4 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; 5 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; 6 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; 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 8 (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), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
In this passage, Peter proceeds to explain the judgment of God “from long ago.” He gives us three examples of His judgment, and in the last two, He also tells how He spared the righteous from His judgment.
1. God casted sinful angels into hell (Gen. 6:1, 2; 1 Pet. 3:18, 19). This place of judgment, apparently, is a temporary holding place (of torment) until they will be cast forever into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).
2. The ancient world refers to those who lived before the flood. They all, except for Noah and his family, were thoroughly wicked— “every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen. 6:5). God’s judgment on them was a world-wide flood that blotted out all life except for Noah and seven others (his family), and the animals (two of every kind, 6:19), which were saved in the ark.
3. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. They all, except Lot and his two daughters, were destroyed by fire because of their extreme sensual ungodliness. Lot was also saved from being constantly oppressed by his unrighteous neighbors.
These examples of God’s judgment were given in order to show how God judged some of the worst sinners and how He saved the innocent. And He is still in the business of bringing the guilty to judgment and rescuing the innocent, godly ones out of judgment. Thus, as Peter wrote, He knows how to rescue the godly and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.
When I was about 14 years old I was sexually abused. I won’t go into it, but it happened 3 or 4 times and it has had a very disturbing and harmful effect on my life. I know that many have been abused (and raped) much more than me, and my devastation is small compared to theirs. I can imagine the pain and bitterness and anger they feel, and how they have cried out to God and found no help. I know that there are many young girls and boys who have gone through much—much more than me. And we should pray for a them that God will hear their cries.
The Outcry to the Lord against Sodom and Gomorrah
When Abraham was called by the Lord to go into the land of Israel, he brought with him Sarah his wife and his nephew Lot. And, as it happened, Lot settled in the beautiful valley of the Jordan near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. And the men there were wicked and sinned greatly against the Lord (Gen. 13:13). Well, the bible tells us that the outcry to the Lord against Sodom and Gomorrah was so great that He decided to destroy the cities (and the people) by fire (Gen. 18:20; 19:13).
I’m not sure if we know for sure who was crying out to the Lord. At first I assumed it was all the people in the cities who were being sexually abused. Then I thought that since the wicked abusers also suffer a penalty for their perversion (Rom. 1:27), they may also be crying out. I also have considered that it could be angels who have witnesses the evil doings and have cried out. I’m not sure if we can know for certain; but certainly, it would come from the innocent young people.
Nonetheless, if you read the account of the evil there (from Gen. 18:20-19:29), it will make you sick to read just how lustful and perverted the men of Sodom were—both young and old, and how they came at Lot and his two guests (angels who looked like men) in order to have sex with them. Those cities were undeniably wicked; and by the description, the people had given themselves over to unnatural lusts and homosexual perversion. Thus, God had no option but to destroy them all, except Lot and his two daughters; they were spared.
God Will Hear Our Cries and Bring Justice
Let the people cry out, and God will hear them. It may take a while, but He will hear us and He will bring justice and vengeance to our enemies. In the book of Revelation (Rev. 6:10-11), during the Tribulation, many will be martyred for their faith, and from heaven they will cry out to God to avenge their blood. It says.
And they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also.
In this passage we see that justice is so important. That God will not let the guilty go unpunished. He will hear the cries of those who have been sinned against, and He will judge the guilty.
God’s Commandment to Us Regarding Homosexuality
We have already seen (in Genesis) how God treated the people who were inflicted with that sin. It became so bad that He had to destroy them all. Eventually God rose up a people who would follow Him and be His own. Through them he would show the world His will. It was through His servant Moses that He gave this commandment to all men: “Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable.”
The Progression of Sin Leading to And Beyond Homosexuality
In Romans 1:18-32, Paul shows us the progression of sin, and through it all how His wrath is revealed against the sinner. Note how the sin of unnatural affection, or homosexuality, comes about through man’s own choices. Here is the passage followed by the 7-point progression.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
28 And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32 and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
They suppressed the truth by their wickedness. The truth about God was plain to them, but they chose not to believe it.
Their foolish heart was darkened. They became blind to the truth.
They became idol worshippers. They chose to worship other things instead of God.
God gave them up to their sinful desires. They chose sexual impurity with one another.
God gave them over to shameful and unnatural lusts and unnatural relations. Men had sexual relations with men and women with women.
They received the due penalty in themselves for their perversion. We are not told what this is, but we may assume it is guilt, sorrow and disease.
God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they would do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, etc. (from vv. 29-32).
Stephen Nielsen 