2Peter 2:10-14, 17-19
The Sad End
Peter told us of the sure word that we have in \\#2Peter 1:19\\.
That would be the Word of God, but immediately thereafter he began
a warning about false prophets. Why? Because as sure as the Word of
God is, it’s teaching can still be corrupted by false prophets.
In \\#2Peter 2:1-3\\, Peter shared three main thoughts:
What is a false prophet? Peter began an on-going definition and
description, but he did list the three sure signs.
1. \\#2Peter 2:1\\, WRONG DOCTRINE, "false teachers."
2. \\#2Peter 2:2\\ WRONG LIFESTYLE, that is one who has
"pernicious ways."
3. \\#2Peter 2:3\\ WRONG GOAL, covetous person, one that wants to
profit off the people.
What is not a false prophet? It is not always just being a wrong
prophet. Some people are honest, sincere, moral, giving, loving
people who are just wrong about some doctrines.
1. If there is a person who is not studying the Bible or even
trying to be right, that is a false prophet.
2. But many of us are trying to be right and will still be wrong
about some things. That is not a false prophet, but a wrong
prophet.
What happens to a false prophet? \\#2Peter 2:3\\ Peter says their
judgment will not linger and their damnation will not sleep. God will
cast them into hell and, it sounds like, He will do it sooner rather
than later.
\\#2Peter 2:4-22\\ Having made those three points, Peter will
elaborate on them the remainder of this chapter. In fact, I would say
Peter was very animated in the words he penned.
1. I would like to know what lead Peter to write this book.
2. I know it was God but often uses people and events to move us
to do things; and if God used something to move Peter, it was
something big.
Let me pick through these verses for a while tonight.
I. Just how bad do some false prophets live?
A. Depending on how you count them, Peter made no less than 17
statements about the evil lifestyles of false prophets and
the number could go much higher.
B. How bad to they live?
1. \\#10-12\\ Their Manners
a. \\#10\\ They walk after the flesh, in lust and
uncleanness.
(1) Uncleanness means nastiness.
(2) In the Old Testament, God taught His people about
uncleanness of the body by giving them some a
list of things that they were not to do.
(3) In the New Testament, God wants us to understand
that some behaviors are nasty to the soul and
need to be avoided.
b. They despise governments.
(1) Consider that Peter’s first epistle was to
encourage the believers to stay faithful even in
persecution.
(2) If it was wrong to speak of a government like
that, how much more should we hold our tongue
about a government we get to elect.
c. They are presumptuous - The idea is bold, daring.
(1) While that is a good quality to have when it
comes to living a righteous life, it is a
terrible trait when it comes to living a wicked
life.
(2) It means they are always pushing the envelope of
evil.
d. Self-willed.
e. \\#10-12\\ Loud mouthed - "not afraid to speak evil of
dignities."
(1) \\#11\\ points out that even angels don’t do
that.
(2) It makes me ashamed of some of the things I have
said.
(3) \\#12\\ They "speak evil of things they don’t
understand."
f. \\#12\\ They are like "brute beasts."
(1) I am not certain if that is a reference to their
their bullying tactics or their sexual behavior.
(2) I tend to lean to the later as it seems Peter
starts speaking much of their sexual promiscuity
around here.
2. \\#13-16\\ Their Morals
a. \\#13\\ They take pleasure in rioting in the day time.
(1) The rioting here is not flipping over cars and
setting fire to buildings.
(2) It is the drunken, sexual partying.
(a) Remember, Peter was still speaking about
false prophets.
(b) Those who will work their way into churches
and handle the Word of God.
(3) The fact that they do so in the daytime means
they are not ashamed.
b. \\#14\\ They have eyes full of adultery.
c. They cannot stop sinning.
d. They beguile unstable souls.
(1) We understand what it is have an unstable mind or
even an unstable body.
(2) But Peter said there are unstable souls.
(3) That is the real them, the eternal soul.
(4) Sin and ignorance can so wreck us that it
destroys even our eternal being. (I’m not sure
that I have ever considered that.)
e. \\#15\\ These false prophets had followed the way of
Balaam.
(1) Balaam was an Old Testament prophet who walked
with God and had power—until he decided he
wanted Balak’s money and fame.
(2) Then he decided that he "loved the wages of
unrighteousness" more than the ways of God.
(3) One of the three signs of a false prophet is that
they are covetous. They want profit.
