PT-2“The Case of the Fallen Angels” (2 Peter 2:4)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/04/2025/6:45 PM

My Worship Time                                                     Focus: PT-2“The Case of the Fallen Angels”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                      Reference:  2 Peter 2:4

            Message of the verses: “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;”

            We begin this evening’s SD by first of all talking about the phrase “cast them into hell” which is actually the translation of a single word, tartarosas.  “The verb, used only here” writes MacArthur who goes on to write “in the New Testament, is derived from Tartarus, which is in Greek mythology identified as subterranean abyss that was even lower than Hades (hell).  Tartarus came to refer to the abode of the most wicked spirits, where the worst rebels and criminals received the severest divine punishment.  Much like Jesus used the term Gehenna (the name for Jerusalem’s garbage dump, where fires burned continuously) to illustrate the inextinguishable torments of eternal anguish (Matt. 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 19:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5), Peter used a familiar word from popular Greek thought to designate hell.  The pseudepigraphal book of 1 Enoch, a well-known work to most New Testament Jews (cf. Jude 14), also mentions Tartarus (1:9).  Peter must have been confident that his readers understood exactly what he meant, since he offered them no additional explanation of the term.” I for one am happy with the research that MacArthur did on this subject so that I can better understand it myself and also pass the information along to all those who read my Spiritual Diaries on my blogs.

            “Further, Peter describes this demonic incarceration by saying that God committed the fallen angels to pits of darkness.  Committed (paredoken), as in Acts 8:3; and 12:4, means to turn over the imprisonment. Pits of darkness (cf. Matt. 8:12) is the best translation, even though some ancient manuscripts read ‘chains’ (hence the King James translation).  Whether the rendering is pits or ‘chains,’ the idea is the same—it refers to loss of freedom in a place of confinement, a fate demons feared (cf. Matt. 8:29; Luke 8:31).  Those who were sent there were reserved for judgment, like guilty prisoners awaiting final sentencing and execution at the las day (cf. Rev. 20:10).

            “But two important questions still arise from the text:  To which fallen angels does this action refer?  And what did they do to deserve such severe imprisonment? What Peter does not expand on, Jude does:

            “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, 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. (Jude 6-7).

Those demons ‘did not keep their own domain,’ meaning that they moved out of their proper sphere of existence and behavior—‘their proper abode.’ Jude 6 is a reference to the events of Genesis 6:1-4 in which certain fallen angels possessed mortal men and then cohabited with women.  The egregious transgression of those demons was a clear violation of the boundaries God had set for them.  Jude 7 compares their ‘gross immorality’ to that of Sodom and Gomorrah who ‘went after strange flesh’ (i.e. , practiced homosexuality, a perversion which God wholly condemns—Lev. 18:22; 20:13; Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9).”  Now recently I studied the book of Jude before moving onto the book of 2 Peter and I wrote some similar things that are in this portion above while studying Jude.

            “Of course, Peter’s primary purpose here was not to get lost in the details of this account about fallen angels, especially since his readers were apparently already familiar with it.  Instead, he used this illustration to emphasize the main thrust of his argument—namely, that God severely judges all those who oppose Him and His truth.  Like those angels, rebellious false teachers will face divine wrath.”

I have discussed this issue with demons cohabitating with women, which MacArthur states happened before the flood, and he also states that this is one of the reasons that God destroyed the earth by a flood saving only Noah and his wife, his sons and their wives, seven in all.  The reason he makes this issue is that if demons were really cohabiting with women then their offspring would not be a part of the human race, and therefore Christ would not have been able to save these beings because He is both God and Man.

12/4/2025 7:20 PM

 

 

 

“Author & Date of Nahum”

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/04/2025/9:30 AM

My Worship Time                                                                    Focus: “Author & Date of Nahum”

            This morning I continue to quote from the introduction to John MacArthur’s commentary on the book of Nahum.  I have just finished a couple of days ago on my study of Jonah and have mentioned that Nahum is written about the same city, the city of Nineveh, but some 100 years later, and things have changed a lot since Jonah visited that city.  I begin this morning’s SD by quoting from MacArthur’s commentary where he writes about the author.

