2620

Pamphlet #2620
2nd Peter chapter 2

Peter gets down to the "nitty gritty" and uncovers what the false prophets and false teachers are really interested in.

In the first chapter of his second epistle Peter reminded us that if we are at all interested in entering into the glorious Kingdom of God that we had better be diligent and "take heed" unto the Word of God.

Furthermore, the Word of God is not just some book containing the writings of men's thoughts and cunningly devised stories.

It came directly to us, through the prophets who were inspired via the Holy Spirit of God.

It is therefore God's Word and not man's.

And as Peter recorded in 2 Pet. 1:3, it was made possible and given to us by and through His divine power.

Note: I guess some people think that God isn't capable of seeing to it that His servants write down exactly what He wants them to. That's really funny and it shows their stupidity! But be nice, remembering always that you represent the royal family of God and your conduct as a Christian is "on display". Just ask them if they, as mere mortal human beings, can see to it that their secretary writes down precisely what they want said.

Now in chapter 2 we are going to receive another Reminding from Peter!

He is going to remind us that there were, and even are today, false prophets and false teachers who lead people away from the Glorious Kingdom of God down to the entrance of the kingdom of hell.

And just so we all know that our Father means business, starting in verse 4 Peter is going to give us some historical examples of God in Action against the disobedient.

2 Peter 2:1
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

This is what happens when you don't speak from the Oracles of God (1 Pet. 4:11).

It brings about destruction, both physical and spiritual!

Better "take heed" to what you believe and teach!

[2] And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

Will many follow the true, divinely inspired, Oracles of God?

Hardly!

Is this not truly amazing that Peter's first reminder [warning] is the same one Jesus gave in the sermon on the mount?

Do you recall Christ's first warning concerning the final generation?

Here is what he said in Mk. 13 and Mat. 24:

Matthew 24:4
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

I believe Peter used the exact same words, "Take Heed".

You "take heed" by studying the Oracles of God, for only by knowing them do you escape deception.

Live Link to- Take Heed

[5] For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

False prophets and false teachers abound!

"And many shall follow their pernicious ways", Peter says.

Yes, and so we have the "blind leading the blind", which is no different than saying the "wicked leading the wicked".

This might be a good time for a little word study.

Did you know that the words "damnable" and "destruction" in 2 Pet. 2:1 and the word "pernicious" in verse 2 are all the same word in Greek, which is apoleia?

Also in 2 Thes. 2:3 the word "perdition", used in "son of perdition", is also apoleia.

Here is the definition from Strong's Concordance.

apoleia, ap-o'-li-a, Greek 684; from a presumed derivative of Greek 622 (apollumi); ruin or loss (physical, spiritual or eternal) :- damnable (-nation), destruction, die, perdition, × perish, pernicious ways, waste.

Notice that this word comes from apollumi.

apollumi, ap-ol'-loo-mee, Greek 622; from Greek 575 (apo) and the base of Greek 3639 (olethros); to destroy fully (reflexive to perish, or lose), literal or figurative :- destroy, die, lose, mar, perish.

Apollumi is also the root word for the name of the king of the bottomless pit, Satan himself, which is Apollyon as recorded in Rev. 9:11: "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon."

Here again is Strong's definition:

Apolluon, ap-ol-loo'-ohn, Greek 623; active participle of Greek 622 (apollumi); a destroyer (i.e. Satan) :- Appollyon.

So go ahead and follow the traditions of men, though they belong to Apollyon.

They appear to be good.

After all, the majority believe such doctrines as the rapture theory, etc. It all seems so right.

And yet:

Proverbs 14:12, Proverbs 16:25
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Peter now gets down to the "nitty gritty" and uncovers what the false prophets and false teachers are really interested in.

2 Pet. 2:3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

The false prophets will tell you all kinds of made-up stories, because they are out to "shear the sheep" and "make merchandise".

In other words they are in it for the filthy lucre.

God is not too happy with ministers who make up stories and lead His people astray.

Here is what God Almighty has to say about it as He speaks through His true prophet, Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 13:2
Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel that prophesy, and say thou unto them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the LORD;

Do you claim to represent Christ and teach His Word?

If so, this applies directly to you!

Hear ye, hear ye!

[3] Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!

When our Father says you got a "Woe" coming, you're in Big Trouble!

[4] O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.
[5] Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.

This is referring to our generation, the battle in day of the LORD.

The self seeking ministers are not telling our people to put on the gospel armor, and "take heed", and study the Word of God.

