A hireling is a hired servant. We can think of them as someone hired for public office or a religious office. Sometimes the people we hire are not interested in the laity, and what the laity needs or wants. Sometimes the hireling is only interested in indulging themselves. We can see that many of the public officials who we voted for behave in this manner. They make promises that they never keep, and they schmooze their way into office again and again. This also happens in the church. In our physical church assemblies we hire a servant to lead the congregation and to serve the laity. Sometimes the person hired in our church has their own agenda. Sometimes they refuse to serve and educate the laity. Their agenda seems to puff people up rather than to speak on things that are difficult. People then assume that church has to feel good. But like building a house on sand, feeling good does not equip people for spiritual warfare. When we study the hireling we may see that the end result is that the people are oppressed, plundered, and ruined. The people are used instead of served. While Yahweh made a provision for hirelings to be released from service on the sabbatical year, we also see that Yahweh is more than willing to deliver the righteous out of the wicked people’s time of punishment.
Isaiah tells us about the hired servants who have made a covenant with Death and Hades. They think that if they make a contract with the devil that the devil will somehow protect them, but what we see is that the devil cannot protect them from Yahweh.
Isa 28:1 (Brenton) Woe to the crown of pride, the hirelings of Ephraim, the flower that has fallen from the glory of the top of the fertile mountain, they that are drunken without wine.
The crown that the hired servants wear is a crown of wanton violence and unrestrained sexual behavior. The hired servants are drunk with power which has turned them violent. Ephraim means “double fruitfulness” and the hired servants have fallen from the fruitful mountain. It seems as if they were hired to serve the public, but fed their own perverted lusts instead.
Isa 28:2 Behold, the anger of the Lord is strong and severe, as descending hail where there is no shelter, violently descending; as a great body of water sweeping away the soil, he shall make rest for the land.
Yahweh is not happy with the hired servants. Yahweh’s storm against the hired servants will destroy them and the land will then rest.
Isa 28:3 The crown of pride, the hirelings of Ephraim, shall be beaten down with the hands and with the feet.
The hirelings with their crowns of wanton violence will be trampled. They have caused chaos and turmoil and they will not continue.
Isa 28:4 And the fading flower of the glorious hope on the top of the high mountain shall be as the early fig; he that sees it, before he takes it into his hand, will desire to swallow it down.
Isa 28:5 In that day the Lord of hosts shall be the crown of hope, the woven crown of glory, to the remnant of the people.
Yahweh of the armies will then be the crown of the remaining people. Not all people want Yahweh to be their moral leader, but those who do will remain, they are the remnant.
Isa 28:6 They shall be left in the spirit of judgment for judgment, and for the strength of them that hinder slaying.
The hired servants are left down or abandoned in the Spirit of Judgment in divine judgment. They also lack power that prevents them from rising. Why?
Isa 28:7 For these have trespassed through wine; they have erred through strong drink: the priest and the prophet are mad through strong drink, they are swallowed up by reason of wine, they have staggered through drunkenness; they have erred: this is their vision.
They were led astray by wine and fermented liquor. The hired servants were drunk priests and prophets. We have seen the liquor bills of the hired public servants when they fly across the country, it is disgraceful that we the people are forced to pay for that. Yahweh was not kidding, these hired servants have erred.
Isa 28:8 A curse shall devour this counsel, for this is their counsel for the sake of covetousness.
There is a curse or an imprecation (ara) that will consume their decree because their plans are based on their own lusts. The hired servants desire wealth, power, perversions, and pleasures.
Isa 28:9 To whom have we reported evils? and to whom have we reported a message? even to those that are weaned from the milk, who are drawn from the breast.
Yahweh of the armies reported these evil behaviors to the young people. Why? The old people were not listening, they lived with these corrupt hired servants oppressing them for many years. Have you ever seen a pastor who drives an expensive car and lives in an expensive house. The laity usually live far below the pastor, yet the laity continue to support him.
When we look at the Levites, they were not to own property or possessions. According to Moses, everything they had belonged to the people. But when they entered the promised land there were too many Levites to be supported in the tabernacle, so the Levites moved out as we saw with Moses’ grandson. The Levites who did not serve in the tabernacle had to earn a living and became priests to the tribes.
Judges 18:30 (DRB) And they set up to themselves the graven idol, and Jonathan the son of Gersam, the son of Moses, he and his sons were priests in the tribe of Dan, until the day of their captivity.
