God Spared the Godly Believers

Peter picks up with a promise of salvation to the righteous: "The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations" (2 Peter 2:9a). You see this in the life of Noah, as he and his family are saved through the water, carried by the Ark. You see this in Lot, as he and his family are whisked out of the city just moments before the complete destruction of those cities.

This should encourage you to remain faithful to the Lord. The Lord has promised, and He will keep His promise. "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:27-28).

He continues with a warning of impending punishment of sin (v. 9b). God saves the godly and He knows how "to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment" (v. 9b). Sinner beware! Unless you repent and trust Jesus for salvation, the Day of Judgment is coming, and it may be just around the corner.

We need to be encouraged. No matter how well the false teachers and those who follow them seem to do, or how popular they are with the crowds who are deceived, in the end, only those who take their stand on the Word of God through Jesus Christ will continue to stand.

Peter then chimes in with a warning of impending judgment of sinners. The ungodly are promised a day of judgment, and that is "especially" true of "those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries" (v. 10). An apt description of false teachers. "To speak evil of dignitaries" (v. 10b), likely refers to speaking evil against angels. "Whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord" (v. 11), indicates that the angels do not retaliate.

The truth is, the only way to God and salvation is through faith in the shed blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All who say otherwise are wrong! All who follow those false teachers or false religions are destined to spend eternity separated from God, unless they hear and believe the truth of Jesus Christ.

What we need to hold on to is the truth of God's Word, the truth of Christ, without wavering. False teachers or true believers—God knows the difference. He deals justly with each one. Do not be led astray by false teaching. Stand firm on the truth of Christ, and stand. Amen.

God Spared Not the Sinful Cities

In the third case study, Peter speaks of the Lord "turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes" (2 Peter 2:6a), having "condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly" (v. 6b). With this example, God gives a warning of impending judgment of sinners.

Sodom and Gomorrah were sister cities in the Jordan basin, on the plains located near the southeast corner of the Dead Sea. When Abraham decided that he and his nephew Lot must divide their herds and graze separately, Lot chose this area for its fertile and ideal conditions for farming. Eventually, Lot would regret his choice.

The best way to describe the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, at least what they became, is to look at Romans 1:26-32. "For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them."

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah had gone so far off the deep end morally, that when Lot had visitors, in the eyes of the men of the city the visitors were like merchandise to be traded. The men mobbed Lot's house, demanding he toss his visitors out to the street so they could have their way with them.

In Genesis 18:23-33, Abraham, beginning with a request for God to spare the cities if fifty righteous people were found there and bargaining his way down to just ten righteous people, the Lord God agreed. But, unable to find even ten righteous people, God moved, "turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes" (v. 6a). Judgment had fallen on sinners.

This warning of impending judgment is itself a warning of impending punishment for sin. God reduced the cities and the land itself in that valley to ashes. The destruction was so thorough that not a trace of these cities has ever been found. God "condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly" (v. 6b). An example intended for us to heed.

Be forewarned. "Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 7). Punishment for sin was both quick and complete.

But in the midst of all this destruction and punishment of sin stands a promise of salvation to the righteous. Through it all, the Lord "delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)" (vs. 7-8). Lot is another example of God not losing sight of those who are His, when He brings righteous judgment on the ungodly.

Lot was saved because he was "righteous" (vs. 7-8). Regardless of any faults we might find in Lot, Peter makes it clear that Lot was "righteous," an adjective used three times by Peter: (1) "righteous Lot" (v. 7); (2) "that righteous man" (v. 8a); and (3) "his righteous soul" (v. 8b).

If these cities are "an example to those who afterward would live ungodly" (v. 6b), then false teachers ought to take warning. In fact, everyone ought to take warning. Judgment is pending for the unbeliever. But God saves those who are His—His faithful people. Amen.

God Spared Not the Sinful Ancient World

In a second case study, Peter gives yet another warning of impending judgment of sinners: "And did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly" (2 Peter 2:5). Here Peter shows how God can destroy the wicked while saving the righteous, keeping them untouched. Again, you see here how God cares for those who are His.

