2 Peter Chapter 2 Part One

 

2 Peter Chapter 2 Part One

False Prophets and Teachers

Verses 1-21: This chapter is very similar to the book of Jude. So serious is the danger from false prophets and false teachers in this current dispensation that the Holy Spirit inspired both men to address these issues near the end of their lives, as if to warn their generation and all generations that would follow.

Verses 1-3: The opposite of true revelation is the message of false prophets and false teachers who deceive God’s flock and bring in damnable heresies. These heresies (unorthodox teachings) include an open denial of Christ Himself. Denying the Lord that bought them indicates that Christ’s atonement potentially extends to all men, including these false teachers who reject Him. Therefore, they will experience destruction because they themselves will be deceived by their own teaching and continue to reject the way of truth.

2 Peter 2:1 "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, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."

false prophets also... The 3rd New Testament prophecy in 2 Peter (2Pet. 2:1-3; being fulfilled). Next, 2Pet. 2:9. Greek: pseudoprophetes, false prophets (2Pet. 2:1; Mat. 7:15, see; Mat. 24:11, 24:24; Mark 13:22; Luke 6:26; Acts 13:6; 1Jhn. 4:1; Rev. 16:13; 19:20; 20:10).

false teachers among... Greek: pseudodidaskalos, false teachers. Only here. Cp. 2Cor. 11:26; Gal. 2:4. The people is used in the New Testament of Israel (Acts 26:17, 23). Peter’s point, though, is that Satan has always endeavored to infiltrate groups of believers with the deceptions of false teachers (John 8:44). Since Eve, he has been in the deceit business.

who privily shall... Cunningly and secretly. The false teachers parade themselves as Christian pastors, teachers, and evangelists (Jude 4). Heresies means self-designed religious lies which lead to division and faction (1Cor. 11:19; Gal. 5:20). The Greek word for destructive basically means damnation.

This word is used 6 times in this letter and always speaks of final damnation (verses 1-3; 3:7, 16). This is why it is so tragic when a church makes a virtue out of the toleration of unscriptural teachings and aids in the name of love and unity (see 2Thes. 3:14; 1Tim. 4:1-5; Tit. 3:9-11).

1Jhn. 4:1-3 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:" "And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit] of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."

Peter described false teachers in detail in this chapter so that Christians would always recognize their characteristics and methods. The greatest sin of Christ-rejecters and the most damning work of Satan is misrepresentation of the truth and its consequent deception. Nothing is more wicked than for someone to claim to speak for God to the salvation of souls when in reality he speaks for Satan to the damnation of souls. (Deut. 1:13-18; 18:20; Jer. 23; Eze. 13; Mat. 7:15; 23:1-36; 24:4-5; Rom. 16:17; 2Cor. 11:13-14; Gal. 3:1-2; 2Tim. 4:3-4).

damnable heresies, even... Heresies of destruction that will damn the soul (see, Acts 5:17).

bought them, and... Acts 20:28; 1Cor. 6:19-20; 1Pet. 1:18. The terms which Peter used here are more analogical than theological, speaking of a human master over a household. The master bought slaves, and the slaves owed the master allegiance as their sovereign. (For an Old Testament parallel, see Deut. 32:5-6, where God is said to have brought Israel, though they rejected Him).

In the last lesson, we saw holy men of God moved upon by the Holy Spirit of God writing to the believers, messages to be taken to heart. In this lesson, we see some who have wandered from the truth, proclaiming themselves to be prophets. Their message is false. We know there is a terrible punishment awaiting those who teach false doctrines.

We see, in the above Scriptures, the way to determine whether the message is of God, or not.

Matthew 24:24 "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

We see from this that many will be deceived. The only way not to be deceived is to study the Word of God, and check everything out by that Word. If the message elevates Jesus up to the fullness of the godhead, it is true.

denying the Lord... This phrase exposes the depth of the crime and guilt of the false teachers. This unusual Greek word for Master or Lord appears 10 times in the New Testament and means one who has supreme authority, whether human authority or divine authority.

Peter here warns that false prophets deny the sovereign lordship of Jesus Christ. Though their heresies may include the denial of the virgin birth, deity, bodily resurrection and second coming of Christ, the false teachers’ basic error is that they will not submit their lives to the rule of Christ. All false religions have an erroneous Christology.

Doctrinally, this analogy can be viewed as responsibility for submission to God which the false teachers had refused. Beyond this, they are probably claiming that they were Christians, so that the Lord had bought them actually and personally. With some sarcasm, Peter mocks such a claim by writing of their coming damnation. Thus, the passage is describing the sinister character of the false teachers who claim Christ, but deny His lordship over their lives.

themselves swift destruction... This refers to either physical death or judgment at the return of Christ (Pro. 29:1; 2Thes. 1:7-10).

But

Introducing a contrast with those who spake by the Holy Ghost (2Pet. 1:21).

There were (ἐγένοντο)

Rev., better, there arose.

There shall be

Note that Peter speaks of them as future, and Jude (Jude 1:4) as present.

False teachers (ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι)

Only here in New Testament.

Who (πὅτινες)

Of that kind or class which, etc.

Privily shall bring in (παρεισάξουσιν)

Only here in New Testament. The kindred adjective occurs Gal. 2:4, false brethren privily brought in (παρεισάκτους). The metaphor is of spies or traitors introducing themselves into an enemy's camp. Compare Jude 1:4, crept in unawares. The verb means, literally, to bring (ἄγειν) into (εἰς) by the side of (παρά).

Damnable heresies (αἱρέσεις ἀπωλείας)

Lit., heresies of destruction. Rev., destructive heresies. Heresy is a transcript of αἵρεσις, the primary meaning of which is choice; so that a heresy is, strictly, the choice of an opinion contrary to that usually received; thence transferred to the body of those who profess such opinions, and therefore a sect. So Rev., in margin, sects of perdition. Commonly in this sense in the New Testament (Acts 5:17; 15:5; 28:22), though the Rev. has an odd variety in its marginal renderings. See Acts 24:14; 1Cor. 11:19; Gal. 5:20. The rendering heretical doctrines seems to agree better with the context; false teachers bringing in sects is awkward.

Denying

A significant word from Peter.

The Lord (δεσπότην)

In most cases in the New Testament the word is rendered master, the Rev. changing lord to master in every case but two – Luke 2:29; Acts 4:24; and in both instances putting master in margin, and reserving lord for the rendering of κύριος. In three of these instances the word is used in direct address to God; and it may be asked why the Rev. changes Lord to Master in the text of Rev. 6:10, and retains Lord in Luke 2:29; Acts 4:24. In five out of the ten occurrences of the word in the New Testament it means master of the household. Originally, it indicates absolute, unrestricted authority, so that the Greeks refused the title to any but the gods. In the New Testament δεσπότης and κύριος are used interchangeably of God, and of masters of servants.

