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VERSE 1:
Look with me at this verse of
Scripture today: "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." 2nd Peter 2:1
Notice we have
entered the little Epistle of 2nd Peter. That's
pronounced Second Peter. Years ago a Bible Teacher told
me that any SECOND Book in the New Testament was written to
COMBAT wrong teaching in some manner!
Second
Peter is no exception to that rule!
And our
verse today certainly serves as proof of that matter!
Peter
has just been talking about godly men, at the end of chapter
one. "In old time holy men of God spake as they were moved by
the Holy Ghost." He even went so far as to specifically call
them prophets. "We have a more sure Word of prophecy!" He also
mentions the "prophecy of the Scripture."
But ...
as he begins this second chapter ... no longer holy men of God
are in view, but unholy men who say they
are of God! No longer true prophets are being discussed, but
false teachers!
Surely
you see his inspired use of opposites here, an antithesis of
ideas!
In
fact, back in the old days ... there were false prophets too!
The Old Testament is full of them! "There
were false prophets also among the people."
Therefore we can expect false teachers among us yet today!
"There shall be false teachers among you!"
Then
Peter, having established the fact that such false teachers are
coming, seeks to describe them in three ways.
One,
"Who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies."
The
term "privily bring in" (in Greek = "pareisago") means to go
into a group in a stealthy manner. The literal translation is
"to lead in alongside!" The verb has through the years picked
up the sense of doing something in a sneaky way!
But
what will these people introduce to the Church?
"Damnable heresies!"
The
adjective here (in Greek = "apoleia") means dedicated to ruin or
loss or destruction!
The
noun (in Greek = "hairesis") means a teaching that splits or
divides a group into factions!
These
men teach doctrines that will bring destruction ... and that
drastically depart from the faith of the godly people of times
past.
Today
in our land this is happening!
Two,
They will be "even denying the Lord that
bought them."
The
verb "denying" is in Greek "arneomai"
and means "to say nothing!" I'm not sure Peter is implying that
these false teachers actually contradict or attack Jesus! They
just do not mention Him or emphasize Him or exalt Him at all!
They virtually ignore Him! They preach a Christ-less Gospel!
They
minimize the Lord that "bought"
them! This verb is interesting! It takes the word for the
public market, "agora," and gives it action: "to go to the
market place and purchase an item!" It's a picture of what
Jesus did on the Cross of Calvary! He paid the redemption price
(His Own Blood) to satisfy the righteousness of God ... so we
could be saved and go to heaven to be with him eternally! Of
course the verb is an "aorist," the price has been completely
paid ... for 2,00 years now! (Aorist = action completely
finished!) Jesus died ... even for this crowd of reprobates!
And
when these men finally do come, they will:
"Bring upon themselves swift destruction."
They of
course are here now!
But not
for long!
Jesus
is coming again ... to judge all such wickedness!
To
"bring upon oneself" (in Greek = "epago") suggests that what
happens to them is self-induced! God just allows their own
wickedness to come full circle in their lives!
"The wages of sin is ... DEATH!"
Romans 6:23
"Swift," (in Greek = "tachinos") as
an adjective, means quick! It is a "brief space of time." This
is a time "observation" taken from God's perspective
apparently! A thousand years with Him is but one day! 2nd
Peter 3:8
And
"destruction" is again the little
word "apoleia," which speaks of eternal death in hell itself.
Now ...
let me conclude this short exposition.
Again I
say, these "false teachers" are here!
They
are denying the Bible and the Lord and future judgment!
But ...
for sure ... God's Word will be fulfilled in their lives!
Exactly
as He said!
If you
are in a Church system that tolerates these theological
"liberals" and "enemies" of the Cross ... GET OUT!
Leave
today!
And
find a Church where the Word of God is preached in power!
Do not
be a partaker of the evil deeds of such ungodly men and women!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 2:
What are
"pernicious ways?"
These words
describe the false teachers of Second Peter chapter two.
Here are the
exact words: "And many shall follow their
pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be
evil spoken of." 2nd Peter 2:2
Apparently these
so-called "teachers" have great persuasive abilities.
"Many" will follow them. The Greek
word used here, "polus," can even mean the majority!
The verb
"follow" (in Greek = "exakoloutheo")
uses the root word for "road," which is "keleuthos." A highway
full of folks ... going after wicked but popular religious
leaders!
"Pernicious ways" translates "aselgeia,"
a noun meaning indecency or sensuality! Lewdness! Moral
filth! It has the idea of "unbridled lust." These men are
preachers who have lost their moral bearings long ago!
And godly Bible
belief is here designated as "the way of
truth!" It is common in the Book of Acts for the early
Christian faith to be so designated. Acts 19:23 gives an
example: "And
the same time there arose no small stir about
that way."
The verb
"evil spoken of" is a familiar word
in English. We have "borrowed" it from the Greeks! "Blasphemeo"
means to revile or rail or talk badly about someone! It is
injurious speech. True godly living is discredited by these
spiritual "fakes!" They hurt the cause of Christ!
Now, here is a
synopsis of these preachers and teachers about whom Peter is
warning the true Christians of his day:
They
are "pseudo" servants of God! False brethren!
They
are very popular and attract a great following!
They
are overly sexual and immoral in their lifestyles!
They
cause true Christianity to be blasphemed!
And
they will be judged of God!
I fear that
description fits a lot of preachers (or should I say
"clergymen") of today!
As I write these
words it is early Sunday morning. Here it's still dark.
Sunrise is still hours away, Lord willing.
Most of us will
get up and go to Church somewhere.
Nearly all you
readers here on this Web Site will go to good Bible-believing
Bible-preaching places of worship.
BUT just in case,
if you have doubts about where you are being fed your spiritual
food ... if you're experiencing some of these "new" teachings,
and are observing some "lax" standards of living ... or if your
"rapidly growing" Church has "many" people but no convictions,
and perhaps you have repeatedly heard of "questionable" morals
among the leaders ... GET OUT!
GET OUT NOW!
Put yourself
under the leadership of a godly preacher somewhere who loves the
Lord!
One who has been
saved and called to preach!
One who still
teaches the fundamentals of the Faith!
One who exalts
the Lord Jesus Christ!