The ancient world had become so wicked that God wiped everyone off the face of the earth, except for Noah and his family; eight people in all. The story is told in Genesis 6:5-8: "Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the LORD said, 'I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.' But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."

God "did not spare the ancient world" (2 Peter 2:5a). The ancient world had become excessively evil. Note again the description of mankind: "Every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5b). Judgment was about to come upon them, and they didn't have a clue.

Note how Jesus described the state of the times when He will return: "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matt. 24:37-39).

Jesus was saying that people will be going about business as usual, giving no thought to righteousness or judgment, and it will come suddenly and unexpectedly. They won't heed the warnings, they won't understand, they won't believe that something that has never happened before can really happen, and they will be taken by surprise.

So it was with the people of Noah's day. For 120 years, as Noah built the ark, he went about preaching truth and righteousness to the people. He warned them of the coming judgment. He warned them of the coming flood. But the people ignored his warning. They thought he was just a crazy Bible thumper. They paid him no mind, until it was too late. It's the same with so many people today—judgment is coming!

But then, a promise of salvation was given to the righteous. God "saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5b). Noah was a preacher of righteousness. He walked with God, unstained by the world, even though the entire world was mired in sin. And "Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD" (Gen. 6:8).

Over the years, while Noah preached righteousness, warned of impending judgment, and built the ark, God waited. "The Divine long-suffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water" (1 Peter 3:20).

The same flood that would destroy the world in judgment, would be used to save Noah and his family. That was God's promise to Noah, this preacher of righteousness. God promises salvation to the righteous still today. All who trust in Jesus for salvation are made righteous. God never loses sight of those who belong to Him.

Along with that promise of salvation comes another warning of impending punishment of sin. Noah and his family were saved as God was "bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly" (2 Peter 2:5c). Judgment of the sinner means sin will be punished. The punishment for sin is death. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).

While God was bringing judgment on the sinner and punishment for sin, He did not lose sight of the godly! He provided for their deliverance from judgment. He bore them up on the water in the Ark, and they were saved.

We are encouraged to remain faithful in two ways—not only will God bring down judgment on the false teachers and all who oppose Him, but He will save those who know Him. He will save all who are faithful. Trust in Jesus alone for your salvation, and be faithful. Amen.

God Spared Not the Sinful Angels

Second Peter 2:4 gives a warning of the impending judgment of sinners: "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment," then it follows that He will not spare unrepentant sinners. The day is coming when God will judge and destroy sinful rebels.

As Peter warned his people about the false teachers that will creep in unawares, leading many to follow their destructive ways, he spoke of their coming judgment. They will "bring on themselves swift destruction" (2 Peter 2:1); and, "for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber" (v. 3).

To illustrate, Peter gives three examples of the righteous judgment of God in times past (vs. 4-6). He then speaks of God's handling of believers, in contrast with how He deals with godless sinners (vs. 7-11). For the sake of time, today we will look at the first example, or the first "case study," found here in verse 4—that of the sinful fallen angels.

"For if God did not spare the angels who sinned" (v. 4a). This first case study shows that the judgment of sinners is necessary. It also shows that the impending judgment will be swift and decisive. But who are the angels?

Jude has a section that is very similar in content to this portion of 2 Peter. Jude 6 says, "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day." "The great day" (Jude 6), refers to that glorious day when Christ returns to take us home to be with Him forever.

Peter speaks of God's righteous judgment against sinners. He speaks of judgment against rebellion and ungodliness. This is given to assure us of the fact that God protects His own and deals effectively with unrighteous men; specifically, in the case of false teachers.

The message is this: "If God did not spare the angels who sinned" (v. 4a), He will not spare the sinful, deceitful, and lying false teachers. Sinner beware! The righteous judgment of God is coming.

At the end of verse 4, Peter gives a warning of the impending punishment of sin. He says here that "God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness" (v. 4). Without going into a long theology lesson, let me just say this: there are mainly two possible angles as to what Peter is talking about. One is Satan and the rebellious angels that joined him, being cast out of heaven with him.

