THE NEW TESTAMENT
BIBLE STORY
The Second Epistle from Peter
False Teachers
CHAPTER TWO For many Christians today it is "just have love" and we'll all get to heaven, you your way and me, my way. They might go on to say, "It really does not matter about 'doctrine' - about what is this truth or that truth, as long as we can all get along and have love for everyone, that what will get us to heaven." Now, of course Christianity is showing kindness and love towards all people. It is a religion of giving and serving others. I do not know of a Christian "sect" that does not teach helping and being nice and kind, doing good deeds, and indeed showing love. But ... nevertheless, when you read the New Testament, all of it, then it becomes clear that certain truths of God's word ARE IMPORTANT, doctrine, or what you might call "theology" DOES MATTER at times. Jesus warned in Matthew 24 that MANY would come in His name, saying that Jesus was the Christ, would teach "Christian dogma" BUT DECEIVE MANY! Now, I somehow do not get the message from Jesus or the apostles, that we are to think "deception" is to do with "loving people" or "being nice and kind to people." There are lots of kind and nice and loving people in the Islamic religion, maybe you have a neighbor like that. I mean even agnostics and atheists can be "nice" - "loving" - "serving" - people. The bottom line is that what Jesus was meaning was that MANY would come teaching Him and Christianity, but would deceive people in all kinds of wrong and incorrect "theology" of God the Father and Jesus the Christ. Some of those people might be deceived themselves, but as they say "You might be sincere, but you can still be sincerely wrong." Then on the other hand, there would come many who are NOT deceived, they know better, but for money, fame, the praise of men, to get a following, and for other not so sincere attitudes of the mind, go on teaching people ERROR, and so do indeed deceive MANY about what is from God and Christ. We have seen in some of the letters of the apostle Paul, that he at times did not pull any punches, when talking about such deceptive teachers and preachers, that had come within the Church of God. And now, in this letter of Peter's to his readers, we come to a chapter that is plain and simple. Peter is going to tell it like it is, a "I'll put it right into your face, and tell you what I think of these false teachers that will be right within Christianity, right there among the true people of God." Right off the bat, Peter says that there was always false prophets among those who were under the banner of God, and so there will be false teachers, now, among those who are under the name of Christ - Christian. And notice, in this first verse of chapter two, those false teachers will bring in, introduce, heretical DOCTRINES! They will teach "theology" if you will, not as it is in God's word, but FALSE ideas and false doctrines. Hence they will as Jesus said, DECEIVE MANY! It will be so serious a matter, that Peter says they will DENY the very one who died for them. How do you deny Jesus? Well yes, you can deny Him, by wrong actions, words, and deeds, towards other people - a hating your fellow man, but as I've said, I know of no Christian sect that out and outright teaches you to "hate" others and do them mental, emotional, and physical harm. Now there have been and maybe still is, those Christian sects that teach immortality is moral, an "evil is good and good is evil" theology. But they are not the run of the mill "Christianity" - they are the smaller "sects" and "cults." Jesus said that the many who would come in His name and deceive many, would be so large and so popular, in the main stream of Christianity, that IF it was possible, even the VERY ELECT would be deceived! Yes, Jesus said, that, you can see it in Matthew 24. Again I do not think Jesus was talking about some Christian sect teaching you can and should kill people or have many wives, or smoke pot, or get high on sniffing glue. The truth of the matter is that Jesus, and other writers of the New Testament, when talking about "false" teachers, were talking about their overall "theology" and that that false theology would be deceiving the majority of people under the name of "Christ" or "Christian." It would only be the very elect at the time of the close of the age, that would not be deceived. In another place Jesus said about His true followers: "Fear not little flock," and the Greek means VERY LITTLE flock, "it is my Father's pleasure to give you the Kingdom." This does not sound like to me that Jesus was talking about and too, the ONE and A HALF ... BILLION people on earth today who put themselves under the name of "Christian." Well, it is time to see what Peter was inspired to write about these false teachers. I will use the AMPLIFIED Bible. "But also (in those days) there arose false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among yourselves, who will subtly and stealthily introduce heretical doctrines (destructive heresies) ... And MANY will follow their immoral ways and lascivious doings; because of them the TRUE WAY will be maligned and defames" (verses 1-2). COMMENT: The faith once delivered to the saints was ALREADY in Peter's time, becoming corrupted. To his readers he said false teachers would come among THEM! Just how much more corrupt would it become 500 years from Peter's day, or a 1,000 years? How about thinking 2,000 years after Peter. Do you really think that today's popular "Christianity" is purer today than what Peter was here writing about? No my friends, it just does work that way, that is human nature does not work that way. As I've shown you, Jesus said that before His return, deception would be so great that IF it was possible even the elect would be deceived! "And in their covetousness (lust, greed) they will exploit you with false (cunning) arguments. COMMENT: Many of these false teachers LIVE OFF the people who send them money. And many of them live a pretty good physical life style. They get so they cannot give it up, it becomes an obsession with them. Notice their "theological" teachings or arguments are CUNNING. It is all packaged up in spiritual sounding