By Tyson Thorne

September 5, 2017
 
 

We ended last week learning about false teachers, and Peter’s warning against following them. Today we examine in detail the dangers of falling away from Jesus to follow another gospel. Yes, another gospel, for there are many out there. From the “eat, drink and be merry” gospel of the epicureans to the strict living in a mental construct of the stoics, very little has changed over the centuries. Each false gospel has its appeal, for if they didn’t they wouldn’t be so tempting. Falling to any temptation has its consequences, but falling to another gospel involves one day experiencing the wrath of God.

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment, and if he did not spare the ancient world, but did protect Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others, when God brought a flood on an ungodly world, and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned them to destruction, having appointed them to serve as an example to future generations of the ungodly, and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man in anguish over the debauched lifestyle of lawless men, (for while he lived among them day after day, that righteous man was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) – if so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, and to reserve the unrighteous for punishment at the day of judgment, especially those who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority. (2 Peter 2.4-10)

The Bible doesn’t often compare man to angels, but when it does it is to show how much higher and holy they are. They see God frequently, hear his voice, and receive their instruction from him directly. They obey diligently and perfectly, every time. Their devotion is unquestionable, their holiness unfathomable and their power nearly unassailable. Yet, should they ever fail even once, there is no way back. Jesus died for humanity, not the angels. Forgiveness is ours should we repent; only judgment awaits the fallen angels. Some of the fallen angelic beings are being held in chains in the spiritual prison of hell, far removed from God for millennia with the knowledge that they will one day face him again for final judgment.

Peter mentions them to drive home a single point: if judgment is so harsh for them, how much more will it be for those who know God’s grace and forgiveness and still reject him? If this weren’t dramatic enough, Peter says still more.

We all know the ancient stories. Humanity had become so driven in their pursuit of sin and self-pleasure that God, in much grief, destroyed all but seven people through a global flood. Later, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah had descended to such darkness that God destroyed them both, saving only a righteous few. These examples serve to warn us of the dangers of rebelling against God, but there is a positive message here too. God can punish and destroy, sure, he created everything so it only stands to reason that he has the authority and the ability to judge. Even so, there is Noah and his family. There is lot and his children. God also knows how to save and reward the faithful.

Which do you want to be?

 
 
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