The World:—Peter, would you have us believe that the Gospel is preached to those who die in ignorance of its Divine truths?
Peter:—I am surprised to hear you ask such a question when so much has been written on the matter. Jesus Christ came, not to save the living only, but the dead also. He declared that if He were lifted up from the earth He would draw all men unto Him, (John 12: 32), and that the hour was coming when the dead, as well as the living, would hear His voice. (John 5: 25.)
The World:—Then, according to your testimony, Christ after having preached the Gospel to men in the flesh, went also and preached the same Gospel to those who had died without having heard of its saving principles?
Peter:—He did; and not to them only, but also to those who rejected it when it was preached to them on the earth.
The World:—This is certainly strange doctrine to us. Our ministers have never taught us that the dead could be saved as well as the living.
Peter:—That is because they do not understand the Scriptures. The men who wrote the Scriptures wrote as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and in order for men to understand the writings of the prophets and other inspired servants of God, they must be in possession of the same Spirit, for "the things of God knoweth no man but by the Spirit of God." If you will permit me, I will endeavor to make the Scriptures plain to your understanding. Noah, as you all know, was a preacher of righteousness. He was called by the Lord to preach the Gospel to the people of his generation. But they refused to listen to his warning; they turned deaf ears to his entreaties, and at last the Lord came out in judgment upon them and destroyed them from the face of the earth. But did He then cast them off forever? No, indeed. The Lord does not keep His anger forever. He had prepared a place for them, for in His house there are many mansions. He had prepared a prison-house for the wicked and rebellious, and when the antediluvians were destroyed in the flesh, their spirits were shut up in the Lord's prison-house, where they were kept for thousands of years, or in other words, till they had paid the uttermost farthing.
The World:—And did those people have the opportunity afterwards of again hearing the Gospel?
Peter:—I am coming to that. I told you those spirits were shut up in prison for thousands of years. Now, I do not ask you to accept of my testimony alone concerning this matter. I am going to read to you what Isaiah the Prophet has written concerning the Lord's prison-house and its inmates. Here are his words: "And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited." (Isaiah 24: 22.) Now, let us stop for a moment and analyze this Scripture. There is a depth of meaning in it, I assure you. Writing was not done with such ease in Isaiah's time as it is today. The prophet did not pen the words which I have read just for pastime—they were written for our profit and learning. He pointed out most clearly the fate of those who would not hearken to the voice of the Lord or of His servants, but spent the days of their probation in gratifying their carnal appetites. They were to be gathered together as prisoners, and shut up in a prison, where they were to be confined for many days. But they were not to be left without hope. The promise was made that when they had paid the penalty for their misdeeds they would be visited. This, according to the words of the prophet was part of Christ's missionary work: He was to preach redemption not only to the living, but to the dead as well; He was to visit the prisoners in the prison-house and preach deliverance to them. I quote again from his writings: "I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison-house." (Isaiah 42: 6, 7.) Now, I desire to remind you that Christ confirmed this prophecy of Isaiah. He told the people that it referred to Him, and that it would be fulfilled in Him. Standing up in the synagogue in Nazareth one Sabbath day He quoted Isaiah's prophecy, as follows: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." (Luke 4: 18, 19.) So, you see that part of Christ's work was to preach deliverance to the captives, and open the prison to those who were bound.
The World:—When did the Messiah perform that work?
Peter:—During the three days that His body lay in the tomb.