 

AUTHOR

            “The author of the book is God’s prophet Nahum the Elkoshite (Nah. 1:1).  Nahum came from Elkosh, a town whose location is unknown.  Three possible locations have been proposed: 1) Al Qosh, located in Northern Iraq, and potentially suggesting that Nahum came from a city taken captive by Assyria in 722 BC; 2) Capernaum (ie., “Village of Nahum”), which is mentioned in the New Testament (e. g., Matt. 4:13; 8:5; 11:23; 17:24); and 3) a general geographical location in Judah, important to the prophet since he mentioned it in Hahum 1:15. The reference to Nahum as an Elkoshite indicates that Nahum was a specific historical figure, associated with his hometown, and therefore having a distinct identity.  Scripture similarly refers to Amos of Tekoa (Amos 1:1), Jeremiah of Anathoth (Jer. 1:1), and Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 27:57; Mark 15:43; Luke 23:51; John 19:38).  By introducing himself with such specificity, Nahum demonstrated that he was willing to be held accountable for the message he preached (cf. Deut. 18:22).  His prophecy reveals that he was zealous to see the Lord’s righteous justice prevail against the wickedness of God’s enemies.”

 

DATE

            “The prophecy of Nahum is typically dated to a time between 663 BC and 627 BC.  Since the destruction of Thebes (No-amon) in 663 BC was fresh in Nahum’s mind (cf. Nahum 3:8-10), he must have received this prophecy not long after that date.  Inasmuch as Nahum envisioned Assyria to be a prominent nation still, his message would have been most relevant prior to the weakening of the empire with the death of Ashurbanipal around 627 BC.  Most notably, because Nahum made no mention of the restoration of Thebes in 654 BC, he likely delivered the prophecy between 663 BC and 654 BC.  In light of this Nahum would have preached long after the fall of Nineveh took place in 612 BC, which demonstrates that his prophecy was indisputably predictive.

Spiritual Meaning for My life Today: It is important to understand the background of the books in the Bible that I am studying and I appreciate that John MacAruhur takes the time to set the stage of the books that he writes to include the background of those books.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Continue to trust that the Lord’s will will be done in my wife’s fighting of her battle with cancer.  She is a very brave woman who can handle the Kemo she is receiving and I am proud of this and thankful that the Lord is using this to help rid her body of cancer.  My prayer for both of us is that we will learn what the Lord desires for us to learn as we go through this difficult trial.

12/4/2025 9:54 AM

 

 

PT-1 "The Case of the Fallen Angels" (2 Peter 2:4)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/03/2025/8:35 PM

My Worship Time                                                            Focus: “The Case of the Fallen Angels”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                      Reference:  2 Peter 2:4

            Message of the verses: “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;”

            We begin this evening with what will be a fairly long section that may take at least a couple of days to get through.  I have to say that this is one of my favorite parts of 2 Peter to look at.

            Now the short phrase for if introduces a conditional sentence that extends all the way through verse eight.  If, however, does not imply uncertainty here and probably should be rendered “since.”  Now since God did not spare the angels of heaven when they sinned against Him, and it should be noted that God did not provide any means of salvation for them, as humans who pervert His truth should not expect to escape His vengeance either.  Now angels, like mankind (mankind (Matt. 23:45-51; 25:48; 16:1-8; 19:12-27; 1 Cor. 4:2), were responsible to honor God and obey His truth, and those who rebelled were sentenced to eternal punishment.

            Now let me take a moment to talk about the fact that angels who had fallen could never be restored again, while humans who have fallen can receive forgiveness from the Lord.  Now not all humans will receive the forgiveness, but the ones who have received forgiveness have it because of what Christ did for them on the cross, as He died to take their place.  You see the second person of the godhead became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, and that made Him both man and God in one body.  This is why humans can receive forgiveness, however there is no substitute for angels who have fallen.  If I am correct there were about one third of the angels who followed Satan when he rebelled against God, and so that one third of the angels will all spend eternity in hell along with their leader, Satan.  I hope this short paragraph gives enough information to understand this topic.