The Masoretic Text (MT) tries to hide the fact that it is Moses’ grandson. Clearly Moses had a son, Gershom; Gershom had Jonathan, and Jonathan was a Levite.
Jdg 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every one did that which seemed right to himself.
Jdg 17:7 There was also another young man of Bethlehem Juda, of the kindred thereof: and he was a Levite, and dwelt there.
Jdg 17:8 Now he went out from the city of Bethlehem, and desired to sojourn wheresoever he should find it convenient for him. And when he was come to mount Ephraim, as he was on his journey, and had turned aside a little into the house of Michas,
Jdg 17:9 He was asked by him whence he came. And he answered: I am a Levite of Bethlehem Juda, and I am going to dwell where I can, and where I shall find a place to my advantage.
Jdg 17:10 And Michas said: Stay with me, and be unto me a father and a priest, and I will give thee every year ten pieces of silver, and a double suit of apparel, and thy victuals.
Jdg 17:11 He was content, and abode with the man, and was unto him as one of his sons.
Notice that Jonathan went to mount Ephraim. In reading the entire story we get the sense that even though Israel had entered the promised land, they were still into idolatry. We see Jonathan being a Levitical priest in the house of idols.
Coming back to Isaiah, the hirelings would receive afflictions from Yahweh and unfortunately so would the laity.
Isa 28:10 Expect thou affliction on affliction, hope upon hope: yet a little, and yet a little,
Isa 28:11 by reason of the contemptuous words of the lips, by means of another language: for they shall speak to this people, saying to them,
Isa 28:12 This is the rest to him that is hungry, and this is the calamity: but they would not hear.
The people can expect persecutions, yet they should receive hope. A little while there will be disparaging language spoken to the people saying there will be a rest to the hungry. This is the destruction prophesied, but they did not want to hear it.
Isa 28:13 Therefore the oracle of God shall be to them affliction on affliction, hope on hope, yet a little, and yet a little, that they may go and fall backward; and they shall be crushed and shall be in danger, and shall be taken.
Therefore the word of the Elohim is that there will be persecutions and then the people will hope, but after a while they will go and they will alight, or prostrate themselves backwards, meaning they will get ready to bow and they will fall over backwards. They will be in danger, they will be crushed and captured. Why? Because the old people were not listening. Yahweh of the angel armies was warning the young people. Meanwhile the hired servants will be cursed because they were doing things to earn wealth. This is a picture of the last days before captivity into Babylon, during the time of Ezekiel.
Now Yahweh is going say something to the people being afflicted and to the rulers over those people.
Isaiah 28:14 G1223 On account of G3778 this G191 hear G3056 the word G2962 of the lord, G435 O men G2346 being afflicted, G2532 and G3588 G758 rulers G3588 G2992 of this people G3778 G3588 G1722 in G* Jerusalem!
“By means of this, comprehend by hearing the logos Yahweh, male human being persecuted and the chief this people (laos) in Jerusalem…..”
Because the rulers were not listening to Yahweh they were persecuting the laity. The hired servants were ruling with lustful violence. The priests and prophets were in it for the money. The rulers that were leading the people were making deals with the devil. They decided that if they made a deal with Death and Hades they wouldn’t be hurt by the devil. Isn’t that what the devil still says today? If you make a deal with the devil you may gain earthy wealth or prominent positions over others, but you will not be truly safe. Yahweh still has authority to judge and bring divine judgement. This is why we see the reminder that Yahweh is the the Lord of the angel armies.
Isaiah 28:15 G3754 For G2036 you said, G4160 We made G1242 a covenant G3326 with G3588 G86 Hades, G2532 and G3326 [2with G3588 G2288 3death G4916.5 1treaties]. G2616.6 [2a gale G5342 3being brought G1437 1If] G3928 should go by, G3766.2 in no way G2064 should it come G1473 to us. G5087 We made G5579 the lie G3588 G1680 our hope, G1473 G2532 and G3588 by the G5579 lie G4628.1 we shall be sheltered.
“…because said make contract with Hades and terms and conditions with death, if downward storm bear come near no way come us, to place falsehood our hope and the falsehood will shelter.”
Yahweh says that they are placing their hope in falsehoods. They thought that these lies would cover them. Why would these people make a deal with the devil? They did not believe on or trust in Yahweh. Think about what was happening in Jerusalem. The temple had been defiled for many years, and Hezekiah was trying to clean up the occultic practices. The light was exposing evil people. But the evil people were still in control.
