WEDNESDAY 11th
2 Peter 2:4-22
vv9-10 ‘. . . then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.’
There are two thoughts that come from these verses today, the first is regarding the righteous or godly, the other is to do with the unrighteous, the ungodly. In light of the good news of the gospel, the two groups would be firstly, those who have come to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and secondly those who have refused to believe, those who have rejected the message of hope which the gospel brings and very clearly, the outcomes are so different for each of them.
For those who have believed, the Lord will rescue or keep them from trials, for those who have failed to believe they will be kept under punishment until the day of judgement.
What can this mean? Well firstly regarding the righteous, there is another verse that we read in Revelation 3:10 that says ‘Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. I am coming soon.’ This verse along with our text must be referring to the future, for throughout the history of the Church Christians have suffered trials, many have even lost their lives because of their faith, so the trials in our text today must be referring to something specific, and I believe that it is to do with the time of the great tribulation which is going to come to this world, a time in which the world will face trial like never before, but the promise of Jesus in Revelation is that we will be kept from the hour of trial. This will happen because Jesus is coming again, and the first aspect of his second coming is when he comes to the clouds to take up, to rapture the Church up into heaven so that as the great tribulation begins on the earth we will be delivered from it. Are you ready? Have you committed your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, have you placed your faith and trust in him so that when that day comes you will be counted as among the righteous, the godly who will be delivered from that hour.
The second group, the ungodly will be kept under punishment till the day of judgement. Sin must be judged, it was initially judged through the punishment of death, for the wages of sin is death, (Romans 6:23) but the sinner, the unrepentant person will always be under the punishment of their sin until the day when the ultimate judgement will be made and all who have refused to believe will be cast forever into the lake of fire.
Again as I have said before, I know the devotions are for those who are already a part of our fellowship and for others who receive them, but because they are also on-line it is possible that there will be those who may read them who are not believers and so I need to give the warning that ‘the wages of sin is death’, which will lead to eternal punishment, but the same verse of Scripture continues, ‘but the free gift of God is eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Romans 6:23). God has made a way out for you, a way by which if you are willing to come to him will transform your life and give you hope that is eternal. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.