            John MacArthur writes “The spiritual dynamics of how and why angels sinned remains, in many ways, a theological mystery.  The highest ranking of all the angels, Lucifer, wanted to exalt himself to a position of equality with God.  As depicted in the dramatic language of Revelation 12:3-9, one-third of the angels joined Lucifer’s heavenly revolt, arrogantly opposed God, and were expelled from heaven (cf. Isa. 14:12-21; Ezek. 28:12-19; Luke 10:18).”  The two passages, Isaiah, and Luke give great information about the fall of Satan and the angels.

            “But Peter is probably not referring here to the angels who originally fell, since t hey were not immediately incarcerated in hell nor confined permanently to pits of darkness to await their final judgment.  In fact, they are the demons who are now loose in the world, securing Satan’s unholy purposes.  The apostle Paul identified them when he wrote, ‘For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places’ (Eph. 6:12; cf. 2:1-2;1 Peter 5:8).  When the Lord returns, the demons (along with Satan) will be bound during Christ’s millennial reign (Isa. 24:21-23; Rev. 10:1-3) and eventually cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).”

12/3/2025 9:10 PM

 

PT-1 “Intro to Nahum”

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/3/2025 8:31 AM

My Worship Time                                                                          Focus:  PT-1 “Intro to Nahum”

            This SD and the following ones will be a bit different as I quote from John MacArthur’s commentary on Nahum which I promised I would do in my last SD after I finished looking at the book of Jonah.

            “More than a hundred years after Jonah preached to Nineveh, God raised up the prophet Nahum to pronounce judgment on the same city.  Though the Assyrians repented in Jonah’s day and received mercy, later generations presumed upon God’s grace and returned to their wicked ways.  So, Nahum prophesied woe against them, demonstrating that although God is merciful and gracious, He is also righteous and holy.  In promising to pour out His wrath on wicked Nineveh, God also His people by reminding them that He will bring evildoers to justice.

            “Nahum’s message parallels that of his predecessor in at least eight ways.  First, just as Jonah declared that God is longsuffering and gracious (Jonah 4:2), so Nahum acknowledged divine grace while affirming that the Lord is also jealous and avenging (Hahum 1:3).  Second, in Jonah God orchestrated a storm and then calmed the sea (Jonah 1:4, 15-16; 2:10-3:5), and in Nahum God directed the rivers to flood Nineveh in order to destroy the city (Nahum 1:8; 2:6).  Third, in Jonah God allowed the prophet to reach dry land (Jonah 2:10), and in Hahum God rebuked the sea and made it dry in judgment (Nahum 1:4).  Fourth, in Jonah the common people were spared (Jonah 3:5-10), but in Nahum all the people were scattered (Nahum 1:2; 3:18).  Fifth, in Jonah the message reached the king and he repented (Jonah 3:5-10), but in Hahum God addressed the king and described his demise (Nahum 3:18-19).  Sixth, in Jonah both the sailors and the prophet offered vows to God (Jonah 1:6; 2:9), so Nahum called Israel to pay their vows and give praise to the Lord for His judgments (Nahum 1:15).  Seventh, the book of Nahum ends with a question (Nahum 3:19), the only two books in Scripture to do so.  Finally, Nahum’s description of the Ninevites mourning at the fall of their city intended to evoke the prophet Jonah and his ministry.  Nahum expressed that the women moaned like doves (cf. 2:7), recalling the prophet Jonah since his name is the Hebrew word for ‘dove’ (jonah).

            “The parallels demonstrate that the book of Nahum is the sequel to the book of Jonah, though with vastly different conclusions.  The city that received divine grace became the city that was destroyed by divine wrath.  Nineveh serves as a memorial to both the mercy and wrath of God.  While the Lord gives grace to the worst of sinners who repent, He also executes judgment on those who refuse to turn from their sin (cf. 2 Peter 3:3-9; James 5:7-9). Nahum’s prophecy demonstrates that God will avenge His people by punishing the wicked and preserving the righteous (Nahum 1:15; cf. Isa. 52:7).