Swift (ταχινὴν)

Used by Peter only. See on 2Pet. 1:14.

The Christian’s Warfare: The Attack of False Teachers

When the Edict of Milan was passed in a.d. 313 the church was then free to move into the world, legally and openly propagating its doctrines. But at the same time, the world also began to move into the church, diluting its message for the next 1,200 years until the Reformation broke forth on the scene. But it is obvious from 2Pet. 2:1-22 that the world was already in the church well before the time of Constantine. Believers in all ages must be constantly on guard against its attack.

Deliverance from false teachers

The word “rescue” in 2Pet. 2:7 and 2Pet. 2:9 speaks of God’s willingness and ability to deliver His people from assorted difficulties and dangers even when they themselves (like Lot) do not overtly seek deliverance. But depending on the Lord’s ability to rescue is no excuse for failing to enter the warfare against false teachers and false prophets.

Exposure Of False Teaching

Satan’s counterfeits with their insidious activities are always present. They appeared in Israel during the days of the writing prophets spoken of in 2Pet. 1:19-21, and they were present in the first-century church. Though Peter switched from writing about false prophets of the past to false teachers in the present, their teaching was the same-heresy. False prophets often rose out of Israel (cf. Jer. 5:31; 23:9-18), not from surrounding peoples. Similarly false teachers appear from the midst of the church. They secretly introduce their false teachings which are destructive heresies. Secretly introduce translates pareisaxousin, bring in alongside (cf. infiltrated, which translates the related noun pareisaktous, in Gal. 2:4). Heresies transliterates the Greek word haireseis, which in classical Greek simply meant schools of philosophy. But New Testament writers used it to describe religious parties or sects (e.g., the Sadducees [Acts 5:17] or the Pharisees [Acts 15:5]), or factions probably based on false doctrine (e.g., 1Cor. 11:19, differences, NIV; factions, NASB). Such heresies are destructive, for they lead people away from Christ and thus to spiritual ruin (apōleias).

The focus of their heresies was the sovereign Lord, Christ, whom they denied (cf. Jude 1:4). This in turn led to their own spiritual destruction or ruin (apōleian; cf. 2Pet. 2:3; 3:16), which will be swift (tachinēn, sudden; cf. tachinē [soon] in 2Pet. 1:14). How can these false teachers, who were said to be among the people, and whom the Lord had bought (agorasanta, redeem), end up in everlasting destruction? Several suggestions have been offered: (1) They were saved but lost their salvation. But this contradicts many other Scriptures (e.g., John 3:16; 5:24; 10:28-29). (2) Bought means the Lord created them, not that He saved them. But this stretches the meaning of agorazō (redeem). (3) The false prophets merely said they were bought by Christ. This, however, seems to read into the verse. (4) They were redeemed in the sense that Christ paid the redemptive price for their salvation, but they did not apply it to themselves and so were not saved. Christ’s death is sufficient for all (1Tim. 2:6; Heb. 2:9; 1Jhn. 2:2), but is efficient only for those who believe. This is a strong argument for unlimited atonement (the view that Christ died for everyone) and against limited atonement (the view that Christ died only for those whom He would later save).

2 Peter 2:2 "And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."

there pernicious ways... Heresies of destruction. Some texts read follow their lasciviousness or their lust of the flesh. Pernicious in this verse, means spiritual ruin, or loss. It is so strange to me that more people will believe a lie than will believe the Truth. It is so interesting to me that many other religions today, such as the Muslim, believe the Christians are heathen. Those, who do not believe in Jesus, think we are evil for following Him.

by reason of... Lusts and slander of the truth have destroyed multitudes.

Many people will profess to be Christians but deny Christ’s lordship over their lives, refusing to live as obedient servants to Christ and His Word, following instead the lusts of the flesh, the world, and the devil. Such nominal Christians tragically will be included in the Lord’s condemnation of hypocrites at the judgment (Mat. 7:21-23; Jude 4, 7). Denying the lordship of Christ while claiming to be a believer destructively infects other people and discredits the gospel.

1Cor. 1:18 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

the way of... The world mocks and scoffs at the gospel of Jesus Christ because of nominal Christians who do not follow the Lord they claim, and have been unmasked as hypocritical people.

Shall follow

We have not followed (οὐ ἐξακολουθησαντες)

A strong compound, used only here and 2Pet. 2:2, 2:15. The ἐξ gives the force of following out; pursuance of; closely.

Pernicious ways (ἀπωλείαις)

The true reading is ἀσελγείαις, lascivious doings. So Rev. See on 1Pet. 4:3. The use of the plural is rare. Compare Jude 1:4.

The tragic fact about many false teachers is that they are successful-people listen to them and follow them and their shameful ways (aselgeiais, which Peter also used in 1Pet. 4:3 [“debauchery”]; 2Pet. 2:7 [“filthy”]; 2Pet. 2:18 [“lustful”]). (Cf. aselgeia in Rom. 13:13; 2Cor. 12:21; Gal. 5:19; Eph. 4:19; Jude 1:4.) It refers to debased sexually immoral practices.

Verses 3-9: Future universal judgment of this world is illustrated by the reference to the flood (Greek kataklusmon, cataclysm) of Noah’s day which came upon the old world, that is, the antediluvian world. The universal extent of the Flood is assumed by the author as an illustration of coming universal judgment at the end of this age. The deliverance of Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah is used to illustrate the fact that God will deliver His own from the coming universal judgment.

2 Peter 2:3 "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."

covetousness shall they... In order to get money to spend upon their own lusts, they fabricate counterfeit doctrines, false theories and fake miracles to deceive.

That is, uncontrolled greed. Peter observed that the underlying motive of the false teachers was not love of the truth, but love of money (see verse 14). They exploited people through their lies.

Covet means to desire something that belongs to someone else. They actually seek after these lies. Those who choose a lie over Jesus will find damnation awaiting them. The following is the only reason why He has not already destroyed them.

with feigned words... in the verse above means artificial or fictitious. We should not be amazed that they hang on to the false doctrine and believe it, before they believe the Truth. Jesus was the Truth, and they did not believe Him. His followers should expect no better treatment than our leader got.

long time lingereth... God predicted their punishment long ago and their damnation is sure.

