2 Peter series - Corruption from the Top Down - Part 2

                    Corruption from the Top Down: Part 2 - Judgment

2 Peter 2:4-10

Judgment speaks of finality. And judgment is to only be made by those who have the authority, who are able to judge with justice and integrity (doing the right thing).  There is only one who can do that with finality, and that is God. He alone can, justly and with integrity, judge the acts of men. Peter knew God had judged in the past, and would bring judgment in the future. He gave three examples of God’s judgment and punishment in the past upon sin, whether it were angels or mankind. God’s act of judgment was final. 

Peter addressed first the fall of angels in the rebellion in heaven, when they followed Lucifer in sin and later battled against the archangel Michael and the angels of God in Rev.12.

Peter remembers Jesus’ words of Satan’s fall after they returned from evangelizing, healing, and casting out demons, “He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven...However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  The angels were created to serve God in heaven, but when Satan was ousted from heaven by God, other angels fell as well. Let’s look at the text, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment.”

These angels, according to the writings of Peter and Jude, had sinned against God. "And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day." Jude 1:6 

Just as Satan will be chained at the end of the Great Tribulation for a thousand years, and then let loose to only be caught and thrown into the Lake of Fire in Hell, “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Rev. 20:10  So have these angels who followed Satan (Isa. 14:12-21; Ezk. 28:12-19) These angels rebelled against God, some are mentioned as the sons of God in Gen.6:2 as having offspring with women, daughters of man, who were called the Nephilim, or fallen ones. God spoke of them one more time in Rev. 12:4, “Its (the dragon) tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.” When they were swept, deceived by Satan, they were defeated by God’s army of angels led by Michael the Archangel. 

Application - In God’s Word, Judgment is God’s alone, “Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the LORD.” Rom. 12:19 and “For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News?” 1 Pet. 4:17 

God will first judge those who are his, who serve him, and are called his people. We have seen it with the people of Israel, and we shall see it with the church, the body of Christ. Peter was right, if God didn’t spare the angels who served him in heaven, but rebelled, didn’t keep their positions, the place where they were called to serve, and they were not content with their place or role of authority, and like Satan were filled with pride, how much more so will God judge the church, who doesn’t hold to the place where God has assigned to them, but becomes discontented and becomes filled with pride, just like the angels. It is not my place to judge, but God’s! Like Peter, I know from God’s Word that there will be a day reckoning when God will require an answer from those with rebellious and prideful hearts. Jesus told a parable of a master who had gone away, and placed his affairs into the hands of his servants. Being gone for a long time, some of the servants rose up in arrogance and pride, and believed they were the master, and began to judge and beat others, and still there were others who decided they didn’t need to work and stay alert, and became slothful. When the master returned unexpectedly, he found those with positions of authority, abusing it, and He found those called to serve, sleeping instead of being alert, watchful, and about the master’s business. I wonder how this relates to the church today? Peter asked Jesus if this parable was just for the disciples or for everyone. The answer is both, all that Jesus spoke in Luke 12 was for all who will hear, listen, and obey.  

Second, Peter addresses the judgment upon the world during Noah’s day. Let’s look at the text, “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.” 

Peter knew the story of the flood, it was known by many different cultures and peoples, for all had some experience with it in their history. He drew from Gen. 6

how God saw the state of men’s hearts and minds, “Then the Lord saw that man was very sinful on the earth. Every plan and thought of the heart of man was sinful always. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth. He had sorrow in His heart. So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have made from the land, man and animals, things that move upon the earth and birds of the sky. For I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Gen. 6:5-8 

Peter knew God wouldn’t contend with sinful man forever. There would be a time of judgment. God saw the wickedness, the rebellion, the iniquity and debauchery of hearts and minds that were continuously disobedient to God. It was always sinful, but God also saw Noah and His family. Peter understood that God will save the righteous, those who obey, fear and revere him alone. God is a jealous God, he doesn’t share his glory with anyone. Someone said, speaking of God’s jealousy , “Jealousy is defined as vigorously protective of the integrity of one's relationship.” God protects his relationship with the righteous and obedient men and women. He truly is a jealous God,  “for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” Exodus 34:14 

Noah found deliverance from God. Noah had to work and build the ark in the midst of a sinful world. He preached and told people about God, “but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others” and God saved Noah and his family by a great deliverance and brought judgment upon the sinful world by “bringing in the Flood upon the world of the ungodly…”

