 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. 17 These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. 18 For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. 22 What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.” Meditation We should not be surprised to see false teachers in the church who divide by building their own following and deceive God’s people by twisting the truth. Paul warned the church about false teachers (Acts 20) and his last written words emphasized the point (2 Timothy 4). Christians should expect false teachers and seek to expose their lies. Peter joins Paul by warning that false teachers will come into the church with “destructive heresies,” denying Jesus as the Christ and bringing destruction on all who follow. They will exploit in the present, but they will be exposed and eventually experience God’s wrath (1-3). The false teachers are “waterless springs and mist driven by a storm,” (17) promising freedom but delivering only futility. Their final state under God’s wrath is worse than the first- Truth will prevail and justice will triumph (17-22). Christians are warned and should be vigilant in truth. Faithful God will deliver His people from sensual and sensationalized “shepherds.” Using historical illustrations of Noah and Lot, Peter reminds the church that “The Lord knows how to rescue the ungodly.” We can trust God’s word and God’s voice even when false teachers are twisting God’s word and misleading God’s people. Friction will follow when the Church stands for truth, honoring God and His word as authoritative. In the last days, people will seek teachers who tell them what they want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Christians must persevere, identifying the false teaching and seeking unity under the beneficial authority of God’s word and work. Richly Dwelling -Why do you think Peter is so direct in his warning about false teachers and what they will do? -Does it make you nervous to see the warnings of hard times for people who stand for truth? Why? -How does the promise (emphasized by illustrations of Noah and Lot) of God’s protection and rescue strengthen you to stand for truth in a world that is giving over more and more to removing any sort of standard of truth? Key Verse 9 …the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment… Comments are closed.
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