words, and it is what the people who follow them WANT to hear. The apostle Paul warned about that in his letter to Timothy (see 2 Timothy 4:1-4), and told him that people would turn AWAY their ears from the TRUTH, and would be turned to FABLES! If you are reading your Bible from cover to cover with DILIGENCE, and if you are studying and searching the Scriptures on this Website Bible Studies, you will come to know the MANY FABLES out there in the majority Christianity of our time. "From of old the sentence (of condemnation) for them has not been idle; their destruction (eternal misery) has not been asleep. For God did not even) spare angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, delivered them to be kept there in pits of gloom till the judgment and their doom" (verses 2-4). COMMENT: The KJV here has the better overall translation: "...spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." The Greek for "hell" here is "tartaroo" and means place of restraint. There were angels that sinned, they followed Lucifer in rebellion. The truth of that is contained in various studies on this Website. After their rebellion they were cast back to earth. Jesus once said He saw Satan as lightening falling from heaven to earth. Those angels now became demons, and they were cursed with chains of darkness, all that is now in them is darkness. They are in restraint, God only always then to have freedom to do their evil work to a LIMIT. Certain things they cannot do, God put a leash on them, they can only go so far. And they have not yet met their final judgment. Do you remember some demons said to Jesus, "Have you come to torment us before the time?" When sin and death is finally "put away" - when neither will exist, just imagine the horror Satan and the demons will experience. With their blackened minds they will have not one single person to darken and deceive. And who knows what else God the Father will put on them as their eternal judgment. It is coming, God is not sleeping. What may seem a long time to us (two thousand years from Jesus' first coming and we still wait that judgment) is but a blink of the eye to God. "And He spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven other persons, when He brought a flood upon the world of ungodly (people). (Gen.6-8; 1 Peter 3:20). And He condemned to ruin and extinction the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, reducing them to ashes (and thus) set them forth as an example to those who would be ungodly; (Gen. 19:24). And He rescued righteous Lot, greatly worn out and distressed by the wanton ways of the ungodly and lawless - (Gen. 19:16,29). For that just man, living (there) among them, tortured his righteous soul every day with what he saw and heard of (their) unlawful and wicked deeds - Now if (all these things are true, then be sure) the Lord knows how to rescue the godly out of temptations and trials, and how to keep the ungodly under chastisement until the day of judgment and doom. And particularly those who walk after the flesh and indulge in the lust of polluting passion and scorn and despise authority. Presumptuous (and) daring (self-willed and self-loving creatures)! They scoff at and revile dignitaries (glorious ones) without trembling (verses 5-10). COMMENT: Mighty strong words and very chilling. Being a false teacher of God's word is no small matter. It is a serious matter indeed to set yourself to represent and expound the word of God to others. That is why James said, "Brethren, do not let many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive the greater judgement" (James 3:1). The examples of the wicked, the persons in the wrong, during Noah's day and Lot's day, shows God will eventually handout punishment. The false teachers, may not openly scoff and revile the glorious ones of God and Christ and the righteous angels, but in not teaching the truths of the word of the Lord, and even, in whatever mild or hard manner they scoff at those who do teach those truths, they have in effect scoffed and reviled God the Father and Christ and the holy angels - the glorious ones. "Whereas (even) angels, though superior in might and power, do not bring a defaming charge against them before the Lord" (verse 11). COMMENT: The angels leave it all in God's hands. They know when to speak and when not to speak, and what to speak about, BUT ... "But these (people)! Like unreasoning beasts, mere creatures of instinct, born (only) to be captured and destroyed, RAILING AT THINGS OF WHICH THEY ARE IGNORANT, they shall utterly perish in their (own) CORRUPTION (in their destroying they shall surely be destroyed), COMMENT: It's like saying, "These fellows just do not know what they are talking about." But sadly MANY of them KNOW BETTER, yet they will not REPENT! They want the pay-check, they want the praise of people, the crowds that follow them, and if they will not repent of teaching false doctrines they will face destruction. "Being destined to receive (punishment as) the reward of (their) UNRIGHTEOUSNESS (suffering wrong as the hire for their wrongdoing). They count it a delight to revel in the day time (living luxuriously and delicately). They are blots and blemishes, REVELLING in their DECEPTIONS and carousing together (even) as they feast with you" (verse 12-13). COMMENT: Righteousness is defined by the Almighty as "His commandments" - see Psalm 119:172. Many of these false teachers do live a physically luxurious life style, many of them have physical wealth above the average person, and because they have so many that follow them, they think they deserve all the physical riches they have. It's an attitude of saying something like: "Well I've brought all these people to God and Christ through my teaching and preaching, I deserve to live in physical splendor. They are revelling in their deceptions, a kind of "laughing all the way to the bank" we might say. They gather together at "Theological seminars" for a week-end or maybe a whole week, and live feasting, even among the very people of God at times. This was already GOING ON in Peter's day! How much MORE is it going on in the world today, nearly 2,000 years after Peter wrote this? "They have eyes