Isaiah 28:16 G1223 On account of G3778 this, G3779 thus G3004 says G2962 the lord, G2400 Behold, G1473 I G1685 shall put G1519 for G3588 the G2310 foundations G* of Zion G3037 [4stone G4185 1a very costly G1588 2chosen G204 3cornering] G1784 of value G1519 for G3588 G2310 its foundations; G1473 G2532 and G3588 the one G4100 trusting G1909 upon G1473 it G3766.2 in no way G2617 should be disgraced.
“By means of this in this manner says Yahweh, ‘Look! I throw in to the foundation stone Zion very expensive chosen cornerstone honored into belonging to its foundation to have faith in on it no way put to shame.’”
Whoever believes on the foundation stone, the honored cornerstone will not be put to shame. Instead of believing the devil’s lies, believe on Jesus the cornerstone. They were to believe in the coming Messiah. Now that Jesus has already come, fulfilling the prophesies and qualifications of the Messiah, we recognize Jesus as the cornerstone.
Isaiah 28:17 G2532 And G5087 I shall place G2920 judgment G1519 for G1680 hope, G3588 G1161 and G1654 my charity G1473 G1519 by G4712.4 weights. G2532 And G3588 the ones G3982 relying G3155 vainly G5579 in a lie G3754 that G3766.2 in no way G3928 should [2go by G1473 3you G2616.6 1 the gale];
“And I put divine judgment into hope but my compassionateness into stations. And the convinced in vain falsehood that no way pass by you storm.”
Yahweh put divine judgment in the chief rulers expectations, their expectations or hope was in their agreement with Death and Hades. Yahweh’s compassion and pity is put into stations or into places. Places for who? Places for the laity, this is the context. Those chiefs and rulers were so convinced in their lies from the devil, that they thought the storms would just pass by them. However, Yahweh says that the storms are not going to pass by them. In fact, a storm from Yahweh is not dissuaded by a covenant with the devil. Remember who the Creator is and who the created beings are.
Isaiah 28:18 G2532 even G3361 [4should not have removed G851 G1473 1your G3588 G1242 2covenant G3588 G2288 3of death]; G2532 and G3588 G1680 your hope, G1473 G3588 the one G4314 in G3588 G86 Hades G3766.2 in no way G1696 should adhere. G2616.6 [2 the blast G5342 3being brought G1437 1If] G1904 should come, G1510.8.5 you will be G1473 [3by it G1519 1for G2662.1 2trampling].
“And your contract the death not taken away from, and their hope the towards the Hades no way abide in if storm bring overtake you will be into downward pressed.”
Yahweh will not take their contract with death away from the chiefs and rulers. They may hope and expect to be protected by Hades, but if the storm comes it will overtake them and they will be downward pressed. The word καταπάτημα tells us that the storm comes down from heaven and presses or tramples them.
Isaiah 28:19 G3752 Whenever G3928 it should go by, G2983 it shall take G1473 you. G4404 Morning G4404 by morning G3928 it shall go by G1473 you, G2532 and G1722 in G3571 the night G1510.8.3 it will be G1680 [2hope G4190 1an evil]. G3129 Learn G191 to hear!
“Whensoever I pass by, lay hold of you early in the morning. Early in the morning I pass by you and in the night season is evil hope. Learn, hear.”
When Yahweh passes by and will lay hold of the chiefs and rulers early in the morning. He passes by in the morning, but in the evening is their evil hope. Yahweh says to ascertain and comprehend by hearing.
The three groups of people who are leading others astray are hired servants, teachers and prophets, and chiefs and rulers. The righteous laity are delivered from destruction, but the ones who drink and get drunk, teach and preach for money, or make deals with Death and Hades, are appointed to destruction.
Jesus explained the problem with the hirelings. We haven’t quite understood this as we like to quote the devil or the satan as being the thief. The problem with hiring someone to be in charge of our government or our church is that we do not always know what we are getting in that person. There are times that people who say they will do certain things do not end up doing what they promised. That is always our dilemma. Jesus himself is the only door for us to go through. Some people over the centuries have claimed that indulgences will either get us or our dead loved ones into heaven. That is not true, but it scares some people into paying these indulgences, just in case.
