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NASB | 2 Peter 2:4 ¶ 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; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Peter 2:4 ¶ For if God did not [even] spare angels that sinned, but threw them into hell and sent them to pits of gloom to be kept [there] for judgment; |
Bible Question:
Look at the 2 following verses, then answer the questions below. 2 Pet. 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day Concerning angels the Bible says 1. they sinned 2. did not keep their first estate (position of authority in some in another version) 3. left their habitation (home in another version) 4. were cast down to hell 5. they are in chains awaiting judgement. My questions are; 1. What caused them to sin? 2. Where was this habitation mentioned? 3. Are they still in chains awaiting judgement? New Creature |
Bible Answer: Greetings New Creature, One thing that would help us to understand what or why angels would fall from their eternal station of service to the Lord to an eternal station of darkness, would be to examine the nature of angels themselves. Angels are spirits (Eph. 3:10; Col. 1:16) who are created by God (Gen. 2:1; Neh. 9:6; Col. 1:16). They are immortal (Luke 20:36), do not marry (Matt. 22:30; Mark 12:25; Luke 20:35), are obedient (Psalm 103:20; 1 Pet. 3:22) and worship God (Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 1:6). If angels are in their very nature "spiritual" beings, since they are spirits, then I believe that some therefore committed a "spiritual" sin, and fell away from God (Jude 1:6, 2 Pet. 2:4). Sins of the spirit (pride, envy, and anger) are generally more dangerous than the sins of the flesh (sloth, greed, gluttony, and lust), since sins of the spirit causes the greatest deviation from the spirit of Christ. When we look at Jesus and His dealings with people's sins, we discover that his mildest reproach was for the people with sins of the flesh. Take for example the woman caught in adultery (John 8). Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more." But to the people who were prideful and self-righteous, He had the harshest and most condemning words possible. He called them "broods of vipers," "hypocrites," and "whitewashed tombs ... full of dead men's bones" (Matt. 23:27,33), and He told them that in no way would they enter the kingdom of heaven. But you must understand, I am not saying that other sins are "greater" or more grevious to our Lord than others, since all sin is repugnant to the Lord (Gen. 6:5-7). It is of no coincidence then, that the one sin that is 'unforgivable' is a sin that is spiritual in nature (Matt. 12:31; Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10; 1 John 5:16,17; Num. 14:26-45; 1 Sam. 3:14). Therefore, if the angels then committed a 'spiritual' sin that forever separated them from God, then would could that sin be? Of those mentioned, pride, envy and anger, pride most fits the description of a sin that has moved God to swift judgment more often than any other sin in all of Scripture. C.S. Lewis likened pride to 'spiritual cancer.' Daniel 4:30-33 gives us a clear view of how God views the sin of pride. Proverbs 16:18 most certainly proved true of King Herod, who declared himself to be God and immediately paid for it (Acts 12:19-23). I believe that the angels that fell, along with Satan himself, fell from their stations in heaven because of their pride (Isaiah 14:13-14; Ezekiel 28). And Satan deceived a third of the angels of heaven (Revelation 12:4) into participating in a massive angelic revolt against God, all due to pride. And God cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment (2 Pet. 2:4). If you are wondering whether God's angels can still "fall" today, the answer is no. Following the massive angelic revolt, God "elected" or permanently confirmed the holiness of the angels who chose to remain loyal to Him (1 Timothy 5:21). To answer your questions: 1. Pride (Isaiah 14:13-14) 2. "..The Greek for "hell" is "Tartarus," the term used by the Greeks to designate the place where the most wicked spirits were sent to be punished. Why some evil angels are imprisoned and others are free to serve Satan as demons is not explained in Scripture." (1) 3. Yes (2 Pet. 2:4, Jude 1:6) Blessings to you, Makarios (1) The Zondervan NASB Study Bible, 1999, the Zondervan Corporation, Kenneth Barker, pg. 1824 |