One who has made
a few enemies along the way ... for preaching the Word of God
just like it is!
One who is above
moral reproach!
And one who has
maintained a faithful testimony through the years!
There ... where
He is feeding the sheep ... go and learn the Bible!
People of God,
where you eat spiritually does make a difference in your
Christian life!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 3:
What a startling revelation Peter
makes in his short second epistle! I mean the one in 2nd Peter
2:3 where he writes of certain false teachers.
"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 Holy Spirit
just told us that these "fake" and insincere preachers were
primarily motivated by plain old MONEY!
They
teach as they do and live as they do and and conduct their
so-called ministries as they do ... because of an innate desire
to make financial gain!
They
put the Gospel for sale!
That
little opening preposition "through"
is in the Greek Textus Receptus (from which the King James Bible
is translated) "en." That word "en" means just what it appears
to mean ... "within" or "inside" or "among!" These people are
enmeshed in "covetousness!" It is a key component of their very
lifestyle! They live in it! It motivates everything they do!
And do
note this. The noun "covetousness" is in Greek "pleonexia."
What does that mean? Here two Greek words are fused
together ... "pleion" meaning "more" ...and "echo" meaning "to
have or hold!" To get a little more ... then a little more ...
then a little more yet again! That's covetousness!
These
false preachers are greedy! Never satisfied or content!
They
will literally say anything to make a little more money!
They will change their doctrine to sell more books! Or preach
to larger congregations! Or move higher in their denominational
hierarchy!
Why do
I suggest that they will say anything for money's sake?
They
use "feigned" words!
This
adjective is the Greek word "plastos!" It is also our English
word "plastic!" It means that which can be easily shaped or
twisted or altered to fit any form you desire! That which is
molded or fabricated!
They
will change their words, their preaching, to fit the "times!"
They will be "politically correct" because ... it pays to be so!
The
noun "words" is "logos" which does
include their preaching and their writing and even their
conversation. Their deliberately chosen methods of
communication!
To
"make merchandise" of someone is to
literally sell them! This crowd of modernists (now often called
post-modernists) will sell their very convictions ... for the
right price! That verb, "make
merchandise," is "emporeuomai." In it you can see the
English term "emporium," which is a store or even a mall or any
place where goods are bought and sold! It, in the root sense of
the word, implies a traveling "salesman!"
Marketing people ... and the Word of God ... and souls ... and
one's very beliefs!
Doing
what's "popular" for money's sake!
"Emporeuomai"
is a verb that is here framed in the middle voice in
Greek! That means that these false teachers, in selling their
message and selfishly manipulating their people not only change
the lives (for the worse) of those who hear them ... but also
their lives are impacted in the process as well! They are
sending themselves to hell by their greedy acts!
Peter
quickly adds "their judgment ... 'lingereth'
not." This verb "argeo" combines "a" (meaning not) and "ergon"
(meaning work or energy)! Their judgment is on the way! It has
not stopped its journey! It is not inactive! Every day it gets
closer!
Plus
... their "damnation" (in Greek = "apoleia")
is coming! It is not "asleep!" That's exactly what "slumbereth"
means! "Their damnation slumbereth not."
And,
yes, "damnation" here does mean perdition! Jesus used it as
"destruction" in Matthew 7:13 --- "Enter
ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad
is the way, that leadeth to
destruction, and
many there be which go in thereat."
Wow!
In the
long run ... on the eternal scale ... these men (and women) are
going to pay a higher price for "selling" God's people than they
would have paid for staying true to the precious Word of God!
No
wonder Paul, writing to Preachers, said ...
"For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some
coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced
themselves through with many sorrows." 1st Timothy 6:10
Listen
to me today.
If you
have a Pastor who loves you and STANDS on the Word of God and
has not sold out
to advance himself ... let him know how very much you appreciate
him and his ministry!
I mean
let him know this week!
And if
you have a Pastor who has sold out ... or who is now for sale
... GET AWAY immediately! A preacher who will sell his
convictions and the miracles of the Bible and his beliefs on
sexuality and marriage and sin ... will also sell YOU the first
chance he gets!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 4:
Peter, much like Jude, refers to
some past judgment that fell upon the angelic world!
He plainly says:
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."
2nd Peter 2:4
Whatever this
event describes, God's wrath descended upon these angels!
They
were
not
"spared."
The
verb ("pheidomai") means "to treat leniently" or "to put up
with" or "to forbear."
Whatever these angels did ... must have been horrible to God!
They
likely were involved in the hideous sins mentioned in Genesis 6,
sins that ultimately led to the world-wide Flood in the days of
Noah!
By the
way, if you are saved God HAS "spared" you from an eternity in
Hell!
Why,
Preacher Bagwell?
BECAUSE
He "spared not" His Only Son Jesus!
Romans
8:32 illustrates my point. "He that
spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not with him also freely give us all things?"
Jesus
DIED for us!
But
back to the sinning angels ... WHAT did God do to them after
they sinned so terribly?
He
"cast them down to hell!"
This
whole clause is derived from one Greek verb, "tartaroo." It is
only used this single time in the whole Bible! It means "to
throw into outer darkness!" One dictionary says: "to
incarcerate in eternal torment!" To the Greek mind it was
identical to saying "to place in the lowest hell!"
And the
verb "deliver" ("paradidomai") just
means to hand over, to give or to entrust. God committed them
to "chains of darkness!"
Several
times in Scripture (both in the past with the plagues of Egypt
and in the future with God's coming bowls or vials filled with
doom) the Lord has used "darkness" as a form of punishment! The
word here ("zophos") means blackness or mist or gloom. It has a
root stem that means a "cloud."
Here
this terrible darkness is pictured as a weapon of restraint!
The word for chains ("seira") just means a rope or a line.
Bound by darkness! Eternally!
Some
liberals mock this and ask, "How can hell be a place of real
fire ... and a place of darkness at the same time?"
Well,
have you ever seen a microwave oven?
It's
dark ... and fiery hot too!
If puny
mankind can discover dark fire ... I reckon our Creator God can
combine "outer darkness with fire and brimstone" any time He
chooses!
These
sinning angels are "reserved" unto
judgment! This verb "tereo" means guarded ... or watched
carefully ... or even held fast! In the present tense, this
action is constant!
