Introduction: Most everyone believes in a judgment at some
time in the future. But how many spend any time thinking
about God executing judgment? Especially on them? The Bible
records very few large scale supernatural judgments taking
place long before the final judgment. What do these earlier
supernatural judgments teach us about the final judgment?
Let’s plunge into our study of two of these early judgments
in the Bible and learn more!
I. The Examples
A. Read 2 Peter 2:1-3. Against what is Peter warning?
(False teachers who are immoral and greedy.)
B. Read 2 Peter 2:4-6. What are the examples of God’s
willingness to execute judgment on the wicked?
(There are three: God tossed the evil angels out
of heaven, God brought the flood, and God turned
Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes.)
1. What point is the Bible making? (God can
punish the wicked before the time of the final
judgment. These early punishments are examples
of what will happen to the ungodly.)
II. The Flood
A. Read Matthew 24:36-37. Have you ever had someone
say, “I cannot tell you, but I can give you a
hint?” Is that what these verses say?
1. How can you give valid hints if you have no
idea of the “day and hour” of Jesus’ Second
Coming? (Jesus says that similar events can
give us some clues.)
B. Read Matthew 24:38-39. Are these ordinary
activities? (Yes.)
1. How surprised by the flood are the people who
are just living their normal lives? (They are
“unaware.”)
C. Read 2 Peter 3:10. How much does the ordinary
person know about thieves? Do they think they
could be robbed? (Yes. They just do not think it
will happen soon. Let’s further explore this.)
D. Read Genesis 6:5-8. How bad are humans? (Their
intentions were only evil continually.)
1. How does God react to that? (He regrets
creating humans and decides to destroy them.)
E. Read Genesis 6:3. What is God saying? Humans will
live a shorter lifespan? Or in 120 years the lives
of the people on earth will end? (If you read
God’s comment in 1 Peter 3:20 it says that God
showed patience to humans during the building of
the ark. That sounds like the 120 years is the
time of God’s patience.)
F. Read 2 Peter 2:5. The ESV calls Noah a “herald of
righteousness.” Read Genesis 6:13-14, which tells
us that Noah built an ark to protect against the
coming flood. If Noah is building this gigantic,
unprecedented ship, if Noah is preaching
(heralding) the news of the coming judgment, how
can Jesus call the people of the time “unaware?”
G. Let’s explore the background for Jesus’ statement.
Read Matthew 24:30. What is the subject of Jesus’
discussion? (His Second Coming.)
H. Read Matthew 24:32-35. This is what Jesus said
just before His statement in Matthew 24:36 that no
one knows the time of His Second Coming. What can
we know about the timing of the Second Coming?
(There are signs. You can have a general
understanding that the final judgment is about to
be executed.)
1. Now imagine, like Jesus described, a wedding
during the time Noah was building the ark.
Would the bride and the groom be aware of the
giant ship and the warning of a coming flood?
(Yes. But they are focused on their life right
now. They are not focused on the end of their
world.)
a. Would you call them “unaware?”
I. Let’s step back a moment. Our subject is what
these early judgments can teach us about the final
judgment. Will the Holy Spirit give those doing
evil a general concern about judgment?
J. Read Matthew 24:40-42. What should we be doing to
prepare for the Second Coming? (“Stay awake.” Be
alert.)
K. Read Matthew 24:43-44. Recall Peter’s reference to
being robbed. What would the master have done
differently if he knew when the robber was coming?
(He would have stayed awake.)
1. One of the main problems with teaching the
Bible is to make it relevant and
understandable. What would you do in response
to the instruction to “stay awake?” “Be
alert?”
L. Read Matthew 24:44-46. What, precisely, is this
servant doing? (He is going about the business
assigned to him by his master.)
M. Read Matthew 24:48-49. What, in contrast, is the
wicked servant doing? (He is engaged in activities
that are not part of his job.)
N. We all need to sleep, we need to be “alert” for
robbers, and we do not know when the robber is
coming. What should we be doing? Trying to pin
down more specifically the time the robber will
come? Or being faithful in our job of making the
house as secure as we can? (Jesus tells us to do
the job He has given us. Be faithful in our
efforts to promote the Kingdom of God. He is not
telling us to try to pinpoint the time of the
robbery.)
1. Notice that the servant is tending the
“household.” Be a faithful father. Be a
faithful mother. If you have a job in your
church, perform it faithfully. That is being
alert.
III. Sodom and Gomorrah
A. Read Genesis 18:20-22. With whom is God discussing
the future of Sodom? (Abraham. We will not read
the verses that immediately follow, but Abraham
negotiates with God the test for the destruction
of Sodom. If there are ten righteous people in the
entire city, God will not destroy it.)
B. Read Genesis 19:1-3. Lot “strongly” argues that
these two angels should not spend the night in the
town square. Why?
C. Read Genesis 19:4-5. This is the answer to the
prior question. What do absolutely all the men of
Sodom want to do with Lot’s guests? (They want to
“know them.”)
1. Do they just want to get acquainted with these
visitors? (Read Genesis 19:6-7. Lot refers to
the local men being “wicked.” They are
demanding that the visitors be turned over to
them so they can rape them.)
D. Read Genesis 19:8-9. As we will see, Lot is
rescued by God as one of the righteous persons in
Sodom. How is it righteous to offer your daughters
to be raped instead of the visitors you just met?
(Obviously, that would not be righteous. But Lot
knows something that he is sure will keep his
daughters safe – these men are homosexuals.)
E. Read Genesis 19:10-11. How did the angel visitors
defeat the would be homosexual rapists?
F. Abraham has just had a conversation with God about
the exploring the nature of the people in Sodom.
That is followed by this story. What point is the
Bible making? What is the sin of Sodom?
G. Read Jude 6-7. How does Jude describe the sin of
Sodom and Gomorrah? (It calls it “sexual
immorality” and “unnatural desire.”)
H. Read Ezekiel 16:49-50. How does this describe the
sins of Sodom? (Pride and not helping the poor and
needy even though they had plenty of food and
time. It also mentions doing an “abomination.”
There are many today who argue, based on this
text, that the problem with Sodom was general sin,
in particular not helping the poor. But Genesis
and Jude pinpoint the nature of the sin of Sodom.
The fact that those in Sodom also engaged in other
sins does not excuse the highlighted sin.)
I. Read Genesis 19:24-25 and Genesis 19:28. What does
the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah teach us
about the final judgment?
J. Read 2 Peter 2:5 and 2 Peter 2:7-9. What hope do
we find in these verses? (God knows how to rescue
us from trials!)
1. Verse 8 tells us that Lot was tormented by the
sin all around him. Why didn’t he move? Noah
had no option like that. (This gives us
comfort. God positively refers to Lot even
though he had obvious flaws.)
2. Verse 9 tells us that God keeps the
unrighteous “under punishment” before the
final judgment. What do you think that means?
K. Friend, will you think seriously about your life?
Our actions matter, and God does not always wait
until the final judgment to make decisions on our
life. Why not turn to Him right now? Why not
decide to be a faithful servant while waiting for
Jesus to return?
IV. Next week: Ruth and Esther.
Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail,
but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this
link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
