2 Peter 2
But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does[a] not slumber.
Doom of False Teachers
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.
In studying hell we will take one stop off for 2 Peter 2:4. Peter makes mention of hell in this verse and it is the only time it is used in the N.T.
The word is from the Greek:
ταρταρόω
tartaroō tar-tar-o'-o From Τάρταρος Tartaros̄ (the deepest abyss of Hades); to incarcerate in eternal torment: - cast down to hell.
2Pe 2:4
5020 tartaróō – properly, send to Tartarus ("Tartaros"). The NT uses 5020 (tartaróō) for the netherworld – the place of punishment fit only for demons. Later, Tartaros came to represent eternal punishment for wicked people.
(tartaróō) is a Greek name for the under-world, especially the abode of the damned – hence to cast into hell" to send into the subterranean abyss reserved for demons and the dead.
In Greek mythology, Tartarus was a "place of punishment under the earth, to which, for example, the Titans were sent"
Adam Clarke reasoned that Peter's use of language relating to the Titans was an indication that the ancient Greeks had heard of a Biblical punishment of fallen angels. As such, the terminology would have made sense to the early readers of the N.T.
The Holy Spirit through Peter wanted us to understand that the punishment would fit the crime. The bottom line here is that first, God takes our sins in context and will judge accordingly. Second, there is a more severe punishment for those who lead others astray.
Bottom line, God hates sin, no doubt about it, but he hates it even more when he sees one person mess another person up, that is why this lower part of hell is reserved for Satan and his demons.
