2 Peter 2:4-9
"For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; if he condemned the city of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them examples of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) - if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment." 2 Peter 2:4-9
First of all I want to say, "wow, that's a long sentence!" Peter gives several examples of how God has exercised his judgment of the wicked and his mercy on the righteous. He starts with the angels. We live in a society fascinated with angels, but do we understand who angels are? They were created by God as we were. We do not become angels when we die and angels don't have the privilege of knowing a Savior. Those angels who sinned against God are referred to as fallen angels. Satan is a fallen angel and so are demons. God prepared the lake of fire to punish fallen angels and He is not sparing them. Gloomy dungeons, I believe, is referring to the Abyss which is a holding tank or prison cell for spirits such as angels. God has and will judge angels. God judged the wickedness of man in the day of Noah. To wipe out the entire human race of which He created seems to us pretty extreme, but remember that God is Holy and Righteous and will judge sin. He is serious in his judgment, but He is equally deliberate in his mercy. He knows how to rescue the righteous. Now we are not righteous because we did good things that caught the attention of God, but we are righteous because of Christ alone. Its interesting that Peter never says that God will rescue the righteous from trials, but that he knows how to. There are some trials that God allows us to endure for our growth. God knows what He is doing is the point. God isn't impotent in carrying out what we think is the right thing to do. He simply knows best and exercises His sovereignty with wisdom! Ultimately God will exercise His judgment on those who die without Christ, while those who die having placed their faith in Christ will be rescued! So when your going through an incredible trial in your life and you feel that God has just forgotten about you, just remember that God knows what He is doing and it will all be OK in the end. Live life with eyes looking ahead!
First of all I want to say, "wow, that's a long sentence!" Peter gives several examples of how God has exercised his judgment of the wicked and his mercy on the righteous. He starts with the angels. We live in a society fascinated with angels, but do we understand who angels are? They were created by God as we were. We do not become angels when we die and angels don't have the privilege of knowing a Savior. Those angels who sinned against God are referred to as fallen angels. Satan is a fallen angel and so are demons. God prepared the lake of fire to punish fallen angels and He is not sparing them. Gloomy dungeons, I believe, is referring to the Abyss which is a holding tank or prison cell for spirits such as angels. God has and will judge angels. God judged the wickedness of man in the day of Noah. To wipe out the entire human race of which He created seems to us pretty extreme, but remember that God is Holy and Righteous and will judge sin. He is serious in his judgment, but He is equally deliberate in his mercy. He knows how to rescue the righteous. Now we are not righteous because we did good things that caught the attention of God, but we are righteous because of Christ alone. Its interesting that Peter never says that God will rescue the righteous from trials, but that he knows how to. There are some trials that God allows us to endure for our growth. God knows what He is doing is the point. God isn't impotent in carrying out what we think is the right thing to do. He simply knows best and exercises His sovereignty with wisdom! Ultimately God will exercise His judgment on those who die without Christ, while those who die having placed their faith in Christ will be rescued! So when your going through an incredible trial in your life and you feel that God has just forgotten about you, just remember that God knows what He is doing and it will all be OK in the end. Live life with eyes looking ahead!
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