“For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment. And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood. Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people. But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day. So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.”
2 Peter 2:4-9 NLT
There are two paths which may be tempting when approaching the damage of a false teacher. One is to question whether there will be justice for the people they have hurt. Two is to question whether there will be justice for them. On this passage, Peter quickly touches on both types of questions by following the proven practice of returning to looking for God’s character within scripture. In it, he highlights some stories that typify the way in which God responds to these types of threats. Interestingly, these are not small threats but large world changing threats with large and world changing consequences. In these times, God meets mankind with two things. First there is consequence for the wicked and those supporting them. Second, there is mercy and hope for the righteous. It should be noted that the man chosen to display righteousness is Lot. Lot was not, by any means, a pillar of righteous perfection, but Peter spoke to the agony of his heart. In cases like these, God always provides.
JOSH McGARY. COM 