2 Peter 2:4
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What does 2 Peter 2:4 mean?
For if God spared not the angels that sinned.
&c.] By whom are meant the devil and his angels; who are
spirits created by God and as such were good; their first estate
which they left was pure and holy, as well as high and
honourable; they, were at first in the truth, though they abode
not in it; they were once among the morning stars and sons of
God, and were angels of light; their numbers are many, and
therefore are here expressed in the plural number, "angels",
though it cannot be said how large; a legion of them was in one
man; one at first might be in the rebellion, and draw a large
number with him into it, at least was at the head of it, who is
called Beelzebub, the prince of devils: what their first sin was,
and the occasion of it, is not easy to say; it is generally
thought to be pride, affecting a likeness to, or an equality with
God; since this was what man was tempted to by them, and by which
he fell, as they are thought to do; and because this is the sin
of such who fall into the condemnation of the devil; ( 1 Timothy
3:6 ) and is the sin, that goes before a fall in common; as
it did before the fall of man, so it might before the fall of
angels, ( Proverbs
16:18 ) . The passage in ( John 8:44 ) seems most
clearly of any to express their sin, which was "not abiding in
the truth"; in the truth of the Gospel, particularly the great
truth of the salvation of men, by the incarnate Son of God; and
which they could by no means brook and which might spring from
pride, they not bearing the thought that the human nature should
be exalted above theirs; hence the Jews, in opposing Christ as
the Messiah and Saviour, are said to be of their father the
devil, and to do his lusts; and Judas that betrayed him, and fell
from his apostleship, and the truth, is called a devil; and the
heresies of men, respecting the person and office of Christ, are
styled doctrines of devils; and men that have professed this
truth, and afterwards deny it, are represented in the same
irrecoverable and desperate case with devils, and must expect the
same punishment, ( John 8:44 ) ( 6:70 ) ( 1 Timothy
4:1 ) ( Hebrews 6:6 ) (
Hebrews
10:26 Hebrews
10:29 ) , and also it may be observed on the contrary, that
the good angels that stand, greatly love, value, esteem, and pry
into the truths of the Gospel; particularly the scheme of man's
salvation, by the incarnation, obedience, sufferings, and death
of Christ: now these
God spared not;
or "had no mercy on", as the Arabic version renders it; he did
not forgive their sin, nor provide a Saviour for them; but
directly, and at once, notwithstanding the dignity and excellency
of their nature, in strict justice, and awful severity, without
any mercy, inflicted due punishment on them; wherefore it cannot
be thought that false teachers, who, as they, abide not in the
truth, but deny and oppose it, should escape the vengeance of
God:
but cast them down to hell;
they were hurled out of heaven, from whence they fell as
lightning, into the "lowest", or inferior places, as the Syriac
version renders it; either into the air, as in ( Ephesians
2:2 ) or into the earth; as in ( Revelation
12:9 ) or into the deep, the abyss, the bottomless pit, where
they are detained, as in a prison, ( Luke 8:31 ) ( Revelation
9:11 ) ( Revelation
20:3 Revelation
20:7 ) though for certain reasons, and at certain times, are
suffered to come forth, and rove about in this earth, and in the
air: and these, when removed from their ancient seats in heaven,
were not merely bid to go away, as the wicked will at the day of
judgment; or were "drove" out, as Adam was from the garden of
Eden; but "cast down"; with great power, indignation, wrath, and
contempt, never to be raised and restored again:
[and] delivered [them] into chains of darkness:
leaving them under the guilt of sin, which is the power of
darkness, and in black despair; shutting them up in unbelief,
impenitence, and hardness of mind; being holden with the cords of
their sins, and in the most dreadful state of bondage and
captivity to their lusts, in just judgment on them; and in the
most miserable and uncomfortable condition, being driven from the
realms of light, deprived of the face and presence of God, in the
utmost horror and trembling, and fearful looking for of judgment,
and fiery indignation to consume them; and in utter darkness,
without the least glimmering of light, joy, peace, and comfort;
and where there is nothing but weeping, wailing, and gnashing of
teeth; and being also under the restraints of the power and
providence of God, and not able to stir or move, or do anything
without divine permission; and being likewise, by the
everlasting, unalterable, and inscrutable purposes and decrees of
God, appointed to everlasting wrath and destruction; by which
they are consigned and bound over to it, and held fast, that they
cannot escape it:
to be reserved unto judgment:
to the day of judgment, to the last and general judgment; the
judgment of torment, as the Syriac version here calls it; the
words may be rendered, "and delivered them to be kept at
judgment, in chains of darkness"; when they will be in full
torment, which they are not yet in; and then they will be cast
into the lake of fire prepared for them, and be everlastingly
shut up in the prison of hell from whence they will never more be
suffered to go out; till which time they are indeed under
restraints, and are held in by Christ, who has the power of
binding and loosing them at pleasure; and who then, as the Judge
of men and devils, will bring them forth, and pass and execute
sentence on them. The Jews give an account of the dejection,
fall, and punishment of the angels, in a manner pretty much like
this of Peter's, whom they speak of under different names; so of
the serpent that deceived Adam and Eve, whom they call Samael,
and because of that sin of his, they say F11 that
the Lord
``cast down Samael and his company from the place of their holiness, out of heaven;''and of Aza and Azael, angels, who, they say, sinned by lusting after the daughters of men, they frequently affirm, that God cast them down from their holiness F12, and that he (attl Nwl lypa) , "cast them down below in chains" F13; and that God cast them down from their holiness from above; and when they descended, they were rolled in the air--and he brought them to the mountains of darkness, which are called the mountains of the east, and bound them "in chains" of iron, and the chains were sunk into the midst of the great deep F14: and elsewhere they say F15, that God cast them down from their holy degree, out of heaven--from their holy place out of heaven--and bound them in "chains" of iron, in the mountains of "darkness".
F11 Sepher Bahir in Zohar in Gen. fol. 27. 3.
F12 Zohar in Gen. fol. 25. 3.
F13 lb. fol. 32. 3.
F14 Midrash Ruth in Zohar in Gen. fol. 45. 1. 2. vid. fol. 77. 3.
F15 Zohar in Numb. fol. 84. 1. vid. Tzeror Hammor, fol. 6. 4. & 9. 4. & Raziel, fol. 14. 2. & 18. 2.
