The Judgement That Awaits Them – 2 Peter 2

Joy: You’re listening to the Lifting Her Voice podcast, Episode #229.  Today we’ll read 2 Peter chapter 2 together:  Peter tells us all about false teachers and the judgement that awaits them.

Welcome to the Lifting Her Voice podcast.  I’m your host, Joy Miller, and I invite you to grab your Bible and join me as we simply read God’s word together.  Some things require discipline and sometimes that’s just not easy to muster by yourself, no matter how badly you want to do it or how much you know you should.  It’s just easier to do it with a friend.  So refill your coffee or tea, get comfortable in your favorite chair and follow along as I read aloud.  I’m so glad you’re here!

Welcome

My husband and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.  We were not sure what to expect.  After all, for the first time ever it was just the two of us.  But we put together a detailed plan and managed to pull it off without a hitch.  God is indeed good!

We were up at the crack of dawn.  After Bible reading and half hour each on the elliptical, Mitch went down to the underground storage area of our house.  He pulled out our Christmas tree and many boxes of decorations and hauled them in to the living room.  By eight o’clock, we had the tree set up.  By noon, most of the decorations had been put in their appropriate places around the house, new batteries inserted.

At 1:00pm we began preparing our Thanksgiving meal.  A baked turkey breast, mashed potatoes, gravy, baked stuffing, candied yams, braised brussels sprouts, and a loaf of French bread.  Yes, this was just for the two of us, and it was delicious.  For once, we are looking forward to all the leftovers.

We also took time to touch base with all our friends and family.  Brothers and sisters, nephews and aunts and uncles, Mitch’s mom.  Lastly, our good friends Sherri and Barry, who just moved to Montana.  Everyone was in high spirits, and it was heartwarming talking to each one of them.

Memory Lane

After eating, we hung the hundreds of ornaments we have collected over the years on the tree.  No, ours is not a themed or color-coordinated tree.  It is more a monument to our life together.  Hanging ornaments is a guaranteed walk down memory lane.  We marvel at the time gone by when we hang ornaments made by our daughters as children.  And we’re like children ourselves at the travel memories brought to mind by a bauble from a far-away city. 

It was close to bedtime when we were finally empty enough to enjoy a piece of pumpkin pie topped with whipped cream.  Who am I kidding?  Mitch would not have gone to bed without it, still full or not.  It was the perfect way to end a perfect day.  Although we missed the usual cacophony of entertaining, the quiet gave us a surplus of time to reflect.  We realize more than ever that we have so very much to be grateful for this Thanksgiving Day.

How about you?  What was Thanksgiving like at your house this year?  Tell me all about it at Lifting Her Voice.com, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.  

2 Peter Chapter 2

The Judgment of False Teachers

There were indeed false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved ways, and the way of truth will be maligned because of them. They will exploit you in their greed with made-up stories. Their condemnation, pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep.

For if God didn’t spare the angels who sinned but cast them into hell and delivered them in chains of utter darkness to be kept for judgment;

and if he didn’t spare the ancient world, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others, when he brought the flood on the world of the ungodly;

and if he reduced the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes and condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is coming to the ungodly;

and if he rescued righteous Lot, distressed by the depraved behavior of the immoral (for as that righteous man lived among them day by day, his righteous soul was tormented by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) — 

then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, especially those who follow the polluting desires of the flesh and despise authority.

What They Do Not Understand

Bold, arrogant people! They are not afraid to slander the glorious ones; however, angels, who are greater in might and power, do not bring a slanderous charge against them before the Lord. But these people, like irrational animals — creatures of instinct born to be caught and destroyed — slander what they do not understand, and in their destruction they too will be destroyed. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are spots and blemishes, delighting in their deceptions while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery that never stop looking for sin. They seduce unstable people and have hearts trained in greed.

Children under a curse! They have gone astray by abandoning the straight path and have followed the path of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of wickedness but received a rebuke for his lawlessness: A speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

A Dog to His Vomit

These people are springs without water, mists driven by a storm. The gloom of darkness has been reserved for them. For by uttering boastful, empty words, they seduce, with fleshly desires and debauchery, people who have barely escaped from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption, since people are enslaved to whatever defeats them. For if, having escaped the world’s impurity through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in these things and defeated, the last state is worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy command delivered to them.

It has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to its own vomit, and, “A washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud.” 

Closing Thoughts

In the first chapter of this book, Peter makes a bold statement in verse 16 by saying, For we did not follow cleverly contrived myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; instead, we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He is telling us that they were there.  They witnessed the transfiguration of Christ.  They heard God say, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” By establishing these facts, Peter backs up the claim that the witness of the apostles is trustworthy.  

In this chapter, 2 Peter 2, Peter writes at length explaining who cannot be trusted…and once again it is those pesky false teachers.  They seem to show up everywhere in the early church.  Sad to say, the same can be said for today…it’s funny how some things never change.

Peter does not mince words when he explains what motivates these false teachers.   He tells us they are destructive, depraved, and greedy; they are liars, bold and arrogant, and slanderers as well; carousers, adulterers, and slaves of corruption.  

They even go so far as to deny our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ while manipulating believers for their own personal gain.  Verse 17 tells us, These people are springs without water, mists driven by a storm. The gloom of darkness has been reserved for them. Peter assures us that they will face judgement, as did Sodom and Gomorrah, and their actions will condemn them.  

You Know What My Answer Is

So, how can we defend ourselves today against false teachers?  What can we do to prepare ourselves to discern right from wrong and prevent being led astray?    You probably already know my answer to this question: we need to be in God’s word every day.  We need to study The Bible and understand what God is telling us.  We need to compare everything we hear from a friend or a pastor or an author or a television personality against God’s word.  

If what we are hearing or reading contradicts The Bible, then it is not truth and cannot be trusted.  And if we are unsure, we need to have a reliable pastor or friend we can turn to for help discerning what is truth…and what is false.  Let’s pray.

Prayer

Gracious Father, thank You for Your word.  Thank You for giving us The Bible, a book of Your truth, that we can rely on no matter what.  Help us be prepared to discern right from wrong, truth from falsehood, Your word from that of a false teacher.  Keep us on the straight and narrow, Lord.  Amen.

Thank you for joining me here today.  I pray God will grow in you what has been planted and watered here.  In this time of unprecedented struggle worldwide, we can look to God for guidance and comfort.  Be sensitive to those in your circle of influence who need a word of encouragement and invite them to join us.  If you like this show, it would be great if you give it a five-star review.  Don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  See you right here tomorrow.  Be well!

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Christian Standard Bible(r), Copyright (c) 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible(r) and CSB(r) are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.