Lesson 8 – 2 Peter Chapter 2:15-22
Second Peter chapter 2 has been a difficult study for us because we are taking a deep dive into false teachers, investigating their characteristics and methods of operation, it revels the very core of their depravity. The danger of false teachers is so great that the Holy Spirit used both Peter and Jude to warn us of the dangers… so we had better pay attention.
We’ve learned so far that the false teachers’ actions were in no way accidental, they were deliberate, removing any thoughts of innocence on their part. We also discovered that false teachers are seen as lower than demons in the realm of the spiritual world.
Let’s not forget, false teachers are professed believers who know the truth, but deliberately teach lies in hopes of promoting themselves and receiving financial gain in the process. As I see it, they’re not all that different from today’s politicians.
In the preceding verses, we also saw how the false teachers would weasel their way into the “love fests” of the church, where there was always fellowship, food, and sharing in the Lord’s table. Let’s pick up in verse 15…
2 Peter 2:15
“Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;”
Forsaking the right way…
The right way was an Old Testament metaphor signifying obedience to God. The false teachers were forsaking the right way. To forsake something is to depart from, or abandon something. So what we have here is a direct and deliberate rebellion against God’s Word… they have departed from the truth of God’s Word.
In Acts 13, we see Paul addressing Elymas the magician, who was seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith, (the same objective as a false teacher).
(Vs. 9 and 10) “But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?”
This Elymas was forsaking the right way as well, trying to lure people away from the truth.
Psalm 18:30
“As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.”
To follow the way is to follow the only true and living God.
Having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor…
The right way and the way of Balaam are seen as two polar opposites.
Balaam is a mysterious character in the Bible, he was a Gentile prophet who tried to curse the Jews; he was also motivated by money as well. So you see, nothing has changed throughout the centuries.
Balaam knew the truth of God and the will of God, yet he deliberately abandoned the right way and went astray. (It’s funny how many times the word “deliberate” comes up in describing the actions of these people, they do these things purposefully.) Balaam is a perfect illustration of the apostate false teachers in their covetous practices.
Numbers 22:6 [Balak, the Moabite king says to Balaam]
“Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curses fall on people you curse.”
The story of Balaam is found in Numbers 22-25 if you want take some time and read it. Peter says that Balaam was one who loved the wages of unrighteousness. We also see in Acts 1:18 that Judas received “the wages of iniquity.”
What it comes down to is even though Balaam claimed to speak only the words of God, the Lord knew that Balaam wanted to curse Israel so he could cash in. Cursing Israel would be money in the bank for him, becoming the wages of unrighteousness.
2 Peter 2:16
“But he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.”
We know that Balaam was totally in this for the money, and we see this with false teachers as well. When Balaam started to go astray, God rebuked him through the mouth of a donkey. Isn’t it funny how animals always obey God, even when their masters do not.
Numbers 22:22-31 (NLT)
“But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff. Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak.
“What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam. “You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!” “But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?” “No,” Balaam admitted. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.”
For a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet…
It would appear that Balaam got the message from God loud and clear, but it took a talking donkey to get his attention. Imagine if by a miracle from God He had an animal talk to you, it would be a life experience never to be forgotten.
Restrained the madness of the prophet… the word madness translated literally means “besides one’s own mind.” In other words, Balaam was so greedy that he was “beside himself.” His love for money caused him to act crazy. Besides his crazy greediness, Balaam was also motived by sexual immorality. So, when his attempt to curse Israel failed, he did his best to ruin Israel through moral corruption.
Numbers 31:16
“Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.” (NKJV)
In Jesus’ Message to Pergamum:
Rev. 2:14
“But I have a few complaints against you. You tolerate some among you whose teaching is like that of Balaam, who showed Balak how to trip up the people of Israel. He taught them to sin by eating food offered to idols and by committing sexual sin.” (NLT)
As with the false teachers, Balaam knew better, and he allowed his fleshly impulses to dictate the choices he made. You experience this at times when you find yourself in a certain situation with a choice to be made. You might sense in your spirit that what you’re about to do is wrong, but you go ahead and do it anyway. That’s giving in to fleshly impulses.
With Balaam, as a result of his choices, he suffered the ultimate penalty of death.
2 Peter 2:17
“These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved.”
Peter is illustrating the fruitlessness that comes from listening to and applying what the false teachers are putting out.
Springs without water… A spring without water isn’t a spring at all. During Peter’s time, water was a real important subject matter, everyone could relate to it living in a dry arid country. A spring without water would be totally useless, and would disappoint anyone coming to it for a drink. This is a perfect image in regards to the false teacher, anyone coming to them looking for God will be disappointed. In contrast, Jesus speaks of springs of living water.
Rev. 7:17
“For the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them to springs of the water of life; and God shall wipe every tear from their eyes.”
Romans 10:11
“For the Scriptures says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.”
