In the first chapter, Peter had been discussing how knowledge of God is the way we receive our saving faith, as well as grace and peace, how God’s divine power equips us to live godly lives. Later Peter explains how reminders of the Gospel were very important, so much so that he took it as his life’s purpose. Peter writes, As long as he is alive, he wanted to remind the reader of those things. Then he says Above all, or Most of All. So what’s more important than all of the things he had been discussing? Peter says Above all, we must understand that no prophecy comes from the will of man, or the prophet’s own interpretation of things. Peter begins discussing the nature of prophecy. Prophecy is the word of God, delivered by prophets. We could remind each other of the Gospel and truth until we are blue in the face, but if we don’t establish that the source or origin of the good news is from God, there will always be room for doubt and potential for error in doctrine. No Prophecy comes from the will of man or the prophet’s interpretation of things. Although those prophets were human, the words they spoke did not originate from the will of man. The origin of prophecy is God, not man. The Holy Spirit carries men along, giving them words that have come from God. True prophets do not speak out of their interpretation or their own will or their own desire. They transmit the desire of God. So Prophecy can be definned as the word of God. Now, in modern times we don’t interact with the word of God primarily through Prophets. The book of Hebrews said throughout history God has spoken through prophets, but now he has spoken to us through his Son. Today we understand the word of God by studying Jesus, the word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us. We study Jesus through the written word of God, Scriptures. So Prophecy had a place, and to the extent it is recorded and found in scriptures, it’s worth studying, especially since we understand how prophecies eventually lead us to the cross of Jesus Christ. So today when we interact with God’s word, we do so in the scriptures. Paul affirms this origin of scripture in his letter to Timothy when he says all Scripture is God breathed. It comes from God, and it’s useful for instruction, correction, rebuke, training. Peter explained how important it is to understand that Prophecy comes from God not man’s will or interpretation, and that’s where we ended last month. But Peter wasn’t ending his thought process there. When we read chapter 2, we see he’s building on this idea.

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

Peter just told us last chapter how true prophecy works, and now he is talking about how false prophets appear. He says in history there were false prophets, and just as there were false prophets, there will be false teachers among you. I think it’s interesting that Peter uses a different word for the people today vs historically. Back then, there were false prophets, and just like then today they will be false teachers. To me, I think Peter’s word choice kind of confirms what the book of Hebrews says, that traditional prophecy is over. God used to speak through prophets, and today God speaks through his Son. So consistent with this other part of the bible, here Peter calls the current charlatans “false teachers” and not “false prophets”. Here’s what they will do. They secretly introduce destructive heresies. The false teachers won’t overtly say that scripture is wrong. They will quietly and sneakily introduce ideas that are non-Biblical. They introduce heresies, or ideas that are contrary to what is orthodox Christian doctrine. They are not going to start out saying that the Bible is wrong, but they will introduce ideas and concepts that are not consistent with the truth of Scripture. A few examples from Peter’s time, there’s Gnosticism, which says all flesh and matter is bad and corrupt. If that’s true then the creation of the physical universe couldn’t have been done by God who is good, so the physical creation was made by a separate Demiurge or god creator or the physical world. In Gnosticism what saves us is revealed knowledge of an unknowable spirit God. Gnostics will say Christ is a divine being who took a human form to bring us back to a spirit light. Another heretical philosophy is Docetism which argues that Jesus was pure spirit, and his physical form was an illusion. They would argue that Jesus wasn’t really physically there, and was just an image. One thing that always happens when you introduce heresies is you are left with some sort of Jesus Paradox, and need to explain away who he was or make him somehow fit this newly introduced idea. Peter says with many heresies they end up denying the Lord who brought them. The hereticical ideas are forced to explain away Jesus, although the Bible teaches that Jesus is the only savior of man, the only one who can redeem us, the one true Way to be brought back to God. Forgiveness is found only through Christ’s perfection being imputed to us, and our sin being taken on by him and punished. He is our Gate, the way that sinful man can can be brought to the Perfect Father. When you change doctrine around and introduce new false ideas, so that Jesus no longer can be the true Son of the one and only God. The word who became flesh, dwelt among us, lived a perfect life, and suffered and died for our sins, then you are discarding the most important part of all Theology. Without a living breathing Jesus, a man who Peter himself was an eyewitness to, any doctrine will fail to save us from our sins. Without salvation from our sin &disobedience, we face condemnation & swift destruction. The wages of sin is death. We earned death and punishment. But the Gift of God is eternal life, not by our works, but through Jesus Christ our Lord. So Peter explains that false teachers message is different from true teachers in its content. False teachers introduce heresies, and those things end up denying Christ, the sovereign Lord who brings us and delivers us to God.

