People of God, we look together in God's Word, 2 Peter chapter 2. We're reminded of the context of our text. We'll begin reading with verse 2 through verse 9. We were in the context of false prophets. false teachers. The context before that is the glories of God's revealed Word. And many will follow their destructive ways because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness, they will exploit you with deceptive words. For a long time, their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber. For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment, and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly, and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly. and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked. For that righteous man dwelling among them tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds. Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under judgment for the day of judgment." People of God, In this Scripture reading, there is a clear connection, and so we need to add a clear look at the last part of verse 3, which really introduces verse 4. when it's talking about for their judgment has not been idle and their destruction does not slumber. That's talking about the judgment against particularly false teachers who then represent all sinners in this context. We did not really focus on that last part of verse 3 last week, but that is what introduces us to 4 and following. It's very closely connected. there is a judgment that rests upon the ungodly in the present. And then verse four, for this gives an explanation of why the ungodly false teachers will be judged and by implication all ungodly. For God did not spare, verse four, the angels who sinned but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment. And then that Example is then there's two more examples given. The example of Noah and the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah. And then verse 7, I mean verse 9. Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment. So verse 5 or verse 4 and then verse 5 and verse 6 are all connected to that verse 9. So our text is verse, at least for this morning as we look at this, is verse 3b, verse 4, and verse 9. Verse 4 and 9 go together. Verse 5 and 9 go together. Verse 7 and 8 and 9 go together. 9 is the conclusion of all, but we're only going to be looking at one of the examples today. had to decide whether we're going to do three examples or take this passage more detailed, and I went to the more detailed part. But we need to keep in mind that when God talks about fallen angels, He's doing that for our benefit, not simply to give us information about the demonic. We have very little information about the demonic in Scripture. We have enough information for us to understand both the fact that they exist and this text is saying we have the information that the way that God has treated the demonic in the past and how we will treat them in the future is a warning to the ungodly and an encouragement to the godly. God knows how to deliver us out of temptation. Just look at the limited revelation He's given us concerning the demonic. And we ought to pay attention, but then rise up, as the song we just sang, rise up with confidence of God's victory over the demonic in Christ, ultimately, and then through us. And so we have a theme of fallen angels, but it's really a theme of fallen angels as it impresses the truth of God's Word upon our minds and hearts for how we should live and how we should warn the wicked. The description in the text is this, angels who sinned. The description of the beings that we are dealing with. They are angels who sinned. Now, not often in scripture do fallen angels described as angels. Most often demons or Satan and his followers. So, the word angel, in this context, isn't talking about a holy angel, those angels that are presently in heaven who have never sinned, nor will ever sin. This is talking about fallen angels, but it's identifying the demonic as the same kind of creature, created creature, as the angels in heaven. Because they were all angels originally, and we'll see that in the text. And that they were exalted creatures, spiritual creatures, not physical. They are angels. Now, the word angel is in the masculine. and that fits with every description of angel. It doesn't mean that angels are male. It means that the created order of human existence, angels identified in a masculine way is the best way for us to understand angels in the present. Of course, you have to have some belief in distinction between masculine and feminine if you even make that assertion and that kind of description of Scripture. And of course, Scripture does make that distinction. And so, there is these angels. And the word angel literally means a messenger. Now, fallen angels are angels who sinned. Once again, they were most often in Scripture called demons. And John 10 is an example of that. John chapter 10, verses 20 and 21. And many of them said, he has a demon. This is people talking about Jesus and his power to cast out demons. And he said, they cast out, he casts out demons because he is a demon. And many of them said, he has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to him? Another said, these are not the words of one who has a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? And so there was a general consensus that fallen angels, evil angels, angels that were possessing people at the time of Jesus Christ were demons. We describe them as demons. fallen angels. Another term that is sometimes in the Old Testament used of demons, although this term is not always used that way, is found in Job, one of the earliest books of the Bible, recognizing this demonic realm. And in Job 1, verse 6, now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. Now the word sons of God here is a reference to not Christians and believers on earth, not believers who died and went to heaven, but it's a very clear reference in this context and in the book of Job to angelic hosts. Now in this context, there's a disagreement on whether the angels of God are referenced to the holy angels of God, or I mean the sons of God, to the holy angels of God, or to Satan and the rest of his horde, but it could very well be that it's a reference to the angels in heaven. And then Satan comes alongside them. In Luke chapter 20, verse 35, we have this same theme and kind of reference. Luke 20, We can start with verse 34. The question is about marriage in heaven. And Jesus answered and said, ìThe sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are counted worthy to attain that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.î nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection." And so that phrase, sons of God, goes back to the Old Testament, and it's connecting this inability to die with angels in heaven. There's this inability to die. And so the sons of God here is saying something like the angels can't die because they're sons of God. You will not die. And as angels are neither given in marriage nor marry nor procreate, nor will you in eternity have that kind. You will be like the sons of God. In fact, So that's the reference here. It has that sons of God reference to angels in the background. Although in the New Testament, the word sons of God doesn't only mean angelic being, we are sons of God through Christ. So Galatians 3.26, for you are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ. And that's all, male and female, we are all sons of God through Christ. We are, we have the status of sons. We are, we are, we are before God as sons because Christ is the son. Now, now here is the reference to the eternal son of God versus the sons of God, the angels. In Job 38 verses four through seven, Job chapter 38 verses four through seven, We have this reference as God is rebuking Job. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me if you have understanding. Who determined the measurements? Surely you know. Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who had its cornerstone? When the morning stars sang together and the sons of God shouted for joy. This is the first day of creation. And God is saying, the sons of God, all the sons of God shouted for joy when I started my created order. This is certainly not talking about Adam and Eve. This is talking about... And it isn't talking about a whole bunch of believers who have died and gone to heaven. The sons of God is a clear reference. to the angels. And in this text, all the sons of God are rejoicing. So, this is the indication in Scripture that the angels had not fallen even at this point in time, that there was a moment at the beginning of creation when all of the heavenly hosts were already created, the angels were already created, and they all gathered together and gave praise to God. Very quickly, some sinned. They sinned. And we know that from 2 Peter and all kinds of other verses. But 2 Peter chapter 4, For God did not spare the angels who sinned. The word sinned there is very clear to a one-time act in the past. There was this moment when angels sinned. And that moment was after the first elements of creation and before Adam and Eve were tempted. In a very short period of time, the angels sinned. They rebelled against God. They rejected His majesty. They went their own way. They sinned. This is a clear reference to the rebellion with Satan as in some way a leader between the creator and the creature, his angels. They sinned against the Creator. They sinned against the majesty, holiness of God. They sinned in the context of not the physical perfect created order, but the eternal or the created order in which God existed in heaven, in the heaven of God. where the angels dwelt with him. And they could see and behold his glory face to face. And they sinned against that glory. They sinned against that majesty. And so, they were cast to hell. But you say, pastor, hell doesn't exist. What does the text say? They sinned and God cast them down. Again, that casting down is an act that God did in the past. It's a clear past act. This text is clear. We're always thankful for the very clear texts of Scripture. This is a clear text of scripture. If there are illustrations about it, if there's allusions to angels in other parts, that could well be, but this is the clear declaration. God cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness. That's what he did. But you say, angels aren't in hell, are they? Yes, they are. This text says they are. The word for hell here is a word that is only found one time in all of the Bible. It is not the normal word for hell. It is a very unique word. And so we now see in this text that God has defeated the devil and his hosts. And that defeat comes in three stages. That defeat, stage one, is at the beginning of time when they rebelled against him. Stage two is at the coming of Jesus Christ and when Christ came. And stage three is when Christ returns. And if you're following in the outline, I would have to apologize because I changed the outline. We're going to talk about their defeat and their punishment together. Their defeat and punishment at the beginning of time, their defeat and punishment at the coming of Christ, and their defeat and punishment at the second coming. Those are the three remaining points of the sermon. The first one was a description of angels, and now those three points. First, when they rebelled, they were cast into hell. But like I said, the word hell here is a word in Greek mythology that is referenced to a place of torment and destruction, which is a part of their general concept of hell. And so God