The principle that God is going to damn false teachers was set in place in eternity past, repeated throughout the Old Testament, and is not idle in the sense that it has not worn out or become ineffective. It is still potent and will come to pass (see Jude 4).

and their damnation... Peter is personifying destruction as if destruction were an executioner who is fully awake and alert, ready to act. Because God is by nature a God of truth, he will judge all liars and deceivers.

Through covetousness (ἐν πλεοεξίᾳ)

Lit., in covetousness; denoting the element or sphere in which the evil is wrought.

Feigned (πλαστοῖς)

Only here in New Testament. From πλάσσω, to mould, as in clay or wax. The idea is, therefore, of words moulded at will to suit their vain imaginations.

Make merchandise (ἐμπορεύσονται)

Only here and Jas. 4:13. Compare Jude 1:16, for the sake of advantage; their glory being in having a multitude of followers.

Judgment (κρίμα)

Rev., sentence. So, commonly, in New Testament; the process or act of judging being expressed by κρίσις.

Of a long time (ἔκπαλαι)

Rev., better, from of old, bringing out thus more sharply the force of ἐκ. Only here and 2Pet. 3:5. Construe with lingereth.

Lingereth (ἀργεῖ)

Only here in New Testament. Compare on the kindred adjective idle, 2Pet. 1:8. There is a graphic picture in the sentence. The judgment is not idle. It is represented as a living thing, awake and expectant. Long ago that judgment started on its destroying path, and the fate of sinning angels, and the deluge, and the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah were but incidental illustrations of its power; nor has it ever since lingered....It advances still, strong and vigilant as when first it sprang from the bosom of God, and will not fail to reach the mark to which it was pointed from of old (Salmond and Lillie).

Damnation (ἀπώλεια)

More literally, Rev., destruction. The word occurs three times in 2Pet. 2:1.

Slumbereth (νυστάζει).

See on Mat. 25:5, the only other passage where it occurs.

Ministerial charlatans and quacks have often troubled the flock of God. In their greed (cf. 2Pet. 2:14) they use others for their own mercenary purposes and turn the church into a dirty marketplace. Exploit (emporeusontai) means to commercialize (buy, sell, trade; cf. emporeusometha, carry on business, in Jas. 4:13). Stories they have made up is literally, fabricated words (plastois [whence the Eng. plastic] logois). They are artificial, not genuine. And their end is condemnation (krima, judgment) and destruction (apōleia; used twice in 2Pet. 2:1 and also in 2Pet. 3:16). They fall into the same doom which God has planned for other violators of truth and righteousness (as Peter stated in 2Pet. 2:4-6). Their destruction has not been sleeping (ou nystazei, used only one other time in the NT, to describe the sleepy virgins in Mat. 25:5). God’s justice does not sleep and it is never late.

2 Peter 2:4 "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them] into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;"

For if God... Three examples of judgment (cp. Jude 1:5-7) This is better translated since because there is no doubt about the history of judgment which Peter is about to recount. Verses 4-10 are one long sentence with the conclusion to the since clause beginning in verse 9.

1. Fallen angels (2Pet. 2:4). They rebelled with Lucifer when he ruled the earth and when he invaded heaven to dethrone God in the pre-Adamite period (Gen. 1:1-2; Isa. 14:12-14; Eze. 28:11-17; Jer. 4:23-26; 2Pet. 3:5-8; Mat. 13:35, see; Luke 10:18)

2. The antedeluvians (2Pet. 2:5; Genesis 6-8)

3. Sodom and Gomorrah (2Pet. 2:6; Gen. 19:1-38)

angels that sinned... It does not say here what sin they committed causing them to be confined to hell, but Jude 1:6-7 and Gen. 6:1-4 tell us that they committed fornication, living with the daughters of men contrary to their own nature. These angels committed sin beyond that of falling with Lucifer, and they are now confined to hell for that sin. If all the fallen angels had committed such sin they all would now be bound in hell and none loose with the devil to fight against God in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week, 3 1/2 years before the second coming of Christ (Rev. 12:7-17). It would not be just to bind some and not all if the same sin was committed by all. Thus it is clear that there are two classes of fallen angels—those now bound and those now loose with Satan.

down to hell... Greek: tartaroo, from tartaros (Latin, tartarus), a dark abyss; a place of punishment. Only here.

Eight Facts About Tartarus:

1. A prison for angels (2Pet. 2:4)

2. Located under the earth (2Pet. 2:4)

3. A place of confinement for angels until the judgment (2Pet. 2:4; Rev. 20:11-15; Jude 1:6)

4. A place visited by Christ when He went to hell (Psm. 16:10; 1Pet. 3:19)

5. A place of darkness (Jude 1:6-7)

6. A place of eternal fire (Jude 1:7)

7. A place of vengeance (Jude 1:7)

8. The word is used only here, but in Greek writings tartarus was held to be a place in the earth lower than hades where the Titans, the primeval deities or the giants who were supposed to be the first children of the earth and even older than the Greek gods, were cast when they lost their war with Zeus.

into chains of... Greek: seira, a cord; rope; chain. Only here. It could mean literal chains, for the Greek in Jude 1:6 is desmos, a band; fetter; halter; imprisonment. Translated band (Luke 8:29; Acts 16:26; 22:30); string (Mark 7:35); bond (Luke 13:16; Acts 20:23; 23:29; Phlp. 1:7, 1:13, 1:14, 1:16; Col. 4:18; 2Tim. 2:9; Phlm. 1:10, 1:13; Heb. 10:34; 11:36); and chain (Jude 1:6). It is used only twice of being bound by Satan with an infirmity (Mark 7:35; Luke 13:16). That angels can be bound by literal chains and confined to prisons, see Rev. 9:1-2, 9:14; 20:1-3, 20:7, 20:10.

This darkness Jude 1:6 reads, under darkness. The Greek: zophos is used here; 2Pet. 2:17; Jude 1:6, 1:13. It is literal, not spiritual.

Again, lest anyone think that God is too loving and merciful to judge the wicked false teachers and their deceived people, Peter gives 3 powerful illustrations of past divine judgment on the wicked. These illustrations set the precedents for the future and final judgment on liars and deceivers. Though God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, (Eze. 33:11) He must judge wickedness because His holiness requires it (2Thes. 1:7-9).

1. Angels that did not keep their own domain. Before the flood (verse 4; Gen 6:1-3) who left their normal state and lusted after women (verse 4; see Jude 6).