2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

Verse 2 explains that False teachers will have Many followers. False teachers will appear successful. And because their message is off, their Theology is wrong, their conduct will be depraved or sinful. What you believe will effect how you behave. If you are a Gnostic who believes that Jesus was never truly human, or a Docetist who says he was just some image, you will not seek salvation through him. You may never believe you had a sin problem, and your evil conduct may be explained away by the fact that “oh that bad stuff I did was just my flesh, there’s nothing that can be done in the physical realm, but my spirit is good and my soul is seeking Divine knowledge”. A big problem with heresies and false teaching is that they like to use words that are found in true doctrine, but twist meanings and misuse terminology. So when a False teacher clearly is not following Christ and has no desire to submit to God’s instruction, Christians who regularly study the word can usually tell there’s a big difference. But because of the shared terminology and vocabulary everyone else outside the church will lump false teaching and charlatanism with the truth. Someone who doesn’t regularly go to church or read the Bible, perhaps an Agnostic will look at a tv preacher say, “those pastors are a bunch of slick liars, preying on ignorance”. Peter says the false teachers will bring the way of truth into disrepute. Now we’ve explained that Content of False teaching is dubious, but Peter will also explain the origin of the false teacher’s message is flawed. Last Chapter Peter had just said “above all, prophecies do not come about from the will of man, or the interpretation of the Guy who is saying the message”. So another red flag for a false teacher is if that teacher is offering their own interpretation of things, or if a teacher is speaking about things that express their own will or desire. Verse 3 confirms this and says False teachers will be motivated by greed, their stories are fabricated and they will exploit you. The King James version of 2 Peter 2:3 says the false teacher’s covetousness (or greed) will use feigned or fake words to Make Merchandise of you. Wow! So False teachers are greedy and make up stories – fake words, and turn you into merchandise. They just see you as a commodity. The 1599 Geneva Bible translation has a footnote that compares this merchandise to being abused and treated like cattle bought and sold in a fair. False teachers’ words are fabricated and made up, the origin of their words is not God, but instead their own interpretation of things and their own desires. They tell you things you want to hear, and give you a message designed to make you feel better, or worse, hopeful or hopeless, whatever they can to pull on your heartstring so that you will follow them and be another part of their merchandise. This is the same idea that our Pastor Frank has been preaching about a few weeks back, from the book of Ephesians, that false doctrine is a trap. Peter is describing these false teachers here, but Paul is more focused on the teaching itself. Paul also confirms these ideas from the perspective of the followers of these false teachers. In warning Timothy the same thing in 2 Timothy 4:3-4. Paul writes, “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

Paul says that people don’t want to put up with sound doctrine. They don’t want to hear the truth of our sin and the consequences, they want to be lied to. And the False teachers want to set up traps of bad doctrine in order to get more merchandise. They want more followers, they are quick to interpret what’s wanted and supply it. It’s a natural match. But this is not Prophecy! This arrangement has nothing to do with disseminating God’s Word, although they might frame it in a religious or Spiritual package. They might stand in front of a cross, or refer to God, and use some words commonly found in the Bible, but the result is Not the same! The result for Christians is salvation from their sins, through Jesus Christ – Eternal life in the presence of God. The result for the false teachers, is condemnation and destruction. Peter says their Condemnation has Long been hanging over them, Their Destruction has not been sleeping. To us, it looks like they are getting away with something, but Peter is saying, rest assured, they are not. Without Christ, there is no salvation from sins. Peter goes through a quick timeline of condemnation.