The details of Satan's rebellion and the fall of the angels is in large part a mystery. But the details in Scripture indicate that in that rebellion, Lucifer and the angels that fell with him (approximately one-third of the angels) were cast out of Heaven to the earth. There is no mention of them being imprisoned "in chains" (v. 4b) or "pits of darkness" (NASB).

"How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit" (Isa. 14:12-15).

That final reference, "to the depths of the pit" (v. 15) speaks of the final doom of Satan and his demons, not where they are now. "Cut down to the ground" (v. 12) tells you where they are now. They are here seeking to devour us, God's people. "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12).

The other possibility, and the most likely one, is that Peter is referring to the angels who sinned gravely in Genesis 6:1-4. If we look at what Peter is saying here and compare it with Jude 6, which speaks of "angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode," we can take it as a reference to Genesis 6:1-4.

In those verses, "sons of God" (vs. 2, 4) is understood to mean fallen angels (or demons). So, the sin that was the final straw leading to the Flood, was that demons possessed men to cohabitate with women, overstepping the boundaries God had given them. Those demons then were "chained" (2 Peter 2:4b), or confined in "pits of darkness" (NASB), where they await their final destruction, which is yet to come.

Note Genesis 6:1-4. "Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the LORD said, 'My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.' There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown."

The Psalmist wrote, "What is man that You are mindful of him and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor” (Psa. 8:4-5). Hebrews 2:6-7 quotes Psalm 8:4-5, saying to man that God has made him a little lower than the angels. The writer of Hebrews goes so far as to apply it to Jesus, the Son of God, saying that when He was born in the flesh, He was made for a little while lower than the angels.

This does not mean that Jesus was less than God. It only means that, according to the flesh, He had temporarily taken a state lower than the angels, who are spirit and do not struggle with the weaknesses of the flesh. Man does struggle with the flesh and its weaknesses, which sets up the equation Peter was after: If God was powerful enough to put down the rebellion in Heaven and cast Satan and his rebellious angels out, and if He was powerful enough to lock up the sinful demons in a pit of darkness and keep them there until the time of final judgment, then how much more is He able to deal with sinful, deceitful false teachers?

He is more than capable, and His judgement of rebellious, unrepentant sinners is just around the corner. Rest assured, false teachers will be judged, while God's faithful people will be vindicated and ushered into heaven to spend eternity with Jesus. Amen.

The Righteous Judgement of God

The past few weeks we have been looking at 2 Peter 2:1-3. There Peter said, "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber."

False teaching will be met with swift judgement. An umpire named Babe Pinelli once called Babe Ruth out on strikes. When the crowd booed with sharp disapproval at the call, the legendary Ruth turned to the umpire with disdain and said, "There’s 40,000 people here who know that the last pitch was a ball." Suspecting that the umpire would respond in anger, the coaches and players braced themselves for Ruth to be tossed. However, instead of ejecting the Babe from the game, the cool headed Pinelli replied, "Maybe so, Babe, but mine is the only opinion that counts." (family-times.net/illustration/judgment)

Just as the umpire's judgment was the only one that mattered, we need to realize that in life and death, God's judgment is the only one that counts. We need to resist the temptation to argue with God over disappointments and semantics concerning our sin. Instead, we need to submit to God's sovereignty and trust His choices for us wherever they may lead, because His judgment is always righteous judgment.

There is no greater type of judgment than righteous judgment. The word "righteous," by definition, refers to that which is right, or upright. So, righteous judgment is perfect because its foundation is God's Word, His truth.

God's Word must be the basis and guide for our thinking and for everything we do. Righteous judgment involves choosing God's commandments over man's. When commanded by the Jewish leaders not speak or teach in Jesus' name, Peter and John responded, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19-20).

God is truth. This simple, yet profound fact is abundantly clear in Scripture: "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face" (Psalm 89:14); "He who is blessed in the earth will be blessed by the God of truth; And he who swears in the earth will swear by the God of truth" (Isaiah 65:16, NASB); "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me'" (John 14:6).

