This second chapter is a continuation of chapter one. As stated before in this web site, the verses and chapters were put in the Bible long after it was compiled into 66 books, and each one of the New Testament epistles was/is a letter never intended by the authors to be split up into chapters. So it is always advisable to read the last few verses of a previous chapter before reading the chapter to be studied in order to have the continuity of message
Verse 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.
This prophetic word from the Apostle Peter is true, especially today with the printing of the many false “bible” versions out there that have captivated believers and non-believers alike. This writer uses a lower case b in bible as only the true word of God should be capitalized and false bibles are not the word of God. They are all copyrighted, indicating that they are the words of man, not of God. A copyright is the exclusive legal right given to the originator or an assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material and to authorize others to do the same. Usually, people can only reproduce up to 500 words of these fake bibles. To copy or use more words, people have to contact the publisher for permission. Did God give any publisher or agent or assignee the right to dictate how His Word was to be used and how much of it can be used by people? Did God give any publisher the exclusive right to change any of His written Word or to add to it? Of course not. God does not fall under man-made legal rules, regulations, statutes, or commercial codes. Using false bible versions makes any pastor, evangelist, Bible study leader, or Sunday school teacher a false prophet because prophecy in Scripture is not foretelling the future, but it is bringing forth the word of God. This writer can be considered a prophet because this web site, based solely on the uncopyrighted King James Bible, is explaining and bringing forth the Word of God. Street evangelists are operating in the role of a prophet when preaching and explaining the Word of God to people walking by them. When testifying to a neighbor or friend and using Scripture and explaining it, the individual is operating in the role of a prophet. Extreme caution should be used when messing with God and His Word because, as the Apostle Peter stated above, people who misuse it and teach or bring in “damnable heresies” bring judgement upon themselves that can lead to destruction both physically and spiritually. Think about it.
When attempting to find out how many denominations called “christian” exist in the world today, the number ranges from 500 to 40,000. If each denomination has created and is teaching it’s own doctrines, then it is easy to see that false teachers and false prophets abound. Some churches are teaching doctrine that is so far removed from the truth of the Scripture, that the Jesus they refer to is also false. A book that demonstrates just how far some “christian” churches have strayed from the truth of the Gospel is Texe Marrs’ book, “Pastors and Churches Gone Wild”. So which one of these denominations is correct? Are any of these denominations correct? You do the research and decide.
Verses 2-3 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 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.
The Greek word translated as “pernicious ways” is “apoleia” and it means destruction, ruin, or a perishing. So the Apostle Peter is saying that to follow the ways of these false prophets and teachers leads to a destruction spiritually and sometimes physically which will lead to eternal misery in Hell. Furthermore, these false prophets and teachers, which includes false Bible versions as they are a source of learning, because they are twisting the truth and professing error, will end up presenting Jesus and the Gospel in a false and negative manner. The Greek word translated as “evil” is “blasphemeo” which means to speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, blaspheme, or to speak evil of. Why do people commit this evil against the LORD and His Church? For personal gain, usually financial. The publishing companies generate huge amounts of money selling all their fake bibles, and when the profits dwindle, they just produce a “new and improved” version that people have to have after listening to their slick and misleading advertising. Usually the version is touted as “easier to read and understand”. One example of this propaganda was the original NIV versus the King James Bible. The NIV was sold in massive amounts because it was supposed to be easier to read. This writer stupidly bought and used one for quite a few years before going back to the KJV. But on a readability scale, the King James Bible is readable/understandable at a fifth grade level whereas the NIV (the non-inspired version) was readable/understandable at a tenth to twelfth grade level. Many televangelists reap a harvest of money from viewers who cannot discern their marketing ploy and who genuinely believe they are helping the Kingdom of God through their financial sacrifice. As the Apostle Peter states above, these phonies “with feigned words make merchandise (use a person or a thing for gain) of” their viewers and followers. And these phonies then invest in private jets, gold toilet seats, air conditioned dog houses, and massive mansions. This is blaspheming God and His Word, plain and simple.
Application: “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” Luke 12:2 The Apostle Peter states in verse 3 above that these false prophets and teachers will be judged and damned to Hell. Many of the false televangelists that spoke over the airwaves on radio and TV have been shown to be evil men and women just getting rich from the gullible people who donate to their ministry, and several have landed in prison. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7 God is patient and God is kind, but when He exhausts His goodness towards people, He judges them and punishes them, if not in this physical life, in the eternal life to come. Remember that eternity is for everyone, some in Heaven, but others in Hell.
