Judgement in Due Time
If God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgement; 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 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 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 to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgement, while continuing their punishment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.
A lawless age resists warnings of judgement to come. Consequently, sermons which warn of divine judgement seem increasingly rare in this day. Our world rushes unheeding and uncaring toward an inevitable meeting with Holy God. Have we any reason to suspect that God will actually judge us? Perhaps He will simply overlook our excesses and our ignorance? One cannot read the Word of God without drawing the conclusion that God has repeatedly intervened in history to say to wicked societies, “Enough!” Likewise, one cannot read that Holy Word without concluding that God issues repeated warnings that He shall shortly call this world to account. One such particularly pointed example of such warning is found in this text.
In a previous message we saw Peter’s warning issued against the false teachers. Peter, in the third verse of this chapter, makes this pointed observation concerning them, Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. That statement serves as a transition into consideration of the certainty of judgement. The little word for in our text is a clue to look back to remember that what follows is a continuation of what has already been introduced. Join me in exploration of this awe-inspiring thought that together we may learn to seek God and to avoid His judgement.
Judgements Past —God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgement… He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people… 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. Peter issues a series of conditional sentences, all of which lead to a foregone conclusion. I would simply restate his words as a clear declaration that we might see that God has, throughout history, judged wickedness; and He shall yet judge all evil.
The first example of judgement offered is that of The Angels when they Sinned. The judgement of the angels is buried in the dim mist of time. All we know is that which God has revealed. God created all things, including the heavenly beings. Among those powerful beings he created to serve Him was one named Lucifer … the Morning Star. This beautiful angel was designated as the guardian cherub over God’s throne, until he led a rebellion against the Lord God of heaven [Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-15].
The Word of God informs us that Lucifer led a rebellion against the Lord God. This rebellion united one-third of the angels behind Lucifer and against their Creator [Revelation 12:1-4]. Since that time, the Bible has spoken of the devil and his angels [Matthew 25:41] or of the dragon and his angels [Revelation 12:7]. Jude makes a similar reference to that which Peter makes here. In Jude Six, the half-brother of our Lord writes: the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these He has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgement on the great Day.
Inconceivable as it may be, holy angels joined Lucifer in rebellion against God. Pride led these powerful entities to unite in this unholy alliance, and God judged them. Some of the rebels have been reserved in gloomy dungeons, bound with everlasting chains. That foul hold where they are incarcerated is Tartarus. Here alone in all the Word of God, in this second letter Peter writes is this keep of fallen angels named.
It may be, however, that Tartarus is but the proper name for the Abyss. Out of the Abyss shall come the most horrific demonic powers in the days of the Tribulation [Revelation 9:1-11]. These awful demons shall torment earth dwellers for five months. For one thousand years, the period which we know as the Millennium, when Christ shall reign on the earth, Satan also shall be incarcerated in the Abyss [Revelation 20:1-3,7, 8]. It is generally held that Tartarus and the Abyss are one and the same place, a hold of judgement for the angels who joined in rebellion against Holy God.
Peter next makes reference to The Ancient World. The world which God created was pronounced very good [Genesis 1:31]. Man sinned, however, and with that sin the whole of creation was plunged into a state of rebellion, death and dying. Since that time, the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time [Romans 8:22]. The man and the woman whom God had created were driven from the Garden and angels were posted to keep man from ever again entering that Garden. The race rushed toward sin and open rebellion, until the Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time [Genesis 6:5]. The Word states that the Lord was grieved that He had made man on the earth, and His heart was filled with pain [Genesis 6:6].
God sent a great flood to cover the whole of the earth, utterly destroying all life save that which was kept in safety on the ark which He had commanded Noah to build. Every fossil is testimony to God’s righteousness and to His wrath. Every geologic layer, every strata of the geological column, is testimony to the certainty of God’s judgement. Every flood story in the collective memory of the race is testimony to God’s judgement.
Peter speaks at last of Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities of the plain of the Jordan which were overthrown by the Lord God. The glare of judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah illuminates the whole of the theme of divine judgement throughout the Word. The inhabitants of these two cities became ungrateful toward God, forgetting His grace. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images. God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. Perversion piled upon perversion, until the whole of the populace united in rebellion against the created order, which is rebellion against God. God repeatedly gave them over to ever-greater consequences at each step in their rebellion, until at last they received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion. That final penalty was the awful judgement which rained down burning sulphur on the cities.