Joh 10:6 This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
Joh 10:7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
Joh 10:8 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
What happened in Isaiah’s time? The laity is persecuted and oppressed by the hired servants. Prophets, priests, chiefs, and rulers are all hired servants, as well as any other type of people in charge. Jesus says the laity didn’t listen to them. While the laity didn’t listen they were still controlled by the hired servants.
Joh 10:9 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Jesus is the door. In Isaiah’s time they didn’t have the Messiah yet, but they had the temple and Hezekiah was trying to clean up Jerusalem. Now we have Jesus, we can enter in to find pasture, or in other words we can find peace and sustenance.
Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
John 10:10 G3588 The G2812 thief G3756 comes not, G2064 G1508 except G2443 that G2813 he should steal, G2532 and G2380 should sacrifice, G2532 and G622 should destroy; G1473 I G2064 came G2443 that G2222 [2life G2192 1one should have], G2532 and G4053 [2extra G2192 1should have].
“The thief not to come except in order that steal (kleptō) and sacrifice (by fire) and destroy utterly, I come in order that life to have and beyond the regular number to have.”
The word thief is kleptēs meaning “a stealer”. It is a derivative of kleptō. We know that a kleptō is what we call kleptomaniac, someone who has an urge to steal and hides what he/she steals. The satan is a kleptō, he has stolen and hidden the truth about Jesus and the gospel message. But there are many people who have an urge to steal. Sometimes when a person is in a position of power, they steal. We are speaking in context of the hireling, those who are hired servants/public servants. No one hired the satan except the devil, therefore he is not the hired servant in this story.
Sacrifice is to immolate which is to “sacrifice by fire, or in general to kill”. It is the idea of offering up a sacrifice. This is huge. Sometimes hired servants intentionally allow things to take place because they are making a sacrifice. Think about riots, abortions, gender reassignments of children, fires, murders, and chaos. If we hire rulers, government officials, and pastors who agree with abortions, then they are in agreement with the sacrifice of babies. We will be oppressed as the laity. Some hired servants burn forests or allow forests to burn because they want something, but it is the laity that suffers. Some hired servants promote the mutilation of children so that they can change their gender, this too is a sacrifice. The satan has been at war with women and her seed since Genesis 3:15. Humans are life givers, while other sons of God are not. To prevent our children from living as God created them is a sacrifice to Moloch, Baal, and the satan. Again the laity suffers because of the hireling.
Destroy is the word apollumi which means to “abolish or declare that one must be put to death”. The idea here is “fully destroyed”. Sometimes what is destroyed is a church, sometimes it is people, families, cities or nations. Who we hire can become a thief and sell out his/her position for money. In doing so the community is destroyed, which causes the laity to suffer.
In contrast to the hireling who is a thief who steals, kills in sacrifice, and destroys, is Jesus who gives life in great measure. The comparison is that Jesus is the good shepherd. He gave life, and he gave his life for us, but the hired servant simply takes advantage of the laity. Is it for drugs and alcohol? Is it for money? Is it for position and power?
Joh 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Joh 10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.
We have a tendency to think that our elected officials are shepherds. We hire people to run our cities or governments, or our various agencies, but they are not really concerned with us, the laity. We should think of our pastors and church leaders as shepherds, but sometimes they are not going to lay their lives down for the laity. When the hired servant sees a wolf or some type of danger, they leave, put their money in an offshore bank account, and then take off. Meanwhile the laity is oppressed.
Joh 10:13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.
We hire servants with the expectation that they will care about us, but that is not the case. Jesus is the only one who cares about us. Deuteronomy 15 gives us a provision for hired servants. The sabbatical year applies to hirelings. In the seventh year the servant is released. If the hired servant wishes to stay it is by mutual agreement, but after six years the hired servant is given his leave. This is a great arrangement for term limits in public office as well as in the church. With the sabbatical year off, people can then decide to either keep the servant or permanently release the servant. Every seven years that hired servant is up for review.
Think about how this would work in the church. Pastors would move every seven years from place to place, each teaching and pastoring in their strengths. If a congregation likes the pastor and feels fed by the pastor, then the pastor can be hired again. No congregation is locked into one pastor forever. The pastor is not the lord over the people.
Joh 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Joh 10:15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.
Joh 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
Jesus says that he has another different kind of sheep. Jesus was talking to Jews, but the nations were coming into the sheepfold or the courtyard too. The Jews and the nations were going to hear Jesus’ voice and they would have one shepherd.