It is often said that there is nothing God cannot do. That is false! There are things God cannot do. He cannot go against His basic character, who He is. He is righteous—He cannot do anything that would be unrighteous. He is truth—He cannot lie. Even Balaam, the prophet for hire, understood this: "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Num. 23:19). And again, Hebrews 6:18 says, "It is impossible for God to lie."

When God speaks, He always speaks the truth. That means the God-breathed Word, the Bible is without error in its original form and completely trustworthy. It is our only infallible guide to life. To put it simply, the Bible is truth, and we are to proclaim it and explain it in a truthful way—accurately and completely.

In sharp contrast, Satan is the architect of lies: "He is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44b). In opposing God, his goal is to deceive and lead people away from God. Satan "has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Cor. 4:4). In the end, Satan's effort will come to not and all who join him in falsifying God's Word will be eternally punished. "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8).

In a book entitled Down to Earth, John Lawrence tells the story of a city that dared God to show Himself and paid a terrible price. It seems that the city of Messina, Sicily, was home to many wicked, irreligious people. On December 25, 1908, a newspaper published in Messina printed a parody against God, daring Him to make Himself known by sending an earthquake. Three days later, December 28, 1908, the city and its surrounding district was devastated by a terrible earthquake that killed 84,000 people. (family-times.net/illustration/judgment)

This story was confirmed through several sources as quoted in The Young Lutheran's Companion (formerly the Augustana Journal) of Rock Island, Illinois, at page 2 of the edition dated, 30 April 1910 (skeptics.stackexchange.com). According to that article, the comic paper "Il Telefono," published in Messina, possessed a very vulgar anti-religious character. Its Christmas edition contained a satirical poem on "The Little Child Jesus." One of the stanzas is freely translated as follows:

'O little child who wouldest be

Not man alone but also God:

For thy dear cross' sake, pray we,

Let loud and clear thy voice us hear;

Since we, the living, know thee well,

Do thou send us an earthquake fell.'

Coincidence? Maybe. But it certainly points out the folly of defying God. As 2 Peter 2:1 pointed out, "But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction." Whether coincidence or the judgment of God, there was certainly "swift destruction."

There once was an agnostic farmer who wrote to the editor of his local newspaper, who was a Christian. He said, "In defiance of your God I plowed my fields this year on Sunday, I disked and fertilized them on Sunday, I planted them on Sunday, I cultivated them on Sunday, and I reaped them on Sunday. This October I had the biggest crop I have ever had. How do you explain that?" The editor replied: "God does not always settle his accounts in October." (family-times.net/illustration/judgment)

The late Southern Baptist evangelist, R.G. Lee, had a message he often preached entitled, "Pay-day some-day." The thrust of the message was that you may live a life of sin and appear to be getting away with it but judgment is sure to come, whether in this life or in eternity. (family-times.net/illustration/judgment)

The church today is at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to understanding the full impact of what Peter and others wrote to the early believers. Only those who face severe persecution and live every day in fear of being tortured for their faith, can really know how the saints that Peter wrote to felt. Only they can understand the fears that go with such insecurity.

These believers, scattered throughout Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), were persecuted by the Romans because they were considered a cult that worshipped a deity other than Caesar. Little did they know that Caesar was no god! Although our government is largely patterned after that of the Romans, the thing to remember is that we are guided by a felt need of tolerance toward those who oppose us; the Romans were not. Their solders, who carried out the persecution, had free reign concerning how they treated those they persecuted.

As if that wasn't enough, they were also infiltrated by false teachers. These charlatans twisted the Scriptures, teaching lies that sounded good and appeared biblical, but were not. They claimed to speak from God, but they did not. They were not sent by God. Their goal was to lead as many people astray as possible, even believers if they could.

God protects His Word and saves those who belong to Him. God is in control. Though it appears some get away with their lies and deception, they do not. Their destruction will come in God's time. Amen.