What
Peter is doing here in the Text is warning anyone who might be
ready to follow certain "false teachers!"
They,
by their words and deeds, are inviting the judgment of God!
Their
followers will face the same end!
And
God, Who spared not even the angels that sinned ... will NOT
spare these rebels either!
WE
should heed the warning!
Stay
faithful and true to God and His Word!
How
fearful is this verse ... 2nd 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 ...."
Thank
God today for His great Mercy!
The
very Mercy He extended to you through the shed Blood of Jesus
Christ our Lord!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 5:
Peter is giving a warning!
Judgment is
coming!
The Apostle's
holy wrath is directed against a group he calls
"false teachers."
He said they
would appear at some future time ... in the Church!
They, although
sinful in how they live and in what they believe, will lead many
astray.
This
crowd, like the people of Noah's day, will suffer "swift
destruction" from the Hands of God!
Now
today's Bible Lesson would not be very pertinent ... except for
this fact; those false teachers and preachers are here today!
They
have arrived!
They
are living sinfully, indulging in sensual pleasures at will!
They
are denying the Lord Jesus, our Saviour!
They
are "money" minded, to the point of "selling" their very
beliefs!
They
are causing the Truth to be blasphemed too!
Peter
was right!
And
they also, again according to Peter, face a rapidly approaching
judgment!
Listen
to 2nd Peter 4:5. "And (God) 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."
This
Spirit inspired illustration is obviously given with these
"false teachers" in mind.
Some
day again God will judge this wicked world!
Peter
here mentions the existence of the "old world." The adjective
"old" translates "archaios" and means "from the beginning!" See
in this Greek word our terms "archaeology" and "archaic."
And
that old world was destroyed because of sin!
We now,
still using Bible thoughts, live in "the present world."
Galatians 1:4 calls it "this present evil
world!" It too shall be destroyed due to sin!
Back to
Peter ... "But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall
pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein
shall be burned up." 2nd Peter 3:10
Then
comes a "new earth!" Peter continues ...
"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens
and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2nd
Peter 3:13
Now let
John speak: "And I saw a new heaven and a
new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed
away; and there was no more sea." Revelation 21:1
The old
earth, the present earth, and a future new earth!
The
first two were judged and destroyed because of man's excessive
and pervasive wickedness ... but the last is cleansed, sin-free,
spotless forever!
Yes,
"the world of the ungodly" is yet
again facing catastrophe!
And
that includes ... especially includes ... false teachers and
preachers!
Their
judgment is particularly severe!
Just as
Jesus directed his strongest words to the false and hypocritical
religious crowd, the Scribes, Pharisees and Chief Priests of His
day, so does Peter target the religious "salesmen" and
"entertainers" and "fakes" of his time!
Folks,
the warning is clear, very clear!
Have
NOTHING to do with them!
To
associate with them just might make you "partaker of their evil
deeds!" 2nd John Verse 11 says that very thing!
"For he that biddeth him God speed is
partaker of his evil deeds."
Be SURE
you and your loved ones are hearing the TRUTH week after week,
sitting under the ministry of a real Man of God, not a false
teacher!
Jesus,
in view of the Flood of Noah's time, said:
"And as it was in the days of Noe, so
shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat,
they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage,
until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came,
and destroyed them all." Luke 17:26-27
Be sure
today that you are right with God!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 6:
Peter was not afraid of
controversial issues!
He was a preacher
of judgment!
Coming judgment
upon sin!
He even uses
Sodom and Gomorrah as examples!
"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." 2nd Peter 2:6
This
verse describes for us God's actions against those sinful
cities!
The
opening verb, "tephroo," means to "incinerate" something! To
burn it up! Its "root" stem is "tephra," which just means ashes.
The
Greek word for "cities" is "polis." It's derived from "pollus,"
which means "many." A city is a place where "many" live! We
use this term in English yet today. A large city is often
called a metropolis.
One
reliable source for word meanings teaches that "Sodom" means
"burning" and Gomorrah means "submersion!" Then ... both these
places lived up to their names! They were destroyed by fire and
eventually covered by the waters of the Dead Sea!
What's
the meaning of the name of your city?
Now
remember, this is GOD Who is judging these cities! Our Lord is
"condemning" them! (This verb, "katakrino," is very strong in
force! Twice in the New Testament it is rendered "damn." To
pronounce impending doom!
Yes,
God is a God of love! But also He is a God who despises sin!
Now,
look at the word "overthrow!" It is spelled "katastrophe!"
Change the opening "k" to a "c" and notice what you have.
Catastrophe! God sent these wicked places "catastrophe!"
Suggest that today and the whole nation will attack you!
Literally the word "overthrow" means "to twist" ("strepho")
"down" ("kata"). To grasp something and yank it a time or two!
Now ...
here are some of today's "key" words: "making them an example!"
Sodom
... as an example to sinners yet today!
"Making" translates "tithemi," to appoint or to place or to set
or to establish or even to ordain! (Sense of time here:
"Perfect!" The verb indicates action that is long since
complete ... but still has an on-going impact!) God is STILL
using those wicked places as object lessons!
"Example" means a "pattern," or even an "advertisement" or a
"signpost," a "billboard" for public announcements!
Maybe
we should preach about Sodom, Gomorrah and their sins more
often! They are warning signs to a lost world!
Even
the verb "should" is highly significant! It translates "mello,"
meaning "intending" or "having in mind!" To those today who
PLAN to live like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah ... better
take note!
And the
verb "live ungodly" is just "asebeo." It means living NOT ("a")
REVERENTLY ("sebomai"). Living with contempt toward God!
Without worship! At least "sebo" is translated "worship" 6
times in the King James New Testament.
Yes,
SIN is still sin!
And God
is still judging it!
But do
remember this also.
Jesus
died for sinners!
He
loves and forgives those who come to God by Him!
The
judgment of these cities was senseless!
They
could have avoided such sin!
And so
could America!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 7:
Today's verse clearly illustrates
why we must compare Scripture with Scripture!
Do your best to
learn ALL the Bible says about your subject!
The Apostle
Peter, describing Lot the nephew of Abraham, writes:
"just Lot, vexed with the filthy
conversation of the wicked."
