It sounds like you are looking for Ellen White's interpretation of the passages in Peter. Let's look a little at that. I really do have an affinity for viewing things in table form, so pardon me as I post more HTML (which you may not wish to quote in your post(s)).

Ellen White's Remarks on the "Spirits in Prison" Passage
Reference	Text	EGW Comments
1 Peter 3:18-20	For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.	Like the angels, the dwellers in Eden had been placed upon probation; their happy estate could be retained only on condition of fidelity to the Creator's law. They could obey and live, or disobey and perish. God had made them the recipients of rich blessings; but should they disregard His will, He who spared not the angels that sinned, could not spare them; transgression would forfeit His gifts and bring upon them misery and ruin. {PP 53.1} In consequence of Adam's transgression, sin was introduced into the fair world that God had created, and men and women became more and still more bold in disobeying His law. The Lord looked down upon the impenitent world, and decided that He must give transgressors an exhibition of His power. He caused Noah to know His purpose, and instructed him to warn the people while building an ark in which the obedient could find shelter until God's indignation was overpast. For one hundred and twenty years Noah proclaimed the message of warning to the antediluvian world; but only a few repented. Some of the carpenters he employed in building the ark, believed the message, but died before the flood; others of Noah's converts backslid. The righteous on the earth were but few, and only eight lived to enter the ark. These were Noah and his family. {FE 504.2} It was not Christ's mission to exalt himself as an astrologer. His work was with sinful human beings, whom he came to save from hopeless woe and misery. The angel that foretold his birth declared, "Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." And more than six hundred years before, he himself had declared: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." This was his mission. {YI, March 21, 1901 par. 6}

I didn't find any statement of Mrs. White directly referencing Peter's words, but there are countless that speak of the things which Peter spoke of; namely, the Flood, the antediluvians, the captives to sin, and the spirits of men, angels, and God. The there statements I posted above touch on these topics.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Yes, I noticed that. We were typing at the same time and posted 4 minutes apart. This is a type of double witness.

Blessed Sabbath, brother!

Brother Rick, Happy Sabbath.

If I may draw your attention to the perspective of your quote...

Peter is speaking of Jesus in past tense.

"1 Peter 3:18-20 (KJV)
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring (future tense) us to God..."

There is no suffering after death, so the perspective must be the suffering He endured before physically dying.

Christ, the just, suffered so He could bring us to God, this much is obvious, but who is the next verse talking about?

"being put to death in the flesh , but quickened by the Spirit".

Since there is no differentiation made between the two parties in the verse before, this must be talking about both parties.

In other words It is both Christ and us that is being put to death in the flesh and quickened by the Spirit.

19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison..."

So if this is taken to it's fullest intent, we are seeing that God is using us to teach other prisoners. Jesus died on the cross so we can die to the flesh receiving full conversion for our souls, empowered unto new life. Jesus is as much a part of those moments that lead to others being converted as He was on the cross. So He visits men in prison through His followers throughout history all the way back before the flood.

The same spirit that quickened Jesus in His resurrection, brings quickening to our souls in this prison of fallen life. He sends us His Spirit to set us free and quicken us at our resurrection or translation.

Here we see the intent of this passage. Peter is trying to draw our attention to the quickening of the Spirit that Jesus received which He wants to give us poor prisoners in the material world of the flesh, releasing us from slavery to sin.

We do not see this passage in the right light because very few see it as God wants us to see it. Most people look at this scripture and immediately go down the path of seeing death as the prison, and they get confused and tricked in to believing Ghosts.

It is true that death is the penalty of sin, though it is second death that we need to fear most. But the fact that we are all physically in the prison of mortality from birth to death in this life is not even contemplated. We are under probation in a mortal body and do not have the robe of righteous light. The thought does not cross most men's minds to see this from the perspective of where Adam fell from. They normalize the perspective and our fallen nature becomes the standardized inescapable reality, and this hinders faith.

This is a good study. I was woken up in the night with this perspective on these thoughts.

Well if you look at Amazing Facts explanation of Peters second repetition of the motif, they now see it is as fallen angels and speak to that...

'Angels Cast Down to Hell (2 Peter 2:4)

(The Bible repeatedly speaks of hell and hell-fire, and of the wicked going down into hell when they die. This proves the conscious state of the dead.)

The simple way to answer this objection is to examine the use of the word "hell" throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, "hell" is always translated from the Hebrew word sheol, which means simply "the unseen state.” (See Young's Analytical Concordance.) The idea of fire or punishment is not found in the word. We read, "Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly. . . . out of the belly of hell [sheol] cried I" Jonah 2:1,2. It would be difficult to imagine anything akin to fire in connection with a cold sea monster. The marginal reading of this text gives "the grave" as the translation of hell, or sheol.

