Reservations For Fire and Glory

2 Peter 2:4-11 

4 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; 5 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; 6 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; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— 9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.

Grace and mercy is uniquely demonstrated for God’s people alone.  The angels that fell in sin do not get another chance as the sons of Adam and daughters of Eve; their sin sealed their fate to an eternal judgement (Jude 1:6), not to be undone at the cross, for they willing chose without being deceived as Eve with Adam in tow.  God judged man in the flood, however, and left only eight chosen ones to restart the multiplication to fill and govern the earth of His creation.  We see more ungodly destroyed with fire at the time at Sodom and Gomorrah, yet Lot was chosen to be saved from that judgement.  As He says here, God knows how to deliver His chosen from temptation, death and judgement, and how to reserve a day of finality of judgement for all others.  There are reserved places of punishment at the table of God’s wrath on sin in the lake of fire for all opposed to Him and His righteousness.  These reservations are for those vessels of determined destruction who manifest their sinfulness in unholiness and disobedience to all authority, especially that of the Ruler of all.  We see these who are self-willed (such free will is only free to sin) and slanderers of those put in authority by God (Romans 13:1-2, Titus 3:1) over them whom we should follow under God.  This presumption of the fallen and doomed is not even seen by the condemned angels who know better as His creations, which shows they still have fear of God (Jude 1,8-10, James 2:19).  How much should then we praise and thank God for delivering us out of certain judgement into His righteousness and mercy, and out of the temptations to seek our own will instead of living for His will?  He has reserved a place for us at His table in heaven by grace (John 14:2-3) when we should have had reservations in the deserved hot seat for our sin!