Joh 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
Joh 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
The idea that Jesus lays his life down for us is because he loves us. In doing so, he rises from the dead. Jesus received this authoritative prescription from the Father. Now we have to ask, are we expecting hired servants to lay their lives down for us? The ones who do are doing it right.
Many of us end up in situations where the hired servants/public servants are not interested in what we think or how were feel. The laity then feels grieved and burdened over the things these people do and enact in the cities, states, and countries. Many of us are tortured and tormented by the laws that the hired servants make that the children of the devil push through. But we have hope in this, Yahweh knows how to deliver those who are his.
Yahweh kept trying to get the attention of the people and they were not listening. They were going into captivity and the glory had left the temple. Ezekiel had already spoken Yahweh’s condemnation to the false prophets, and he is now speaking Yahweh’s condemnation to the Elders. The Elders were people holding an office, which may have been in the temple or in the city. We want to keep in mind that Judaism is a societal law and a religion just like Islam. Both the law and the religion govern the people. Christianity is not a societal law, it is a relationship. Because of that relationship we try to live a holy life. Yet it is not a law, we can live as a Christian anywhere, under any legal system. The law that Christians live under is to love God and love our neighbor as ourself. No one legislates agape.
Yahweh says that Jerusalem will not be spared.
Eze 14:12 (Brenton) And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
Eze 14:13 Son of man, if a land shall sin against me by committing a trespass, then will I stretch out my hand upon it, and will break its staff of bread, and will send forth famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast.
Eze 14:14 And though these three men should be in the midst of it, Noe, and Daniel, and Job, they alone should be delivered by their righteousness, saith the Lord.
Notice that if Noah, Daniel, or Job were living in a nation that was sinning against Yahweh he would only deliver them, no one else. Their righteousness delivers them.
At least one group from Jerusalem was in captivity in Babylon if not two. It seems strange for Ezekiel to mention Daniel, but Daniel was a descendent of Jehoiakim, and in Jehoiakim’s third year, Nebuchadnezzar over took Jehoiakim’s household. Imagine kidnapping the King and his household but no one else. This is when Daniel went into captivity, around 606 BCE. Ezekiel went into captivity in about 597 BCE, nine years after Daniel. Daniel revealed Nebuchadnezzar’s dream around 604 BCE, two years after his captivity and seven years before Ezekiel’s captivity. Solomon’s temple was burned in 588 BCE which was the third exile. People knew about Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and it made “the news”. Ezekiel is writing this after the glory left the temple and before the last group of exiles were captive and the temple burned.
Eze 14:15 If again I bring evil beasts upon the land, and take vengeance upon it, and it be ruined, and there be no one to pass through for fear of the wild beasts:
Eze 14:16 and if these three men should be in the midst of it, as I live, saith the Lord, neither sons nor daughters shall be saved, but these only shall be saved, and the land shall be destroyed.
Eze 14:17 Or again if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Let the sword go through the land; and I cut off from them man and beast:
Eze 14:18 though these three men were in the midst of it, as I live, saith the Lord, they shall not deliver sons or daughters, but they only shall be saved themselves.
Yahweh is not saving the sons and daughters of righteous men, he is only saving the righteous. The sons and daughters have their own obligation to be righteous.
Eze 14:19 Or if again I send pestilence upon that land, and pour out my wrath upon it in blood, to destroy from off it man and beast:
Eze 14:20 and should Noe, and Daniel, and Job, be in the midst of it, as I live, saith the Lord, there shall be left them neither sons nor daughters; only they by their righteousness shall deliver their souls.
We see that the false prophets and the Elders were the ones who led Jerusalem into sinning against Yahweh. There are always those who will follow the hirelings and think that the hirelings will do something for them. However there are those who are vexed over the sins of the nation. We need to understand the hireling as our employee, not someone who lords over us. We are to have the ultimate say and expect the hired servant to do what we say. We hire them. However the idea has twisted itself into the laity serving the hired public servant. Peter also explains.
2 Peter 2:1 G1096 But there existed G1161 G2532 also G5578 false prophets G1722 among G3588 the G2992 people; G5613 as G2532 also G1722 among G1473 you G1510.8.6 there will be G5572 false teachers, G3748 ones who G3919 shall introduce privately G139 [2sects G684 1destructive], G2532 and G3588 [2the G59 4buying G1473 5them G1203 3master G720 1denying], G1863 bringing G1722 unto G1473 themselves G5031 quick G684 destruction.
