T:12-->

			<!--T:13-->
	In a dictation on June 19, 1975, [[Saint Germain]] spoke about the calling of [[Keepers of the Flame]] to be a part of this continuing mission to reach souls caught in the astral plane:		In a dictation on June 19, 1975, [[Saint Germain]] spoke about the calling of [[Keepers of the Flame]] to be a part of this continuing mission to reach souls caught in the astral plane:

			<!--T:14-->
	<blockquote>When you determine to be a world server with Jesus, with [[Nada]], with [[Uriel and Aurora]], take heed. For you serve at the point where mankind create turbulence and turmoil and dark rhythms.</blockquote>		<blockquote>When you determine to be a world server with Jesus, with [[Nada]], with [[Uriel and Aurora]], take heed. For you serve at the point where mankind create turbulence and turmoil and dark rhythms.</blockquote>

			<!--T:15-->
	<blockquote>This is why Jesus descended into the astral plane in order to preach to these lower forms of life. This is not only the requirement of those who ascend (because it is a requirement of passing through the sixth ray), but it is the mark of the Piscean conqueror. And this is what you shall be—sons and daughters of dominion of the water element bearing the cross of Christ, bearing that cross in that [[solar-plexus chakra]], destined to be the purple and gold of the [[Elohim]].</blockquote>		<blockquote>This is why Jesus descended into the astral plane in order to preach to these lower forms of life. This is not only the requirement of those who ascend (because it is a requirement of passing through the sixth ray), but it is the mark of the Piscean conqueror. And this is what you shall be—sons and daughters of dominion of the water element bearing the cross of Christ, bearing that cross in that [[solar-plexus chakra]], destined to be the purple and gold of the [[Elohim]].</blockquote>

			<!--T:16-->
	<blockquote>Thus every thrust of fire, every momentum of victory in the heart rises to the throat for release in the sacred Word and then descends to the solar plexus to turn back the tides of darkness. This is the momentum that you have generated by your devotion. This is the momentum you must keep. This is the mystery that I show you and that I show the saints ascended and those in the [[etheric plane]]serving on the sixth ray, who are taking their initiations.</blockquote>		<blockquote>Thus every thrust of fire, every momentum of victory in the heart rises to the throat for release in the sacred Word and then descends to the solar plexus to turn back the tides of darkness. This is the momentum that you have generated by your devotion. This is the momentum you must keep. This is the mystery that I show you and that I show the saints ascended and those in the [[etheric plane]]serving on the sixth ray, who are taking their initiations.</blockquote>

			<!--T:17-->
	<blockquote>These souls carry torches, and they descend wearing robes of white. They pass through a dark tunnel, one which would remind you of the catacombs where the early Christians fled, where all is night and blackness. It is a dark tunnel, as though it goes into the very bowels of the earth. These souls descend carrying the flame that you have invoked, the flame of ministration and service. They are allowed to descend into the astral plane because you hold the balance and the fulcrum in the physical plane through your decrees and invocations.</blockquote>		<blockquote>These souls carry torches, and they descend wearing robes of white. They pass through a dark tunnel, one which would remind you of the catacombs where the early Christians fled, where all is night and blackness. It is a dark tunnel, as though it goes into the very bowels of the earth. These souls descend carrying the flame that you have invoked, the flame of ministration and service. They are allowed to descend into the astral plane because you hold the balance and the fulcrum in the physical plane through your decrees and invocations.</blockquote>

			<!--T:18-->
	<blockquote>And why do they descend into the astral plane and why do they carry torches? Not only do they do so to light their way, but they use the torches to find the children of God who are lost in these caverns, in these caves that are wet and dark—children of God who have been lost between embodiments, lost for hundreds of years who were taken there as in the worst horror movies that you could imagine, far beyond those that have been created upon earth.</blockquote>		<blockquote>And why do they descend into the astral plane and why do they carry torches? Not only do they do so to light their way, but they use the torches to find the children of God who are lost in these caverns, in these caves that are wet and dark—children of God who have been lost between embodiments, lost for hundreds of years who were taken there as in the worst horror movies that you could imagine, far beyond those that have been created upon earth.</blockquote>