Sheol is very frequently translated "grave." Both good and bad go there. "What man is he that lives, and shall not see death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave [sheol]?" Ps. 89:48. The godly man job said, "If 1 wait, the grave [sheol] is mine house." job 17:13. The psalmist wrote,” The wicked shall be turned into hell [sheol]." Ps. 9:17. In the New Testament the word "hell" * is translated from the three following Greek words:

1. Once from the root tartaros, which means "a dark abyss." (See Liddell and Scott's Greek Lexicon.) This word is used in connection with the casting out of the evil angels from heaven down into "darkness." There is no idea of fire or torment in the word. The passage specifically declares that these angels are "reserved unto judgment." It is a future event. (See 2 Peter 2:4; Rev. 12:7-10.) Following are the New Testament references where the word "hell" is used:
1.From tartaros, 2 Peter 2:4.
2.From hades, Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; Rev. 1:18; 6:13; 20:13 14.
3.From Gehenna, Matt. 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5. James 3:6.
2. Ten times from hades, which means "the nether world, the grave, death.” (See Liddell and Scott's Greek Lexicon.) Hades describes the same place as sheol. This is evident from these two facts: 1.The Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, almost without exception, uses hades as the translation of sheol.
2.In quoting the Old Testament prophecy regarding Christ: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [sheol]," the New Testament writer gives, "hell [hades]." (See Ps. 16: 10; Acts 2:27.)
When the word "hell," translated from hades, appears in the New Testament, the reader should not understand it to mean the exclusive abode of the wicked or a place of fire and brimstone, because: 1.The primary definition of hades, as already noted, does not demand such an understanding of the word.
2.We have shown that the Old Testament speaks of the righteous as well as the wicked going down to sheol. We have also shown that hades describes the same place or state. Did the ancient patriarchs go down into a place of flames?
3.The New Testament speaks of Christ's being in hades. (See Acts 2:27.) In order to be consistent, most of those who believe in the doctrine of disembodied souls and present-burning hell-fire, feel forced to interpret this text in Acts to mean that Christ's disembodied soul went down into hellfire when He died on the cross, though at other times they endeavor to prove from Luke 23:43, 46 that Christ went up to God when He died. Both positions certainly cannot be right. The fact is that neither is correct.
Under objection 85, we showed that Luke 23:43 is wrongly interpreted. The interpretation of Acts 2:27 is equally false. As Christ died He cried out, "It is finished." His dying completed His suffering to save mankind. The erroneous ideas held by most theologians as to hell and hades have caused them their perplexity when reading this text in Acts. They cannot understand why Christ should descend into hell fire.
Though a believer in soul immortality, Albert Barnes, the eminent Presbyterian commentator, boldly disposes of the difficulty by discarding in this text the lurid value which theology has given to the word hades. He remarks: "The Greek word hades means literally a place devoid of light, a dark, obscure abode." In view of this he explains Acts 2:27 thus: "The meaning is simply, Thou wilt not leave Me AMONG THE DEAD.” (Emphasis his.) Incidentally he reminds his readers that the original word for soul may be understood to mean "the individual himself." That is why Barnes renders "My soul" by "Me."

Thus we may view Acts 2:27 as proving that hades means simply the abode of the dead, even though righteous, and thus in no way connected with fire or torment. We conclude thus also from 1 Corinthians 15:55, where the word "grave- is a translation of hades, and describes that over which the righteous are finally victorious at the resurrection. Incidentally, 1 Corinthians 15:55 is a quotation from the Old Testament (Hosea 13:14), where we find the equivalent word sheol employed. In one other text the translators of the King James Version indicated that "hell" may properly be translated by "grave." In Revelation 20:13, where "hell" is given in the text, the marginal reading is "the grave."
4.The Greek scholars who made the American Revised Version, sensing doubtless that our word "hell" has come to mean a place of fire and torment, did not use it to translate the Greek term hades. Instead, they simply transferred the Greek word hades right into the English. They use the word "hell" to translate a different Greek word, one which we will examine in a moment.
5.Moulton and Milligan, eminent Greek scholars, give this bit of information: "The word [hades] is common on tombstones in Asia Minor."-The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, under "Hades."
We need hardly remark that the bereaved in Greek-speaking Asia Minor would surely not use the word hades on tombstones if it meant what English-speaking people mean by the word "hell." *
3. Twelve times from Gehenna (or, as it is sometimes transliterated, Geenna). This is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Hinnom, the name of a valley near Jerusalem "used as a place to cast carcasses of animals and malefactors, which were consumed by fire constantly kept up.” (See Liddell and Scott's Greek Lexicon.) Thus Gehenna is the only one of those words translated "hell" in the Bible, that has any idea of fire or torment resident in it.

