What if there was a layer of reality most of us never see? A spiritual realm where powers and principalities are at work, playing out events that shape everything we experience in the physical world? That’s exactly what Pastor Josh White explored on a recent Sunday—a subject that rarely comes up in the pulpit, and for good reason: it makes most of us uncomfortable.
“We are talking about the spiritual realm today,” Josh said, “and I need to be careful, and we need to be careful, because we are talking about things that none of us fully understand.”
A Peek Behind the Curtain
Josh began by acknowledging that on a typical Sunday, most people in the congregation already know the topic being covered. But not this week. “Every so often I get to teach on a subject that does not come up very often, and a large number of you might hear something for the very first time.”
The passage of the day was 1 Peter 3:18–22, and specifically verse 19: “In which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison.” The question that naturally followed was simple, but stunning: Who are these spirits, and why did Jesus go preach to them?
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit. In which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison, because they formerly did not obey, when God’s patience waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared.”
— 1 Peter 3:18–20
Genesis 6: The Original Breach
To understand what Peter is referencing, Josh turned us all the way back to Genesis 6—one of the most mysterious passages in all of Scripture. It describes “the sons of God” seeing the daughters of man, taking wives from among them, and producing offspring: the Nephilim, “the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.”
“The sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose… The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was so great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
— Genesis 6:1–2, 5
Josh presented the interpretation that “the sons of God” refers to angels—spiritual beings who crossed a boundary God had established. “Some angels violated God’s assignment for them,” he said. “They did what God viewed as wicked… it was so wicked, it had such a horrible effect on humanity, that God’s only solution was to wipe out everyone and start fresh with Noah.”
The result was the global flood. Godblotted out humanity, the Nephilim, and “every living thing according to its kind” (Genesis 6:7)—and started over with eight people and a boat.
Fallen Angels in Prison
So what happened to those rebellious angels? Josh turned to 2 Peter 2:4:
“For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment.”
— 2 Peter 2:4
The word translated “hell” here is Tartarus—a Greek term suggesting a place of confinement deeper than Hades. Jude echoes the same truth:
“And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.”
— Jude 6
Josh was careful to note this applies to a specific group of fallen angels—not all demons. “Not all fallen angels are locked up like this,” he said. “A very select group.” Most demons remain active in the world today, which is why Jesus encountered them in Matthew 8:28–30—men possessed by demons who recognized Jesus, knew His authority, and feared being cast out “before the time” of final judgment.
What Did Jesus Proclaim?
After His crucifixion, before His resurrection, Jesus went to this prison of chained spirits and made a proclamation. Josh described it as a herald announcing victory:
“The Greek word for proclaimed was used to describe someone who would come to a town as a representative of a ruler and make a public announcement that there had been a victory. They were usually sent ahead of generals and kings so people could begin celebrating.”
What did Jesus announce? Simply this: I won. He had conquered sin and death. The very plan these angels sought to thwart through the Nephilim experiment—the corruption of the human bloodline—had been utterly defeated at the cross.
Why It Matters to You
Josh closed with two practical takeaways from this unsettling passage.
First, things are not as they seem. There is a spiritual battle happening beneath the surface of everyday life. The world presents ideas and ideologies that look reasonable on the surface—but they may be fueled by “deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). Paul instructs us to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). That means asking, before we embrace any idea: Where is this really coming from?
Second, pick the right side. Josh pointed to Joshua 5:13–15—when Joshua encounters a mysterious “commander of the army of the LORD” before Jericho. Joshua assumes he’s either on Israel’s side or the enemy’s. The answer shocks him: “No, but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. I have now come.” Not on Joshua’s side. Not on Jericho’s side. On God’s side. The invitation to Joshua—and to us—is to get in alignment with that.
Every day, we get to stand on the victory that Jesus won. Not political victory. Not cultural victory. The only victory that ultimately matters: the triumph of Christ over sin, death, and every spiritual power that opposes God.
Scripture References
- 1 Peter 3:18–22 — Jesus, the righteous suffering for the unrighteous, made alive in the spirit
- Genesis 6:1–7 — The sons of God, the Nephilim, and God’s grief over human wickedness
- 2 Peter 2:4 — God did not spare the sinning angels; cast them into Tartarus
- Jude 5–7 — Angels who left their proper dwelling, kept in eternal chains
- Matthew 8:28–30 — Demon-possessed men meet Jesus; demons know their condemnation is future
- Ephesians 3:10 — The manifold wisdom of God made known through the church to rulers in the heavenly places
- Joshua 5:13–15 — Joshua encounters the commander of the Lord’s army
- 1 Timothy 4:1 — In later times, some will depart by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits
- 2 Corinthians 10:3–5 — Taking every thought captive to obey Christ