			<!--T:19-->
	<blockquote>These are souls of light, children of light who have been kidnapped by the fallen ones, and it is the ministration of the Christed ones to descend deeper and deeper into the astral plane in order to rescue the children of light, to draw them up again into the light of day and into the dawn of the Christ and the victory of the Mother. So these Christed ones are going forth into the astral plane this night because you have cared enough to keep the flame.<ref>Saint Germain, “The Mark of the Piscean Conqueror,” Part 1, {{POWref\|62\|31\|, August 15, 2019}}</ref></blockquote>		<blockquote>These are souls of light, children of light who have been kidnapped by the fallen ones, and it is the ministration of the Christed ones to descend deeper and deeper into the astral plane in order to rescue the children of light, to draw them up again into the light of day and into the dawn of the Christ and the victory of the Mother. So these Christed ones are going forth into the astral plane this night because you have cared enough to keep the flame.<ref>Saint Germain, “The Mark of the Piscean Conqueror,” Part 1, {{POWref\|62\|31\|, August 15, 2019}}</ref></blockquote>

	== See also ==		== See also == <!--T:20-->

			<!--T:21-->
	[[Crucifixion]]		[[Crucifixion]]

	== Sources ==		== Sources == <!--T:22-->

			<!--T:23-->
	{{POWref\|32\|23\|, June 4, 1989}}		{{POWref\|32\|23\|, June 4, 1989}}
	</translate>		</translate>

	<references />		<references />

Pduffy at 18:15, 2 April 2021

2021-04-02T18:15:19Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:15, 2 April 2021
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	[[File:Harrowhell.jpg\|thumb\|Harrowing of Hell, from ''Petites Heures of Jean de France'', Duc de Berry, folio 166 (14th cent.)]]		<languages />
			[[File:Harrowhell.jpg\|thumb\|<translate>Harrowing of Hell, from ''Petites Heures of Jean de France'', Duc de Berry, folio 166 (14th cent.)</translate>]]

			<translate>
	It is a Christian belief that between his crucifixion and resurrection '''[[Jesus]] descended into hell''', where he preached and brought salvation to souls imprisoned there. Christian tradition states that this was not “hell” as the state of eternal punishment for sin but a realm where all the dead abided.		It is a Christian belief that between his crucifixion and resurrection '''[[Jesus]] descended into hell''', where he preached and brought salvation to souls imprisoned there. Christian tradition states that this was not “hell” as the state of eternal punishment for sin but a realm where all the dead abided.

Line 44:		Line 46:

	{{POWref\|32\|23\|, June 4, 1989}}		{{POWref\|32\|23\|, June 4, 1989}}
			</translate>

	<references />		<references />

Pduffy at 19:43, 30 March 2021

2021-03-30T19:43:34Z

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 It is a Christian belief that between his crucifixion and resurrection '''[[Jesus]] descended into hell''', where he preached and brought salvation to souls imprisoned there. Christian tradition states that this was not “hell” as the state of eternal punishment for sin but a realm where all the dead abided.
 The tradition of Jesus’ triumphant descent into hell, also called the “harrowing of hell,” became a part of the Church’s theology as affirmed in the Apostles’ Creed, the statement of the fundamental tenets of Christian belief that in its earliest form can be traced back to the second century. The Roman Catholic version of the creed states that Jesus “was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead.” I Pet. 3:19 states that Christ “preached unto the spirits in prison.”
@@ Line 12: / Line 14: @@
 <blockquote>... the fate of those who had died before the gospel was preached.... Christ went down “in the spirit,” says Peter, into Hades,... in order to offer salvation to sinners who had died without hearing the gospel and getting a chance to repent.... In the apocryphal Gospel According to St. Peter (ca. <small>A</small>.<small>D</small>. 130), among the wonders attending the [[Crucifixion]] we read the question, “Hast thou preached to those who have fallen asleep?” To which the answer was heard from the Cross, “Yes.” And in the Middle Ages the harrowing of hell was a common theme in popular poetry and theology.<ref>''The Interpreter's Bible'', 12 vols. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), 12:132, 133.</ref></blockquote>
 In a dictation delivered on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1969, through the Messenger [[Mark L. Prophet]], Jesus said he had come to exhort us with the same sermon he had preached to
 <blockquote>... the rebellious spirits that in the days of [[Noah]] were disobedient unto God.... I preached and repreached and spoke again and again to each soul that I could find there who was in chains of bondage and despair. Many gazed upon me with dullness in their eyes, the dullness of despair, the centuries of timeworn care and fear and doubt. The very light of God seemed to them [to be] put out and I sought to rekindle it then as I do today to rekindle it in you God’s way.</blockquote>
 == Sources ==

