2020REV-23- Q&A-03
20051PM
Now that the “Exploring Revelation” class is completed, and posted online—the questions are rolling in by the scores, actually by the hundreds. In the next few sessions, we are taking “Live” questions from students to us in our virtual classroom. Each Q&A session features an answer to a question formed from dozens of variations that all refer to a similar topic. Thanks SO much for your thoughtful, insightful questions.
Transcription
Question from Student:
Going along with what you’re saying about Tartarus. Could it be considered that the angels that are chained up there might be on an equal level of evilness if not greater than Satan? What’s the point of having them confined, as you mentioned that earlier.
Dr. Barnett’s Response:
Every question you ask has some verse attached to it and the verses that would be attached to that are Genesis 6 and Jude chapter 1. What it says in the Bible, and I’ll just grab it here. Let me get there. Jude. I love this, every Sunday night at our church, I don’t know for a decade, we just had question answer, people would line up at the microphones and I love doing this, this is what it says, Jude chapter 1, verse 6,
“And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.”
Then he starts talking about Sodom and Gomorrah in verse 7. Sodom and Gomorrah? We’re talking about angels and all of a sudden, he talks about Sodom and Gomorrah? He says in verse 7,
“as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in similar manner.”
Now we realize, that to answer your question, the angels in this lower part are down there because they broke the rules and somehow in Genesis 6, it says that they contaminated humanity. Remember, Jesus didn’t die for angels, He died for humans. Somehow, they were, it says in Jude, 2 Peter, and Genesis, they were co-mingling with humans.
So, there’s a lot of speculation about that. All we know is this, it says verse six, “the ones who did not keep their proper domain.” So, they were registered in the domain of angels, fallen angels, and they slid down into the domain of humans. We already know that demons can inhabit humans, they can possess them. It appears that in their possession, they were getting involved with altering humanity.
God said enough is enough at the flood. He took all those angels involved in that contamination and He locked them up, down here in Tartarus or this prison house.
Now, the question that you said is, are they as evil as Satan? I think they’re all malignant. However, Satan is more powerful, but I don’t know if Satan is more evil. I think evil is basically, they are like John 8:44 says, like their father, the devil. He’s a murderer. Doesn’t abide in the truth. That’s what all the demons are like. That’s what all of us are like at birth. We’re falling into sin. They just have had thousands of years to amplify their sin and these extra rebellious ones are chained up. The rest of them are pretty busy up here on Earth shooting those fiery darts and confusing us.
Check Out All The Sermons In The Series
You can find all the sermons and short clips from this series, Exploring The Book of Revelation here.
Looking To Study The Bible Like Dr. Barnett?
Dr. Barnett has curated an Amazon page with a large collection of resources he uses in his study of God’s Word. You can check it out here.