Latest / Scripture Central / Why Did Jesus Preach to the Dead? #700

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Why Did Jesus Preach to the Dead? #700 · Scripture Central

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  For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them
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  that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in
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  the flesh but live according to God in the Spirit.
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  Hey listeners, this is Nick from Scripture Central and today's
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  podcast addresses the question. Why did Jesus preach to the
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  dead? On October 3rd, 1918, President
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  Joseph F Smith received a profound revelation as he was
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  reading the New Testament. According to President Smith,
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  the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me and I saw the hosts of
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  the dead, both small and great, awaiting the advent of the Son
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  of God into the spirit world to declare their redemption from
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  the bands of death. As this vision continued,
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  President Smith saw the Savior appear to the faithful spirits,
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  declaring the everlasting gospel and organizing A missionary
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  force to preach to those who had been unable to accept the gospel
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  in their mortal lives. This vision established firmly
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  what had been preached by other apostles and prophets in earlier
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  years. The scriptures that President
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  Smith had prayerfully been reading at the time were First
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  Peter chapter 3, verses 18 through 20, and first Peter,
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  chapter 4, verse 6, which declare that the gospel was
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  preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged
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  according to men in the flesh but live according to God and
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  the Spirit. Although these verses are the
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  most explicit reference to this event in the New Testament,
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  other New Testament authors shared this same belief and
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  occasionally referenced it. Likewise, this idea appears to
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  be closely connected to early Christian beliefs about proxy
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  baptisms for the dead and the different levels of heaven and
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  salvation. In the early centuries AD,
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  multiple early Christian texts discussed this event as an
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  impactful and important aspect of Jesus's identity and mission.
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  Indeed, as those early Christians drew upon these New
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  Testament references to Jesus's post mortal ministry, the Greek
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  Orthodox Archbishop Hilarion Alfayev explains this event
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  offered three themes that were fundamental to all early
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  Christian literature, namely, one, Christ actually preached to
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  the dead. 2 Baptism is reminiscent of this event.
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  And three by descending into Hades, Christ conquered death
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  and hell forever. For example, the most detailed
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  account of this event in Christian literature could be
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  found in a key text known as the Gospel of Nicodemus.
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  While this text likely found its final form in the 5th century
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  AD, some scholars have observed how it contains tradition that
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  at least partially dates to Apostolic times, and that many
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  portions of this text were known to Christians of the second and
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  third centuries. According to this text, Jesus
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  descended into the world of spirits Hades and Greek,
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  dramatically threw down the gates of death, and raised the
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  righteous up from the dead. The King of Glory stretched out
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  his right hand and took hold of our forefather, Adam, and raised
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  him up. Then he turned to the rest and
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  said, Come with me, all you who have died through the tree which
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  this man touched. For behold, I raise you all up
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  again through the tree of the cross.
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  Another early Christian text known as the Gospel of Peter
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  recounts the resurrection with a clear reference to Jesus's
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  descent to the world of spirits. After Jesus left the tomb with
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  two angels, they heard a voice out of the heavens crying.
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  Have you preached to those who sleep?
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  And from the cross there was heard the answer, yes.
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  Other Christian hymns known as the Odes of Solomon recount this
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  preaching from Christ's perspective.
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  Shale saw me and was shattered, and death ejected me and many
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  with me. I have been vinegar and
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  bitterness to it, and I went down with it.
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  As far as its depth, other texts make it clear that righteous
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  Saints likewise took part in the redemption of the dead.
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  A famous Christian text from the late 1st century called The
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  Shepherd of Hermas, for example, described how apostles and
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  teachers who preached the name of the Son of God taught the
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  dead who had been unable to hear the gospel in their lives.
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  Shortly after this, living apostles and teachers would then
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  be baptized on their behalf. Similarly, the Apocalypse of
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  Zephaniah describes how the righteous dead prayed to the
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  Lord on behalf of those suffering in Hades for mercy.
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  As noted by David L Paulson and his co-authors.
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  As the exalted righteous prey on behalf of all the inhabitants of
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  Hades, it is understood that all have a possibility of either
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  some sort of escape from Hades or relief from its torments.
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  The emphasis in these texts on the righteous dead taking an
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  active part in the salvation of the dead is reflected in
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  President Joseph F Smith's revelation.
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  Behold, from among the righteous he Jesus organized his forces,
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  and appointed messengers clothed with power and authority, and
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  commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the
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  gospel to them that were in darkness even to all the spirits
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  of men. And thus was the gospel preached
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  to the dead through the ministry of Jesus's appointed messengers.
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  All mankind on both sides of the veil can accept his gospel and
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  make covenants with Him. The doctrine of salvation for
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  the dead did not arise out of a vacuum.
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  Rather, early Christians recognized how this had been
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  taught by ancient prophets and often drew upon earlier works to
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  demonstrate that the gospel they preached was true.
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  Justin Martyr and Eranius both cited a sense lost prophecy
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  attributed to Jeremiah stating the Lord God, the Holy One of
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  Israel remembered his dead that slept in the earth of the grave
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  and he descended to preach to them his salvation.
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  Earlier Jewish texts have been noted by Paulson and his
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  co-authors as being precursors to the Christian elaboration of
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  this event, including First Enoch and four Ezra, both of
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  which briefly detail salvation for the repentant dead.
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  Ultimately, it can be recognized that the ministry of Jesus
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  Christ to the Spirit world has been a matter of utmost
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  important to the ancient and restored Church of Jesus Christ.
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  By descending to the Spirit world and organizing this work,
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  Jesus undertook and completed another crucial part of his
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  Atonement, opening the way for all God's children to learn of
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  him, repent of their sins, and make covenants with Him, even
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  when they did not have the opportunity to do so while in
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  the flesh. According to Archbishop Alfayev,
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  Christ preaching to the dead is an inseparable part of the
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  dogmatic tradition of the Church.
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  It was shared by all members of the ancient Church, as reflected
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  in the New Testament, the works of the early Christian
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  apologists, fathers and teachers of the Church, ancient and later
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  writers of both the East and West, as well as in baptismal
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  Creed's eucharistic services and liturgical texts.
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  Indeed, he argues that this event was one of universal
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  significance whose effects extended not only to past
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  generations but to all those who followed.
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  The teaching that Christ granted to all the possibility of
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  salvation and open for all the doors to paradise should also be
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  considered general Church doctrine.
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  Furthermore, as Hugh Nibbley studied this important event, he
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  concluded that early Christians insist, in fact, that Christ's
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  mission below was simply a continuation of his earthly
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  mission, which it resembles in detail.
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  The spirits there join his church exactly like their mortal
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  descendants, and by the same ordinances.
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  This doctrine also dramatically changes how we might understand
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  the nature of God when compared with modern conceptions about
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  him and his plan. As Scott Peterson has noted, the
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  existence of a place where the Good News is preached to those
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  who never had a chance to accept Christ during mortality is
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  evidence that the God of Christianity is entirely fair.
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  It is a testament to the fact that Christianity is a universal
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  faith and that God has provided a means whereby all of his
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  children may accept the truth. Ultimately, latter day
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  revelation has restored this key Christian doctrine, offering
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  everyone hope for their loved ones who have passed away
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  without a knowledge of the gospel.
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  Because God is merciful and just, He has prepared a way for
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  all of His children to hear the good news, ensuring that no one
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  will be robbed of the opportunity to return to Him
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  simply because no one had told them about Jesus.
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  Thank you for listening to this presentation from Scripture
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  Central. For more information, please
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  visit scripturecentral.org.