Mists driven by a storm… the King James says, “clouds that are carried with a tempest.” The picture for us here is that of clouds of fog or a mist being driven by a squall over a lake or sea. When we see storm clouds, there’s always the possibility of rain, but these clouds (false teachers) disappoint, they only anno
Jude 12 describes the false teachers in the same way, he says they are “clouds without water, carried along by wind; autumn trees without fruit.”
False teachers are nothing but empty messages, they deliver zilch to their hearers… they’re all show, and no go.
For whom the black darkness has been reserved…
Peter is pointing out the end game for these scoundrels, the terrible judgment that awaits them. They promise light to their followers, but they themselves will end up in the darkest part of hell. I’m sure Peter remembers Jesus talking about the darkness.
In Matthew 8:12, Jesus speaking of the non-believing Jews says, “but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Warren Wiersbe writes, “The atmosphere of hell is not uniform: some places will be darker than others. How tragic that innocent people will be led astray by these apostates and possibly end up in hell with them.”
2 Peter 2:18
“For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error,”
False teachers speak out of their own failed ideas, it’s nothing more than empty preaching. They’re “fast talkers,” or we can say they use “flamboyant verbosity” and “high-sounding rhetoric,” all to impress and confuse their followers. In the old west they would say, “Highfalutin.” These guys fool their followers into believing that “theologically speaking,” there’s no one better than them. It’s a dark performance of illusion, convincing people they have great spiritual insights and even direct revelations from God.
Jude calls them (vs.13) “wandering stars,” for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.” Unlike believers, whose future is bright, their future is the darkest to be found.
In comparison, Paul was the complete opposite of these false teachers…
1 Cor. 2:1-5
“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
There was nothing “Highfalutin” about Paul, but these false teachers used nothing but persuasive words (arrogant words of vanity) to deceive, injecting their own wisdom and not wisdom from God.
They entice by fleshly desires…
Yes, sexual sins play a part here, but when it comes to the flesh, there are many other appetites to be satisfied. A big one is pride… you’re all familiar with that one, that pride can sneak in when you least expect it.
When it comes to pride, the false teacher will often make an appeal to the human ego. Realistically, we all want to believe that we’re inherently good. The false teacher will go out of his (or her) way to make sure that he never lays a “guilt trip” on anyone by never speaking to the fact that we’re all sinners who fall short of God’s glorious standard. People easily fall into this because, really, who doesn’t want to feel good about themselves all the time?
2 Tim. 4:3-4 [Paul cautions us about this]
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.”
Ear tickling surely involves pride… “Just tell them what they want to hear.” I think Paul would agree that we have arrived to the times that he has talked about.
The individuals who follow false teachers are… Those who barely escape from the ones who live in error. It’s all the people who have been lured in with finely crafted propaganda, along with the entrapment of their own sensual desires.
The New Living Translation says, “With lustful desire as their bait, they lure back into sin those who have just escaped from such wicked living.”
The victims here are the men and women who are trying to pull themselves out of broken relationships, spiritual problems, guilt, anxiety, or possibly stress. All of these things can make them like sheep, unaware of ravenous wolves closing in for the kill.
Peter’s warning is clear and extremely appropriate, especially for today. In the last days we are going to see more and more false teachers springing up all around us, teaching from their own depraved imaginations, with satanic agendas that most will never recognize.
What’s a person to do? For the believer, it’s read your Bible and pray… every day! For the non-believer, it’s realizing they’ve sinned against God, confess, give your life to Christ, and repent. Remember, Jesus said, “You can do nothing apart from Me.”
2 Peter 2:19
“Promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.”
These false teachers promise freedom, when they themselves are trapped in the darkness with no light to be found.
John 8:34-36
“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” (NLT)
The false teachers preach about liberation, purpose, prosperity, peace, and happiness… but sadly, it’s a counterfeit, not even they can secure it. Why? Because they reject Jesus.
They themselves are slaves of corruption…
Romans 6:16
“Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.” (NLT)
For by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved…
They’re trapped in their very own delusion, they’ve become so saturated by their own sinful nature, that they are overcome. It’s like the person addicted to drugs or pornography, once they have a taste they need more, because it’s never as satisfying as the first time. They’re imprisoned by their own desire, they are overcome and enslaved. Pretty depressing, isn’t it?
Jesus is always the answer!
John 5:24
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” (NKJV)
These false teachers professed to be saved, but the reality was they had never been set free in the first place. That’s what happens when you live a lie. For the searching soul, it’s important to know that Jesus keeps His promises, and sin never does. Sin will always drag you down, in fact, sin will make you stupid.
2 Peter 2:20
“For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.”
As we start to back off from our focus on false teachers, let the image of who they really are resonate in your mind for a moment. Paul referred to them as dogs…
Phil. 3:2
“Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision;”
We can also label them as “wolves in sheep’s clothing,” weaving their way into the church with their evil deceptions.
Make no mistake about it, these workers of iniquity were highly skilled actors. They would constantly put on airs of self-righteousness, portraying themselves as more knowledgeable on religious matters than anyone else. This is why immature believers would be drawn to them so easily.