The full verse,
2nd Peter 2:7, states: God ... "delivered
just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked."
Look at
that first adjective!
"Just" Lot!
The
Greek term used here is "dikaios" and means upright or
righteous! In God's Eyes, this man was "justified!"
Dare I
say it?
Lot was
a SAVED man!
Without
this verse ... I would have never made that statement!
Based
solely upon the Bible history we have of Lot, in the Old
Testament Scriptures, he appears to be a carnal, worldly,
hypocrite. He acts more interested in money and fame than in
spiritual matters for sure!
He
lives in a questionable place and leads a dangerous lifestyle!
He lost
his whole family ... due to sin!
Yet
Peter, under Holy Spirit inspiration, calls him "just" Lot!
I am so
glad God is the Judge of such matters!
Here is
a case where Brother Bagwell's assessment of Lot would have been
WRONG! No way, apart from 2nd Peter 2:7, would I have ever call
Lot a saved man!
But I
believe the Bible!
I must
be willing to: "Let God be true, but
every man a liar," as Paul says in Romans 3:4.
"Just" Lot!
Not
only was Lot justified or saved ... he was "vexed" with the sin
around him! Remember that he lived in Sodom!
The
verb here, "kataponeo," means "to be tired or exhausted" with
hard labor! The root word used means toil or anguish!
The
only other time this word is used in the Bible:
"And (Moses) seeing one of them
suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that
was oppressed,
and smote the Egyptian." Acts 7:24 (Using this meaning,
the sin of Sodom was pressing hard on old Lot! It was a heavy
load for him to bear! It had tired him to exhaustion!
Sin
always does!
Daniel
tells us that the coming Anti-Christ will seek to:
"wear out the saints of the most High."
Daniel 7:25
Sin
harasses and scars and ultimately destroys what it touches!
The
verb "vexed," describing Lot, is a present participle too! The
"action" was continuous! Lot apparently was miserable during
his time in Sodom!
Yet ...
please understand this: He should have left that wicked city!
Better
yet ... he should have never been there!
Nothing
in our 2nd Peter verse says otherwise!
"Conversation" means one's manner
of life. It literally describes ("anastrophe") how one turns
bask and forth in his or her daily living, where one goes and
who one sees and what one says and how one acts!
And the
"lifestyle" of Sodom was "filthy!"
That adjective, "aselgeia," means "filled with unbridled lust,
lascivious, wanton!" It means sin that is bad ...and the sinner
does not care who knows it! It describes bold sin, rebellious
sin, sin on the attack! Blatant sin! Activist sin! Reprobate
sin!
A real
Christian can't stand that kind of wickedness!
Keep in
mind that our verse today is set in a context of Scripture that
describes a plague of "false teachers" in the Church!
They
are "filthy" in their thinking!
They
are outspoken in their rebellion again the God of Scripture!
(Today
they have even "invented" a new Jesus! In contradistinction to
the Jesus of the Gospels, they call their "new" Man the
"historical Jesus!" Let me say this: The Jesus of the Bible IS
The historical Jesus! No discrepancy exists between the truth
of history and the truth of the Bible! God's Word is Truth! In
John 17:17 Jesus, praying to His Father in Heaven, declared:
"Thy Word is Truth!")
Believers today should be "vexed" with the sins of the wicked!
We
also, unlike Lot, should "come out from
among them and be separate!" 2nd Corinthians 6:17
False
teachers, sensual preachers, ungodly religionists --- all must
be "marked" and avoided immediately!
Or
else, your righteous souls will be "vexed!"
Sin
will drain your moral and spiritual strength!
Sin is
the saint's dreaded enemy!
Oh, one more thing needs to be
said!
As bad as Lot's situation had
become, the Lord still "delivered" him!
The verb used here is "ruomai" and
each of the eighteen times it's used in the New Testament it is
rendered "deliver" or "delivered!" One of those times
however it becomes a proper Name: "The Deliverer!"
Folks, That's Jesus! "And so all
Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of
Sion the Deliverer,
and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." Romans
11:26
It means "to rescue!"
God rescued Lot out of that pit of
sin ... just before the fire fell!
When Jesus taught His Disciples how
to pray, He included "deliver us
from evil!" That's our verb "ruomai!"
Sometimes God just answers His Own prayer! He rescued Lot!
One of these day I believe He's
going to execute another Rescue!
This one is called The Rapture!
It too will remove His saints from
a wicked world!
And it will occur just before
another Judgment falls!
The Tribulation!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 8:
The Bible says that Lot, while
living in the ancient city of Sodom, was influenced by what he
saw and heard!
One of the
dangers of living in such a wicked place is exactly that!
"For that righteous man (Lot) dwelling
among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous
soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds."
2nd Peter 2:8
The
word used for "seeing" is "blemma" and means "that which is
seen!"
Likewise the Greek noun for "hearing" ("akoe") means "that which
is heard," or simply a "report!"
But
what did Lot see and hear?
Something about "unlawful deeds!"
Rebels
pursue lives that are "anomos." (Here "a" means no or not ...
and "nomos" means law, especially the Law of God!)
They
rejected God's standards!
They
may have even kicked the Ten Commandments out of public life!
The
noun "deeds" is spelled "ergon," and means works! (You can see
our English word "energy" in it!)
What
Lot saw and what he heard brought great detriment to his soul!
And those things virtually sent his family to Hell!
What a
warning to us today!
We too
live in an increasingly wicked society.
In
front of our eyes and ears ... are many "unlawful deeds." These
are too easily available day after day and night after night.
And
they still carry spiritual consequences!
What do
these wicked sights and sounds do to a man's soul? Or to a
woman's?
They
"vex" our souls!
The
verb Peter used for "vex" is "basanizo" and has real depth of
meaning! It is used in the King James Bible a dozen times. The
majority of them (8) it is translated "tormented!"
See
Matthew 8:6 for an example. A man seeking healing for his
servant said to Jesus ... "Lord, my
servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously
tormented."
Sin
"torments" a truly born-again, Blood-washed righteous soul!
"Vexed"
also has this nautical idea: "tossed by the waves of the sea!"
In Matthew 14:24 I have capitalized our word "basanizo,"
translated a bit differently: "But the
ship was now in the midst of the sea,
tossed with
waves: for the wind was contrary."
Sin
"agitates" and "upsets" a godly soul!
And In
Revelation 12:2 the word is used for a woman's agony during
childbirth! "And she being with child
cried, travailing in birth, and
pained to be
delivered."
Sin
hurts one's soul!
Of
course, one does not always HAVE to be around such wickedness!
The
Holy Spirit in 2nd Peter 2:8 specifically tells us that Lot
"dwelt" (active voice) in that sinful environment! He could
have moved!
The
verb "dwelling" is "egkatoikeo." Here goes the definition: ""Ek"
means "out of." Then "kata" means "down." And the root "oikeo"
means to live in a house! Those two prefixes literally
intensify the action being described!
Lot
chose to live in Sodom!
He
adamantly built his house there!
He was
NOT going to move away either!
Even
knowing the spiritual danger Sodom posed, Lot was resolute in
remaining in town!
His
reasons I do no know.
May be
family.
Or
money ... jobs.
Or
convenience.
Whatever ... it cost him his wife and his daughters and his own
spiritual welfare!
Folks,
see the danger of sin?
And,
remember, Peter used this example of Lot as a warning against
being around false teachers! False prophets! Religious
hypocrites! Apostasy!
This
week-end, as we all go to Church, keep this in mind.
WHERE
you live matters!
WHERE
your Church membership is located can be absolutely critical!
WHERE
you feed spiritually often dictates the condition of your very
soul!
AVOID
liberal sinful preachers!
They
are enemies to your spiritual welfare!
Lot was
extremely unwise in his decision to be so closely associated
with Sodom!
And,
Christian Friends, the spirit of Sodom is moving into America a
little more every day we live!
"Love not the world, neither the things
that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of
the Father is not in him." 1st John 2:15
That's
plain!
Of
course Lot did not have access to that New Testament verse, did
he?
But we
do!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
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."
2nd Peter 2:9
I believe we here have an example
of "antithesis" in a verse of Scripture. This literary
feature is found in hundreds of places in the Bible.
Opposites are here placed side by side!
The verse easily divides into two
equal parts:
"The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations"
... and ...
"to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished."
On one side are the "godly" people
... on the other, the "unjust!"
On one side God "delivers" some ...
on the other He "reserves" some!
On one side God restrains sin ...
on the other He does not!
On one side God "rescues" from
punishment ... on the other He allows "judgment!"
Based upon these observations, the
word "temptations" must carry the idea of evil or sin or
ungodliness!
God can keep His Own from such
filth!
If you are having trouble accepting
the fact that God can KEEP you from sinning, read Genesis 20:6.
God is talking to a heathen king named Abimelech.
"And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I
know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart;
for I also withheld thee
from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to
touch her." The Lord would NOT let that man "touch"
Sarah, Abraham's wife!
Remember the Lord's prayer:
"Lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil!"
Even the so-called Jabez prayer
includes this thought: "that Thou
wouldest keep me from evil."
God can do that!
We Believers MUST pray this every
day!
On the other hand ... those who
have sinned profusely, especially the "false teachers" Peter has
in mind here, have so fallen into sin that they are being
"reserved" unto punishment!
That verb, "tereo," means to guard
or watch or "hold fast!" They're just not getting away
from God's mighty Hand of Judgment!
And the noun "judgment" is in Greek
spelled "krisis." It has become an English word too!
Crisis!
Sin leads one to crisis!
Then "to be punished," in Greek "kolazo,"
means "to prune or cut off!" Hence, to punish! God
will some day "cut down" the wicked! Their swollen pride
will be "reduced" to its proper size!
Here in one short verse ...
"The Lord knoweth
how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the
unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished"
... we see our great God PROTECTING the godly and
PUNISHING the unjust!
If you're saved ... thank God today
that you belong to Him!
He is The Holy God!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 10:
Simon Peter is describing a group of
false teachers, hypocrite preachers!
He summarizes
their wicked traits, placing them into two categories.
Here they are:
"But chiefly them that walk after the
flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government."
Then, being led
of the Holy Spirit, he elaborates just a bit.
"Presumptuous are they, selfwilled,
they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities."
These words are
taken from 2nd Peter 2:10, near the end of the Bible.
The two
categories of which I speak are: lust ... and rebellion!
Lust:
"They walk after the flesh in the lust of
uncleanness!"
Rebellion:
"They despise government!"
That verb walk
(in Greek = "poreuomai") means to travel from one place to
another and often pictures one's lifestyle.
These people live
according to the desires of their evil flesh, not according to
the dictates of the Holy Spirit!
The noun "lust"
("epithumia") means strong desire! Passion! A craving or
longing for something ... here something wicked.
And "uncleanness"
is "miasmos." The word means that which stains or defiles or
contaminates! In the New Testament it usually refers to the act
itself, whatever that may be, that pollutes one's soul and
spirit!
This bunch of
preachers Peter is targeting are sensual, addicted to
uncontrolled sexual lusts! (Things like pornography, lewd
movies, ungodly books, "affairs" with women or men ...
fornication and adultery, roaming eyes, wicked imaginations ...
"fantasies!")
Then ... they
"despise governments!"
"Kataphroneo"
just means "to think" ("phroneo") or have an opinion that is
"down" ("kata") on something or someone. To belittle! To
disrespect! To think against someone! To disesteem them!
And "government"
is "kuriotes," the common Greek word for those who rule! "Kurios"
is the word for "Lord" also!
These men are
rebels!
They will not
obey traditional authority!
Revolutionaries
... with no morals!
YET PETER SAYS
THEY WILL FILL THE PULPITS OF THE LAND IN EVER INCREASING
NUMBERS!
But what does it
mean when they are said to be "presumptuous?"
The root word
implies "daring extreme conduct!" "Tolma" in Greek means
boldness, in a bad sense here! They "push the envelope" as they
venture into more and more ungodliness!
Now, get this
word "selfwilled." "Authades" combines the words "self"
("autos") and "desire" ("hedone"). They are self-centered
hedonists! They live for physical pleasure! Sensual
excitement!
And "afraid,"
instead of being some form of "phobos," is instead the verb "tremo."