2. Spared not the old world (verse 5; Genesis chapters 6 – 8).

3. Before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (verse 6; Gen. 19).

These angels according to Jude 6, did not keep their own domain, i.e., they entered men who promiscuously cohabited with women. Apparently this is a reference to the fallen angels of Gen. 6 (sons of God):

Peter borrowed a word from Greek mythology for hell, tartarus. The Greeks taught that tartarus was a place lower than Hades reserved for the most wicked of human beings, gods, and demons. The Jews eventually came to use this term to describe the place where fallen angels were sent.

The demons feared going there and begged Jesus during His life on earth not to send them there (Mat. 8:29; Luke 8:31). Not all demons are bound. Many roam the heavens and earth (Rev. 12:7-9). Some are temporarily bound. These were, because of their sin in Genesis 6, permanently bound in darkness.

Mat. 8:29 "And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?"

It defined for them the lowest hell, the deepest pit, the most terrible place of torture and eternal suffering. Jesus, in spirit, entered that place when His body was in the grave and proclaimed triumph over the demons during the time between His death and resurrection.

Fallen angels are destined to be released from their present hell to be judged and then consigned to the lake of fire, the final hell, a place prepared for the devil and his angels (Mat. 25:41).

The judgment had been pronounced upon them. It does not necessarily mean that it was carried out in its entirety at the time this is spoken. I as a Christian is seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, but my body is still housing my spirit here on the earth.

The angels

No article. Angels. So Rev. Compare Jude 1:6.

Cast them down to hell (ταρταρώσας)

Only here in New Testament. From Τάρταρος, Tartarus. It is strange to find Peter using this Pagan term, which represents the Greek hell, though treated here not as equivalent to Gehenna, but as the place of detention until the judgment.

Chains of darkness (σειραῖς ζόφου)

Σειρά is a cord or band, sometimes of metal. Compare Septuagint, Proverbs 5:22; Wisd. of Sol. 17:2, 18. The best texts, however, substitute σιροῖς or σειροῖς, pits or caverns. Σιρός originally is a place for storing corn. Rev., pits of darkness.

Of darkness (ζόφου)

Peculiar to Peter and Jude. Originally of the gloom of the nether world, So Homer:

These halls are full

Of shadows hastening down to Erebus

Amid the gloom (ὑπὸ ζόφον).”

Odyssey, xx., 355.

When Ulysses meets his mother in the shades, she says to him:

“How didst thou come, my child, a living man,

Into this place of darkness? (ὑπὸ ζόφον).”

Odyssey, xi., 155.

Compare Jude 1:13. So Milton:

“Here their prison ordained

In utter darkness, and their portion set

As far removed from God and light of heaven

As from the centre thrice to the utmost pole.”

Paradise Lost, i., 71-74.

And Dante:

“That air forever black.”

Inferno, iii., 829.

“Upon the verge I found me

Of the abysmal valley dolorous

That gathers thunder of infinite ululations.

Obscure, profound it was, and nebulous,

So that by fixing on its depths my sight

Nothing whatever I discerned therein.”

Inferno, iv., 7, 12.

“I came unto a place mute of all light.”

Inferno, v., 28.

To be reserved (τηρουμένους)

Lit., being reserved. See on 1Pet. 1:4, “reserved in heaven.”

Examples Of Historic Judgment

In 2Pet. 2:4-10, Peter gave several illustrations to demonstrate both the Lord’s judgment and His deliverance. After citing three examples of punishment (2Pet. 2:4-6), Peter then cited a case of deliverance (Lot, 2Pet. 2:7). In fact, 2Pet. 2:4-9 are a single sentence, one of the longest in the New Testament. Peter was intent on demonstrating that God will judge false teachers and others who sin against Him and His Word. History, Peter wrote, gives ample verification of this truth.

The first example is that of fallen angels. This refers either to their fall with Satan in his rebellion against God (Eze. 28:15) or to the sin of angels in Gen. 6:1-4. Since Peter’s other two illustrations in this section are from Genesis (Gen. 7:1-24; Gen. 19:1-38), perhaps this one is too, though it is difficult to be sure. If God in His justice punished angels, surely He would not hesitate to punish people. He plunged the angels into hell, literally, tartarus apparently a prison of custody (gloomy dungeons) between the time of the judgment and their ultimate consignment to the eternal lake of fire. There will be no future trial for their doom is already sealed. False prophets, Peter argued, will taste the same judgment as the rebellious angels.

2 Peter 2:5 "And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth [person], a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;"

spared not the... See Genesis 6:1-8:22 for this story.

The second illustration serving as a[precedent for God’s future judgment on false teachers is the judgment on the ancient world through the world-wide flood (Genesis 6 – 8). The human race was reduced to 8 people by that judgment (1Pet. 3:20).

a preacher of... See Genesis 6:9; 7:1. His life spoke of righteousness as he called people to repent and avoid the flood judgment.

Noah preached nearly 100 years and had no converts. That should encourage some ministers today. Noah, his wife, his 3 sons, and their wives were saved in the flood. They were not saved from the flood. It rained on them, too. They were saved in the flood. These 8 people were to repopulate the world. Eight means new beginnings.

bringing in the... The rest of the evil world was destroyed by the flood. The sin was so bad at the time, That God destroyed the world's people with the flood, it is said God was sorry He had ever made man.

Gen. 6:8 "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD."

Gen. 6:6 "And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart."

He destroyed them for the sin in their lives.

Saved (ἐφύλαξεν)

Rev., preserved. See on 1Pet. 1:4, and compare the Lord shut him in (Gen. 7:16).

Noah the eighth person

So the A. V., literally. Rev. is more perspicuous however: Noah with seven others. Compare 1Pet. 3:20.

A preacher (κήρυκα)

Lit., a herald. Compare the kindred verb κηρύσσω, to preach, everywhere in New Testament. The word herald is beautifully suggestive, at many points, of the office of a gospel minister. In the Homeric age the herald partook of the character of an ambassador. He summoned the assembly and kept order in it, and had charge of arrangements at sacrifices and festivals. The office of the heralds was sacred, and their persons inviolable; hence they were employed to bear messages between enemies. The symbol of their office was the herald's staff, or caduceus, borne by Mercury, the herald-god. This was originally an olive-branch with fillets, which were afterward formed into snakes, according to the legend that Mercury found two snakes fighting and separated them with his wand, from which circumstance they were used as an emblem of peace. Plato (Laws, xii., 941) thus speaks of the fidelity entailed by the office: If any herald or ambassador carry a false message to any other city, or bring back a false message from the city to which he is sent, or be proved to have brought back, whether from friends or enemies, in his capacity of herald or ambassador, what they have never said - let him be indicted for having offended, contrary to the law, in the sacred office and appointment of Hermes and Zeus, and let there be a penalty fixed which he shall suffer or pay if he be convicted. In later times, their position as messengers between nations at war was emphasized. In Herodotus (i., 21), the word herald is used as synonymous with apostle. Alyattes sent a herald (κήρυκα) to Miletus in hopes of concluding a truce, etc. The herald (ἀπόστολος) went on his way to Miletus. A priestly house at Athens bore the name of κήρυκες, heralds.