TITLE

            “The book is titled after the name of the prophet Hanum (i. e., ‘comfort’ or ‘comforter’), which is related to the name (‘Nehemiah’ (i.e., “Yah[weh], comforts”).  Despite the prophet’s name, the message Nahum preached was one of judgment.  This tension indicates that God intended Nahum’s prophecy to communicate both comfort and judgment—comfort to Israel that the Lord was zealous for the protection of His people, and judgment against Nineveh that God would destroy the nation of her wickedness.”

            Lord willing I will continue the different phases of the introduction to Nahum in John MacArthur’s commentary in tomorrow’s SD.

12/3/2025 8:57 AM

 

“The Precedent for Judgment” (2 Peter 2:4-8)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/02/2025/6:20 PM

My Worship Time                                                               Focus: “The Precedent for Judgment”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                  Reference:  2 Peter 2:4-8

            Message of the verses:  “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).”

            Here is what we will be doing this evening in this Spiritual Diary.  This is an introduction to these verses, and MacArthur gives this introduction to it which I will quote, and then we will see that after this introduction that these verses will be looked at in different sections.  Tonight’s  SD will just be composed of the introduction.

            “Peter continues his denouncement of false teachers by referencing three well-known accounts of divine judgment from the book of Genesis.  It my have been tempting for some of Peters’ original readers to doubt whether or not the false teachers doubt whether or  not the false teachers would really ever be punished.  For the moment, they seemed to be flourishing—circulating their spiritual lies and basking in their popularity, sensuality, and wealth.  So Peter reminded his readers of biblical history, noting that just as God judged faithfully in the past, so He will also uphold justice in the present.

            “As the apostle gives an overview of three Old Testament examples, he highlights the height of God’s wrath (in the case of fallen angels), the breadth of God’s wrath (in the case of the ancient world at the time of the Flood), and the depth of God’s wrath (in the case of Sodom and  Gomorrah).  In other words, there are no creatures too lofty, too numerous, or too base to escape divine judgment—His vengeance will be meted out on all who oppose Him.  And, as Peter points out in this passage, the false teachers of his day were no exception.”

            In tomorrow evening’s SD will begin to look at “The Case of the Fallen Angels”, Lord willing.”

12/2/2025 6:38 PM

PT-6 “The Final Admonition” (Jonah 4:9-11)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/02/2025/10:15 AM

My Worship Time                                                                Focus: PT-6 “The Final Admonition”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                   Reference:  Jonah 4:9-11

            Message of the verses: ““Then God said to Jonah, “Do you have good reason to be angry about the plant?  And he said, “I have good reason to be angry, even to death.”  Then Yahweh said, “You had pity on the plant for which you did not work and which you did not cause to grow, which came to be overnight.  So should I not have pity on Nineveh, the great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?”

            I mentioned in my last SD on the book of Jonah that today’s SD will be the last one from the book of Jonah.  I have to say that this fourth chapter of Jonah has taught me many different things that I did not know before, and for that I am grateful.  I also mentioned that in tomorrow’s SD that I will begin to look at the introduction of the book of Hahum, and I believe we will see that this book also deals with the Ninevites, but in a far different way.  I will begin looking at this book in the same way that I did with Jonah, and that is to quote what John MacArthur has to say about it in his introductory comments.  Now back to the fifth point that MacArthur brings out as he ends his commentary on Jonah.

            “Fifth, the scores of animals in Nineveh made the city more valuable than Jonah’s cherished plant.  God point out that the city had many animals.  Animals are obviously of higher value than plants.  While this may refer to the way the Ninevites included their animals in their display of repentance (Jonah 3:7-8), the statement ought to be viewed in light of God’s ordering of creation.  In Genesis 1, God made animals superior to plants (Gen. 1:30).  If Jonah could justify his compassion on a plant, which was lower in the created order, he could not deny that God was justified in showing compassion toward creatures who were higher on that order.  And if the Lord was right to have pity on the animals, how much more on the people of Nineveh.

            “In this way, God demonstrated that His pity for the city was reasonable while Jonah’s pity for the plant was not. If the prophet appreciated the goodness of God’s grace in providing a temporary shade bush, then he also had to acknowledge the goodness of God’s grace in sparing a city full of eternal souls.

