In contrast to historic Christian versions of Christ, his Apostles, and John the Baptist preaching the gospel in the spirit prison; we have this from an earlier LDS prophet, Joseph F. Smith: "[The Savior] was sent not only to preach the gospel to those dwelling in mortality, but he was foreordained and anointed of God to open the doors of the prison house to those in bondage and to proclaim his gospel to them." (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th edition, (1939), p. 460).
Oct. 3, 1918, during Joseph F. Smith's vision of Christ's descent, he says that "there was gathered together in one place an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality.... [And while] rejoicing in the hour of their deliverance from the chains of death, the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful; And there he preached to them the everlasting gospel, the doctrine of the resurrection and the redemption of mankind from the fall, and from individual sins on conditions of repentance.... I percieved that the Lord went not in person among the wicked and the disobedient who had rejected the truth, to teach them; But behold, from among the righteous, he organized his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority, and commissioned them to go forth and carry the light of the gospel to them that were in darkness, even to all the spirits of men; and thus was the gospel preached to the dead." (See: Doctrine & Covenants 138:1-32).
Joseph F. Smith also wrote: "I have always believed, and still do believe with all my souls, that such men as Peter and James and the twelve disciples chosen by the Savior in his time, have been engaged all the centuries that have passed since their martyrdom for the testimony of Jesus Christ, in proclaiming liberty to the captives in the spirit world and in opening their prison doors [see D&C 138:38-50].... Their special calling and anointing of the Lord himself was to save the world, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison doors to those who were bound in chains of darkness, superstition, and ignorance." (Gospel Doctrine, 460-61; see also: Teachings of Presidents of the Church, Joseph F. Smith, (Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 1998), pp. 408-415).