Repeatedly does the Word of God hold up the judgement of those cities as an example of God’s righteousness and as a warning against man’s wickedness. Moses, in his final addresses to the people, warned that Israel would become like Sodom and Gomorrah if they ever forsook the Lord God [Deuteronomy 29:23]. Isaiah warned the Babylon would be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah [Isaiah 13:19]. Jeremiah [Jeremiah 49:18; 50:40] and Amos [Amos 4:11] both pointed to Sodom and Gomorrah as examples of judgement. Our Lord spoke of Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of judgement [Matthew 10:15; Luke 17:29]. In addition to Peter, Jude also used Sodom and Gomorrah as an example of judgement [Jude 7].
It is chic in religious circles today to deny God’s righteousness. Such wickedness is made easier by bold assertions that the first book of the Bible is a collection of myths, that it is inaccurate, or that it is intended to teach spiritual truths which lie hidden in the words of the text. Judgement is not a myth. Likewise, God is holy. Because this is true, He shall assuredly hold nations and people to account. We do well to take heed.
Judgements Pending — The Lord knows how to … hold the unrighteous for the day of judgement, while continuing their punishment. The Word of God points to God’s repeated intervention in history to judge wickedness as a warning against presumptuous sin – that sin which is deliberate even though the one sinning knows the judgement of God against all such wickedness. Perhaps a couple of examples will be helpful in focusing attention for this brief moment on presumptuous sin and God’s reaction to such wickedness.
Jeremiah, God’s weeping prophet, prophesied that God would hold the people to account for their wickedness. The professed people of God in that day were guilty of horrendous sins against one another, all in the name of tolerance. These awful sins flowed out of their spiritual prostitution as they worshipped strange new gods, including the Baals. Listen as Jeremiah confronts the people with these stunning words recorded in Jeremiah 7:2-15.
Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place. Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD!” If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly, if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm, then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your forefathers for ever and ever. But look, you are trusting in deceptive words that are worthless.
Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”—safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.
Go now to the place in Shiloh where I first made a dwelling for my Name, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel. While you were doing all these things, declares the LORD, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer. Therefore, what I did to Shiloh I will now do to the house that bears my Name, the temple you trust in, the place I gave to you and your fathers. I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your brothers, the people of Ephraim.
The message God gave His prophet was both pointed and inclusive. As a result of the preaching of the Word of God the people of Judah conspired against Jeremiah to kill him. Even the men of Jeremiah’s home city plotted to murder him. It was a discouraging time for the prophet of God, and the greater discouragement to the prophet was the knowledge that since God had judged His people in the past He would judge them yet again if they refused to turn from their way. Yet the people of God –especially the religious leaders – deliberately chose to engage in a form of self-deceit.
Ultimately, as you may recall, the Babylonians conquered the land. The best and the brightest of the people were deported to Babylon where Israel lived as a conquered people until the time God had decreed they should again return to the land. The sin of the people of Judah was presumptuous sin. They knew God’s judgement was pending; they knew Him to be holy and righteous. They knew that He had judged their fathers because of their sin; yet they persisted in being religious without any vitality in their actions and without any truth in their worship. That was presumptuous sin. God does not owe us anything. We cannot claim that He shall not judge us because previous generations sent missionaries or honoured Him. It is not enough that our forebears stood for the truth. We are ourselves responsible to glorify Him – now!
Romans chapter one is a dark chapter which describes the wickedness of that society which is resolved to disregard God. Step-by-downward-step the character of any society determined to exalt mankind while dishonouring God is documented and detailed. At the conclusion of that dark recitation of sin piled atop sin are these awful words: Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practise them [Romans 1:32]. The thought conveyed is that at the last those in the grip of their own wickedness are determined not only to defy Holy God but also to seek others to join them in rebellion. Attitudes such as these are the essence of presumptuous sin.
