Spirit prison is just that—a prison. The doors of this prison were not opened prior to the atonement. Before then, Satan had power to keep the prison doors closed. The doors were “closed” in two different ways. First, before Christ was resurrected, none of the spirits, righteous or wicked, could be resurrected. Second, there was no interaction between those in spirit prison and those in spirit paradise. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus explains this principle. Certainly Satan would have rejoiced in the ’great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence’ (Lu 16:26). This gulf was bridged by the ministry of Jesus Christ in the spirit world for he opened the doors to spirit prison so that the righteous missionaries could go forth among the wicked.