Bringing in (ἐπάξας)

The verb may be said to be used by Peter only. Besides this passage and 2Pet. 2:1, it occurs only at Acts 5:28, where Luke probably received the account from Peter as the principal actor: ye intend to bring upon us (ἐπαγαγεῖν) this man's blood.

Peter was greatly impressed by the significance of the Flood for he referred to it three times in his two epistles (1Pet. 3:20; 2Pet. 2:5; 3:6). Noah… and seven others is the NIV’s rendering of the Greek Noah, the eighth person. The others were his wife, his three sons (Shem, Ham, and Japheth), and their wives (Gen. 6:10, 6:18). Noah was a righteous man (Gen. 6:9), an obedient servant of God, and a shipbuilder (Gen. 6:13-22). Peter added that he was also a preacher (kēryka, herald) of righteousness, who spoke out against the vile corruption all around him.

The primary focus of 2Pet. 2:5 is the unsparing hand of God on the antediluvian civilization, the ancient world with its ungodly people. Do false teachers today think they can escape God’s judgment because of their large numbers? Peter reminded them and those who are the targets of their delusions that God can judge evil even when it involves the entire human race (with the exception of only eight people). The word brought (epaxas, past part. from epagō, to bring on) suggests the suddenness of God’s judgment in the Flood. Peter used the same verb in 2Pet. 2:1 in speaking of heretics who are bringing destruction on themselves.

2 Peter 2:6 "And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned [them] with an overthrow, making [them] an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;"

turning the cities... See Gen. 19:1-38 for this story.

Sodom and Gomorrha... The third precedent for a future divine judgment on the wicked is the total destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and the other lesser surrounding cities (Gen. 13; 18:16-33; 19:1-38; Deut. 29:23). This judgment destroyed every person in the area by incineration.

making them an... That is, a model, or a pattern. God sent an unmistakable message to all future generations that wickedness results in judgment.

We see again from this, God will not always strive with man. He is patient and kind and forgiving, but He will judge us when He says enough. The judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah came because there were not even 10 righteous in the city. God rained down fire and brimstone on the city, because they were homosexuals and lesbians. This is an abomination to God.

You remember, abomination means revolting sin. We can look at the destruction of these cities and know what God will do to us, if our nation does not deal with this problem. We must repent and turn to God, before He says enough.

those that after... Peter’s argument is that if God did not spare the angels, the antedeluvians, and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, He will not spare any man who lives ungodly, including the backslider (2Pet. 2:9-22).

Turning into ashes (τεφρώσας)

Only here in New Testament.

Having made them an example (ὑπόδειγμα τεθεικώς)

Compare 1Pet. 2:21. The word for example is condemned as unclassical by the Attic grammarians, and παράδειγμα is substituted, which means, properly, a sculptor's or a painter's model, or an architect's plan.

God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire is a classic example of universal destruction of the ungodly (Gen. 10:15-29). The participle tephrōsas (burning them to ashes), used only here in the New Testament, means reduce to ashes or cover with ashes. Peter concluded this illustration by saying that God made them an example (hypodeigma, model, pattern) of what is going to happen to the ungodly (cf. Jude 1:7). The apostle’s purpose here was to cite this historical incident of judgment, not to elaborate on the cause for such severe destruction. In the present day homosexuality, which is scarring so much of Western culture, recalls the same shameful conduct in those two ancient cities (Gen. 19:4-5; cf. Gen. 13:13; Rom. 1:27).

Verses 7-8: Delivered just Lot: Lot was righteous, as all the saved are, by faith in the true God. Righteousness was imputed to him, by grace through faith, as it was to Abraham (Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3, 11:22-23). There was spiritual weakness in Lot (Gen. 19:6), e.g., immorality (Gen. 19:8) and drunkenness (Gen 19:33-35). His heart was in Sodom (Gen 19:16), yet he did hate the sins of his culture and strongly sought ways to protect God’s angels from harm.

He obeyed the Lord in not looking back at Sodom (Gen. 19). In both of the illustrations where God rendered a wholesale judgment of all living people (once on the whole earth, and once in the whole region of the plain South of the Dead Sea), Peter pointed out that God’s people were rescued (verse 5; verse 9).

The Greek word for oppressed implies that Lot was troubled deeply and tortured (the meaning of tormented) with the immoral, outrageous behavior of the people living in and around Sodom and Gomorrah. Tragically, it is ordinary for believers today no longer to be shocked by the rampant sin in their society.

2 Peter 2:7 "And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:"

with the filthy... Greek: aselgeia, licentiousness, lustfulness.

conversation of the... Greek: anastrophe, conduct (note ^a, 1Pet. 2:12). Here it refers to sodomy. Behavior or manner of life; the whole conduct of life in domestic and public relations. Always translated conversation (1Pet. 2:12; 1:15, 1:18; 3:1, 3:2, 3:16; Gal. 1:13; Eph. 4:22; 1Tim. 4:12; Heb. 13:7; Jas. 3:13; 2Pet. 2:7; 3:11; cp. see, 2Cor. 1:12). All that one speaks, thinks, and does—the whole conduct. Translated conversation (2Cor. 1:12; Eph. 2:3); overthrow (John 2:15); return (Acts 5:22; 15:16); be used (Heb. 10:33); behave (1Tim. 3:15); live (Heb. 13:18; 2Pet. 2:18); abide (Mat. 17:22); and pass (1Pet. 1:17).

Lot was justified in the sight of God, because he was the nephew of Abraham. Abraham pled for the city. God saved Lot, and his 2 daughters because of Abraham. Lot's wife would have been saved, but she looked back at the city and turned to a pillar of salt. These filthy people had even asked to have the 2 angels so they could rape them. These were really evil people.

Just (δίκαιον)

Occurring three times in 2Pet. 2:7, 2:8.

Vexed (καταπονούμενον)

Only here and Acts 7:24. Κατά gives the force of worn down. So Rev., sore distressed.