See in it our idea "to tremble!" We should tremble in fear and
refrain from speaking evil of those God has placed in
authority! But these men do not!
They "speak evil"
of dignities.
The verb is "blasphemeo"
and means to (verbally) inflict injury! "Blapto" means to
hinder, then to injure or hurt! "Pheme" is a saying or
statement of some kind!
And "dignities"
are "doxas" in Greek! Usually the word for "glory," here it
implies those who should be accounted with honor and reputation
and respect!
These so-called
"preachers" are dedicated to upsetting and overthrowing God's
established order ... both in the Church and often in the
Government!
They have no
purity or self-control!
And no meekness
or humility either!
Traits which are
necessary in a real Man of God's life!
God deliver us
from such spiritual hucksters!
Thank God today
for the Preachers you know who really love the Lord and live
pure lives!
They will
increasingly be in the minority as we near Jesus' Second Coming!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 11:
The Apostle then adds: "Whereas
angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing
accusation against them before the Lord." 2nd Peter
2:11
Prior to verse 11, we have just been told
that these false teachers "are not afraid
to speak evil of dignities."
Then Peter adds the interesting viewpoint of
our current verse here.
Even the angels of God would not do what
these apostates regularly practice!
Jude says, in a parallel passage:
"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." Jude 9
But these "false teachers" are just men!
Yet they unreservedly "phero blasphemos
krisis." They "bring railing accusation" against those in
authority!
They bear injurious judgment against those
who deserve God-given respect!
Peter informs us that the angels are greater in "power" (spelled
"ischus") and "strength" (here, "dunamis") than these mere
slandering rebels!
"Ischus" is a "power" word the New Testament
uses to indicate physical strength, endowed strength!
And "dunamis" represents inherent power!
Power in reserve! Potential power!
What a characterization of the angels!
Strong they are!
But these strong angelic creatures will not
accuse or demean or judge those whom God has placed in positions
of authority and honor!
But these theological reprobates do!
They will attack anyone!
You would be surprised at some of the ungodly
things the false teachers of today have said about such
spiritual men as C. I. Scofield and Harry Ironside and John
Darby and others who have all their lives faithfully taught
Rapture truth!
These also are likely to be political
"liberals" who will viciously attack a nation's leaders,
especially those who have moral strength!
But in these things the "angels" are silent!
They let God handle all the "judgment!"
And remember Who is The Judge!
"For the Father judgeth
no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all
men should honour the Son, even as they honour the
Father." John 5:22-23
We Believers had best learn a lesson from all
this too!
We must be best advised to keep our mouths
"shut" when it comes to criticizing God's Men! Or any
others whom God has placed in positions of authority!
I once heard that only "fools" rush in where
angels fear to tread!
Be advised!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 12:
Peter is talking about a group of "false
teachers" who will infiltrate the Church ... especially during the last
days!
He describes them in many ways, two of the
most surprising being in 2nd 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."
He compares these
unsaved preachers to "natural brute
beasts, made to be taken and destroyed!"
The title
"natural brute beasts" is interesting! "Phusikos alogos zoon"
is the Greek expression here. "Natural" means that which is
governed solely by the drives and instincts of one's self!
"Brute" means not logical! And the noun "beasts," in which our
word "zoo" is easily seen, means a living animal!
This description
of these men differs greatly from David's in Psalm 8!
"What is man, that thou art mindful of
him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast
made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him
with glory and honour."
There's no glory
or honour here, just hedonistic silly creatures ... mere animals
governed by their own passions!
Then Peter says
something that would disturb the "animal rights" fanatics! He
adds that these brute beasts, to which he has been comparing
this outbreak of false teachers, are "made
to be taken and destroyed."
He just told us
that certain animals are "made" ("born" in Greek ... "gennao")
to be "taken" (in Greek = "caught" ... "halosis") and
"destroyed" (made to "perish")! Even today our culture still
has use for "exterminators" who rid society of particular
pests. Other animals are grown to be eaten by mankind. Cattle,
chickens, hogs and fish come to mind. Peter was a fisherman you
know!
This is also the
same Peter writing here who had that vision or dream on the
rooftop of Simon's house in Joppa! "And
saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as
it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down
to the earth: wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of
the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of
the air. And there came a voice to him,
Rise, Peter; kill, and
eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never
eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice
spake unto him again the second time, What God hath
cleansed, that call not thou common." Acts
10:11-15
Peter here is NOT
saying to kill the false teachers! He is saying that they are
much like the simple animals that we raise for slaughter day
after day!
All these
apostates some day will be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thereafter perish eternally in Hell!
These "fake"
preachers and teachers are "blasphemers" too! That's the Greek
word ("blasphemeo") used here for
"speaking evil" of things they know not! The malicious
deadly "sins of their tongues" have been mentioned again and
again in 2nd Peter chapter two! And they don't even understand
("agnoeo," our word agnostic) the importance and dignity of
those things they are criticizing!
They will slander
and defame anything or anyone!
But then, notice
this. They will "perish in their own
corruption." This is amazing! God partly judges them by
allowing them to drown in their own chosen brand of sin! The
verb structure is this: "be corrupted in their own corruption!"
When one becomes
addicted to a certain sin or group of sins, it always takes more
then MORE then yet some
MORE of that particular sin to excite and fulfill his longings!
God just allows that cycle to accelerate ... to the point of
self-destruction!
They "perish" in
their own corruption!
That's why John
writes of man's final state: "He
that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy,
let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let
him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy
still." Revelation 22:11
The noun used for
"corruption" and the verb used for "perish" both come from the
same "root." It means that which rots! Or wastes away or
shrivels or wilts or defiles oneself!
God just "turns
them over" to their own self-destructive sins!
Paul words it
like this in Romans chapter one.
"Wherefore God also gave
them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own
hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves."
Romans 1:24
Then,
"For this cause
God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their
women did change the natural use into that which is against
nature." Romans 1:26
And lastly,
"And even as they did not like to retain
God in their knowledge,
God gave them over
to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient." Romans 1:28
That's perishing
in one's own corruption!
What startling
lessons today!
What motivation
to stay faithful to our dear Lord!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 13:
I've never read any clearer
description of the false teachers and preachers who infest the
professing Church today!