“But exists even pseudo prophets in the laity like as in us there are pseudo teachers whosoever bring in secretly destructive heretical parties and disowning the master of the house purchased them bring upon them in impending destruction consisting of eternal misery in hell.”
We have pseudoprophētēs and pseudodidaskalos who introduce destructive heretical parties or sects. We are speaking of heresies against Yahweh because these are false prophets and false teachers. This tells us that there are people coming into the church who are trying to make their own group which is heretical against Yahweh.
The word master here is misleading, it is not Yahweh, Kurios, it is despotēs, which means ruler, or the master of the house, not the master of Creation. Some translations use the word Lord, but it should be in its lower case form. Who then is the master of the house who purchased them? When a church has a prophetic conference or a teaching conference, they are purchasing the prophets and teachers for information because they get paid. These false prophets and teachers come into the church and teach something off or different. They don’t come under the church they teach their own things that are against the teachings of Jesus.
2 Peter 2:2 G2532 And G4183 many G1811 shall follow after G1473 them G3588 in the G684 destruction, G1223 through G3739 whom G3588 the G3598 way G3588 of the G225 truth G987 shall be blasphemed.
“And many follow after them the destruction through this the journey the truth speak evil against.”
Many people are fooled by the false prophets and teachers and they fall into their own destruction. The truth journey we are on is something the false prophets and false teachers speak evil against.
2 Peter 2:3 G2532 And G1722 by G4124 a desire for wealth, G4112 with shaped G3056 words, G1473 they shall make trade of you; G1710 G3739 for whom G3588 the G2917 judgment G1597 of old G3756 is not idle, G691 G2532 and G3588 G684 their destruction G1473 G3756 shall not G3573 slumber.
“And in covetousness formed their logos traffic in this the judgment long ago not lie idle and their destruction not sleep.”
Because of the desire for wealth and power they shaped their words, or they used words to manipulate people. They used those words to buy and sell people, or traffic people. The same judgment that has been from the beginning is still working today. Some people think that the Elohim doesn’t judge any more, that is not true. The destruction coming is not sleeping or dead, it is still coming.
2 Peter 2:4 G1487 For if G1063 G3588 G2316 God G32 [2of angels G264 3sinning G3756 1spared not], G5339 G235 but G4577 in chains G2217 of the infernal G5020 region G3860 delivered them up G1519 for G2920 [2judgment G5083 1being kept for];
“For whether the Elohim not forbear angels sinning however chain gloom of the world below thrust down to Tartarus give into guard divine judgment.”
What happened to the angels that came to earth before the flood and procreated with women? They ended up in Tartarus under guard awaiting their judgment. Since Peter brings this up we have to ask why it is that people don’t believe in the infiltration of angelic DNA into the human population? They are in chains awaiting judgment.
2 Peter 2:5 G2532 and G744 the ancient G2889 world G3756 he spared not, G5339 G235 but G3590 [3 the eighth G* 2Noah G1343 5of righteousness G2782 4proclaimer G5442 1kept], G2627 [2 the flood G2889 4world G765 3to the impious G1863 1having brought];
“And from the beginning cosmos not spared however keep watch and ward Noah eighth preaching righteousness bring flood ungodly world.”
Yahweh kept watch and ward over Noah and his family. The flood came on the ungodly world. However Noah and his family were inconvenienced, weren’t they? They had to stay on a large boat with smelly animals, and they couldn’t leave. They were stuck on the boat until the water went down. This is a good example of the laity being oppressed, even though the punishment for the evil people is much worse, we still have the effects of their sin affecting us.
2 Peter 2:6 G2532 and G4172 the cities G* of Sodom G2532 and G* Gomorrah G5077 having reduced to ashes G2692 [2by a final event G2632 1he condemned]; G5262 [2an example G3195 3for the ones being about G764 4to be impious G5087 1having set];
“And cities Sodom and Gomorrah reduced to ashes catastrophe damn, put in place model think about doing sin against Elohim.”
We all know the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and many have seen the region of the five cities of Sodom which still looks like white ash rubble near the dead sea. The words used here are interesting. Katastrophē comes from kata “downward” strephō “twisting”. There was a downward twisting or a turning upside down at Sodom. Katakrinō comes from kata “downward” and krinō “judge”. There was a downward judgment at Sodom. As we looked at this last week. Yahweh himself came down from heaven to see what was going on in Sodom and Gomorrah. Then there was a heavenly judgment that came down from heaven and it turned that region upside-down. Catastrophe caused by divine judgment is not something people who are ungodly actually fear, but Sodom and Gomorrah are a reminder that it can happen again.