4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell,[a] putting them in chains of darkness[b] to be held for judgment;

Since the first rebellions of God’s authority by the angels, God delivered condemnation and punishment
We read bits and pieces about this in Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. In Ezekiel 28 it says, There was one who was anointed as a guardian cherub. This cherub was created blameless, but when wickedness was found in it, the cherub was expelled from the mount of God. The cherub’s heart became proud on account of it’s own beauty, and it’s wisdom was corrupted. In Isaiah 14, one being was fallen from heaven because it wanted make itself like the most high, it wanted to be God, it wanted equal status with God. Both of the prophecies were originally discussing kings, Ezekiel was talking about the King of Tyre, and Isaiah was prophesying about the King of Babylon. They seemed to be talking about a person at first, but then each prophecy seemed to start speaking about a cherub or a celestial being in heaven. Both mentioned a certain pride that made the celestial angelic being want to be Like God, and they were corrupted, and banished. Whether they are in a holding pattern for final judgment or whether judgment has happened already or is happening as time unfolds, Peter is saying that they did not escape. Pride and the desire to be equal with God (the original sin) will be punished. Sin has a consequence, even for angels. This example of angels sinning against God chronologically happened first. Peter continues

5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;

Peter refers to Noah and the ark, which is found in Genesis chapters 6-9. Genesis 6:5 says The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. In Genesis 6:11-13 scripture says 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence (cruelty, oppression, wickedness). 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. God condemned the ancient world in which Noah lived, it was a place of violence, cruelty, oppression. Wickedness. Mankind’s hearts were inclined towards wickedness and away from Godliness. and then the judgment arrived with the flood. Along with judgment and condemnation for the ungodly, we also see God providing protection to the righteous. Noah was described as blameless among the people of his time (comparatively righteous, he was “righteous in this generation”). He walked faithfully with God, and God established a covenant or agreement with Noah. This covenant involved Noah building an ark to God’s specification. In his first letter, Peter compared God’s salvation by the ark to baptism, which represented God’s salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. In that theological context, The salvation offered to Noah pointed to the salvation offered to us through identifying with Christ. There is a group of unrepentent sinners who don’t acknowledge their own need for salvation, and there are devout followers of God’s instruction who repent of sin, desire righteousness, and will be protected and preserved. Later in Genesis, we have another example.

6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—

Again, here we see two cities that were notoriously disobedient towards God’s commands, living rebellious against God’s authority. Unrighteousness was part of their culture. The bible says their sin was excessive, grievous and non-repentent, in the book of Isaiah, Sodom and Gemorrah were described as places of shameless sinning. Jeremiah described it as full of adultery and lies. According to the book of Ezekiel Sodom and Gemorrah’s women were described as arrogant, overfed, and unconcerned, they didn’t help the poor and needy, and were haughty or proud. The book of Jude describes excessive fornication and pursuing strange flesh. When we read Genesis 18-19 we hear Abraham praying and pleading for the salvation of those cities. Abraham prayed to God asked to have the cities spared the impending destruction. And we find out those entire cities would have been spared for the sake of the presence of just 10 righteous men. Two angels went to the city and stayed with Lot and his family. Lot and his family were rescued. According to Peter, he says in verse 7 that Lot was distressed by the lawlessness of his neighbors. Living among them day after day he was tormented by witnessing the lawless deeds he saw and heard and experienced. When you are obedient to God and His Holy Spirit inclines your soul and heart towards righteousness, it is very difficult to see the lawless deeds of others. Not just watching people sin, or observing their disrespect towards God, but watching how their sins effect others and hurt people who were unfortunately impacted by poor decisions. The conduct of the world that dishonors God should torment us the way it tormented Lot. A lady in our church has talked to me about different things that bother her about modern culture, and how sin has become popular or en vogue. Our media and television programming glorify violence, sexual sin like adultery, greed, vengeance and pride Godlessness, and people usurping the places worship and esteem that should only belong to God. These things are not new; they were the same types of things that Sodom and Gomorrah practiced and glorified. And it bothered Lot, and those things should bother us too. But we should also be like Abraham, willing to intercede and pray for God’s forbearance, forgiveness, and mercy.

