Lesson for September 1, 2013
The Book of II Peter
Chapter 2:4-9
II Peter 2:4-5
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.
Here we have the judgment of the fallen angels of Genesis 6 as an illustration of the fact that God’s judgment of unbelieving false teachers is not idle and their destruction is not asleep, as stated in II Peter 2:3.
Genesis 6
Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. (Genesis 6:1-2)
The Hebrew word beni-ha-Elohim, translated “sons of God,” appears only four times in the Old Testament: Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7 and in this verse. Another Hebrew word has also been translated “sons of God,” but beni-ha-Elohim is always used for angels, never men. Since “sons of God” in the Old Testament is used for all kinds of angels, both elect and fallen, the question is which kind? Today there are two types of fallen angels: those called “demons” and those who are imprisoned. All fallen angels in both categories are under the control of Satan, but from passages like I Peter 3:20; 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 we learn that the angels in Genesis 6:2 later became the bound angels. They took wives for themselves, whomever they chose means that they literally cohabited with women on the earth. Now immediately certain questions arise as to the physical possibilities and capabilities of such a plan. First, aren’t angels invisible to the human race? The answer to this is yes. However, they could at that time appear to human beings. As a high order of creation, they are extremely beautiful and therefore can appear as strikingly attractive, masculine human beings! This brings us to a second question. In view of Matthew 22:30, which says that the angels “neither marry nor are given in marriage,” how is procreation possible between angels and humanity? We must keep in mind that the pre-flood period was a unique time in history and we are told that Satan performs miracles as the god of this world and his demons can take on the form of human beings.
Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not always strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men of old, men of renown. (Genesis 6:3-4)
As a result of angelic procreation with humanity, a super-race evolved. They were called Nephilim, “fallen ones,” in Hebrew and translated “giants” in English. They had fallen from the human race in that they were no longer true humanity. Half man and half angel, they were creatures of remarkable strength and brilliant intellect. The children which the women bore to these angels “became mighty men which were of old [antiquity], men of renown,” that is, famous men of hero category. All ancient literature contains stories of heroes, mighty men who performed supernatural feats. They were all described as half human and half god. The half angelic, half human super-race had completely taken over and corrupted the human race of the antediluvian (pre-flood) civilization except for the few who resisted — Noah plus seven!
Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on 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. (Genesis 6:5)
Man’s evil had reached the saturation point because of his involvement with fallen angels. Evil is primarily what you think, not what you do. Therefore, the mental attitude is brought in: their thinking was totally engulfed in malignant, satanic concepts. God is immutable, and He does not change! Why then is the Lord said to have changed His mind toward the creation of man? This is an anthropopathism, ascribing to God human thinking in order to explain in terms of human language His policies, thoughts, acts and decisions. Throughout the Scripture, God often reveals Himself in this language of accommodation so that man might have a frame of reference for an otherwise complicated function. Here God expresses what He would do about man’s choice and about man’s losing the battle with Satan. He was not suddenly changing His plans; in eternity past He had designed the Plan of Grace, which would rescue man from the dilemma he had created for himself in the Garden, and restore what had been lost. But God must demonstrate to man the consequences of negative volition and rebellion.
And the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. (Genesis 6:7-8)
What was God’s response to the evil of mankind at this time? God would blot them out and start over with Noah and his family. God found positive volition in one man, Noah. Grace (favor) means that Noah had not only believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, but that he had literally discovered and exploited the grace of God to the maximum. Noah understood the promise of Genesis 3:15; he further understood that if God did the most for him at salvation, He would do “much more than the most” to protect the believer in the devil’s world.
These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, and blameless in his time; Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:9)
The reason that Noah and his family did not get involved in the evil of the day was that they were faithful believers and God protected them from the “super race.” Ultimately there was no other way to preserve true humanity than to destroy the Nephilim. Furthermore, God must keep His Word regarding the promise to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15, as well as continue the Angelic Conflict. Only twice in the history of the human race is every unbeliever destroyed: the Flood and in the future at the Second Coming when all unbelievers will be wiped out, leaving only believers to enter the Millennium. Noah and his family were justified before God. Noah’s genealogy was uncontaminated by the angelic cohabitation, and he therefore represented true humanity in the human race. This is one of the major reasons why the genealogies of both the Old and New Testaments are extremely important. They demonstrate that at the point of the Virgin Birth there was a line of undefiled humanity from Adam to the Virgin Mary.