With the filthy conversation of the wicked (ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν ἀθέσμων ἐν ἀσελγείᾳ ἀναστροφῆς).

Lit., by the behavior of the lawless in wantonness. Rev., the lascivious life of the wicked. Life or behavior (ἀναστροφῆς). See on 1Pet. 1:15. Wicked (ἀθέσμων), lit., lawless. Only here and 2Pet. 3:17. Wantonness (ἀσελγείᾀ), see on Mark 7:22.

Explanation Of Divine Deliverance

Peter had spoken (2Pet. 2:5) of one deliverance (of Noah and his family); now he cited another, God’s rescue of Lot. Here again is an interesting New Testament commentary on a familiar Old Testament passage (cf. We saw in 2Pet. 2:5).

2 Peter 2:8 "(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed [his] righteous soul from day to day with [their] unlawful deeds;)"

For that righteous... The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation. Already he has given the lesson (2Pet. 1:6) that true godliness must have its root in patience. It is a perfect trust, which rests securely on the Father’s love, and willingly waits His time. The hearts of the faithful ones must have found solace in the thought which he here joins to his former teaching. The trials they endure are grievous, but The Lord knows is an unfailing support.

in seeing and... The floods of ungodliness make His servants many a time afraid; but when they feel that there, as amid the raging ocean, the Lord ruleth, they are not overwhelmed. They are protected by Omnipotence; and the tiny grains of sand, which check the fierce tide, are an emblem of how out of weakness He can ordain strength. Hence there comes a knowledge to the struggling saint which makes him full of courage, whatever trials threaten. The world has its wrathful Nebuchadnezzar's, whose threats at times are as a fiery furnace; but he is proof against them all who can say and feel, The Lord knows. I am not careful nor disturbed; my God, in whom I trust, is able to deliver me, and He will deliver me. The Lord knoweth the way of the godly, and His knowledge means safety and eternal deliverance.

vexed his righteous... When God sends destruction on the ungodly, he commands deliverance for the righteous. In bad company we cannot but get either guilt or grief. Let the sins of others be troubles to us. Yet it is possible for the children of the Lord, living among the most profane, to retain their integrity; there being more power in the grace of Christ, and his dwelling in them, than in the temptations of Satan, or the example of the wicked, with all their terrors or allurements.

Dwelling (ἐγκατοικῶν)

Only here in New Testament. Dwelling, and therefore suffering continually, from day to day.

In seeing (βλέμματι)

Only here in New Testament. Usually of the look of a man from without, through which the vexation comes to the soul. Vexed his righteous soul.

Vexed (ἐβασανίζεν)

See on Mat. 4:24, torments. The original sense is to test by touchstone or by torture. See on toiling, Mark 6:48. Rev. gives tormented, in margin.

Unlawful (ἀνόμοις)

Rev., lawless. Only here in New Testament with things. In all other cases it is applied to persons.

In Gen. 19:1-38 Lot hardly comes across as a righteous man; possibly godliness was not a consistent mark in his daily conduct. But in his standing before God he was a justified man (righteous, occurring three times in 2Pet. 2:7-8, is dikaion, justified). This is evidenced by the fact that Lot was distressed (kataponoumenon, tormented, oppressed; used only here and in Acts 7:24 in the NT) by the enormity of iniquity all around him. The people in those twin cities were filthy (en aselgeia, in sexual debauchery; in 2Pet. 2:2 aselgeia is trans. shameful), lawless (athesmōn, unprincipled; used only twice in the NT: here and in 2Pet. 3:17), and involved in lawless (anomois, without any standard or law) deeds. Besides being distressed, Lot was also tormented (ebasanizen, tortured, tormented; cf. Mat. 8:29) in his righteous soul (lit., he tormented [his] righteous soul). Seeing and hearing about all their vile ways day after day grieved Lot to the point of inner torture.

2 Peter 2:9 "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”

to deliver the... The godly are not preserved from temptations, but delivered out of them (1Cor. 10:13; Jas. 1:2, 1:12-15; 1Pet. 1:7; 4:12). The Greek word translated temptations implies an attack with intent to destroy, but from which God can deliver the godly before judgment falls on the wicked. This kind of deliverance will occur prior to the Tribulation, when the Church will be kept from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth (Rev. 3:10).

There is no better example to prove this point, than the fact that God saved Noah in the midst of the flood. Knoweth means continues to know. This statement, then, is not just for their age, but ours, as well. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ protects us from the enemy, even today. Jesus is the Judge of all the people of the world. He will separate the good from the evil.

to reserve the... The wicked are kept like prisoners awaiting the sentencing that will send them to their eternal prison, verse 4. The final judgment on the wicked is called the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11-15) where all the ungodly of all the ages will be raised, judged finally, and cast into the lake of fire.

to be punished... The 4th New Testament prophecy in 2 Peter (2Pet. 2:9, unfulfilled). Next, 2Pet. 3:3. One of the most absurd theories is that the soul is not immortal; that it goes out of existence at the time of death; and that it is brought back into existence at the resurrection only to be judged and immediately made extinct again as a punishment. If this is the kind of punishment the wicked get, why go through the process of bringing them back into existence again just to make them extinct another time?

It is Jesus who will give the sentence of either heaven or hell. When we are delivered from the temptation to sin, it is the name of Jesus that delivers us. The best thing parents can do for their children are to pray the blood of Jesus will cover them and keep them from the temptations of this world.

Jesus is the Judge, but He is, also, the Deliverer. Place your trust in Him and you will be protected from fleshly temptations.

Godly (εὐσεβεῖς)

Used by Peter only. Compare Acts 10:2, 10:7. The reading at Acts 22:12, is εὐλαβής, devout. See on 2Pet. 1:3.

Temptation (πειρασμοῦ)

Better, trials, as in margin of Rev., since the word includes more than direct solicitation to evil. It embraces all that goes to furnish a test of character. Compare Jas. 1:2.

To reserve (τηρεῖν)

Lit., which has been reserved, a perfect participle, indicating the inheritance as one reserved through God's care for his own from the beginning down to the present. Laid up and kept is the idea. The verb signifies keeping as the result of guarding. Thus in John 17:11, Christ says, keep (τήρησον) those whom thou hast given me; in John 17:12, I kept them (ἐτήρουν); i.e., preserved by guarding them. Those whom thou gavest me I guarded (ἐφύλαξα). So Rev., which preserves the distinction. Similarly, John 14:15, keep (τηρήσατε) my commandments; preserve them unbroken by careful watching. So Peter was delivered to the soldiers to guard him (φυλάσσειν), but he was kept (ἐτηρεῖτο) in prison (Acts 12:4, 12:5). Compare Col. 1:5, where a different word is used: ἀποκειμένην, lit., laid away. Rev., keep, is not an improvement.