            “In the face of such an irrefutable argument, the prophet remained silent.  The Lord’s last words served as a final admonition to His prophet.  God’s rhetorical question left Jonah speechless in light of his flagrant hypocrisy.  Jonah’s rejoiced when divine grace was applied to him, but he resented that same grace when it was extended to others, even though he was just as undeserving as they were.”  Here is a wonderful point that we as believers need to understand, that none of us are deserving of God’s saving grace for “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

            “Did Jonah ever learn his lesson?  Throughout the book the prophet often remained silent as his defiant actions spoke louder than his words (Jonah 1:3; 4:5).  Though silent once again, this time he responded differently.  Having been confronted by the Lord and shown his hypocrisy, the prophet returned to Israel where he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write the book that bears his name, recounting his foolishness and offering his testimony as an object lesson to all.  This book is Jonah’s repentance.  It not only recounts the great measures God took to draw the Ninevites to Himself but also testifies to the great work of God to restore His wayward prophet.

            “The story of Jonah is a marvelous revelation of God reaching down in His grace to save sinners, both Jew and Gentile.  All those whom the Lord draws to Himself will come to Him in repentant faith (cf. John 6:44; 10:11-16; Romans 8:31-39; 11:1-36).  In the end, the book of Jonah displays God’s desire to save sinners who have egregiously transgressed His Law.  In His grace, He will forgive all who turn from sin and turn to Him (cf. 1 Thess. 1:9).  Because of His abundant grace, He offers forgiveness and eternal life to undeserving sinners through the One who fulfills the sign of Jonah—The Lord Jesus Christ who rose from the dead!

            Matthew 12:38-41 states:

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered and said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”  But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation eagerly seeks for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  This last section of Jonah that was explained in John MacArthur’s commentary shows me that I should never give up, for just as I did not understand that Jonah who is the author of this book came to realize the grace of God was what saved him, and also the Ninevites, which to me is the most important part of this book.  It took Jonah a while to get this point, but he got it.  Sometimes it takes me a while, but by God’s grace I surely desire to learn what the Lord desires to teach me.

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  Continue to trust the Lord to teach me the lessons that I need to learn.

12/2/2025 11:00 AM

 

 

“The Promise of Judgment” (2 Peter 2:3b)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 12/01/2025/7:45 PM

My Worship Time                                                                   Focus: “The Promise of Judgment”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                   Reference:  2 Peter 2:3b

            Message of the verses:  “their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.            

            We are looking at the first sup-point in John MacArthur’s commentary on his sixth chapter of his commentary on 2 Peter, and this second chapter is different from the first and third chapter as Peter talks more about the judgments that will come upon those who are not following the Lord, but going against the Lord.

            Although false teachers will not face their eternal judgment until death, their sentence was decreed by God from long ago, and this translates one word which is the Greek word ekpalai, and this simply means “from a long time.”  Now throughout history, from the very first pronouncement of judgment on the serpent which took place in the Garden of Edon seen in Genesis 3:13-15, God has condemned all those who distort divine truth (cf. Isa. 8:19-21; 28:15; Jer. 9:6-9; 14:14-15; Zeph. 3:1-8; Rev. 21:8, 27).  Since I began to use my new laptop I do not have all of my older programs yet transferred to it from my old laptop, so I am unable at this time to quote a lot of verses yet.  The expression from long ago strengthens the sobering reality of divine retribution; God’s sentence against every lying teacher is actively accumulation wrath until each perishes in hell, so I guess it is safe to say that the longer they live and continue to sin that they will have a great deal of judgment in the future. 

            With the words destruction is not asleep, we that Peter personifies eternal damnation as if it were an executioner, who remains fully awake, ready to administer God’s just sentence of condemnation on those who falsify His Word.  That is a very bad thing to do, falsifying God’s Word, but that is what many false teachers do.  I try to correctly quote the Word of God in my Spiritual Diaries because the Word of God is God breathed meaning there is no mistakes in it, that is in the original writings which to my understand that in the NASB they do the upmost to make sure their translation is correct. I have used the NASB translation for almost 50 years, and still believe it is the best translation one can read.

12/1/2025 8:08 PM