69
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
February 1926
Is There a Second Chance? OR “THE SPIRITS IN PRISON”— WHO ARE THEY? James Dunbar, Invercargill, New Zealand Author o f “What Shall l)S Done in the Dry?” “ Mesopotamia and Babylon,” etc.
Our readers will appreciate this sane, Scriptural exposition of a much discussed and misunderstood passage concerning Christ's preaching to the spirits in prison,— its purpose and prophecy. It settles forever the doctrine o f second probation” so glibly given in the guesses of the Modernists. Don’t fail to open your Bible when you read this and carefully mark the passages quoted by Mr. Dunbar.
Preached— “ EKERUXEN”— this form comes from the word meaning a herald or ambassador and the primary use in classics meant "to call,” “ make proclamation as a her ald," to summon one to a place,” "to announce," and in Herodotus 6:121, “ to advertise for sale.” Disobedient— "APEITHESASIN”— and means “ to refuse compliance," “ to disobey," "not let oneself be persuaded,” “ to disbelieve,” "unmanageable,” “ wilful contempt of and disobedience to a Judicial order." There is no difficulty with the other words in the quota tion. The meaning given above will help to a clearer under standing as we seek to know the purport of the message. In any case w i must never attempt to force any Scripture to say what it was clearly never intended to say. Who Were the Spirits in Prison? To gather up Jhe main points of the quotation, we find that 'the central Subject is "the spirits in prison.” We at once ask, “ Who are they,” and “ why are they in prison” ? We must go back to Eden to find the answer. After Satan had gained his victory over our first parents, God came on the scene and pronounced the punishment to be meted out to Satan and Adam’s race in time to ct^me. “ I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head, thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:16 ), and the following chapters of Genesis show how the people of the world progressed in the years that followed. Chapter six brings us to a point where God declares that wickedness had reached the limit. It was evidently a day when spiritism was rife and men had intercourse with wicked spirits. In verse 2 we read of the “ sons of God.” This has been explained, as referring to the line of Seth and the “ daughters of men,” as likewise referring to Cain’s descendants. This may be so, but it is strange if all Seth’s line were men and Cain’s were women. We read in Gen. 6:4 that their offspring were "giants,” "men of renown” and in mythology were known as “ Titans,” a race of super men. The margin of many Bibles explains the word “ giants” as coming from a word “ nephilim” mean ing “ the fallen ones.” There is something uncanny here and our ignorance of the ways of those antediluvians is due to the fact that their knowledge of the depths of Satan was lost in the deluge. The plain teaching of Scripture is that the “ Sons of God” were angels. Let us examine some Scriptures: Before the flood, angels seemed to have the privilege of walking on earth among men in human form. Genesis 18 and 19 tell us something of their appearances. In Chap. 32:1 Jacob goes on his way and two companies of the sons of God (angels) meet him. Chap. 6:4 tells of some mys terious way in Which angels had fallen ( “ nephilim” ) and Jude 6 tells of the same fate of “ Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation.” Verse 7 tells how “ In like manner with them the people olj Sodom and Gom “Christ also hath once su ffered fo r sins, the ju st fo r the unjust, that He m ight bring us to God, being put t o 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 o f God waited in the days o f Noah, while the ark was a preparing.” 1 Pet. 3:18*20. ARIOUS expositions have been given home and abroad in our own times and in centuries past as to the meaning of the Scripture quoted above. Not the least danger in some of the explanations given, is the erroneous teaching that has been put forward which undermines some of the fundamental truths of the Christian faith. 1 ' . Since the war of 1914-1919 there has been an increasing output of literature— backed in some cases by pulpit utter ances— that there is probation for the guilty after death; many assert that those who died unsaved will have an opportunity of salvation beyond the grave; The explanation that finds favour with a great many is somewhat as follows: “ When Noah preached to the people of his day— before the flood— he did so as the mouthpiece of Christ. It was the spirit of Christ in Noah that preached. “ At the time the apostle wrote the epistle, those people who were disobedient in Noah’s day were in prison, or in the Spirit world (Hades).“ According to this View, the preaching was done in Noah’s lifetime, the Spirit of Ood was the preacher, and there is no thought of a second offer being made by Christ Himself during His three days in the grave. Again, there are those in growing numbers who boldly assert that Christ went to the nether world and preached forgiveness to all who were disobedient during the hundred and twenty years in which Noah was preparing the ark, and yet who had missed salvation at that time, through dis obedience. i By some special dispensation of grace, those particular sinners are singled out and spoken to by Christ personally in His disembodied state and it is presumed received sal vation. Broadly speaking this verse seems to be one of the strong holds of those who preach a “ larger hope." The following explanation is Intended to prove to all right thinking people that this portion of Scripture does not and cannot support any “ larger hope” theory. Strange as it may appear at this point, we believe the portion does not deal with men at all, either in Noah’ s day or yet in our own time. There are four words in the passage quoted, that form keystones to its proper Interpretation. These are:— “ W ent;" “ preached;” “ spirits in prison;” “ disobedient." We give the general meaning of these words as found in Liddell and Scott’s Lexicon: Prison— “ phuluke.” A place for keeping others in and Implies watching, guarding and sleepless vigilance in the case of those in charge. It carries the meaning of our word “ custody." Spirits— “ Spiritual beings," (used generally).
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