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NASB | 1 Peter 3:21 Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you--not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 1 Peter 3:21 Corresponding to that [rescue through the flood], baptism [which is an expression of a believer's new life in Christ] now saves you, not by removing dirt from the body, but by an appeal to God for a good (clear) conscience, [demonstrating what you believe to be yours] through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, |
Subject: in Prisons |
Bible Note: Hi Jeff I was not 'offended'. Just pointing out that it is a waste of time to argue over something that has been disputed for 2000 years and will continue to be so to the end of time, and about which people have fixed and entrenched opinions. Even the answer I gave did not deal in any depth with the points that have to be considered. But I will leave it there. (If you wish to go into it more deeply see Selwyn's detailed and scholarly treatment in his commentary on 1 Peter. But note that he is not a conservative evangelical). I know of nowhere in the Scriptures that tell us when the fall of the angels took place. We have the shadowy figure behind the snake in Genesis 3, concerning whom we are only given the briefest hint; the 'son of the elohim' in Job 1 and 2, whom most assume to be the same; the opposer of Joshua the Hight Priest (satanas - adversary) in the time of Zechariah, ditto; and the deceiver of David (1 Chronicles 21.1), again the satanas. These only indicate ONE adversary of the people of God. As far as I am concerned Isaiah 14 is speaking of the King of Babylon and Ezekiel 28 of the King of Tyre. But even then each is only speaking of ONE person. We have no real grounds for reading into them the fall of angels. The first real hint that we have of enemy heavenly powers is in Daniel 10. But we are told NOTHING about their source. Thus I fail to see where you get the idea from of a 'fall of angels'in the Old Testament which can be dated, apart from Genesis 6.1-2, where again we have 'sons of the elohim' as in Job 1-2. Otherwise we owe it to Milton not the Bible. The New Testament writers never give any hint of believing in 'a fall of angels' outside Revelation. So the same picture emerges in the New Testament until we get to Revelation, apart from the fact that there we come across evil spirits/demons. We are told nothing of their background. We are told nothing about the evil angels in Revelation 9 except that they are in the abyss. We do not know when they were imprisoned there. The scene in Revelation 12 gives the impression that it is speaking of a time around the coming of Jesus Christ. Thus your assumption about a well known 'fall of angels', which I assume that you date before Adam (for which there is no Scriptural support at all) is not obtained from the Scriptures. The only indicators we have apart from these are in 1 Peter 2.19; 2 Peter 2.4 and Jude 6, one of which directly connects with the Flood, and the other two of which are in a series looking back to the Old Testament (angels, flood, Sodom and Gomorrah). Now as the ONLY mention of a fall of angels in the Old Testamentis found in Genesis 6.1-2 (which is by the way clearly seen in this way in Jewish tradition e.g. the Book of Enoch cited by Jude), then those references would seem to be pointing to that. There is nothing else in the Old Testament for them to refer to that is not simply the invention of men's fertile minds. Thus if Scripture is our authority 2 Peter and Jude can only refer to the angels who did not keep their separate status in Genesis 6.1-2. Jewish tradition can be cited that very much links the angels who fell at the flood with those who were cast in the pit (tradition which Jude cites) but I will not go into that. All I can say is that if you think you know when the angels fell (apart from Satan) other than in Genesis 6.1-2 then demonstrate it from Scripture. And perhaps you will also indicate where in Scripture mankind are called in an unqualified way 'spirits'. I have given you a number of references where angels are called 'spirits'. God bless Rabban |