I am confident God is leading here. I woke up with the answer in my heart from God. Thank you Father.

This text from 1 Peter 3 is using Noah's Ark as a metaphor for the Holy Spirit.

Here is how it should be translated in our language to illustrate true faith, in the name of Jesus amen.

"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 (Holy) Spirit, in whom He went and proclaimed to the souls in prison, 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."

The Greek word 'pneuma' is translated both Spirit and spirits here. That word is righteously translated mainly into 1) Holy Spirit, 2)human soul, 3)breath/air/wind. They translated this text with the mindset that the soul disembarks from our body at death and we as Adventists know that is heresy. So this should be corrected.

But if you look carefully, it says; "that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the (Holy) Spirit". We are brought to God through Christ and the Holy Spirit by being put to death in the flesh, then we are made alive through the Holy Spirit just like Jesus was. Jesus became one of us so He could save us...

Colossians 1: 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

Hebrews 5:7 "In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence."

1 Peter 3:18 is saying Jesus came and died and was made alive again through the Holy Spirit so He could bring the faithful before the Father through the same Holy Spirit that empowered Him to be resurrected like the ark that saved the eight souls from the flood.

So the first use of 'Spirit' is used for the Holy Spirit, and should be capitalized.

"Souls" is the second most used way of translating the Greek word 'Pneuma' and that word 'spirits' is used when 'souls' would be more appropriate in that place. The proof is in the fact that the eight 'souls' were brought through the flood and this is used to show who the 'spirits' are in reference to.

God told me this would resonate with the faithful here.

Let's look at another reference, the SDABC.

Textual evidence attests (cf. p. 10) the reading “in spirit” or “as to spirit.” The reading “by the Spirit” (en tō pneumati) has no ancient manuscript support. The latter part of the verse may literally be translated “put to death, indeed, in flesh [sarki], but made alive in spirit [pneumati].” The parallel constructions, “in spirit” and “in flesh,” seem to be against the idea that the Holy Spirit is here referred to. In other words, consistency seems to require that we translate either “in flesh … in spirit” or “by the flesh [meaning “by the human being”] … by the Spirit.” However, the reading, “by the human being,” is not used elsewhere in the NT, and hardly seems to make sense. Elsewhere in the NT when the expression “in flesh … in spirit,” or its equivalent, is used of Christ, “flesh” refers to Christ’s earthly existence as a human being and “spirit” to His existence as a divine being following the resurrection. Compare the remarkably similar antithesis in Rom_1:3-4 (see comment there). Incarnate, Christ was, to all appearances, a human being; after the resurrection, though retaining His human nature, He became again essentially a spirit being (see Vol. V, pp. 917-919; cf. Joh_4:24). Compare also 1Ti_3:16, where the Greek reads literally, “in flesh” and “in spirit.” Note the parallel expressions in 1Pe_4:6, “in the flesh” and “in the spirit,” applied to human beings (see comment there). For further clarification of the meaning and force of Peter’s statement see Rom_14:9; 2Co_13:4.

The fact that Christ truly died “in the flesh” did not mean the end of His existence. At the resurrection He was “made alive” once more, although from that time forth His human nature was more completely subordinated to His divine, or “spirit” nature (see on Luk_24:39; cf. Vol. V, pp. 918, 919), than when He lived on earth as a man among men. The sublime fact that the crucified Christ lives on is here set forth as an assurance that those who partake of His sufferings need not fear that the persecution they suffer will end forever their existence (cf. 2Co_13:4). Christ triumphed over death, and those who suffer with Him are likewise sure to come victoriously through the fiery trials of life. Compare Paul’s argument in 1Co_15:13-23, where He sets forth our Lord’s resurrection as a guarantee that those who fall asleep in Jesus will live again.


1 Corinthians 15:15-17 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

So, you would be saying you disagree with Ellen White then? She says God is not the destroyer. One who destroys is a destroyer, right, or do you have some other definition?

Re 9:11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. {Apollyon: that is to say, A destroyer }
(KJV)

Or is KJV wrong here?

kland,

Mrs. White says Jesus accuses. She also says He is not the accuser of the brethren. Which is right?

Only mature minds can understand these things.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

APL, Is he saying you need to have a more hostile and destroying type of view of God or it will impact your own thinking and cause you to believe that God is love instead of destruction? It might even impact how you live your life and cause you to treat others with love rather than saying, you have limits and they crossed the line and so you will destroy them.

God did say turn your face if someone strikes you. So, once they hit you twice, then it is fully in your place to beat the daylights out of them! All in the right spirit of "christian love" of course.

kland - you remind me of this statement, "It is a law of the human mind that by beholding we become changed." {PP 91.2}

Who has a mature mind? What is the work of the Holy Spirit?