When this epistle was first read, Peter’s friends they didn’t hear: “Now, let’s move to chapter two.” They simply heard – “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 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…” Throughout the centuries, whenever there has been the truth, there has also risen the false. From day one, Satan has had his “Yea, hath God said?” In the beginning there was one command, but Satan had one reply. And now we have a complete “sure word of prophecy” contained in the inspired Word of God. But the Devil has ten thousand false prophets presenting their damnable heresies in answer to the truth. As verse 2 says, “the way of truth shall be evil spoken of” – that will always be the case. The “way of truth” refers to all that we believe as followers of Christ Jesus.
So Peter’s second epistle was sent to warn his friends – and us – that in the last days perilous times will come. There will be scoffers walking in their own lusts, denying the sure word of prophecy – chapter 3. And there will be false teachers coming in among you – chapter 2. This is not the happiest letter we find in the New Testament, but it is a necessary one. Even the best saints can find themself falling asleep at their guard posts. It is when we aren’t alert that we are more likely to fall into the trap of false teachers. So here in our text, the apostle points to four things about these purveyors of heresy. They are UBIQUITOUS and CONTINUOUS, they are DANGEROUS, and they are driven with selfish IMPETUS, but in God’s will, it is guaranteed that they will not be VICTORIOUS.
False prophets and false teachers are UBIQUITOUS and CONTINUOUS.
Not only are they all around us, they have been here from the beginning. Standing close to every holy man of God who was moved by the Holy Spirit to pen down God’s truth… And close to every prophet of God who was trying to share the written Word of God with others… “There were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you…” With Peter’s Hebraic education, he employs his culture’s poetic parallelism, and in so doing he reiterates what I’ve often tried to say. God’s prophets have always been God’s teachers, even when they weren’t describing future events. And on the reverse side to that equation – false prophets and false teachers, are also the same thing.
By the way, the word “false” in Greek is familiar to us. It is “pseudo.” From the beginning there have been pseudo-prophets and pseudo-teachers. And we still have them today – fake, false, imitation prophets and teachers. There have always been Balaam’s ready to deny God’s promises to Israel. There have been Nadab’s, Abihu’s, and Miriam’s willing to usurp the position of Aaron and Moses. Pharaoh has had his false prophets, whispering in his ear, and so had the kings of the Medes and Persians. Jeremiah has had his Pashur, and Paul and the Lord Jesus had their negative priestly counterparts.
We know that we SHOULD know that there are false prophets and teachers around us today. But that doesn’t mean we’ll be as diligent and watchful as we ought to be. They have their pod-casts, and they publish their books. They have marketing advisors to deceive us. They have prominent friends to try to paint over their errors, failures and sins. They hide what they believe, rarely posting doctrinal statements. And they even change their names. There have always been false teachers ready to lead (away) captive silly (men and )women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts.”
Sadly, not only have these false teachers always been here, they are becoming more prevalent and pernicious. II Timothy 3 – “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
We may say, “I don’t have much interest in this Second Epistle of Peter. I hope this isn’t a long series.” Perhaps it is because of our lack of interest, it is all that more important to us. “There were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you…”
And it goes without saying that they are DANGEROUS.
Anyone who contradicts the sure word of prophecy is dangerous. Anyone who sows tares in the Lord’s field is corrupting the crop and poisoning our soul’s necessary food.
How is it that weeds get into our gardens? Some of them come naturally and mysteriously, seeming to pop up out of nowhere. And the same thing happens in the garden of our hearts. We don’t always need a serpent to ask, “Yea, hath God said?” That question arises in our own hearts. And then the common birds of society constantly drop weed seeds onto God’s fertile ground. But the most pernicious source of weeds are the enemy who deliberately scatter the deleterious seed. They privily bring in damnable heresies. They do it surreptitiously, hiding the poison inside little pieces of the truth.
Peter refers to “damnable heresies.” “Heresy” is one of those Greek words which has been directly transliterated from that language into ours. “Damnable” speaks of pernicious and destructive. “Pernicious” in verse 2 is the same Greek word as in verse 1. The false teachers which Peter has in mind are teaching doctrines which poison and destroy. They corrupt sound doctrine and in so doing keep people from faith in Christ the Saviour.
“Even denying the Lord that bought them,” can be explained in a couple ways. Most simply I suppose, would be like Peter denying the Lord who had saved him. Peter was a pseudo-servant of God when he “denied, saying, Woman, I know him not.” If instead of denying Christ, Peter had avowed His Saviour, he might have been a part of the salvation of some of those people. His denial was pernicious and destructive; it was selfish and hurtful. And similarly, the false teachers to whom he referred may have also professed to be believers in Christ. But just because someone claims that title, it doesn’t mean he deserves that title. In calling themselves “Christians” while they were denying His virgin birth, for example, they were false prophets. And then a third explanation of “even denying the Lord that bought them,” could be that, humanly speaking, Christ’s death was potentially even for them. But they were denying that a vicarious sacrifice was required to save them. They, like Cain, may have denied the doctrine that blood was necessary for their atonement. When someone is in a position of leadership – a pastor, a religious professor, or even a father – denies the truth they become spiritually dangerous.
The false teachers which Peter had in mind were driven by the IMPETUS or STIMULUS of money.
He says, “through COVETOUSNESS shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you.” This “making merchandise” probably means exactly what you think it means. These false teachers want to profit by their deception; they want to take money from you. The Greek word was probably common in their society, but it is rare in the Bible. However in James 4:13 its meaning is crystal clear: “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and BUY and SELL, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life?” “Buy and sell,” is “make merchandise” twice.
Beware of the preacher who sells his books, especially if he sells them at a price high enough to make a profit. He may be trying to make merchandise of you. Flee from the TV preacher or religious blogger who in any fashion asks for your tithes or free-will offerings. God’s prophets, like Abram, say, “I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take anything that is thine, lest thou shouldst say, I have made Abram rich.”
These false teachers, through COVETOUSNESS, are trying to make merchandise of you. They covet you because they covet what you possess. “Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind (only) earthly things” – Philippians 3:19. And because they want to make merchandise of you, they use “feigned words.” “Feigned” in Greek is “plastos” – speaking of flexible, adaptable, and, therefore, deceitful words.
Stay away from this kind of religionist, because some day God’s lightning will fall. You don’t want to be in the neighborhood when their sure destruction comes.
They may apparently live well for a while, but, Peter says, “They will NOT be VICTORIOUS.”
“Their judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.” God’s arbitration and judgment of these people is not only guaranteed, it is ordained. Consider Satan – the highest and worst of all human merchandisers. The Lord has let him play his wicked games for six thousand years. You and I may not understand that. I don’t know why the Lord hasn’t put the devil on a shorter leash. But that is not my department. Yet this one thing I know, because the sure word of prophecy has told me: there is a leash around his neck. “And the devil that deceived them (shall be) cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet (will be), and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
We who have loved ones who have been tormented and even physically destroyed by Satan, Satanism and Satanic deception, may have broken hearts over these things. But there is no doubt that Satan, along will all his false prophets will pay – being cast into the lake of fire. In our estimation we may say that God’s judgment lingers and damnation of the wicked teacher slumbereth. But our watches are not set on the same time-table as the Lord’s. As Moses told Israel, “The Lord thy God SHALL deliver them unto thee, and SHALL DESTROY them with a MIGHTY DESTRUCTION until they are destroyed” – Deuteronomy 7:23.
Despite the guaranteed judgment of these pseudo-prophets at some point in the future, we still have the responsibility to be aware and to beware of them. Because no matter who we are, we can fall into their mental and spiritual traps. Our safest shelter is in the sure word of prophecy which has been given to us by “holy men of God” who were “moved by the Holy Ghost.”