full of harlotry, insatiable for sin. They beguile and bait and lure away unstable souls. Their hearts are trained in covertness (lust, greed), (they are) children of a curse (exposed to curing)! FORSAKING the STRAIGHT road they have gone astray; they have followed the way of Balaam (the son) of Beor, who loved the reward of wickedness. (Num.22:5,7). (verse 14-15). COMMENT: It is hard to find the words to try and describe the full impact and emotion of HOW and WHAT Peter was describing in his thoughts about false teachers. His words really do speak VERY PLAINLY and right in your face. These teachers are just simply not on the RIGHT ROAD - they are off in left field. They may have degrees from any number of "Theological schools" - they may be dynamic speakers and preachers, but the fact is they are ON THE WRONG ROAD - they are as Jesus once said about religious leaders of His day, "Blind leaders of the blind, and both will fall into the ditch." It is your individual duty to follow the example of the Bereans in Acts 17. They SEARCHED THE SCRIPTURES DAILY, to see if what Paul was preaching was according to the Scriptures. These false teachers, will they get away with it all, well some for a time may, but the day will come when ....like Balaam... "But he was REBUKED for his own transgression when a dumb beast of burden spoke with human voice and checked the prophets madness. (Num.22:21-31). (verse 16). COMMENT: Do you see the depth of it? Peter puts the theology of false teachers in the same category as "MADNESS." To put it in other terms, false teachers are INSANE!! You've had enough plain talk you may say, well Peter is not yet finished! He is going to tell us that some of the false teachers KNEW THE TRUTH at one time, BUT TURNED AWAY FROM IT!! "These are springs without water and mists driven along before a tempest, for whom is reserved forever the gloom of darkness. For utterly loud boasts of folly, they beguile and lure with lustful desires of the flesh those who are barely escaping from them who are wrongdoers. They promise them LIBERTY, when they themselves are the slaves of depravity and defilement - for by whatsoever anyone is made inferior or worse or is overcome, to that (person or thing) he is enslaved. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through (the full, personal) knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they AGAIN become ENTANGLED in them and are overcome, their LAST CONDITION is worse (for them) than the first. for never to have obtained a (full, personal) knowledge of the way of righteousness would have been better for them than, having obtained (such knowledge), to TURN BACK from the HOLY COMMANDMENT which was (verbally) delivered to them" (verses 17-21). COMMENT: A lot of the false teachers are indeed BOASTFUL and VAIN and POMPOUS. Maybe you have known such teachers of the Christian religion. They believe they have some "special connection" with God, that all others do not have. They are often deceived by their OWN mind. They also often promise people many desires of the flesh, like being physically rich, healed from physical ailments, success in the work-a-day world, a better reward in the after-life, and even protection from all the plagues and wars to come on earth before Jesus returns, in some "place of safety." does this all sound familiar to some of you? These false prophets and teachers promise LIBERTY - from all kinds of things that people are caught in that trouble them, of course they promise them liberty from having to OBEY God, or live by His every word, or keep His commandments. One BIG liberty they teach is that the 4th commandment can be ignored. If you are wondering what THAT one is, then read Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. The fact is, the bottom line is, these teachers are themselves caught in spiritual depravity, delusion, and sin. If you are in the life habit of breaking any of God's commandments, then you are slaves to sin and law-breaking - you are defiled. Look at God's TEN commandments. Is there any one of them you or these false teachers are breaking as a way of life? If there is, Peter is speaking directly to you and to them here in these verses. I have known MANY in the last 40 years whom I thought had a personal relationship with Christ, they really did know the basic foundational doctrines of God, they seemed to be "spiritual" but when an "organization" and "men" failed them, they were willing to walk away from Christ and the Bible. They WENT BACK into the world from which they came. Some of these people were very close friends with me, and it is a shock to see them mentioned under this passage of Peter's letter. It is more disturbing still as we look at the final verse of this chapter. "There has befallen them the thing spoken of in the true proverb, The dog turns back to his own vomit, and, The sow is washed only to wallow again in the mire. (Prov.26:11). COMMENT: In whatever ways it may be, God only knows, it would have been better for these people to have NEVER KNOWN the way of righteousness and salvation, the way into the Kingdom of God at Jesus' return, into the first resurrection. They could at least have been classified as BLINDED, never being called in this life time, and be in the same boat as the millions, nay, BILLIONS that will have salvation offered to them in the WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT or SECOND resurrection talked about in Revelation 20. I can only hope and pray that all those people I have known that have gone back into the world will one day REPENT AGAIN, before Jesus comes back to earth. Then again Hebrews 10:26-31 is there. I know God is merciful and very patient, I'm sure He can have mercy upon them IF they will turn to Him again. This chapter in Peter's second epistle, together with Jesus' rebuking of religious leaders in Matthew 23 and that of Jude in his letter, are the THREE most detailed and long chastisements of false teachers in the entire New Testament. They are most sobering chapters to read. At times God has no choice but to CRY ALOUD AND TELL IT AS IT IS! .................... Written October 2007 |
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