Will People Who go to Hell Get a Second Chance?

Now, Contending for the Faith.In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.Here’s this week’s question:Dear Dave and Tom, I’m a little confused about some things I have read in Peter’s first epistle.In Chapter 3:19-20, and Chapter 4:6, it seems those who were in hell or dead were given a chance to respond to the gospel.That doesn’t seem right to me, but that’s what those verses seem to be saying.

Tom:

Well, should I read them.

Dave:

Why don’t you read the verses where he preached to the spirits in prison.

Tom:

We will put into context 1 Peter:3:18-22 [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. [21] The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: [22] Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
See All....“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that hemight 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 long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.Verse 21, The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.”Do you want to start with that one?

Dave:

Let’s read the other one, too.

Tom:

Okay, 1 Peter Chapter 4, verses 3 to 6, “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revelings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.”So we have two phrases here, in particular in 1 Peter, he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; and 1 Peter:4:6For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
See All..., the gospel preached also to them that are dead.

Dave:

The toughest part of it is, he preached to the spirits in prison which aforetime were disobedient in the days of Noah.Now if he just went to the spirits in prison, the dead, that would be like Lazarus in Abraham’s bosom, there he is—

Tom:

In the sight of this gap between paradise and really, a place of suffering.

Dave:

Yeah, but he’s not on both sides of this.So he’s just coming and announcing, preaching the gospel would be announcing, that he has died for their sins and he’s going to raise again.But when it says, which aforetime “were disobedient in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing and so forth,” now that raises another question.That’s where the questioner stumbles his toe when he says, well it sounds like they are giving him a second chance.Now there are two ways of looking at it, Tom.Is it possible that some of those who died in the flood as the flood waters are rising now and they realize that what Noah was preaching was true, maybe they believed.So, it doesn’t say they couldn’t have, so there could be some people, like I think, maybe some people when the TwinTowers went down, they may have believed at the last moment, too.Suddenly realized that what they had heard was true and cried out to God.Maybe some of the Jews in the Holocaust, you know, the gas chambers, they may have even come to faith in Yahweh, at the last moment.I don’t know, but that’s one possibility.

Tom:

Okay, but you’re not saying that once they died, they had these thoughts.

Dave:

No.

Tom:

Because it does say, but quickened by the spirit by which ye also went and preached.In other words, the Holy Spirit was there. He’s omnipresent…

Dave:

Right.He’s preaching to people who are in paradise, Abraham’s bosom, and all I am saying is, they could have been disobedient in the days of Noah and as the flood waters are drowning them they came to faith.Therefore, they could be in paradise, okay?But another obvious interpretation is, as he’s announcing the good news to those in paradise, the guys on the other side, who are doomed and damned for eternity, they are hearing it because Christ tells how the rich man saw Lazarus afar off in Abraham’s bosom, he even spoke to him and Abraham answered back.So the good news that Jesus would be announcing to Paradise would be heard by those who are damned.Certainly that would include those who were disobedient in the days of Noah.So either way, Tom, it does not give a second chance for anyone.The Bible says, it’s appointed unto man once to die and after this the judgment.That kind of does away with reincarnation.

Tom:

Dave, 1 Peter Chapter 4, verse 6, would you include that in the explanation you just gave?The gospel preached also to them that are dead that they might be judged according to men in the flesh but live according to God in the spirit?

Dave:

Well Tom, that’s a tougher part of this.I think the good news was proclaimed to these, these would be the ones, I believe, who already are redeemed, but, you know, they didn’t know the details of the gospel back there.They knew that they were sinners; they knew that God existed; they knew that God must have some way of salvation for them, and the Lord understands their hearts and they are redeemed because they have been obedient to the light that they know and now he announces and they accept, they believe.This is the good news they were waiting for.It’s not like they were given a second chance, these are already believers in what they understood so that they could be judged by, like men in the flesh, as thought they had heard this in the flesh.It’s another possible interpretation.Tom, there are some tough Scriptures.

Tom:

Right.

Dave:

And Peter says some of the things that Paul wrote were tough, let’s understand.Well, some of the things that Peter wrote were not easy as well, but when we compare—see, we don’t want to build a doctrine, start a whole church on one or two verses—and when we compare all of scripture together, then I think we can understand pretty well what it is saying.

Tom:

Well, that’s what we have been encouraging here.Become familiar with God’s Word so these verses that do, and not just these but others that you struggle with you have the light and the counsel, the full counsel of God based on your developing, growing understanding of what God’s word teaches.

Dave:Amen