To be punished (κολαζομένους)

Only here and Acts 4:21, where the narrative probably came from Peter. The participle here is, lit., being punished, and therefore the A. V. is wrong. Rev., rightly, under punishment. Compare Mat. 25:46.

Verses 10-17: False teachers are polemically described as “cursed children,” literally, “children of a curse”; “wells without water”, unable to satisfy the spiritual thirst of men; and “clouds” that are blown about by every wind of doctrine (see Jude 12).

2 Peter 2:10 "But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous [are they], selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities."

walk after the... Sixteen sins of sodomites:

1. They commit homosexual sins (2Pet. 2:10; Rom. 1:1-32; cp. Sixteen Sins of Homosexuals).

2. They despise government and law (2Pet. 2:10).

3. They are presumptuous, bold, daring, headstrong and reckless (2Pet. 2:10).

4. They are self-willed and self-sufficient in their own eyes (2Pet. 2:10).

5. They speak evil of lawful authority (2Pet. 2:10).

6. They live like brute beasts (2Pet. 2:12).

7. They speak evil and blasphemy (2Pet. 2:12).

8. They commit sins in open daylight and without sense of shame (2Pet. 2:13).

9. They make sport of their deceptions (2Pet. 2:13).

10. They have eyes full of adultery (2Pet. 2:14).

11. They beguile innocent and unstable souls leading them into perversion (2Pet. 2:14).

12. They have forsaken the right way (2Pet. 2:15-22).

13. They live in covetousness (2Pet. 2:14-15).

14. They are braggarts and boasters (2Pet. 2:18).

15. They seduce and allure others to surrender chastity and live in lusts (2Pet. 2:18).

16. They promise people liberty from sin but they themselves are sinful (2Pet. 2:19).

Such are the chief ones reserved for punishment in eternal hell (2Pet. 2:10).

lust of uncleanness... This is definitely the homosexual sin (see, Rom. 1:24).

Jude 6. Like the wicked of Noah’s and Lot’s time, the false teachers of Peter’s era were slaves to the corrupt desires of the flesh.

This is speaking of the punishment coming on those who are controlled by their flesh and its lust. We have discussed in these lessons before, that the person who is in authority whether in government or in the church are there because God placed them there for a purpose.

and despise government... Authority comes from the same Greek word as lord (1:2). The false teachers identified with Christ outwardly. But they would not live under His lordship. The two major characteristics of false teachers are emphasized in this verse:

1. Lust.

2. Arrogance.

To speak evil of them would be questioning God's judgment in putting them there. To speak evil of them would be to speak evil of the One who gave them their authority God.

Presumptuous are they… Presumptuous meaning daring is to be brazen, audacious and defiant. Self-willed is to be obstinate, determined in one’s own way.

speak evil of... To revile or speak evil is to ridicule and blaspheme. Angelic majesties were probably wicked angels. Wicked angels have a level of existence in the supernatural world that has a dignity and a transcendent quality about it that is beyond humanity (Eph. 6:12).

A certain honor belongs to those who transcend time. Consequently, there must be no flippancy regarding Satan and his angels. It may even be that these teachers tried to excuse their wicked lusts by pointing to the angels in Genesis 6 who did not keep their own domain (Jude 6). The blasphemy of even bad angels by the false teachers demonstrated their arrogance and antipathy toward any authority, be it good or bad.

Go after the flesh

Compare Jude 1:7.

Of uncleanness (μιασμοῦ)

Only here in New Testament. See on defilement's, 2Pet. 2:20. Compare Jude 1:8.

Despise government

Rev., dominion. Compare Jude 1:8

Presumptuous (τολμηταὶ)

Only here in New Testament Lit., darers. Rev., daring.

Self-willed (αὐθάδεις)

Only here and Tit. 1:7. From αὐτός, self, and ἥδομαι, to delight in. Therefore a self-loving spirit.

They tremble (τρέμουσιν)

Compare Mark 5:33. An uncommon word in the New Testament. Luke 8:47; Acts 9:6.

Dignities (δόξας)

Lit., glories. Compare Jude 1:8. Probably angelic powers: note the reference to the angels immediately following, as in Jude 1:9 to Michael. They defy the spiritual powers though knowing their might.

Description of false teachers

False teachers will be judged by God, as certainly as were the angels, the world in Noah’s day, and the sinful people of Sodom and Gomorrah. In 2Pet. 2:10-16 (also 2Pet. 2:17) Peter described the true nature of the false teachers plaguing the church in the first century.

They Are Rebellious

The apostles and teachers emphasized purity and cleanliness before God. But the false teachers in the church who denied these standards demonstrated their desire to be indulging the flesh (follow the corrupt [miasmou, pollution, defilement] desire of the sinful nature), like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and did so in a spirit which held authority in contempt (cf. Jude 1:16, 1:18). But this was not just any authority; these reckless antinomians despise (kataphronountas, think down on) lordship. Kyriotētos, authority, refers either to angelic powers (Eph. 1:21; Col. 1:16) or perhaps more likely, to the authority of the Lord (kyrios) Himself (cf. 2Pet. 2:1). One would expect people of this mentality - who are bold (tolmētai presumptuous), and arrogant (authadeis, self-willed; cf. Tit. 1:7) - to slander (blasphēmountes) even to the point of deliberately speaking untruth about celestial beings (doxas, possibly fallen angels). It is possible that their blaspheming was the teaching that lustful indulgence is angelic and that God wills man to live under no restraints whatever.

2 Peter 2:11 "Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord."

angels which are... A reference to the holy angels, who are greater in power than human beings.

The idea here is that the holy angels who are given responsibility to report to God of the actions of fallen angels and wicked men, do not rashly accuse or condemn, but merely report facts as they are without bitterness and railing. They are courteous in their reports (Zec. 3:1; Jude 1:9).

bring not railing... Unlike false teachers who are defiant toward higher powers, the holy angels so revere their Lord that they will not speak insults against any authority. Even the archangel, Michael, recognizing the great presence and power of Satan, refused to speak evil of him, but called on the Lord to do so (Jude 9 – see below). No believer should be so boldly foolish as to mock or command the power of supernatural demons, especially Satan.

When Jesus took on the form of flesh, He was spoken of as being a little lower than the angels. This is speaking of flesh being lower than the spirit.