Therefore they are not "making an hedge", i.e. providing protection for our people.

Ezek. 13:6 They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word.

They don't have time to teach the Oracles of God line by line!

They are too busy saying "The Lord just revealed to me that someone out there in TV land has a bad back and God is healing you RIGHT NOW!
Call 1 800-APOLEIA. Our operators are standing by (to take your money)."

And they give people false hope and the LORD has not sent them!

Woe!

[7] Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?

You have the nerve to say God told you, "The LORD saith it"?

That's funny, because we were "taking heed" and noticed in Ezek. 13 that the LORD said "HE HASN'T SPOKEN IT!"

He didn't tell any of those liars that someone has a bad anything!

Must be their own imagination or the voice of someone else, huh?

[8] Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD.

And if God be against you, who can be for you?
You're in Big Doodoo!
Woe!

Ezekiel 13:19
And will ye pollute me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live, by your lying to my people that hear your lies?

And you make Me look bad, like I'm a respecter of persons, and you do it for money?

You lie to my people that watch TV and listen to your lies that I, God Almighty, am talking to you, and you promise them that God's "grace and peace is multiplied unto them" WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE.

It's a lie!

You are a liar!

And you do it to line your own pockets?

"Woe" is right!

There is a "Woe" Trump coming soon and you're about to wish the mountains would fall upon you!

Rev. 6:16 "And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:" God is not happy about this.

[20] Wherefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against your pillows, wherewith ye there hunt the souls to make them fly, and I will tear them from your arms, and will let the souls go, even the souls that ye hunt to make them fly.

You seek people to expound a "fly away" doctrine that promises my people peace and security?

You therefore cover-up the truth of the Oracles of God and the Creator of the Universe is AGAINST you!

Think God is not serious?

Then here are some historical examples:

2 Pet. 2:4 For if God 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 word "hell" used here is "tartaros" which means the deepest part of the abyss.

The angels that Peter is referring to are those of Genesis chapter 6 who left their first estate [heaven] and came to earth and took the daughters of Adam to wife.

The resulting unions of angel and flesh woman brought forth giants and caused our Father to bring about the flood of Noah to destroy them.

These "fallen angels" will soon be cast out with Satan, Apollyon, to this earth (Rev. 12:7-9) and will stand with the son of perdition, Satan, in the temple of God (2 Thes. 2), and will be destroyed at Christ's second coming (Rev. 11:13).

Here's Jude.

Jude 1:6
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

And there were only 8 Adamic people left on planet earth that would have nothing to do with these angels, and they were Noah and his family.

That is exactly what the phrase "Noah was perfect in his generations" means, i.e. Noah and his family had a perfect [unblemished] pedigree and had not intermarried with the angels who left heaven and came here directly without being born of woman.

So God wiped out the land of the giants with a great flood, all but Noah and his family!

2 Pet. 2:5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

Want more proof that it is not a good thing to depart from the Oracles of God?

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

People often ask if it's OK to cremate someone after they die.

Here's an example of people dying by cremation.

And at the hand of God Himself!

And He says "this is an example to everyone who wants to live ungodly"!

You know what this means?

If we don't do something about the perversion in our land, God will!

So speak the Oracles of God, using good judgment and common sense.

Will you suffer persecution for it?

You can count on it, for it is not Politically Correct to teach the Word of God as it is written!

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

But not to worry!

As He was able to deliver Lot, He is able to deliver you!

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

Did you "see" that? Lot had "eyes to see" and "ears to hear"!

And he was an Oracle Worker!

2 Pet. 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Our Lord and Savior, to whom all power and authority in both heaven and earth has been given, can handle anything thrown our way!

So if God be for us, who can be against us?

As we complete chapter 2 of 2nd Peter, REMEMBER that the subject of this chapter as declared in verse 1 is false prophets and false teachers, the seducers of men, as well as the followers of their pernicious ways in verse 2.

We'll get to the scoffers in the next chapter.

However, as we read the next few verses you may say to yourself,
"Surely Peter can't be talking about ministers! They can't be that bad!"

Oh, but he is talking about preachers and ministers, and he will liken them even to Balaam in verse 15, a prophet of God who willingly went against the word of God and willingly taught error so as to receive big bucks.

Again, these false preachers and ministers are the seducers spoken of in verses 18 and 19.

There is also much similarity in context and phrase between this second chapter of Peter and the Book of Jude, some of which we will draw together in parallel.