Application - I was once asked on my take of the rapture, being young I said, “I’m going out on the first boat.” referring back to Noah’s deliverance from worldwide judgment, then I went on to explain Paul’s writing in 1 Thes. 4. I wouldn’t recommend you to give this response to the elders for ordination. But there is going to be another deliverance of the righteous, the rapture of the Church. Peter kept alluding to it, and Paul gave an apt reply to the Thessilonicans in 1 Thes. 4:15-17. God the Father is the only one who knows the time when He will send His Son Jesus Christ for His bride, the Church. “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. Matt. 24:36 And as Paul wrote as the Holy Spirit led him, “According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

God is going to bring final judgment upon this world, who like the people before the flood, “Every plan and thought of the heart of man was sinful always.” But God will take out the Church, the righteous and blameless before His wrath on the sinful world, “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Like Noah, God is going to protect and deliver up those who are His, the faithful and obedient, who are trusting in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Last, Peter speaks of Sodom and Gomorrah. Let’s look at the text, “if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless (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 the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.”

If there was ever a story retold, it would be the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Peter probably saw the area where Sodom and Gomorrah had been at the end of the dead sea, or at least heard the telling from the writings of Moses. They were condemned because their iniquity was considered grievous by God. “Now the people of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.” Gen. 13:13 “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous. Gen. 18:20

Peter emphasized that Sodom and Gomorrah were to be examples of God destroying the ungodly by fire. God rained down on them brimstone and fire until nothing was left but ashes and sulfur from the unspent brimstone. A land once considered desirable by Lot because of its resemblance to the garden of Eden and Nile delta, well-watered and fertile was nothing but piles of ash. 

Peter again refers to God’s deliverance of Lot and his two daughters, but not his wife because she disobeyed the angels and looked back at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot was considered by God as a righteous man and was greatly grieved by the depravity of the lawlessness of the people of Sodom. Lot was so distressed by the sexual immorality of the men, and tormented daily by the lawlessness and words he saw and heard daily. God saw the blight on Lot’s life and the prayers of Abraham, and delivered them from judgment. 

Peter now makes a statement to all the saints, “If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.” God is able to rescue and save the godly! And God will hold the ungodly accountable for punishment and his wrath. 

Peter then compared the depravity of Sodom and Gomorrah to his days, the people who were following “the corrupt desire of the flesh and despised authority.” Peter and other godly believers were tormented daily by lawlessness, debauchery, open iniquity, and rebellion against God by idol worship in the Roman empire. Jesus had given them a promise, that He would return and take them to where he was (Jn.14:1-3). And God always keeps His promises!

Application - Jesus is returning to take His bride to the place he has prepared for them. This is a promise from God the Son! Like Lot, and like Peter and many other believers, today, the torment of living in a sin-filled world, full of debauchery, lying, sexual iniquities, and literally the plans and thoughts of their hearts are ungodly and always sinful seem to be the result of spiritual oppression and possession by Satanic forces. But God is able to deliver all who are His from this torment, oppression, and even spiritual attacks by the powers in the heavenly realms. 

There will be a day, maybe very soon, when we will hear the trumpet sound from heaven, and hear the voice of the Archangel, and then God will deliver all those who are His, whether dead or alive, to be with him as fast as a twinkling of an eye. 

In closing, I was reading an article on othering, a new term for me, it is when people view another as unworthy, a blight, the reason for the problem. It is an act of judgment used by man upon others who are deemed lower than them and who do not agree with their ideals and morals. This has been the mantra for slavery, genocide, and even for the persecution and exclusion of those who don’t agree with the ungodly authority. I have seen it in religious persecution by authoritarians who want to remove anyone who believes or thinks differently. We are living in those days today, even in America. A country which was founded on Biblical values. The times of Jacob’s trouble are upon us. Jeremiah was told by God, He would save Judah and Israel from the hands of the oppressors, ungodly, those whose hearts and minds are continuously evil, lawless, and sinful. It would be like the birth pains through a time of great fear and trembling. They would be delivered and brought into the promised land. They would also experience discipline for sinfulness and disobedience, but would be delivered by God. Jesus spoke of this time in Matt. 24: 6-8, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.”

This can only be the beginnings of the Tribulation, a time of wrath from God upon a sinful world. But “the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.”

Now, God doesn’t take pleasure in the death of any man, woman, or child. “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!” Ezk. 18:32 He wants all men, women and children to repent, believe in His Son Jesus for salvation, to trust and obey Him with all their heart and soul. For it is only in Jesus can man be saved, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12

If you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, I implore you today, don’t wait. Ask him to forgive you your sins, for He is faithful to forgive and cleanse you, and to give you a new life. 

I’m again going to include the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). If you have already asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, then share this message with someone who hasn’t. 

A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis