Lesson 7 – 2 Peter Chapter 2:9-14

In our last study we learned a little more about the lengths in which satan will use false teachers to do his dirty work. Throughout the New Testament Scriptures we receive numerous warnings to the fact that false teachers will immerge, and they have. There’s no easy way to know just how many there have been in history past, but it’s safe to assume that they will always be with us, that is until God destroys satan and his evil schemes.

We were also reminded that God sees all and knows all, and the fact that He is not done when it comes to evil. In history past God cleansed the world of wicked man when evil reached a tipping point during Noah’s time. God also wiped out the immoral cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Prophecy tells us that God’s judgment to the whole world is coming one more time. We don’t know when that time is, some think it’s coming soon. As believers, we serve a loving and patient God, but at some point His patience will come to an end and judgment will happen for the last time.

2 Peter 2:9
“Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,”

This first part of the verse is referring to God saving Lot and his family (except Lot’s wife), and the annihilation of Sodom and Gomorrah, two sinful cities that were beyond redemption. Abraham negotiated with God to see if He might spare these cites, but as you know, the only righteous ones to be found were Lot’s family. The Lord knows how to judge the wicked while simultaneously preserving His own. Many theologians say that this verse supports the fact that the church of Jesus Christ will be removed from the earth just prior to the Tribulation, referring to the Rapture.

1 Thess. 5:1-5
“Now as to the times and the epochs (a measure of time), brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” Then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;”

Just as God pulled Lot out of the way of His destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, God will remove His church out of the way of His coming wrath. God knows who are His and who are not.

Rescue the godly from temptation…

At first glance this phase seems pretty straight forward, but in this context, the word temptation which usually means a trial or testing, actually implies the idea of an attack with the intent to destroy. The Lord does indeed know how to deliver the godly out of temptation, out of judgment, and out of the coming destruction.

In verse 9 we see a real contrast between the false teachers and the true children of God. Back in 1 Peter chapter 1, Peter showed us that we have an inheritance reserved for us (vs 4). Why? Because John 14:2-3 says, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.”

So, we as God’s children are not looking for God’s judgment, but a dwelling place that Jesus has prepared for us. We hold on to the promise of the coming of our Lord to take us home to glory!

1 Thess. 5:9
“For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”

And to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment…

The unrighteous here are like prisoners in jail awaiting final sentencing and transfer to their final fate. These unrighteous are not only “waiting for the other shoe to drop” when it comes to their fate, but they are accumulating more guilt as they wait.

Romans 2:5-6
“But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds:”

Storing up guilt is the same as storing up wrath for yourself. It’s the opposite of the believer doing good works, storing up treasures in heaven. One can only assume that when the unrighteous continue in their sinful ways, they are increasing the judgment they will face.

For the day of judgment… is coming, there is no stopping it.

Malachi 4:1:
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze,” says the Lord of armies, “so that it will leave them neither root nor branches.”

It’s ironic that today we are surrounded by an oppressive culture of “wokeism,” decrying equity when it suits their purposes. The day is coming when “true equity” will be on full display. The unrighteous, unholy, and unsaved souls will face judgment at the Great White Throne, the future court where God condemns all the ungodly from all the ages to eternal hell, (aka) The Lake of Fire.

We’d have to be living under a rock not to know that evil is abounding everywhere and seems to be flourishing these days. We too often see the wicked prospering in this world. Their sin seems to be far from harming them, all their unholy works enable their successes.

Psalm 73:2-10 (NLT)
“But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. They seem to live such painless lives; their bodies are so healthy and strong. They don’t have troubles like other people; they’re not plagued with problems like everyone else. They wear pride like a jeweled necklace and clothe themselves with cruelty. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits. They scoff and speak only evil; in their pride they seek to crush others. They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth. And so the people are dismayed and confused, drinking in all their words.”

Did I depress you with this? Don’t dismay…

Psalm 73:16-19:
“So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. But what a difficult task it is! Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant they are destroyed, completely swept away by terrors.”

It might seem like the wicked are prospering, but their days are numbered, what they think they’re getting away with will all catch up to them.

Romans 1:28b:
“God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,”

When God gives up on a person, it’s a dangerous and sad state of affairs. I would say in most cases, there’s no coming back from that.

2 Peter 2:10
“And especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties,”

Our profile of false teachers continues…

These people who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority… they have a target on their back. The Greek indicates that their lives for the most part are characterized by a continual “going after flesh in defiling lust.” We can add to this description with words like habitual, perpetual, frequent, or non-stop.

This gives us a very dark glimpse into this world, it’s ugly and wicked… and it’s something we should have no part of.

These people have a lifestyle that is disrespectful, dishonest, and obviously displeasing to God. They are aggressively pursuing their sensual fantasies and eagerly parading their irreverent blasphemies. I take no joy in explaining these godless behaviors to you. The world has a different opinion…

From Psychology Today (referring to sexual fantasies):

“But sexual fantasies are universal, normal, and harmless—even if they depict activities you’d never do in real life.”

The only way normal, harmless, sensual fantasies should occur, is within the bond of the marriage union.

Corrupt desires… the word corrupt is miasmos (may-as-moss’) it means “pollution.” It’s where we get the English word miasma, which is an oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere that surrounds or emanates from something.

Despise authority… here authority means “lordship,” and in this context it’s referring to the false teachers who reject the sovereign Lordship of Jesus Christ. This stems back to verse 1, where we see the false teachers as nothing more than plastic… they identify with Jesus but refuse to live by His commands.

Make no mistake about it, in history past God set a precedent that divine judgment is very real, and His prophecies tell us that a final judgment is coming. God is going to destroy His enemies, and in that mix we find the false teachers and all their followers.

2 Thess. 1:6-10 (NLT):

“In His justice He will pay back those who persecute you. And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from His glorious power. When He comes on that day, He will receive glory from His holy people… praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about Him.”

This is why we can take comfort in the fact vengeance belongs to the Lord. Justice and judgment will fall on all those who think they are above it all.

The ones who despise authority… are daring, and self-willed…

We have more descriptive language of these false teachers. The more we delve into these characteristics, we see pride is usually at the root of it.

Daring… it literally means “darers” or “reckless ones” audacious (overconfident), presumptuous (disrespectful). They defy God by exalting themselves, and they could care less about the consequences. As an example of this, we see in Acts chapter 12 Herod Agrippa. Peter has escaped from prison with the help of an angel, and when the guards couldn’t find Peter, Herod had all the guards executed. And now Herod is in front of all the people…

Acts 12:20-23:
“Now Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they sent a delegation to make peace with him because their cities were dependent upon Herod’s country for food. The delegates won the support of Blastus, Herod’s personal assistant, and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them. The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!” Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.” (NLT)

Herod was daring in an unrighteous way, and God dealt with him in that moment. False teachers are determined to have their way at any cost, being stubborn and self-willed… meaning arrogant, self-pleasing, and conceited.

They do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties…

Revile… (blasphēmeō) you know this one, it’s where the word blaspheme comes from, meaning “to slander,” “to speak lightly of,” or “to speak profanely of sacred things.”

Proverbs 21:24:
“Proud,” “Haughty,” “Scoffer,” are his names, who acts with insolent pride.”

Revile angelic majesties… other translations say, dignitaries, supernatural beings, celestial beings, and the glorious ones. In this context, it refers to demons. Jude 8 says, “Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.”

Is there anything good about these false teachers? Apparently not.

Wiersbe says, “There is a boldness that is heroic, but there is also a boldness that is satanic.”

There is an arrogance about these false teachers, they considered themselves superior to angelic beings.

John MacArthur has a very interesting commentary on this, he says,“The Bibe indicates that even fallen angels retain the imprint of divine majesty, a shadow of their pre-fall glory. In this sense, they are like sinful men… who still retain the divine image… and post-fall creation… which still evidences its God-given magnificence. Thus there remains a transcendent amount of dignity for demons, even though they are fallen. The apostle Paul implied this when he referred to demons as principalities, powers, and rulers… delineating at least three levels of majesty and authority within the demonic realm. Although they are certainly subservient to God, fallen angels (under the leadership of satan) wield extensive influence and power in this world. A powerful demon hindered the mighty angel Gabriel for twenty-one days from doing God’s work until the archangel Michael and the most powerful angels came to help him. Yet, the false teachers of Peter’s day simply mocked demons fearlessly, presuming that they (as fallen men) were somehow greater than fallen angels.”

2 Peter 2:11:
“Whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord.”

“But the angels, who are far greater in power and strength, do not dare to bring from the Lord a charge of blasphemy against those supernatural beings.” (NLT)

Even from their exalted position, holy angels do not disrespect their fallen counter-parts like the false teachers do. Jude 9 helps us out here…

“But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
This is a real “life lesson” for us as believers, we would do well to act like Michael. I’ve heard people say, “I rebuke you satan,” or “satan, I bind you.” These are things the most powerful angels would never say. For a mere human on this side of eternity to say such things is pure folly. If you want demons confronted, you go to the Father and ask Him to intervene for you.

2 Peter 2:12
“But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed,”

This shows us that the reckless blasphemies of God and angels by these false teachers, just demonstrates that they are like unreasoning animals. As the famous Forest Gump says, “Stupid is, as stupid does.”

Again from Jude…

Jude 1:10:
“But these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.”

I think Peter and Jude were on a conference call before they wrote their letters. These false teachers were despicable creatures. The KJV calls them “natural brute beasts.”

Born as creatures of instinct… Animals operate purely on instinct, they can’t reason, and with that, they make no intellectual contributions to humanity whatsoever. The primary role for animals in the grand scheme of things, is to be captured and killed, thereby providing meat for those higher up on the food-chain. Peter is reducing these false teachers down to the lowest level in the animal kingdom… but no, we don’t eat false teachers.