3. \\#17-18\\ Their Ministry
a. \\#17\\ They are "wells with no water" and clouds with
no rain.
b. \\#18\\ They have "swelling words" but they are vain.
(1) Both of these verse refer to the fact that they
are sound with no substance.
(2) When it comes to the Word of God, nothing
substitutes for substance.
(a) Excitement does not.
(b) Charisma does not.
(c) Entertainment does not.
(d) Volume does not.
4. \\#19-22\\ Their Mark
a. \\#19\\ They promised liberty but give bondage.
b. \\#22\\ Like dogs return to the vomit and pigs to the
mire, so the "converts" of the false prophets are not
helped.
c. \\#21\\ It would be better for them to have known
nothing of the gospel than to know it and turn from
it.
d. \\#20\\ The latter end of their people is worse than
the beginning.
II. Just sure was the false prophet’s judgment?
A. \\#4\\ If God judged the fallen angels, He will judge false
prophets.
B. \\#5\\ If God judged a wicked world in a flood, He will judge
false prophets.
C. \\#6\\ If God judged Sodom and Gomorrah, He will judge false
prophets.
D. Sound like their judgment is certain, doesn’t it.
1. Well, it is.
2. God did not let those people off and He is not going to
let false prophets off.
3. However, I find it interesting to note the company Peter
associated with false prophets.
a. The fallen angels certainly knew they were doing wrong
and even that they were rebelling against God.
b. I do not know how much the people in the flood knew
although I am thinking that most of the world’s
population still interacted together at that time.
(1) I would assume that within 120 years, most every
one heard of Noah, his boat, and his message.
(2) Like the false prophets, I suspect that the
people of Noah’s age just thought they knew
more than Noah and God.
c. And regardless of what any one today or 5,000 years
ago says, I am confident that the Holy Ghost of God
reveals to every Sodomite that what they are doing
is wrong.
(1) That also makes me think that those God brands as
a false prophet know that they are wrong too.
(2) They just choose to continue what they are doing
because of their covetous lust.
III. Just want more could Peter reveal?
A. \\#4\\ Peter talked about the fallen angels.
1. At least some of the fallen angels have been chained in
darkness.
2. Peter also tells us that they have been reserved "unto
judgment."
a. That means they will stay in those chains until it is
time for judgment.
b. The thing is, Peter didn’t tell us whose judgment?
(1) Many think these fallen angels are reserved unto
THEIR judgment. That is possible.
(2) But it is also possible that they are reserved
for man’s judgment, specifically during the
tribulation.
(a) There are several events in the book of
Revelation that could be demons.
(b) The most likely time is chapter 9.
Rev 9:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw
a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to
him was given the key of the bottomless pit.
2 And he opened the bottomless pit; and there
arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a
great furnace; and the sun and the air were
darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon
the earth: and unto them was given power, as the
scorpions of the earth have power.
4 And it was commanded them that they should not
hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green
thing, neither any tree; but only those men which
have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
5 And to them it was given that they should not
kill them, but that they should be tormented five
months: and their torment [was] as the torment of
a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
6 And in those days shall men seek death, and
shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and
death shall flee from them.
7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto
horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads
were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces
were as the faces of men.
8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and
their teeth were as the teeth of lions.
9 And they had breastplates, as it were
breastplates of iron; and the sound of their
wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses
running to battle.
10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and
there were stings in their tails: and their power
was to hurt men five months.
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.
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two
woes more hereafter.
(c) Could these be the demons that Peter just
mentioned?
(d) If so, why have they been chained away?
(e) Most believe the answer is because they were too
evil to be allowed to run loose on the human
race.
(f) If that is the case, this world has not seen
anything yet.
B. \\#5\\ Peter told us that Noah was a preacher of
righteousness.
1. You probably already knew that Noah was more than just a
boat builder. He was also a corn shucker.
2. But if you knew that, you got it from this verse because
it is not taught in the Old Testament.
C. \\#6-9\\ Peter gave several facts related to Sodom.
1. \\#8\\ Peter told us that Lot was vexed living in that
wicked city.
2. \\#7-8\\ Peter called Lot both "just" and "righteous."
3. \\#9\\ Peter said that God was able to deliver Lot while
keeping the unjust for judgment.
What a sad end for both the false prophets and their followers.
Peter’s point is that we have sometime much better than personal
revelation, but even the pure Word of God in the hands of evil people
becomes a hurt and not a help. God has very little patience for
false prophets. I do not think we should either.
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