2 Peter Chapter 2:

2 Peter Chapter 2:

6 And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;

7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

This is the way God has always done things. When he gets sick enough of the wickedness of a particular people he will bring destruction upon them. But there are usually a remnant of righteous people in the midst of the wicked, and the Lord always delivers the faithful from his judgment against the wicked. Abraham understood this element of the justice of God, and he reminded the Lord about it when he made intercession for his nephew Lot who was living in Sodom: "And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? ... That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18:25 When God brought destruction on his wayward people of Judah in the days of Jeremiah, he spared Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch, as well as the Ethiopian eunuch Ebedmelech; along with the poorest people of the land (Jer. 15:11; Jer. 45:5; Jer. 39:16; Jer. 52:16).

Those who are faithful need not fear the coming judgment of the wicked, as it is written: "Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh" (Prov. 3:25). David also spoke of this reality of the justice of the Lord in the Psalms: "Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walketh in a perfect way, he shall serve me... I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD" (Psm. 101:6,8). David also mentioned the outlook of the righteous in the face of impending doom: "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD" (Psm. 112:8). The time of God's judgment against the wickedness of all nations is not very far off, and everyone who hopes to be on the right side of that judgment must diligently prepare their hearts and lives unto the Lord while there is time to do so.

"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon" (Isa. 55:6,7). Those who fail to do so wil be terribly afraid of the the catastrophes to come, and their fears will come upon them, even as it is written: "The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him: but the desire of the righteous shall be granted" (Prov. 10:24)). I believe Jesus perfectly summed up what I'm trying to say here: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken... Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man" (Lk. 21:25,26,36).