Peter now continues to "stir up" in our minds things which we should already know about false preachers and their followers, that they will receive their punishment at judgment (vs. 9), especially [chiefly] those described in the next verse.

2 Pet. 2:10
But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
Jude 1:8
Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.

Presumptuous means "daring".

These dudes are arrogant and presumptuous and selfwilled and think nothing of teaching blasphemous doctrines.

That means that they know better!

It is true that those who teach false doctrines because they are deceived and follow the traditions of men and are just plain ignorant of the oracles of God, will be dealt with severely, for they have set themselves as teachers and should have "taken heed" and spoken the oracles of God only and so warned the people.

But "Woe" unto those who KNOW BETTER and teach falsely and lead God's children astray for self gain.

[11] Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.

And don't argue with Satan or Satan's ministers.

Take heed to the example set forth by the archangel Michael.

Jude 1:9
Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

Peter continues:

2 Pet. 2:12
But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

"Ditto", says Jude.

Jude 1:10
But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.

They are like a bunch of wild animals who are born to be captured and killed, and perish they will.

2 Pet. 2:13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the daytime. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;

Again, these are those who have gone the way of religion, the way of Cain (see Companion note on Jude 11), seeking greedily after filthy lucre.

They feast [religiously] with you, but it's at the wrong wedding feast!

Jude 1:11
Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

Korah, Balaam, and Cain all resisted the KNOWN WILL of God!

They all knew better!

[12] These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

They appear to be very religious but they are truly wolves in sheep's clothing.

2 Pet. 2:14
Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

Though many are truly adulterous, this verse means that their eyes [minds] are full of "idolatry", their chief god being "filthy lucre" as documented by Peter in the next verse (15).

But first, who are these "unstable" souls [people] that are able to be captivated by these religious con-artists?

The word "unstable" is dipsuchos, Greek #1374, two-spitirted, i.e. vacillating (in opinion or purpose).

The reason they vacillate and are easily lead astray is that they are Biblically illiterate.

Hence they have no foundation, so they are like "a reed shaken with the wind".

Peter now exposes these false prophets and false teachers and tells us what their real motives for being in the ministry really are!

2 Pet. 2:15
Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

See, they have FORSAKEN the right way, which means they know better!

Read the story of Balaam in Numbers 22 & 23 how he "forsook" for money.

[16] But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.

God used a dumb ass to speak to and correct the dumb ass!

[17] These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
Jude 1:12
... clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

They say they have the Living Water and the Fountain of Life, but their wells are dry and full of deception and lying divinations (remember Ezek. 13?).

They bring darkness upon the land and darkness shall be their fate.

Remember, we are talking about preachers and ministers.

2 Pet. 2:18
For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

Yes, they are well dressed and speak great and marvelous things and entice people through EMOTIONALISM, i.e. desires of the flesh, like "to save it from pain and tribulation" with the promise of a quick escape in the Rapture Rocket.

[19] While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

They promise them FREEDOM from financial worries if they'll just send them money!

They promise them HEALING if they will just believe (and send them money).

Never once do they mention that Paul asked to be healed 3 times and the Lord said NO!

And they promise them liberty and entrance into the Kingdom of God while leading them to the entrance gate of hell itself.

Yes, as this scripture declares: "A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him".

If Satan's false teachers and false prophets have you following after the traditions of men, then you are his!

He is your master, instead of Jesus!

2 Pet. 2:20
For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

Some preachers start out with the right motive but soon become corrupt and follow the way of Balaam after greed and money.

They spend half their airtime begging for money or selling books and trinkets.

The other half they spend on sermons about tithing.

No wonder the very first warning of Jesus Christ about our generation is: Matthew 24:4,5 "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."

Deceive just a few?
No! Many!

So watch out for con-artists!

To "the many" they don't appear as con-artists, do they?

They look like nice guys and gals!

Note: And by the way. If you have accepted Jesus and not been taught the oracles of God in this generation, then you will follow Satan when he appears, for you will believe he is Jesus.

2 Pet. 2:21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.

False prophets, those Balaams, and Cains, and Korahs of today, who know what God wants them to do and yet turn from the holy commandment, which is the Word of God, were far better off before they knew better.

God is not happy with anyone who turns from His commandments, but especially those who turn and preach other than the Oracles of God.

[22] But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

This is a quote from Proverbs 26:11.

Proverbs 26:11
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

So take heed that no man deceives you!

Who wants to eat their puke?