instructed his inspired authors to use this word from Greek mythology. The literal word is tarditus. It is not the word hell. And, but it's getting at this. It doesn't mean that the Bible believes in Greek mythology. It's taking that word and saying angels in their present, fallen sinful angels in their present state are in a condition of hell. Not And our text says to be reserved for judgment in the future. So there's a future judgment too. We'll look at that. But in that very moment they rebelled, they were cast into hell. And it also says that they were delivered into chains of darkness. They're chained. They're in hell. Now, people of God, if you would look at modern television, and if you would look at all kinds of description of angels or demons in the present, it's like, well, demons are powerful creatures, and they have this wonderful, this powerful existence, and they can do whatever they want to do, and they bring misery on people, and they have the power to bring on misery on people, but they have no misery at all. They have free reign. They're kind of rejoicing in their sin. And it's great for them. That is not the biblical view. That is very clearly not the case. And the horrible declaration here is, and God did not spare the angels who sinned. He didn't spare one of them. He condemned every single one who sinned to hell. and then another hell, and then another hell. They go from one hellish point of existence to another, always greater in its limitations, always greater in its horrible experience of punishment. Angels are not living a life of gratitude and thanksgiving and joy. They experience misery today. But none are spared. Man rebelled and some men are spared. But no angel who sinned is spared. They know nothing. of mercy and salvation. Nothing. They have been cast out of the glorious presence of God, and they have been cast down in punishment into a hellish existence today. And God is saying in this text, If I didn't spare the angels who sinned, I will not spare the false prophet who destroys my truth—attempts to destroy it—who distorts my truth. I will punish them. But if I know how to deliver the people and the race that was in harmony with the sin and fallenness of angels, I know how to free them from temptation. At the beginning of the garden, God knew how. At that moment where Satan had been cast down and now man is in a fallen state and man has submitted to the temptation of the devil, God knows how to free him. He declared, I will send a seed of the woman that will crush the serpent's head. And the last word isn't given in to temptation. The last word isn't defeat by temptation. The last word is one who is true man and true God, crushing Satan's head in his coming, and in his cross, and in his resurrection, and ascension, and enthronement. God knows how to save us. in temptation's hour. Tartarus, the present state of hellish existence under the punishment and judgment of God that demons today experience in chained And that was only highlighted and became even greater at the coming of Jesus Christ. Satan and his hosts became more bound. They became under greater punishment at the coming of Christ. What God began at creation, he added to at the incarnation and will finalize at the resurrection. Jesus Christ rescues, delivers us from the clutches and the lies of the demonic power. Jesus Christ conquers the demonic. Matthew chapter 12, beginning with verse 25, declares it this way. Again, it's in that context of casting out demons. And Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. And every city or house divided against itself will not stand. If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. But I cast out demons by the Spirit of God. Surely the kingdom of God... But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God is coming upon you. Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man and then will plunder his house? He who is not with me is against me. And he who does not gather with me scatters abroad. People of God, at the first coming of Jesus Christ, Christ entered the strong man's house. He bound him and he conquered him. He had every power to cast out every demon who was possessing a person. And then he binds them. In the time between the first and the second coming of Jesus Christ, one of the great declarations of scripture is that Satan is no longer able to deceive the nations, and that is the flip side of the gospel goes out to every tribe and nation and people and tongue. Satan is bound more in the New Testament era than he was in the Old Testament. He was in chains of darkness in the Old Testament. Yes, he remains a roaring lion. but people of God, He is a chained roaring lion and is defeated. Revelation chapter 12, one of the great texts, we've looked at it, I've preached from this before, but Revelation chapter 12, one of those great texts of Scripture, this Scripture tells you exactly how it is that Satan was more bound and more defeated and will be more bound and more defeated and is more bound and is more defeated today than at the time of Abraham. And war broke out in heaven. Revelation 12 verse 7, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought, and they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out. That serpent of old called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. They were in heaven? They were not in the heavenly glory of God. They were in heaven, it says, as the accuser. They accuse God of being unjust because there were people in heaven that should have been sinners who were damned to hell. Instead, they were in heaven. And Satan is accusing. He's accusing. But he can't accuse anymore. And God knew that his accusations were all false because Christ died on the cross. and now every single person in heaven can justly be there. There was a time when