Pduffy: Created page with "Harrowing of Hell, from ''Petites Heures of Jean de France'', Duc de Berry, folio 166 (14th cent.) It is a Christian belief that between his cru..."

2021-03-21T18:15:21Z

Created page with "thumb|Harrowing of Hell, from ''Petites Heures of Jean de France'', Duc de Berry, folio 166 (14th cent.) It is a Christian belief that between his cru..."

New page

[[File:Harrowhell.jpg|thumb|Harrowing of Hell, from ''Petites Heures of Jean de France'', Duc de Berry, folio 166 (14th cent.)]]

It is a Christian belief that between his crucifixion and resurrection '''[[Jesus]] descended into hell''', where he preached and brought salvation to souls imprisoned there. Christian tradition states that this was not “hell” as the state of eternal punishment for sin but a realm where all the dead abided.

The tradition of Jesus’ triumphant descent into hell, also called the “harrowing of hell,” became a part of the Church’s theology as affirmed in the Apostles’ Creed, the statement of the fundamental tenets of Christian belief that in its earliest form can be traced back to the second century. The Roman Catholic version of the creed states that Jesus “was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead.” I Pet. 3:19 states that Christ “preached unto the spirits in prison.”

In his exegesis on this verse in ''The Interpreter's Bible'', Achibald M. Hunter points out that

<blockquote>Exegetes have differed about the interpretation of every word.... The simplest meaning is that our Lord descended between his passion and [[resurrection]], to preach to certain spirits imprisoned in Hades.... But who were the imprisoned spirits? Just possibly the [[fallen angel]]s of Gen. 6:1–4. Much more probably Peter meant the spirits of the rebellious generation who perished in the [[Flood]].</blockquote>

Hunter says that the early Christians may also have been concerned about

<blockquote>... the fate of those who had died before the gospel was preached.... Christ went down “in the spirit,” says Peter, into Hades,... in order to offer salvation to sinners who had died without hearing the gospel and getting a chance to repent.... In the apocryphal Gospel According to St. Peter (ca. <small>A</small>.<small>D</small>. 130), among the wonders attending the [[Crucifixion]] we read the question, “Hast thou preached to those who have fallen asleep?” To which the answer was heard from the Cross, “Yes.” And in the Middle Ages the harrowing of hell was a common theme in popular poetry and theology.<ref>''The Interpreter's Bible'', 12 vols. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), 12:132, 133.</ref></blockquote>

In a dictation delivered on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1969, through the Messenger [[Mark L. Prophet]], Jesus said he had come to exhort us with the same sermon he had preached to

<blockquote>... the rebellious spirits that in the days of [[Noah]] were disobedient unto God.... I preached and repreached and spoke again and again to each soul that I could find there who was in chains of bondage and despair. Many gazed upon me with dullness in their eyes, the dullness of despair, the centuries of timeworn care and fear and doubt. The very light of God seemed to them [to be] put out and I sought to rekindle it then as I do today to rekindle it in you God’s way.</blockquote>

== Sources ==

{{POWref|32|23|, June 4, 1989}}

<references />