Now in connection with the twelve times Gehenna is used two facts stand out:
1.The "body" as well as the soul is said to be "cast into hell." Twice is the phrase used, "the whole body." (See Matt. 5:29, 30; 10:28.)
2.In not one of the twelve instances does the text tell when the wicked will be "cast into bell." The fiery judgment is simply described as a future event. This takes the whole point out of the objection before us.
However, these two facts contain evidence that this future event does not follow immediately after death. The "whole body is not cast into the flames at death, and there is no suggestion in the texts that the "soul" is cast in at one time and the "body" at another. The immortal-soul doctrine, by defining "soul" as the real man and the body as but a fleshly prison house, really asks us to believe that the real man goes immediately at death to hellfire, and then at some distant future date God raises the body, which has turned to dust, and consigns it to the fires. We avoid such an irrational and un-Scriptural conclusion by understanding the phrase "soul and body" to mean the whole person, viewed physically and mentally in his entirety, “the whole body." But when are persons cast bodily into the judgment fires? At the last great judgment day, when the wicked dead who have been raised, and who have been judged guilty, are "cast into the lake of fire." (See Rev. 20:11-15.)
* The only place in the Bible where fire or torment is coupled with hades is in Luke 16:23. This is in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, which we have already examined. It is an accepted rule in theology that doctrines should not be based upon parables. It is even ore questionable to attempt to discover the real meaning of a word by the setting in which it is placed in a parable or allegory. Note that the wicked are here said to be "cast into" the fire, as though to describe the act of hurling an object into the flames. Note, further, the interesting fact, which is surely more than a mere coincidence in words, that the very same word "cast" (even in the original Greek) is repeatedly used in the various Gehenna texts. In no less than six of these texts we read, "Cast into hell [Gehenna]." (See also Matt. 25:31, 41, as to the time when the wicked are consigned to the judgment flames.)

From all the foregoing we reach the conclusion that the Bible does not support the idea that the wicked go at death into the flames of hell, but that the day when the impenitent objects of God's wrath are "cast into Gehenna" is still in the future.

Answers to Objections, Francis D. Nichol, pp. 182 - 184'

http://www.helltruth.com/q-a/angels-cast-down-to-hell.aspx

From this explanation, it seems that they feel Peter is clearly talking about 'Angels cast down' or fallen angels.

Yes you are right Brother Rick, Gehenna is in the future for those who reject Christ; at the Second Resurrection.

But this reality begs the question; If Jesus suffered everything for us that we would have to suffer if we did not accept Him, then when did Jesus go into hell as we would have to?

He paid that penalty so He had to suffer it, so where was it that Jesus descended into hell as the apostles creed states?

"In the Garden of Gethsemane Christ suffered in man’s stead, and the human nature of the Son of God staggered under the terrible horror of the guilt of sin, until from His pale and quivering lips was forced the agonizing cry, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me”.... Human nature would then and there have died under the horror of the sense of sin, had not an angel from heaven strengthened Him to bear the agony.... Christ was suffering the death that was pronounced upon the transgressors of God’s law. {AG 168.2}

Jesus literally entered into hell for us in Gethsemane. This begins the three days and three nights of his descent into hell for us. This is the Sign of Jonah and it is VERY IMPORTANT!!!

See more here; The Red Heifers Bloody Sweat

James that's a stretch and you’ve added to scriptures. The text refers to Christ only being put to death and quickened by the Spirit and it is the basis of that proclamation which the essence of it is further expanded in v.22.


I have checked all occurrences in the NT using the word prison(phulake, "a guarding or (concretely, guard), the act, the person; figuratively, the place"). None is related to bondage of sin.

In the law of Moses and in the Lord’s prayer, sin is equated to a debt. In the Kingdom of G-d as establish with Israel, when a person owed a debt(sin or a poor stewardship), he was sold as a slave. He was not put into prison, he had to be auctioned off for what he owed(Ex 22:3). The person(employer) buying his debt became the redeemer. So he acquired a worker that he put to work and with time his debt would be paid off or till the Jubilee whichever came first. The concept that you are making that when we’re in sin we are in prison or prisoners is not biblical and cannot be supported in the NT or in the Law of Moses.