Peter gives one
picture after another of their character and lifestyle!
For example,
"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."
2nd Peter 2:13
Two words in this
verse are similar in meaning, coming from the same "root" or
"stem."
These people
"riot" in the day time! That's "truphe" in Greek.
And they also are
guilty of "sporting themselves" while they feast! Now that's "entruphao"
in Greek.
Both these terms
are derived from "thrupto," a verb that initially means "to
break up," especially the mind and the body by excessive
indulgence! To "riot" traditionally means "to live in luxury,
delicacy, debauchery or even effeminacy!"
To "sport" means
to "party or revel luxuriously" in something!
These are
so-called "fun-loving" preachers and teachers! Social life is
paramount to them!
The word
"pleasure" is also interesting. It is spelled "hedone" and
gives us our word hedonistic! It means pleasure or lust or
particularly sensual delight!
To "count"
something, "hegeomai," contains the little verb "ago," to lead!
These people are the trendsetters in "partying" and frivolity!
And these kinds
of sins they commit all day long, not waiting for evening to
come!
"Deceivings"
(Greek = "apate") means cheating or giving a false impression!
They are hypocrites then!
Also they
apparently love "to feast" with their people! This verb is
compound, "suneuocheo." It means to have "good cheer" along
with others, a "party" atmosphere again! ("Euochia" means good
cheer.) Seems it's all about having a good time!
Then Peter
describes them with two more negative metaphors. They are
"spots," in Greek ..."spilos," simply meaning stains or scars,
especially moral ones! And they are called "blemishes" ... in
Greek "momos," a flaw or fault or even a disgrace! The root
verb here means "to blame" and conveys the opposite idea of
"blameless," a qualification for a real Man of God in 1st
Timothy 3:2.
And their
"reward?" This noun translates "misthos" which just means
salary or payment or money! Yes, sin has wages!
"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."
A reward of
"unrighteousness" implies that which is not straight and correct
and pleasing before the Eyes of God! The word is "adikia."
This terrible
fate is theirs. They shall "receive" it at their time of
judgment! To "receive" means to be guilty! To be wrong! To be
declared unjust!
They have
probably never heard the words "You are wrong!" But they will
receive such an indictment when they face the Judge, our Lord
Jesus Christ!
These things just
keep drawing startling lines of distinction between real
Preachers and false ones!
To summarize,
genuine Men of God are NOT guilty of riot and partying and
feasting in sin! They seek to be blameless and harmless. They
work in the day time, for the night is coming when no man can
work! They are not hedonistic, but holy in their behavior.
Thank God for
this composite Peter is drawing for us in these last days!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 14:
Years ago I heard
a preacher quote this phrase.
It amazed me as a
young man.
Yet today I fear
this condition has become an epidemic!
Simon Peter
writes, when describing certain "religious" folks during the
last days, "Having eyes full of adultery,
and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an
heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed
children." 2nd Peter 2:14
That part about
the "eyes" has become so typical of this age!
The Greek noun
used for "eyes" is "ophthalmos."
One can readily see our English term "ophthalmologist" in it, an
eye doctor! It is based upon a "root" verb meaning "to see or
to gaze upon" someone or something.
"Full" is "mestos" and it's used in
Scripture of men "full" of hypocrisy, nets "full" of fishes, a
vessel "full" of vinegar, people "full" of envy, Christians
"full" of goodness, a tongue "full" of poison, wisdom "full" of
mercy and here eyes "full" of adultery.
"Adultery" is best defined as a
sinful sexual relationship. Often it appears that this
particular term is used to define the behavior of a married
person who has been unfaithful to his or her wife or husband.
And
"cannot cease" is "akatapaustos."
In Greek "pauo," the root stem of our word here, means "to pause
or to stop or to desist" from something.
These people have
become "addicted" to allowing their eyes such roaming lustful
adulterous privileges! They look where they should not! They,
apart from the Grace of God, can't stop either!
Lust with its
accompanying filthy thoughts becomes their very lifestyle!
These
"false teachers," Peter's name for
them back in the first verse of our chapter, want to bring
others to their point of view also! They are "evangelists" for
the cause of immorality!
And they're
successful in many cases! They "beguile
unstable souls!"
The verb
"beguile" means to entrap or to
entice! They lure people into sexual depravity by a process of
lies and false intentions!
And the people
they "catch?"
They're called
"unstable" souls! Two words here
are combined to indicate "not" (just the letter "a" in Greek)
and "firm" ("sterizo"). The verb "sterizo" is thought to come
from the root word for "stand!" Folks who can't stand on their
own ... hence they fall into sensual sins with this crowd of
apostates!
They "target" the
spiritually weaker people.
These wicked
leaders have "exercised" their
hearts to do evil! That verb is "gumnazo," which is the basis
for our word gymnasium.
And the term
"covetous practices" (in Greek = "pleonexia")
is based upon an "out-of-control longing" for more and more
sin! One wild affair is never enough! Sin proliferates!
Lastly Peter just
notes that these people are "cursed"
children!
That adjective is
amazing!
It's one of the
key Greek words for "prayer," and is spelled "ara." (From "airo"
which means "to lift up," as one does his prayerful words to our
Father in Heaven!) But here "ara" is intensified with a prefix,
"kata." Technically "katara" implies prayers of imprecation!
Hence the King James Version's accurate rendering "cursed."
Godly curses, but curses they are nonetheless! When God
condemns a soul to an eternal Hell of fire and brimstone ...
that is a curse!
And
"children" (in Greek = "teknon")
can imply children who have a family likeness to their father!
At least a Greek scholar taught us that. Lustful children? Who
would their father be? Not the Lord God Almighty! But, just as
Jesus said long ago ... "Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do."
John 8:44
Folks, read this
commentary again when you have time.
So-called
preachers and teachers like these are becoming more and more
prevalent in America today.
FALSE teachers,
"pseudo" preachers ... says Peter. "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." 2nd Peter 2:1
They're here!
Treasure that
godly man who preaches the Word of God to you!
If he's genuine
and filled with integrity and loves the Lord ... then
"esteem him very highly in love for his
work's sake." That's what Paul said to do in 1st
Thessalonians 5:13.