Judgement is not always delayed, but judgement shall always be executed against puny man in his defiance of Holy God. This is the clear message arising from Peter’s words of warning. Those judgements past to which Peter points serve as an example of what shall assuredly happen to the ungodly. The judgements the ungodly now face give evidence that God shall call them to account. Every twinge of conscience, the constant sense of despair at the thought of lives without meaning, every feeling of outrage at the unfairness of life – all alike are reminders that God shall call the wicked to account. Through such means God is calling to sinners to consider how they may avoid His wrath.
Nor should we think that divine judgement is solely directed against the conscience. The alcoholic does risk death from a multitude of occurrences. The abuser of drugs risks numerous assaults against life. The individual succumbing to illicit sexual activity risks both relationships and life. Those who think to harm the people of God set themselves in opposition to the Living God and shall face His wrath shortly. Though judgement begins in this life, judgement is by no means complete, for the wicked shall receive eternal punishment separated from God and in Hades after this life.
It is a flaw in human nature that we somehow think that a reprieve is a forerunner to a pardon, that if judgement is not swiftly executed it will be reverse. Peter informs us that despite every delay and notwithstanding how we may think we have prospered in the interim, judgement shall be executed, for God has determined long ago how He shall deal with sinners. It is an awesome thought to consider that I must face the Almighty God.
What we Learn from Judgements Observed and Yet to Come—God … protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others… 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). The Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgement, while continuing their punishment. This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority.
Though I shall be no means exhaust the implications found in Peter’s warnings, I must certainly draw attention to the more pertinent issues arising from his words. We have already seen The Certainty of Judgement. Post-modern thought assumes there are no fixed truths. What I believe may be true for me, but it is not necessarily true for you. That view, so popular in the world in this day is that truth is fluid, assuming first one shape and then another. Some within the Christian community upon hearing a message of judgement or a message challenging the conventional wisdom respond by saying, “Well, that is his opinion.” Thus they demonstrate post-modern thinking.
When the messenger of God delivers the message God has given, how do you receive it? Do you, either consciously or unconsciously, measure that message against a standard of your own making? Perhaps you compare the declarations of the Word to the best ideas of contemporary society, ideas which you accept without questioning critically. If you do so, you are in grave error. The message which is clearly stated in the Word confronts us, demanding that we accept it as it is – the Word of God. To do otherwise is to sit in judgement of the Word instead of permitting the Word to search our heart.
Listen with new insight to James’ admonitions concerning obedience to the Word. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does [James 1:22-25]. We must not compare ourselves with ourselves, but rather compare ourselves against God’s perfect standard.
The warning of judgement is not a pleasant message to either deliver or receive; but the messenger delivering such a message is the best friend the sinner will ever have. The warning of judgement is a plea to avoid confronting the wrath of God. It is not a message of hatred or bitterness; it is a plea to live which is delivered by one who loves enough to dare risk relationships. All nature points to the certainty of accountability and death itself is a statement that man must one day give answer to Him who gives life.
If God judged angels who are greater in power than man, will He hesitate to judge rebellious man? If the rebellion of the angels of God brought swift judgement, will not man’s intransigence bring swift and certain judgement from Holy God? If the ancient earth was utterly inundated so that all life was destroyed save for eight people because of rampant wickedness, will God spare modern society because there are billions of people? If the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed, though they occupied the plains of the Jordan and though they were richly blessed by God, will He actually spare modern cities? Do not deceive yourselves! God has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed [Acts 17:31]. We place ourselves in a precarious position when we question whether God will judge wickedness – and that swiftly and soon.
There is another lesson to be drawn from the warnings Peter issued, a lesson directed especially to Christians who name the Name of Christ and claim to be children of the Living God. Christians receive from Peter’s words a Caution Against Presumption. If God holds sinners to account, will He actually ignore His own people? In his earlier letter, Peter issued a sobering warning to believers. Listen to the words of 1 Peter 4:17,18. It is time for judgement to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And,
“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
While increasing numbers of Canadians profess to believe biblical truths, fewer live as though those truths make any difference. May I say that all evidence points to the fact that Canadians have embraced presumptuous sin as a standard for living. We Christians are not uncontaminated, I fear. It matters little what I profess; it matters greatly how I live. For my life will either validate my profession or the manner in which I live will condemn me. May God deliver us from presuming against His grace.