It is true that the Bible teach that we are slaves(bond servants) either to sin or to the Lord. Our concept of imprisonment is not the same as the concept of being a slave. And then our concept of slavery is not the same as the Lord’s concept. The Lord did say that he has put in prison (once referred as Tartarus or abyss) the fallen angels aka spirits. However we also know that these spirits still are able to influence man despite they are in that prison. I haven’t studied this indebt, but as many concepts and words, the real definition of this need to be found through scriptures.


I recommend that you get better grounded by studying the Laws of Moses(Torah) where the foundation of all truth is found instead of studying the teachings of men.

Nice try in attempting to vindicate your friend, Doug Batchelor, Point #3. You fell short from what scripture teaches as Doug too. Too bad that supporting a denomination comes in conflict of following the Lord. I like Doug, but this study of his shows who he serves.

James, there’s still his first two points that needs clearing – care to address them?

Oh really? Then why when you look up 1 Peter 3 in the bible commentary it says this...

(1 Peter 3:18-21). God Preached Through Methuselah, Noah, and Others—God granted them one hundred and twenty years of probation, and during that time preached to them through Methuselah, Noah, and many others of His servants. Had they listened to the testimony of these faithful witnesses, had they repented and returned to their loyalty, God would not have destroyed them (The Review and Herald, April 23, 1901). {1BC 1088.4}

"God determined to purify the world by a flood; but in mercy and love He gave the antediluvians a probation of one hundred and twenty years. During this time, while the ark was building, the voices of Noah, Methuselah, and many others were heard in warning and entreaty, and every blow struck on the ark was a warning message (The Review and Herald, September 19, 1907). {1BC 1088.6}

1 Peter 3:18

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[d] 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, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Sorry Elle but you're wrong again and you keep saying its' me that is wrong. I did not add anything to scripture.

When Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit descended upon Him and after He went to be tempted and came out victorious He went into the synagogue and quoted Isaiah saying...

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Luke 4:18

The Holy Spirit was given EXPRESSLY because he was sent to set the captives free from the prison house of death that is ever before us.

"Thus the Saviour ended His instruction. In the name of Christ the chosen twelve went out, as He had gone, “to preach the gospel to the poor, ... to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18, 19. {DA 358.1}



Jesus had to teach the people while they are still alive because the dead know not anything, He did this by sending Methuselah and Noah to warn the world before the flood and this is the whole point of the text in context with the next verse.



You both believe Jesus went into Tartarus to teach the gospel to fallen angels? So you are saying that Jesus went to the fallen angels to teach them the gospel? When the angels fell from heaven that was it, there was no coming back so why would Jesus try to teach them anything?

Show me this in the Spirit of Prophecy.

Both you and Rick have made statements completely at odds with our faith.

It sounds like you are looking for Ellen White's interpretation of the passages in Peter. Let's look a little at that. I really do have an affinity for viewing things in table form, so pardon me as I post more HTML (which you may not wish to quote in your post(s)).

Ellen White's Remarks on the "Spirits in Prison" Passage
Reference	Text	EGW Comments
1 Peter 3:18-20	For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.	Like the angels, the dwellers in Eden had been placed upon probation; their happy estate could be retained only on condition of fidelity to the Creator's law. They could obey and live, or disobey and perish. God had made them the recipients of rich blessings; but should they disregard His will, He who spared not the angels that sinned, could not spare them; transgression would forfeit His gifts and bring upon them misery and ruin. {PP 53.1} In consequence of Adam's transgression, sin was introduced into the fair world that God had created, and men and women became more and still more bold in disobeying His law. The Lord looked down upon the impenitent world, and decided that He must give transgressors an exhibition of His power. He caused Noah to know His purpose, and instructed him to warn the people while building an ark in which the obedient could find shelter until God's indignation was overpast. For one hundred and twenty years Noah proclaimed the message of warning to the antediluvian world; but only a few repented. Some of the carpenters he employed in building the ark, believed the message, but died before the flood; others of Noah's converts backslid. The righteous on the earth were but few, and only eight lived to enter the ark. These were Noah and his family. {FE 504.2} It was not Christ's mission to exalt himself as an astrologer. His work was with sinful human beings, whom he came to save from hopeless woe and misery. The angel that foretold his birth declared, "Thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins." And more than six hundred years before, he himself had declared: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." This was his mission. {YI, March 21, 1901 par. 6}

GC,

I went over my study with my 'wise counsel of theologians' from church, and they felt the reading did not lend itself to 'lost souls' but felt that 'fallen angels' also has some issues that need to be studied. I see that the commentary has 'and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;', and I think you can quess my next question. Were the fallen angels 'bound'?

Rick

James, I have a question. If you were "privileged to ‘watch’ what Jesus experienced in the Garden as a sign that His Spirit is come to cleans His church." Then why not the rest.