A Judgment Day has already come and gone, for many, but the final Judgment Day is yet to come, for us all. In Second Peter 2 and the book of Jude, seven historical examples of God’s Judgment are noted as warnings of God’s future judgment and as reassurance that in judgment God will remember mercy for those who have asked for mercy by accepting the salvation offered only in Jesus Christ.
The first example of God’s judgment, chronologically, is the pre-historic judgment on Satan and the fallen angels.
“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 … [9] then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment. …” 2Peter 2.4, 9.
“Angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, God has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day. …” Jude 6.
Before the creation of our world, the angel Lucifer, the greatest of all created beings, rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven.
“How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!
[13] But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven.
I will raise my throne above the stars [angels] of God.
I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
[14] ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.
I will make myself like the Most High.’
[15] Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.”
Isaiah 14.12-15.
2 Peter 2.4 and Jude 6 report that this judgment, that Satan would be “thrust down to Sheol, / To the recesses of the pit,” has been executed. Only these two passages of the Bible explain that some of the angels judged with Satan are bound permanently, awaiting the final judgment, in “eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 6). The remainder of the fallen angels, with Satan (the Devil), are the demonic forces now spiritually tempting and tormenting the people on earth. Fallen angels are now demons, the false gods of ancient history and the current idols of the world still prevalent in place such as India and Thailand. “The things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God.” 1Corinthians 10.20.
The book of the Revelation, the prophetic vision of the coming tribulation, the return of Jesus Christ and the end of the world, reveals a flashback reference to the expulsion of Satan and his angel confederates from heaven to earth.
“There was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, [8] but they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. [9] The great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Revelation 12.7-9.
At the end of time, Satan and his demonic angels will face final judgment and condemnation to hell, and they know it. Once when Jesus exorcized demons out of a man, the demons protested in terror, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Matthew 8.29.
Hell forever is the final destination for Satan and his angels.
“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. [2] He laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, bound him for a thousand years, [3] threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed. After these things he must be released for a short time. … [7] When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison [for the final war]. … [10] Then the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Revelation 20.1-3, 7, 10.
Why should we human beings be interested in the judgment of angels? Because their judgment represents our judgment, unless we repent. Jesus made this very explicit.
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. [32] All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. [33] He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
[34] “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. [35] For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; [36] naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ [37] Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? [38] And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? [39] ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ [40] The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
41″Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels. [42] For I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; [43] I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ [44] Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ [45] Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’
[46] “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Matthew 25.31-46.
The Devil and his angels were thrown into the lake of fire, Revelation 20.10, as will all people whose names are not written in the book of life.
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. [12] I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. [13] The sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. [14] Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. [15] If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20.11-15.
Judgment Day is coming and has already come.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. [18] He who believes in Him is not judged. He who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [19] This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. [20] For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. [21] But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” John 3.16-21.
The choice is ours and the consequences certain. As Paul explained to a disbelieving audience (Acts 13.46), “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life” you will receive the judgment you have pronounced on yourself.