The final truth from Peter’s warnings to which I would draw your attention to that of Grace in the Day of Judgement. I would never wish to deliver a message of judgement if there were no message of grace, but God has given us a revelation of His grace. God did judge the ancient world. The entire world had grown desperately wicked and every inclination of man’s heart was evil. The wickedness had grown so great, reaching even to Heaven itself, that God determined to destroy all life – but Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord [Genesis 6:8].
Noah was a preacher of righteousness. Together with his three sons, his wife and his daughters-in-law, Noah was rescued from judgement. By the standards of contemporary Christendom, Noah was not much of a preacher. He did, however, obtain God’s commendation. He did obtain grace which spared him and his family from judgement. He was rescued from condemnation. Noah’s message of righteousness was apparently a condemnation of the vile corruption all about him, and though it resulted in no lives changed, it insured that he himself was delivered from judgement. The flood was sudden and just as surely as God judged suddenly His grace was revealed toward Noah.
The ashes of Sodom and Gomorrah serve as an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly. As surely as this statement is true, so that which follows is true. Lot serves as an example of God’s grace in the day of judgement. When I read the account of the judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19, Lot hardly comes across as a righteous man. Peter declares by the Spirit of God that this was actually the case, however. Lot’s righteousness is less an evidence of the consistency of his life than it is an evidence of God’s grace. His righteousness is the result of his standing before God.
The righteousness of Lot is revealed in the fact that he was distressed, or oppressed. Lot lived among men characterised by filthy lives (ajselgeiva ajnastrofh'"/ – sexual debauchery in 2 Peter 2:2) and an attitude of lawlessness (ajqevsmwn – (unprincipled) and lawless deeds (ajnovmoi" e[rgoi")). Contrary to any casual assumptions one might hold, the actions of the wicked do adversely effect the righteous. Both the attitudes and actions of the Sodomites affected Lot. Besides being distressed, Lot was tormented in his righteous soul. Seeing and hearing the vile ways of the Sodomites day after day, Lot was grieved to the point of inner torture.
If you can watch the efforts of the Sodomites to indoctrinate children in this day and not be moved to the point of torment, it is doubtful that the Spirit of God holds sway in your life. If you can witness the loss of respect for human life and rebellion against the created order without being tormented in your soul, it is questionable whether righteousness prevails in your life. If you can see the attitudes of disrespect and the growth of arrogance in this day without feeling distressed, it is not at all certain that God reigns in your life. God knows how to rescue the godly men from trials, but godly individuals cannot be ignorant or comfortable with the growth of wickedness.
Those among the people of God who are distressed by the arrogance of the wicked, whose souls are tormented by the casual attitude toward wickedness, will find great comfort in the knowledge that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials. Indeed, it is this singular point which Peter makes repeatedly throughout with the examples given – Godly men shall be rescued. Just as God holds the unrighteous for the day of judgement, so He delivers the godly from trials. Were this not so, could any of us stand? Could any man hope to persevere were it not for the grace of God? Yet, the Lord knows those who are His and He knows how to deliver them.
The Lord knows how to deliver those who are His because He has already delivered them from all condemnation. You see, He judged sin once forever when He surrendered Himself to the cross in the place of those who should believe. The Word of God declares that God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God [2 Corinthians 5:21]. The judgement of sinners was received by Jesus, and no one need receive God’s wrath. This is why the arrogance of the false teachers, who Peter has in view, and why the continued arrogance of any who reject God’s grace, is so particularly abhorrent. Such people have rejected God’s greatest gift, insulted grace, trampled underfoot the Son of God and treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them. What more is left for God to do except judge them as their deeds deserve?
Yet, the godly individual is that one who humbly submits to God’s provision. You, also, if you will accept God’s verdict and if you will accept His provision of life, will be counted as a godly individual. 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… “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9,10,13]. I plead with you to receive this grace, to be made holy in Christ, to determine to follow God’s way, to be set free from all condemnation, to be saved. You may do so as you receive Christ as Lord of life and as you believe this Good News that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them [2 Corinthians 5:19]. Be saved today. Amen.