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“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; and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men” ‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭2:4-7‬ ‭

Is Peter saying

  • Angels sinned
  • Noah was saved
  • Sodom sinned
  • Lot was saved

Or is Peter saying

  • Angels sinned
  • Noah was saved
  • Sodom sinned and Lot was saved

Or is Peter saying

  • Angels sinned and Noah was saved
  • Sodom sinned and Lot was saved

It would appear obvious that Sodom is interconnected with Lot. But if Noah is not connected with the sinning angels of Genesis 6 which renown Biblical angels story is Peter trying to reference?

Parallel passage found in Jude 6,7

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  • Were you the one who down-voted my comment/answer ? If so, then I'll delete it.
    – Lucian
    Oct 16, 2021 at 8:07

1 Answer 1

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It appears to me that 2 Peter 2:1-11 could be structured as follows:

1 Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed. 3 In their greed, these false teachers will exploit you with deceptive words. The longstanding verdict against them remains in force, and their destruction does not sleep.

  • 4 For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them deep into hell,a placing them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; [but saved loyal angels as per Rev 12:7-9 - see appendix below.]
  • 5 if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, among the eight;
  • 6 if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction, reducing them to ashes as an example of what is coming on the ungodly; 7 and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—

9 if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.

10 Such punishment is specially reserved for those who indulge the corrupt desires of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and self-willed, they are unafraid to slander glorious beings. 11 Yet not even angels, though greater in strength and power, dare to bring such slanderous charges against them before the Lord.

COMMENTS

It appears that Peter brings three pieces of evidence to prove his contention that God can destroy the wicked while saving the righteous. Let me put this in more stark relief by use of a table:

Destroyed/kept Wicked Rescued/save Righteous
Sinful angels Loyal angels (as per Rev 12:7-9)
Ancient world Noah and family
Sodom and Gomorrah Lot and daughters

APPENDIX - The Devil Cast Out

Note the comments of Albert Barnes on Rev 12:9.

And the great dragon was cast out - See the notes on Revelation 12:3. That there may be an allusion in the language here to what actually occurred in some far distant period of the past, when Satan was ejected from heaven, there can be no reason to doubt. Our Saviour seems to refer to such an event in the language which he uses when he says Luke 10:18, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven"; and Jude, perhaps Revelation 12:6, may refer to the same event. All that we know on the subject leads us to suppose that at some time there was a revolt among the angels, and that the rebellious part were cast out of heaven, for an allusion to this is not infrequent in the Scriptures. Still the event here referred to is a symbolical representation of what could occur at a later period, when the church would be about to spread and he triumphant, and when Satan would wage a deadly war against it. That opposition would be as if he made war on Michael the archangel, and the heavenly hosts, and his failure would be as great as if he were vanquished and cast out of heaven.

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  • The issue I have with your explanation of the angels is that Revelation comes later and Peter is using examples all too familiar to his audience to make his point. Wherefore then is this Rev12 in the OT that everyone would have been so familiar with his illustration? It doesn’t exist. The only example we have is Genesis 6 and in the Rev account they were not chained but thrown down to the earth whereas these angels were thrown down into the deeper parts of the earth. I understand why you don’t want it to be about Genesis 6 but it’s certainly NOT Rev12 Oct 15, 2021 at 2:00
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    I have added further comments that allude to Jesus' remark in Luke 10:18. This may possibly refer to Isa 14:12-15, etc.
    – Dottard
    Oct 15, 2021 at 3:13
  • Thank you for the edit. Again it seems extremely obscure and doesn’t fit 2 Peter or Jude who also describes the exact same incident. If it’s referring to satan it makes no sense because 2 Peter says THEY are in chains and awaiting judgment whereas satan is singular and roaming free. Jude also speaks of chains and adds sexual immorality whereas Isa14 nor Rev12 mentions this detail. Inevitably this text must be something far more well known, likely associated with Noah and must include all the elements, multitude of angels... Oct 15, 2021 at 3:53
  • I presume that when Satan was cast out, his angels were cast out with him - Rev 12:7-9 was written later (than Peter) but it refers to previously know information as the added references above suggest.
    – Dottard
    Oct 15, 2021 at 8:51
  • I understand Dottard but Rev12 is in context about the incarnation birth of Jesus and the throwing down of Satan is after the fact. So how you tie this to Isa 14 is lost on me. And my point still stands this is an obscure passage to be considered a well known story, like the destructive flood of Noah, like the destructive fire of Sodom during Lot’s occupancy. Oct 15, 2021 at 11:45

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