Verse 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;
Not a lot is known about the angelic rebellion that occurred in Heaven that resulted in a third of the created beings commonly called “angels” being cast out of Heaven. Nor is it known when this event occurred: before the Creation of Earth, the sun and the moon and the stars, or after the Creation. What is known is that these fallen angels chose to follow Lucifer/Satan and that Jesus referred to them as devils. But according to the verse above, some of these fallen angels were cast into Hell, while others are freely interfering with the affairs of mankind. Apparently, these fallen angels are not in the Lake of Fire yet, but are in Hell as they are awaiting judgement. “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:14-15
Application: Why are the rebellious angels referred to as “fallen”? Because they fell from God’s grace and lost their place and position in Heaven. Christian believers can also fall away from the LORD and, just as the fallen angels, lose their spiritual place and position in the Kingdom of God. Think about it.
Verse 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;
The true history of Noah and the flood is found in the book of Genesis, chapters 6-9. “And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” Genesis 6:13
Verse 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;
The true history of the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha is found in the book of Genesis, chapters 18-19. “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;” Genesis 19:24
Verses 7-8 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
“And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.” Genesis 19:29
Verse 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:
The Greek word translated as “godly” is “eusebes” and it means pious or dutiful. The Greek word translated as “temptations” is “peirasmos” and it means a trial of man’s fidelity, integrity, virtue, and constancy and/or an enticement to sin. The Apostle Peter is saying that God will help and care for the godly so that they do not sin, and keep the ungodly until they are judged and sentenced and punished on His time schedule.
Verses 10-11 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. 11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
Who are these “unjust”? Those men and women who reject the LORD and walk according to the desires of their flesh, the things of this world, and the leading of devils. The Greek word translated as “despise” is “kataphroneo” and it means to think little or nothing of. The Greek word translated as “government” is “kuriotes” and it means one who possesses dominion or lordship.
Application: Contrary to some teachings today in the organized, evangelical churches, this is not referring to secular government. The Apostle Peter was under secular Roman rule and he would have stated the Roman government if he had been referring to it instead of just using the one word, government. He was/is talking about the lordship of Jesus Christ over the Christian Church and about the system of governing by which the churches were to function. Using this verse to teach that Christian believers must obey the secular government that they live under and that is totally anti-Christ is contrary to Scripture and nonsensical. Secular governments violate God’s law and the divine rights God has given to mankind every day of the year. They deserve to be despised. This is not to say that believers should deliberately break the rules, codes, and laws put in place by secular government. As far as is possible, believers are to live at peace. But they do not have to like those rules, codes, and laws, and if the man-made rules, codes, and laws violate God’s law, they are free to break them as needed. God’s law, or common law, trumps man-made governmental regulation.
This is how God described man-made government when the house of Israel demanded a king to rule them rather than the LORD as recorded in 1 Samuel 8:11-18. Clearly, governments of and by men make merchandise of their people and place them in servitude.
And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.
The Greek word translated as “presumptuous” is “tolmetes” and it means a daring man. The English dictionary definition is “failing to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate”.
The Greek word translated as “self-willed” is “authades” and it means self-pleasing or arrogant, the definition of arrogant being “having or revealing an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities”.
The Greek word translated as “speak evil” is “blasphemeo” which means to rail at, revile, or blaspheme. The English dictionary definition of “blaspheme” is “to speak irreverently about God or sacred things”.
The Greek word translated as “dignities” is “doxa” and it means opinion, judgment, view, estimate, splendor or brightness. The English word, dignity, comes from this Greek word. In the NT it usually refers to a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honor, and glory. It occurs 168 times in Scripture and is translated 145 times as “glory”, 10 times as “glorious”, 6 times as “honor”, 4 times as “praise”, 2 times as “dignity”, and 1 time as “worship”. Please note that the word is not the noun, dignities, referring to a person or persons with a high or honorable rank or position. It has been taught this way in many congregations, again in the attempt to convince people that they have to be subservient to secular governments and to the individuals holding positions of power in those governments so that truthful criticism of the behavior and actions of these entities is stifled.
So putting all these words together with their definitions, the verse above is describing men and women who are against God, His people, and His Word. The Apostle Peter compares the audacity of these unjust men and women to the behavior and actions of the angels which are far superior in knowledge, power and strength, but which will not utter speech against the things of God. Angels, both righteous and fallen, know their place. Most people, unfortunately, do not and insult the LORD God Almighty on a daily basis.