9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh[c] and despise authority.

Peter goes through Biblical history and analyzes how corruption and sin lead to punishment condemnation and judgment. He doesn’t only show the Jusice of God’s character that deals with sin in wrath. He also gives examples of the merciful aspect of God’s character that rescues the Godly people from trials. Peter says the Lord knows how to rescue the Godly! Don’t doubt God’s knowledge or ability or willingness to rescue his people from Trials. He knows how to rescue us, and will ultimately do just that. Peter says that the unrighteous are held for punishment on the final day of judgment. We don’t always see sin getting punished, and sometimes it looks like God has been absent in punishing wrongdoing, but we must remind ouselves that the unrighteous will either one day repent or they will die unforgiven, and in that case they are being held, and in the end they will experience punishment. Peter says this is especially true of those who follow their sinful and flesh nature and despise authority. False teachers are especially included in this group, since they are following their own flesh and corrupt desires for greed and personal gain. And they are not only doing this, but they are doing so in the name of God. False teachers are teaching lies and fabricated stories, with no regard for God’s authority. On one hand, they covet the authority and power that comes from speaking the true words of God, but then on the other hand they disregard God’s authority and truth. By their actions they show they doubt his power, and believe punishment will never happen. They believe there is no consequence for knowingly pretending to command God’s authority when they speak from a position or role whether it’s teacher or prophet.

Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from[d] the Lord. 12 But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.

False Teachers, and those people who follow their flesh do not follow God’s instructions. They despise authority and are bold and arrogant in how they live. Like Sodom and Gomorrah, those who disobey God show a disrespect and abuse towards God and his heavenly host of Angels and Celestial beings. Even though God and his Angels are So much more powerful. It’s like me walking up to Floyd Mayweather, one of the most decorated champions of boxing, undefeated in the ring and spitting in his face or challenging him to a fight. It is downright disrespectful, and/or ridiculously stupid. And if you think about it, it is unfathomable the level of Arrogance and Boldness required to do something when you are so clearly out of your league. Sometimes I think about the entire universe, and all the things we see and know and study. All the knowledge and all the power and intelligence and wisdom and majesty that created everything. God is the creator of the universe, the almighty. All Mighty! And the Bible tells us we are to meet him face to face. I think how unworthy I am to be in the presence of such majesty. But the Bible tells us that His will is to have a relationship with us, a knowing and loving relationship. It baffles me when the Bible says we are supposed to speak to him and present our petitions and prayers to him. How bold are we to presume to even speak to this Amazing God! That’s just the beginning of an appropriate respect for His Majesty. When sinners blaspheme against God, when they disregard all these things that we can look at in the universe that point us towards God’s power and majesty, and instead of worshiping, they desire for themselves that majesty, they fall into Satan’s original trap. Peter says there’s little difference between an unreasoning animal and a godless fool who blasphemes about what he doesn’t understand. Destruction is the end of both, each one is destined to perish. There are another 10 verses that continue these thoughts, but seeing how long we took with the first 12, I think it’s a good idea to take those and unpack them next time. Fortunately as Christians who fear and respect God, our promises are different. Instead of Judgement, we receive mercy, instead of Destruction, we receive everlasting life, instead of punishment, we receive deliverance and rescue.