II Peter 2:6-7
And if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men.
Here we have the judgment of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 as an illustration of the fact that God’s judgment of unbelieving false teachers is not idle and their destruction is not asleep, as stated in II Peter 2:3.
Genesis 19
Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. (Genesis 19:1)
Sitting in the gate of Sodom indicates that Lot had become some type of judge. Lot thought that all he had to do was occupy a prominent position and things would change in Sodom. You cannot change the world by reform. This is the issue of the social gospel versus the biblical Gospel of regeneration. He spent all of his time trying to change things through human reform. The changes that count are eternal changes. Lot was a believer out of fellowship, which always leads to the wrong scale of values.
And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” They said however, “No, but we shall spend the night in the square.” Yet he urged then strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all people from every quarter; and they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them.” (Genesis 19:2-5)
These men of Sodom were homosexuals. They had seen these two men go in and they wanted them. Remember these were angels of the Lord come to destroy these corrupt cities. Why the two angels of the Lord refused initially to go into Lot’s house is unknown. Perhaps it was a test for Lot to see how he would respond knowing the corruption of people of Sodom.
And said, “Please my brothers, do not act wickedly.” Now behold, I have two daughters…please let me bring them out to you… (Genesis 19:7-8)
Notice, he calls these people brothers. Once you start trying to reform the world you start believing in the universal brotherhood of man. Here are these inflamed homosexuals and he calls them brothers. Can you see the compromise that Lot has made because of his “out-of-fellowship status?” He even offers them his daughters. Lot has reached black out of the soul through his association with these evil men. This is a lesson for us to avoid false teachers and those who follow them.
And the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of Heaven. (Genesis 19:24)
This destruction is a pattern as to what those who are outside of the plan of God may experience periodically in the devil’s world so that the Angelic Conflict will continue. Lot and his two daughters were delivered out from Sodom. God chooses in grace to deliver in different ways. He can deliver through the disaster or He can deliver out from the disaster. Both options are open under God’s plan of grace. In this case, Lot and his family were delivered out from the disaster. By the way, the Greek word for rescued is “ruomai,” which means to drag out. God had to drag Lot and his family out of town! Do you remember Lot’s wife who turned her head back toward Sodom and was turned into a pillar of salt? She didn’t want to leave!
II Peter 2:8
(For by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds).
Why was Lot called righteous? The word “righteous” means justified by grace. Lot was delivered by God’s grace because he was a believer. Lot was not living his spiritual life. Lot and his family were in reversionism. Lot became friendly with the people and he could not be friendly with these people and still maintain his spiritual life. Lot was overpowered (oppressed) by lawlessness and degeneracy. He was delivered from the disaster when he was in reversionism. That’s grace. God delivered Lot by grace out from the disaster. Lot should have separated himself from Sodom. Had he been a mature believer he would have done so. But as a reversionistic believer he was living among the people of Sodom. Lot enjoyed fellowship with the people of Sodom. Yet they were degenerate. Lot was not a homosexual but he enjoyed the company of the people of Sodom and he tolerated them. Obviously Lot could not concentrate on doctrine and he could not, therefore, concentrate on the divine viewpoint. So he concentrated on other things which replaced Bible doctrine. Lot was socially unfaithful to God. As believers we are to separate ourselves from anything that or anyone who would distract us from executing our spiritual lives.
Verse 9
Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the Day of Judgment.
God the Father inherently understands how to deliver believers. Lot didn’t deserve it; it was a matter of grace. The godly is a technical word for any believer. Lot was delivered on the basis of the character of God. Therefore we see that God knows how to deliver believers from disaster even if they are out of fellowship with Him. By contrast, God also knows how to preserve judgment for those who reject Jesus Christ as Savior (the unrighteous).