Ángel
Manuel Rodríguez
Please explain 2 Peter 2:4 (NIV): “For if God
did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into
gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment …”
In this connection we should also consider a similar passage
in Jude 6 (NIV): “And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority
but abandoned their own home—these he has kept in darkness, bound with
everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.” Let’s examine the context,
discuss the nature of the prison, and comment on the sin of the angels.
1. Context: Peter is discussing the work of false teachers. According to
him, their presence among God’s people is not new (2 Peter 2:1). One thing is
certain, however: they will experience the judgment of God. To support his
argument, Peter uses three biblical examples of sin leading to judgment: the
experience of the angels, the punishment of the
antediluvians, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The context in Jude is similar. He also deals with false
teachers, and his three examples of divine judgment are: the rebellion of the
Israelites in the wilderness, the fall of the angels, and Sodom and Gomorrah.
These cases show that God will intervene against false teachers. These passages
are not specifically about the nature of the sin of angels, or about the place
they are sent.
2. The Prison: Peter uses vivid language to describe the fate of evil
angels. God “sent them to hell, putting them in gloomy dungeons.” In the Bible
“hell” is the realm of the dead, the tomb. The common Greek word for “hell” is hadēs, which designates the place of the dead, the
underworld. But in this case Peter uses a different word, a verb: tartaroō, “to cast into/to hold captive in tartaros.” In Greek mythology tartaros designated the deepest area of hades, reserved for
the punishment of disobedient gods. Peter uses this image to express the idea
that fallen angels are now in prisons of darkness and death, separated from the
divine source of
life.
This is not a literal prison, because demons are still active in the world of
humans (e.g., 1 Peter 5:8; Jude 9).
This is
supported by Jude, who simply says they are chained and imprisoned in darkness.
By the way, the phrase “gloomy dungeons” in Peter is sometimes rendered in
Greek manuscripts as “fetters of darkness.” In the ancient world, prisons were
in many cases dark dungeons, an appropriate symbol for the tomb (cf. Rev.
1:18). Apparently, ancient prisons did not have the purpose of incarcerating
criminals as a form of punishment. Those in jail were often committed to hard
labor. But in most cases, the prisoners were awaiting judgment or the execution
of the penalty already pronounced against them (cf. Lev. 24:10-12; Num.
15:32-36). According to Peter, fallen angels are incarcerated in spiritual
darkness, in the realm of death, awaiting the execution of their sentence. They
have already been judged.
3. The Sin: Neither Peter nor Jude tells us the nature of the sin of the
angels. According to Jude, the angels “did not keep their positions of
authority but abandoned their own home.” The fall of the angels from heaven is
described as abandoning their appointed roles in heaven, their original home.
The common view among scholars is that Jude used Genesis 6:1-4, as interpreted
by Jewish intertestamental literature, to refer to
the fall of the angels when they abandoned heaven and had sexual relations with
women. They argue that the context in Jude is about sins of immorality. That
interpretation hardly fits the context of Peter. Although one cannot totally
rule out that possibility for Jude, it is always better to go with the witness
of Scripture itself and avoid speculation. The idea expressed in both passages
seems to fit Isaiah 14 better, where the fall of Lucifer is narrated: “You are
brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit” (verse 15, NIV); as well
as Revelation 12:1-4, 7-9, where the casting out of the angels is preceded by a
war in heaven.
To conclude:
The final fate of evil angels is fixed. Meanwhile, beware of false teachers in
your church, and beware of their greed (2 Peter 2:2)!
9/09
Copyright © Biblical Research Institute General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®