Peter 3:18-20 King James Version (KJV)
18 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:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;20 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.

When Jesus came into the Synagogue to proclaim "The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, Because He did anoint me; To proclaim good news to the poor, Sent me to heal the broken of heart, To proclaim to captives deliverance, And to blind receiving of sight, To send away the bruised with deliverance" Luke 4:18

This shows who the Captives are.

We are in quarantine, like prison, to keep evil from God's universe.

We were set free by Jesus from captivity to sin and eventually we will be set free from being held to earth. This universe, the universe for us, is a prison because of space and time which is very inhospitable to us physically.

This bit of Physics explains. Did you know that at the speed of light time stands still?

If we were ever to accomplish traveling that fast, which would take more energy than all of our solar system holds, it would not accomplish anything because of the prison we are in. The prison of our material universe cannot be escaped even to give us a pass to visit the next inhabitable rock.

We dwell in the prison, leading to execution, our second death. Jesus came to set us free from that condemnation.

The tower of Babel was an attempt at escaping this prison. The Space race is another tower of Babel. Attempting to get away from the wrath of God.

It doesn't say Christ went and preached to them while He was in the tomb.
The preaching to these people was done while THEY were alive-- while the ark was being prepared.
The Holy Spirit working with their minds (spirit often refers to the mind of people) urging them to accept God's offered plan of salvation.

The "spirits in prison," literally, in "guaro", in the grave. Yet "dead in sin" is even more deadly than the death of "sleep" from which there is a resurrection. For indeed to be dead in sin is a prision from which there is no escape, outside of Christ.

Christ preached by his Spirit through Noah to the antediluvians while they were yet alive, while they still had opportunity to repent.
The preaching was done "when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah".
At that time they were disobedient and now they are all in their graves. NOW in a prison without hope because they rejected the Spirit of Life when it was preached to them.


This may also go into deeper spiritual application.

The situation of the antediluvians while the Spirit through Noah was preaching to them was similar to that of those to whom Christ preached. They were in darkness and error and under the condemnation of death that would soon and suddenly come upon them. Their rejection of Christ would seal their prison forever.


The same power that raised Christ from the dead, also raises people from spiritual death to spiritual life.

Peter is pleading with his country men not be like the people prior to the flood --

Are you saying these 'captives' are disembodied people held down under the ground?

I'm sorry brother, but how did you get that out of this statement?

Are you serious or are you messing with me?

The prison is our planet earth. We are in prison until Jesus saves our souls so we can be brought back to connection with the Father and enter into His presence.

How did you get disembodied spirits from what I wrote?

The end time deception is disembodied spirits trying to deceive the world that the dead are alive in heaven and Satan comes as an angel of light. I have been saying this on this website for over a year. So why would I say here...? never mind.

It doesn't say Christ went and preached to them while He was in the tomb.
The preaching to these people was done while THEY were alive-- while the ark was being prepared.
The Holy Spirit working with their minds (spirit often refers to the mind of people) urging them to accept God's offered plan of salvation.

The "spirits in prison," literally, in "guaro", in the grave. Yet "dead in sin" is even more deadly than the death of "sleep" from which there is a resurrection. For indeed to be dead in sin is a prision from which there is no escape, outside of Christ.

Christ preached by his Spirit through Noah to the antediluvians while they were yet alive, while they still had opportunity to repent.
The preaching was done "when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah".
At that time they were disobedient and now they are all in their graves. NOW in a prison without hope because they rejected the Spirit of Life when it was preached to them.


This may also go into deeper spiritual application.

The situation of the antediluvians while the Spirit through Noah was preaching to them was similar to that of those to whom Christ preached. They were in darkness and error and under the condemnation of death that would soon and suddenly come upon them. Their rejection of Christ would seal their prison forever.


The same power that raised Christ from the dead, also raises people from spiritual death to spiritual life.

Peter is pleading with his country men not be like the people prior to the flood --