Verses 12-13 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; 13 And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
The Greek word translated as “natural” is “phusikos” and it means produced by nature, inborn, or governed by the instincts of nature. The Greek word translated as “brute” is “alogos” and it means unreasonable, destitute of reason, or absurd. And the Greek word translated as “beasts” is “zoon” and it means a living being or an animal. The Greek word translated as “made” is “gennao” and it means to be born, to bring forth, or to be begotten. The Greek word translated as “taken” is “halosis” and it means a catching, capture, or to be taken. The Greek word translated as “destroyed” is “phthora” and it means corruption, destruction or perishing. In the Christian sense it can mean eternal misery in Hell. So, these unjust people are living and operating in their natural sinful flesh and therefore are unreasonable living beings who were born to be eventually taken and destroyed both in the physical life and in the spiritual life by God. They seem to be beyond redemption.
In the old Temple system, animals that were to be sacrificed as sin offerings, etc., were to be without spot or blemish. The Greek word translated as “spots” is “spilos” and it means a spot, fault, or blemish. The Greek word translated as “blemishes” is “momos” and it means blemish, blot, disgrace, or men who are a disgrace to society. And the Greek word translated as “sporting” is “entruphao” which means to revel in or to take delight in. So these people the Apostle Peter is talking about are those that are not acceptable to God and who, apparently, were fellow shipping with the Christian believers.
Please note: The Apostle Peter was not in any way trying to malign the animal kingdom that God has created when he used the words “brute beasts”. He was using the word as it can be used today to mean an unpleasant person or an inhumanly cruel, violent or depraved person.
Please note: This writer does not particularly enjoy defining all the Greek words. They are meticulously included in this web site so that the readers can look them up for themselves to ascertain that what is being said is indeed true regarding the interpretation and rendering of the Scripture words and verses. That being said, this writer is not immune to making mistakes, so every word written should be tested by each reader and not just be accepted as 100 percent correct.
Verses 14-16 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man’s voice forbad the madness of the prophet.
Metaphorically, the relationship between God and his people is described or likened to a marriage. So, metaphorically, an adulterer is one who plays the harlot spiritually by engaging in idolatry and being faithless to God and being apostate (abandoning or renouncing a religious or political belief or principle). The rest of the verses above seem to state that the people being spoken about were believers at one time who decided to go back to their life of sin prior to their conversion and who were infiltrating the Church with their actions, attitudes, and beliefs. People like this are dangerous spiritually, particularly to the new believer who does not have enough Scriptural knowledge yet to discern the truth from the lie. These people are capable of causing division in the Church.
The story of Balaam, the son of Beor, can be found in the book of Numbers starting in chapter 22.
Verse 17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.
The Apostle Peter continues to describe these unjust false prophets and teachers in terms of physical things that, on the surface, seem good. A well was a welcome sight to the weary and thirsty traveler and his animals until it was found to be dry and without water. A water-less well is of no value to anyone. Clouds bring needed rain and are a welcome site to the farmer or to those experiencing drought. But if they do not carry water but just bring destructive winds, they only increase the difficulties being experienced and are of no value to anyone. Likewise, false prophets and teachers that misused the Word of God are of no value to anyone and they only increase the difficulties found in a sinful and rebellious world.
Verses 18-19 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
What comes to the mind of this writer when reading these verses is the “name it and claim it” doctrine of many televangelists, passed and present. Their lying message is that God loves you, so He wants the best for you, and He will bless you with earthly blessings such as money, houses, relationships and so forth and all people have to do is claim what they want and God has to give it to them. While partially correct as God does love His people and He does bless them, these false prophets/teachers tell their followers that the way to force God to bless is to pray prayers claiming earthly things and by speaking them into existence. Then when riches come, they are to be shared with the televangelists and their organizations. One well known televangelist even stated that he could have died for the sins of the world instead of Jesus. These men and women who have a public platform are “the servants of corruption” as their triune god is fame, power and money. They are in bondage to sin and to Satan. Think about it.
Verses 20-22 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. (2 Peter 2)
The verses above support the truth that a Christian believer’s salvation is not secure until physical death when their spirit goes to Heaven to be with Jesus. The doctrine of eternal salvation is false, as stated elsewhere in this web site. “Once saved, always saved” is a lie. People are only saved if they remain faithful to the end of this physical life. Anytime along life’s journey a believer is free to, as stated by the Apostle Peter in verse 20 above and paraphrased by this writer, again get caught up in the sins of this world and then turn from following the LORD Jesus Christ. Then “. . . it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them”. Which holy commandment? “And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all they strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.” Luke 10:27