Reviling where they have no knowledge…

Bible commentary says, “They ridicule divine truth and heavenly authority, including things they don’t even understand. Like animals, they make no positive contribution and would actually serve others best by being dead.”

The destruction of those creatures also be destroyed…

This might sound a bit harsh to some, but false teachers have no value within a society, they will not be redeemed, and when it comes to the kingdom of God, their goal is to do as much harm as possible. As we’ve seen so far, they come in on the spiritual scales even lower than demons.

2 Peter 2:13:
“Suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you,”

Suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong… other renderings of this phrase are, “to be damaged,” “to be harmed,” or “to be injured.”

Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death.”

Gal. 6:7-8:
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

These false teachers personify the law of sowing and reaping!

Jermiah 8:6:
I listen to their conversations and don’t hear a word of truth. Is anyone sorry for doing wrong? Does anyone say, “What a terrible thing I have done?” No! All are running down the path of sin as swiftly as a horse galloping into battle!” (NLT)

They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime…

According to historians, pagan Roman society tolerated debauchery and revelry as long as it was discreetly confined to the cover of darkness, but it frowned on and disapproved of debauchery during the daytime when it could be viewed by everyone. Because of its public nature, such behavior was considered inappropriate, even by Roman unbelievers. The false teachers of Peter’s day were so consumed with lust, greed, and depravity that they considered it a pleasure to revel in the daytime.

Peter labels them saying… They are stains and blemishes. These terms are really gross, it speaks of filthy spots, defects, scabs, and things that are diseased.

This is the exact opposite of Eph. 5:27:
“That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”

Reveling in their deceptions… we can say they took delight in their deceptions, openly enjoying in full view the fruit of their sin.

Romans 16:18:
“For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.”

As they carouse with you…

Carouse… it means to feast luxuriously with others. The bad part here is, they took this into the church, so they were dragging others down with them. Some pastors think this passage may refer to the church’s love feast that accompanied the Lord’s table. Keep in mind, it’s not a love feast as the world sees a love feast.

A love feast or agape feast was a fellowship meal eaten by Christians in the early church. There is biblical evidence for the practice of these communal meals, during which Christians gathered not just for the sake of sustenance and socializing, but for the sake of fellowship, also sharing in communion.

Jude 12:
“These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves;”

A “hidden reef” is something that can sink your ship. The false teachers were make-believers, faking faith in Jesus, pretending to have a rightful place at the table. Once they worked their way in, they became a polluting influence to those around them.

2 Peter 2:14
“Having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children;”

“They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse.” (NLT)

Having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin…

These men saw the women as a future conquest for their lust. The false teachers sweet talked their way into the church love feasts, where everyone’s motives were pure and innocent, whereas the false teachers had immoral motives.

Enticing unstable souls… the word enticing literally means, to “catch with bait.” Just like a fisherman uses a lure to entice a fish to bite, the false teachers use their deceptions to catch an unstable soul. Unstable souls are the spiritually immature individuals who have no discernment to help them.

2 Tim. 3:6-8:
“They are the kind who work their way into people’s homes and win the confidence of vulnerable women who are burdened with the guilt of sin and controlled by various desires. (Such women are forever following new teachings, but they are never able to understand the truth.) These teachers oppose the truth just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. They have depraved minds and a counterfeit faith.”

Most of what satan does is a counterfeit to what God puts in place, and these false teachers belong to satan’s counterfeit faith.

Having a heart trained in greed, accursed children…

A heart trained in greed… is an interesting phrase keying in on the word trained.

William Barclay writes, “The picture is a terrible one. The word which is used for trained is the word which is used for an athlete exercising and training himself for the games. These people have actually trained and equipped and taught their minds and hearts to concentrate on nothing but the forbidden desire. They have deliberately fought with conscience until they have destroyed it; they have deliberately wrestled with God until they have thrown God out of life; they have deliberately struggled with finer feelings until they have strangled them; they have deliberately trained themselves to concentrate on the forbidden things. Their lives have been a dreadful battle to destroy virtue and to train themselves in the techniques of sin.”

As we see with Barclay’s insight, these false teachers are pretty diabolical to say the least. Without question, Peter understood their actions were not accidental. Their actions were calculated, not a momentary lapse in judgment.

These guys were masterminds of sin, they planned each attack, they knew exactly what they were doing, all with the goal toward immorality and financial gain… pure evil.

Accursed children is a Hebrew expression, giving the idea that people are “children” of whatever influences most dominate their lives. We could say the children of Hamas are accursed children. These false teachers epitomized those whom God has cursed to hell.

Eph. 2:1-3:
“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

Paul rightly points out, that B.C. (before Christ), none of us were any better, this is who we were apart from Christ. Because we are born in sin, we are also born to death… that is, until our spirits are reborn through Christ. The difference we see here is the false teachers are so calloused in their heart and mind, you would never see them repenting before Jesus.

I know this has been a hard teaching to absorb, looking at sin is never enjoyable. We don’t side-step anything in God’s Word, and God will use His Word to direct you… at the very least you are gaining discernment.