After they have escaped the defilements of the world…
Defilements of the world, the word defilements means, an influence or atmosphere that tend to deplete or corrupt.
Of the world… means the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men and women alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ.
With that, (I need some dark background music here) the corrupt system of the world produces, as it were, poisonous vapors, infectious evils, and moral pollutions in every conceivable form.
The truth is, every generation of humanity has been exposed and contaminated by, the world’s influence of corruption and immorality… and some, such as those who become false teachers try to escape it.
By the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…
Like I said before, Jesus is always the answer, but here the false teachers, as do many others in history, have only a “head knowledge” of Jesus, and not a heartfelt conversion.
Matthew 7:21-23
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”
The only thing these people find is a temporary and superficial transformation in their lives through rigorous religious activities where there is no genuine faith or repentance to be found, always coming up empty.
Thus we see the foundational truth of Romans 10:9:
“That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;”
God knows whether or not a heart reaches out to Him.
They are again entangled in them and are overcome…
The New Living Translation says, “and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again.”
We see no evidence that these false teachers are saved because they get themselves entangled in sin. To be entangled means “to inweave” or get “involved in.” The false teachers slid into a deeper corruption.
They are overcome… instead of being “overcomers” like Jesus talks about, they found themselves overcome and conquered by the one who rules the darkness.
Rev. 3:5
“He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.”
Since these people aren’t saved, there is no grace to help overcome the power of sin.
Eph. 1:7-8a
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us.”
When we are weak, we are strong in Christ.
2 Cor. 12:10
“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
The false teachers know nothing of this because they have sunk back into the pollution of the world, and completely reject the gospel of salvation… there is no true redemption in the world, only emptiness.
The last state has become worse for them than the first…
These dogs are worse off than they were before. There are consequences for all those who understand the truth and yet still turn away from it… God will not be mocked! There is a harder judgment coming for them than those who have not heard the truth.
Luke 12:47-48
“And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
In light of this…
2 Peter 2:21
“For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them.”
The false teacher has turned away from the “holy way,” and turned towards the pleasures of the sinful way.
First, we should look at the way of righteousness, in its most basic form, it is the Christian faith.
Proverbs 8:20
“I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice,”
The good news is that true righteousness is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have no ability to achieve righteousness in and of ourselves. But as Christians, we possess the righteousness of Christ, because “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
There is no indication that the false teachers had ever been born again. They knew about salvation and spoke Christianese, but they lacked having that true saving experience with the Lord… they never trusted Jesus and became His sheep.
Instead of being sheep, they were pigs and dogs, and keep in mind, dogs weren’t the pampered pets of today. Dogs were considered nothing more than filthy scavengers who lived on garbage. I don’t think Peter would have ever compared the false teachers to pigs and dogs had they ever been members of the Lord’s “true” flock.
Having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them…
They knew the truth, but turned their backs on the truth. Now there is a greater condemnation that awaits them… false teachers would’ve been much better off not hearing the truth, than to hear it and reject it.
Hebrews 10:26-27
“Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received knowledge of the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice that will cover these sins. There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume His enemies.” (NLT)
John MacArthur writes, “Like Judas Iscariot, they breed in close proximity to Jesus Christ and His Word… cloaking themselves in feigned righteousness of hypocrisy.”
Ultimately, these guys were using the church for their own selfish purposes, they were spiritual leeches doing their utmost to drag down as many with them as possible.
2 Peter 2:22
“It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”
Peter is quoting Proverbs 26:11 for us to give a very descriptive and graphic picture of the false teachers.
To be sure, when it vomits, a dog feels better after emptying his stomach, sometimes we do as well. But a dog is still a dog. Having the experience of vomiting didn’t change the dog’s nature, even though he’s cleaned up on the inside, it will return to the vomit. The false teacher might feel good about himself, but there’s no change inside, after hearing the truth, he returns to his old nature (sinful and lost).
Proverbs 26:11
“Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly.”
The reference to the pig (sow) is probably an ancient saying. A pig gets washed on the outside, but it still remains a pig, and will head for the nearest mud-hole. You can put lipstick on a pig to make him look better, but at the end of the day, he’s still a pig.
Like the pig, some false teachers were clean on the outside, and like the dog, some of them were cleaned up temporarily on the inside and actually felt better. But as Peter talks about in 2 Peter 1:4, they had in no way become “partakers of the divine nature.” They thought they were free from their problems and sins, when they were still in bondage to an old sinful nature.
Warren Wiersbe, “Corruption is much deeper than defilement on the outside: it is decay on the inside. True believers have received a new nature, and they have new and different appetites and desires. They have been transformed from pigs and dogs into sheep.”
Peter and Jude give extensive insights as to the character and nature of false teachers. I hope you’ve learned what to look for. Whenever you hear someone preach, or read their book, (even me), test it all through the Scriptures. Don’t let a counterfeit sneak into your life!
Is there any hope for the false teachers of today? “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;” Romans 10:9 Amen!