2 Peter 2:7 G2532 and G1342 [2righteous G* 3Lot G2669 4being harassed G5259 5by G3588 6the G3588 G113 7unlawful ones G1722 8in G766 9lewdness G391 10of behavior, G4506 1he rescued],
“And rescued righteous Lot subdued after a hard struggle from under the lawless in licentiousness turning upside down…”
Anastrophē comes from ana meaning “up” and strephō meaning “to twist” or “turn over”, essentially meaning that the people of Sodom were turned upside down due to their promiscuous and unprincipled sexual behavior and evil judgments against the innocent. Lot was grieved and struggled over living there. This was a hard time for Lot. He was righteous, but he had to suffer the loss of several children, grandchildren, and his wife. It seems that even the righteous have to deal with the effects of the punishment of the sinful.
If we remember the history of Sodom, after the battle of the five armies the heirs of the Nephilim who were left alive moved into those cities surrounding Sodom. They did many things upside down, such as a festival of drugs and wife swapping four times per year. Having a community bed to rape men passing through the town. Unjust judges. Neglecting the poor and persecuting those who tried to help the poor. Everything they did was the opposite of what Yahweh wanted. At this point the law hadn’t been written yet, but these people did the opposite of every other nation around them. We can see why Yahweh utterly destroyed it.
Lot had several children, but the two youngest daughters were still living at home. The men of Sodom came to Lot’s house and wanted to rape the two angels that Jesus sent to rescue Lot. After the angels blinded the men and they left, Lot went out to his other children’s houses to warn them, but they would not leave. Lot’s wife turned around to see what was happening not because she was evil, but because she was concerned about her other children and grandchildren. Here is the problem, as we saw from Ezekiel, Yahweh did not save the sons and daughters who chose not to leave Sodom.
2 Peter 2:8 G990 (for by sight G1063 G2532 and G189 hearing, G3588 the G1342 righteous man G1460 dwelling G1722 among G1473 them, G2250 day G1537 by G2250 day G5590 [3soul G1342 2 his righteous G459 4 by their lawless G2041 5works G928 1tormented];)
“..for seeing and hearing the righteous dwell in them day from day, lawless actions tortured righteous soul.”
Living among the promiscuous and unprincipled sexual behavior of the rapists of Sodom day after day tortured and vexed Lot’s soul. Their sinful behaviors vexed him every day. We feel the same way. Not only does the sin of the unrighteous burden us, their punishment burdens us too.
2 Peter 2:9 G1492 but the Lord knows G2962 G2152 [2 the pious G1537 3from G3986 4tests G4506 1to rescue], G94 and the unrighteous G1161 G1519 [2for G2250 3a day G2920 4of judgment G2849 5being punished G5083 1to keep];
“Yahweh sees and perceives, rescues God-fearing from out of trials wicked, but protect into day divine judgment punishment.”
Yahweh sees and understands what is happening. He delivers and rescues those who fear the Elohim out of the punishments of the wicked. He also protects the Elohim-fearing through to the day of divine judgment. This tells us that he rescues us from the time of divine judgment, and the most immediate divine judgment is the tribulation. The tribulation is the time of punishment for all the Jesus rejecters. As the seven years progress, more and more people are forced into either accepting or rejecting Him. We are burdened at the idea that our family and friends may suffer. We are rescued but still affected. We are protected but still oppressed and inconvenienced. The benefit to the righteous is that we have eternal life.
We can learn to be smarter about who we hire to serve. It would be unreasonable for everyone in a community to show up to balance the town’s books and to decide how much printer paper to buy, but if a public servant doesn’t work out we should have the authority to sever that contract. The same goes for a servant in the church who is to shepherd the people. If the hireling leaves when the wolves come, what good is that hired servant? That is what the hired servant is hired for. In fair weather and good times, anyone can serve, but when the storms come and the laity is burdened and vexed, the hireling is supposed to protect, encourage, and direct the sheep. What vexes us today will not bother the next generation at all, unless we teach them the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness. If the hired servants won’t teach truth it may be time to hire a new servant. The satan flipped the script on the laity. We need to take back control of our government public servants and remind all the hired shepherds that they are to educate and protect the sheep.