Angels are ministering spirits. They are not controlled by the limitations of the flesh. Angels are not accusers. They are ministering spirits to help the believers. They have a specific job, as you will see in the next Scripture.

Heb. 1:14 "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"

Notice in the following Scripture, that the angel did not rebuke the devil. The Lord rebuked the devil.

Jude 1:9 "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee."

This is the same method Christians must use, as well. The name of Jesus rebukes the evil one. We have no power in our own name. It is the power in His name that succeeds.

Power and might (ἰσχύΐ καὶ δυνάμει)

Rev., might and power. The radical idea of ἰσχύς, might, is that of indwelling strength, especially as embodied: might which inheres in physical powers organized and working under individual direction, as an army' which appears in the resistance of physical organisms, as the earth, against which one dashes himself in vain: which dwells in persons or things, and gives them influence or value: which resides in laws or punishments to make them irresistible. This sense comes out clearly in the New Testament in the use of the word and of its cognates. Thus, Love the Lord thy God with all thy strength (Mark 12:30): “according to the working of his mighty power” (Eph. 1:19). So the kindred adjective ἰχσυρός. A strong man (Mat. 12:29): a mighty famine (Luke 15:14): his letters are powerful (2Cor. 10:10): a strong consolation (Heb. 6:18): a mighty angel (Rev. 18:21). Also the verb ἱσχύω. “It is good for nothing” (Mat. 5:13): “shall not be able” (Luke 13:24): “I can do all things” (Phlp. 4:13): “availeth much” (Jas. 5:16).

Δύναμις is rather ability, faculty: not necessarily manifest, as ἰσχύς: power residing in one by nature. Thus ability (Mat. 25:15): virtue (Mark 5:30): power (Luke 24:29; Acts 1:8; 1Cor. 2:4): “strength of sin” (1Cor. 15:56). So of moral vigor. “Strengthened with might in the inner man” (Eph. 3:16): “with all might (Col. 1:11). It is, however, mostly power in action, as in the frequent use of δυνάμεις for miracles, mighty works, they being exhibitions of divine virtue. Thus “power unto salvation” (Rom. 1:16): the kingdom coming in power” (Mark 9:1): God himself called power - “the right hand of the power” (Mat. 26:64), and so in classical Greek used to denote the magistrates or authorities. Also of the angelic powers (Eph. 1:21; Rom. 8:38; 1Pet. 3:22). Generally, then, it may be said that while both words include the idea of manifestation or of power in action, ἰσχύς emphasizes the outward, physical manifestations, and δύναμις the inward, spiritual or moral virtue. Plato (“Protagoras,” 350) draws the distinction thus: “I should not have admitted that the able (δυνατοὺς) are strong (ἰσχυροὺς), though I have admitted that the strong are able. For there is a difference between ability (δύναμιν) and strength (ἰσχύν). The former is given by knowledge as well as by madness or rage; but strength comes from nature and a healthy state of the body. Aristotle (“Rhet.,” i., 5) says “strength (ἰσχὺς) is the power of moving another as one wills; and that other is to be moved either by drawing or pushing or carrying or pressing or compressing; so that the strong (ὁ ἰσχυρὸς) is strong for all or for some of these things.”

Railing judgment

Compare Jude 1:9; Zec. 3:1, 3:9.

False teachers were doing things even angels would not do, namely, slander such beings. One might expect stronger and more powerful beings (good angels) to criticize less powerful beings (fallen angels), but that is simply not allowed in the presence of the Lord (cf. Jude 1:8-9). Yet so great was the pride of these slanderers that it knew no bounds in their attack on all who disagreed with their teachings. Even so, they were totally ignorant of the very things they blasphemed (2Pet. 2:12; cf. Jude 1:10).

2 Peter 2:12 "But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;"

as natural brute... Jude 10. The false teachers have no sensitivity to the power and presence of demons or holy angels, but like wild animals, insubordinate, insolent, and arrogant, they charge into the supernatural realm, cursing away at persons and matters they don’t understand.

Like animals that are void of reason, following depraved instincts.

taken and destroyed... Since they live like beasts that are born … to be captured and killed, the false teachers will be killed like beasts. False teachers cannot get beyond their own instincts and thus will be destroyed by the folly of those passions.

We must leave the judgment to Jesus. Judge not, that you be not judged. We, many times, do not have all the facts in, before we begin to judge. Notice: The word natural which is speaking of a man who is operating in the flesh. He is not a spirit man. The flesh must die that the spirit might live. Look at the following Scripture with me.

Gal.6:8 "For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

It is a dangerous thing to judge others. With the same judgment we judge, we shall be judged.

As natural brute beasts made to be taken and destroyed

This massing of epithets is characteristic of Peter. Natural (φυσικὰ), Rev., mere animals, should be construed with made, or as Rev., born (γεγεννημένα). Brute (ἄλογα), lit., unreasoning or irrational. Rev., without reason. Compare Acts 25:27. Beasts (ζῶα). Lit., living creatures, from ζάω, to live. More general and inclusive than beasts, since it denotes strictly all creatures that live, including man. Plato even applies it to God himself. Hence Rev., properly, creatures. To be taken and destroyed (εἰς ἅλωσιν καὶ φθοράν). Lit., for capture and destruction. Destruction twice in this verse, and with a cognate verb. Render the whole, as Rev., But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed.

Speak evil (βλασφημοῦντες)

Participle. Rev., rightly, railing. Compare 2Pet. 2:10, 2Pet. 2:11.

And shall utterly perish in their own corruption (ἐν τῇ φθορᾷ αὐτῶν καὶ φθαρήσονται)

There is a play upon the words, which the Rev. reproduces by rendering, “shall in their destroying surely be destroyed.” The and, which in the A. V. connects this and the preceding sentence, is rather to be taken with shall be destroyed, as emphasizing it, and should be rendered, as Rev., surely, or as others, even or also. Compare on the whole verse Jude 1:10.

They Are Animalistic

The false teachers of the first century were like brute beasts. They operated from instinct, which was locked into their sin nature, rather than from rational choice. Creatures of instinct translates the one Greek word physika, belonging to nature. They followed their natural desires. Like animals in a jungle, their only value was in being caught and destroyed (cf. Jude 1:10). This harsh language from Peter is an indication of how serious he considered these heresies to be. Like beasts they too will perish is literally, in their corruption (phthora) they too shall be corrupted (phtharēsontai), an interesting play on words (cf. corrupted in Eph. 4:22). Corruption here probably means eternal punishment.