he could accuse, now he can accuse no more. Because of the history of Christ's work is complete. And then it declares And then I heard a loud voice, they who's cast down. And now I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ have come for the accuser of our brethren who accused them before our God day and night was cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives to death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, in you who dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows he has a short time. Yes, he's still here, but he is chained. He is in hell. He is cast down. And now he can't even begin. Like he went up to God when Job was there. He can't do that anymore. He can't go into that presence anymore. For a time he could not exist there, not exist in glory. He was already existing in hell, but he could go there and accuse. He can't do that anymore. He can't deceive the nations anymore. But people of God, how is he defeated? There are some who say there is a great rise in paganism in our present world. There is a great rise in spiritism. There is a great rise in the power of the devil. And what we need, what we need is a holy blessed cross. And you take that holy and that blessed cross, and you bring it into the presence of some supposedly demon-possessed person, and with that holy blessed cross, you lay it on their chest. And when you lay that cross on their chest, the demons will flee. What utter nonsense! There is absolutely no power in a cross. to conquer a demon. There is power in the cross of Christ that's finished and done with. How does Revelation 12 say? And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb. Not by some wooden cross, some golden cross. What absolute nonsense. and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to death." Satan is overcome when believers declare they're believers and they're martyred. Satan is overcome when believers declare, I trust in the blood of Christ on the cross. He's my Savior. Satan is more powerfully defeated. He's again defeated. That's why Christians answer boldly. but boldly because of Christ. And so, people of God, Satan is more overcome in the present than he was in the past because of the coming of Christ. But our text says that's not the end of his defeat. That's not the end of his destruction. He was delivered into chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment. Well, it was already judgment. It could be for greater judgment, for greater experience of hell, for greater destruction, for even greater limitation, because there will come a day when He will not be roaming the new heavens and the new earth. because now he will be reserved exclusively in a place of greater hellness. You see, we exist in a fallen world, and Satan exists in a fallen prison today as well. We exist under the curse of God. Satan today exists under the curse of God. But it will be greater in the time to come. Jude chapter, or Jude doesn't have a chapter. It's the last book before the book of Revelation, the book of Jude, just a little book. In Jude, verses 4 through 6, for certain men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. It sounds like those who have heard the gospel and rejected it. But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt afterward, destroyed those who do not believe, and the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode. He is reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day. They're reserved presently in chains under darkness for the great day, and the great day is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the second coming. That is the great day when Satan will be even and totally and utterly restrained and totally and utterly punished. Revelation chapter 20, verse 10. and the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Revelation chapter 20. Then verse 12, And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God. And books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged, according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. And the sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. See, there's another reference to Hades and an aspect of hell, only here a reference to people. But Satan is in the same Hades. He's in the same hellish existence today. And they were judged, each one according to his works. And death and Hades? And Satan's hell? delivered up the dead. Well, not Satan's hell didn't deliver up dead. And they were judged, and each one according to his worth, and were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. So people have a second death? Satan has a second death, a second hell. He is not in a position of glory, grace, and power. He is not in a position of happiness, and joy, and peace. He is under the judgment of God, the punishment of God, the restraint of God. And so, if God knows how to so judge and punish angels, He knows how to punish the wicked today, and how to deliver us from demonic power. The blood of Christ, the word of our testimony, faith in Christ. Do you fear Satan? Do you believe that He is this all-powerful creature that can do anything He wants to you? Christian, answer boldly. Resist the devil, he will flee from you by the power of the blood of Christ, the finished work of the cross. Not a symbol of it, but the reality of it. God will deliver you from temptation. Amen. Gracious God and Heavenly Father, impress Your truth upon us. O Lord, You have chained the devil and his host. You can punish the wicked as well. But Father, we pray that through the power of the gospel, we may know a true deliverance from all temptation from the devil. We thank You that You are the ultimate victor from the beginning of time to the end of time and for all eternity. May our trust be in You. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.