The Certainty Of Judgement

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

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 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 2 Peter 2:1-9

People who are taught about, and are aware of the promised Second Coming of Christ, often ask the question: “What has happened to the Promise of the Second Coming?”

People look around at the world, and think this is a stable world even with all the controversies and disagreements among nations and those within one nation.

They think – things have remained the same for so many years – even hundreds of years.

So, the assumption that the Second Coming of Christ is never going to happen at all is becoming more acceptable by more people in this world – and often in the church as well.

We can be sure of this:  GOD IS NOT PROCRASTINATING NOR IS HE SLACKING IN HIS PROMISE! 2 Peter 3:9

He is, however, withholding His Mighty Hand in patience to give His creation of mankind ample opportunity to repent.

BUT – the Day of Judgement is coming!

Peter offers us three examples in 2 Peter 2:1-9, which should convince us of the certainty of God’s judgment which is still to come.

1.   The angels who sinned – Revelation 12:7-9

And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

These were creatures created by God – they were created holy, but they sinned greatly before their Creator.

They abandoned their proper habitation and as a result were kicked out of Heaven.

Despite their high ranking or position as God created them – when they sinned against God, they were not spared.

That being so, how can mankind expect to escape punishment of the same kind – being abandoned by God because of our sin?

Disobedient angels were sent to the place of bondage – that is Hell. How can God’s great creation – Mankind – expect to escape the same punishment?

God’s action concerning the angels’ destruction isn’t the first time He dealt with the gross sin of the world.

He had given clear unmistakable warnings of the doom was coming to His creation of humanity.

Noah preached God’s message for 120 years (Genesis 6:3) Then God said: “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless, his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

God’s patience extended for 120 but then He had had enough.

Noah preached during those 120 years, and only the members of his family believed and responded to the message.

No converts among the masses of the people --- only Noah and his family.

Genesis 6:13 – “Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them -with the earth.”

Noah walked with God – a righteous man and a preacher of righteousness.

Think about this – Noah preached for 120 years. Mankind – as a whole – rejected his message.

Fast forward to the year 2026. From the coming of Christ to 2026 --- that is plenty of time for people to accept the message of the saving power of Jesus Christ.

Plenty of warnings have been given.

But, sadly the same self-destruction of the masses of people will take place because they will not accept Jesus Christ as Lord.

Just as God did in the days of Noah – He will, at some time that only He knows – He will say “enough, I will gather My people and take them home. They will be saved from the flood – saved from the wickedness of the world to live eternally with Me.”

We can be sure God will do as He says. He has actually done it at least once before.

Genesis 19 gives us the account of destruction of Sodom due to the sin of homosexuality -fornication – also called “strange flesh” in Jude verse 7. “Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire.”

This is a example of the evidence of God’s extreme displeasure of their conduct.

God distinguishes righteousness from wickedness. So, Lot, a righteous man was delivered. He was distressed by the shameless ungodliness of the people around him. His soul was tormented.

But he was not corrupted by it.

He did not become indifferent to it.

He was daily concerned and distressed by it.

That same sin that caused God to destroy a whole population of people is – today is present among us and becoming more and more an acceptable way of life.

Society as a whole is becoming corrupted by it.

Society as a whole is becoming indifferent to it – accepting it as a normal, acceptable way of life.

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,

“I will dwell in them and walk among them;And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.“Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.“And do not touch what is unclean;And I will welcome you.“And I will be a father to you,And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”Says the Lord Almighty.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 gives us instruction that we – as Christ followers – are to separate ourselves from unbelievers, with the promise that God will receive us.

So, what does all of the tell us and how should we respond to it?

God can – and will – deliver His servants.

He does keep the ungodly under punishment. This has been seen in His Word.

We have the assurance of deliverance from trials. And we also have the assurance of destruction coming – depending on how we live.

Are we living a Godly life, or an ungodly life?

Are we becoming a part of the world, and its gross sins, or as we live in this world, are we remaining true to God’s Way of Truth?

It is true – God does not want anyone to be lost.

He tells us in 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

But, He does not take away the certainty of the coming judgment – whether it be reward or destruction. It is still going to happen.

God will exercise that judgment at His chosen time.

Those who have obeyed will be saved. Those who ignored His promise of His Second Coming will be thrown into the fire.

Where will you be on that great day?