Such true
preachers are becoming increasingly rare and precious!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 15:
Paul said that in the latter days
"some shall depart from the faith."
Peter worded it
this way, speaking of the same "false teachers" Paul had in
mind: "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." 2nd
Peter 2:15
They have
"forsaken the right way."
The verb here,
"forsaken," means "to leave behind." Or it can mean simply "to
abandon."
And the "right"
way is in Greek "euthus" and means "straight."
The noun "way" is
in the King James Bible translated "highway" several times.
These wicked men
do not desire to walk the straight and narrow path Jesus taught
us.
"Gone astray" is
one Greek verb, "planao." It means to wander about in
darkness! To err!
The fact that
Peter here specifically mentions Balaam shows his familiarity
with the Old Testament Scriptures, especially the writings of
Moses.
Balaam was the
prophet for "hire" who sold his message for money!
Of course such
preaching cost him his life ultimately!
Balaam has become
synonymous with preachers who are for sale!
Balaam, Peter
says, "loved the wages of unrighteousness."
The noun "wages"
means money or payment or reward!
These false
teachers and fake preachers can be bought!
They will change
their message ... for a larger salary somewhere!
They will quit
harping about sin ... for the favor of the masses!
They will never
use certain words (like drunkards, fornicators, adulterers or
idolaters) ... for the sheer sake of political correctness!
They will no
longer preach separation from the world ... for the fear of
unpopularity!
They will no
longer call themselves "fundamentalists" ... for the sake of
ecumenicity! That's "one-world-church-ism" according to the
Book of Revelation!
They love (verb
here = "agapao") the pleasures of sin!
Folks, today we
need to remember what we're told about Moses in Hebrews 11:25
--- "choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of
God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season."
I just want to
end today by saying THANK GOD for preachers who are not for
sale!
I appreciate the
Men of God who would rather please our Lord ... than compromise
before some wicked earthly outfit!
Not everyone has
gone astray!
Nor forsaken the
right way!
Some have
remained faithful!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 16:
The word is "iniquity."
The particular
word I have in mind is only used twice in all the Bible.
Its occurrence as
a noun is in 2nd Peter 2:16. "But (Baalam)
was rebuked for his "iniquity."
This Greek term,
"paranomia," is so interesting!
Its prefix, "para,"
means "alongside" something.
Just that ...
alongside.
And the "root"
stem, "nomia," means "law!"
The "iniquity" of
Balaam consisted chiefly in this. He laid a law of his
own right down right beside the Law of God! Balaam's
rules and thoughts were given equal (right "beside") status with
God's Rules and Thoughts!
Isn't that
exactly what men and women are doing today?
Adding our ways
to God's Ways!
And placing our
views on equal footing with God's Law!
Yet the Lord
"rebuked" Balaam for his sin!
This word
"rebuked," in Greek it's "elegcho," means reproof or refutation
or admonishment or even conviction! It's a pretty strong term!
Balaam was "held"
in rebuke by the Lord. That's the wording of the Textus
Receptus, from which the King James translators worked! The
Lord put a "head-lock" and "heart-lock" of Holy Spirit
conviction on old Balaam.
And just how did
the Lord do that?
The rest of 2nd
Peter 2:16 explains that. "The dumb ass
speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet."
The word for ass,
"hupozugion," means anything that's "under" ("hupo") a "yoke" ("zugos")!
And "dumb" is "aphonos,"
an animal that makes "no sound." At least, until the Lord,
touches him!
Then the "dumb
ass" began speaking!
The verb "speak"
(spelled "phtheggomai") is derived from "phos," the Greek word
for "light!" God enlightened that little donkey!
He began warning
Balaam with a "man's voice!"
If God needs to
"warn" us ... He surely can do so!
And "forbad"
means to curtail or reverse! God "took over" the situation!
God "commandeered" a little animal ... for His ultimate Glory!
Then look at
God's diagnosis of Balaam's sin, his "madness!"
"Paraphronia"
means that which makes one "beside" ("para") his or her own mind
("phronia").
Insanity!
It's closely kin
to our word "paranoia."
What an analysis
of sin, sin as utter rebellion!
Today we've had
an "x-ray" of sin and God's response to it!
A lesson in "hamartiology!"
Sin ... stay away
from it!
Warnings ...
especially those from God ... acknowledge them immediately!
And one's mind
... keep it pure and holy before the Lord!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 17:
How would you Preachers like to be
compared to "wells without water?"
The final
implication of that charge is: "You are a hypocrite!"
Well, Peter said
that and a whole lot more about the false preachers and teachers
of his day!
And he
furthermore implied that their numbers would grow considerably
as we neared the days of our Lord's Return.
The above phrase
is taken from 2nd Peter 2:17. "These are
wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to
whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever."
In the Bible a
"well" implied rest and refreshment and water and even life
itself!
But to be a
"well without water" implied having
all those good qualities ... with no reality behind them at all!
Preachers whom
people would have assumed had the words of life!
But in truth had
no such thing!
Men who should
have known the Holy Spirit, Who was described by Jesus as The
Producer of "rivers of living water."
John 7:38
But men who
"had not the Spirit!" See Jude
Verse 19.
The noun here for
"wells" is "pege" and can mean
"fountains" (8 times in Scripture) also.
The Greek Text
says "un-hydrated" wells, "without water."
("anudros")
Have you ever
heard of a de-hydrated well?
Peter sure had!
This is a Holy
Spirit inspired word picture, folks!
They, these false
prophets, are like "clouds carried with a
tempest" too!
The noun "nephele"
is 26 times in the King James New Testament translated as
"clouds." This word is here found
in the Textus Receptus (the manuscript behind the KJV) while
all the newer Bible versions follow texts that have another word
altogether, "omichle" which just means "mist" or "fog." In
fact, those other manuscripts differ from the TR in thousands of
ways!
"Carried" ("elauno" in Greek) means
driven or forced as by a mighty power outside of oneself! Two
Bible examples: a ship propelled by rowers or a human
controlled by demons!
And a
"tempest" is just a storm ("lailaps"),
a violent attack of wind!
This word picture
reminds me of something Paul said in Ephesians 4:14. There he
spoke of those who were "carried about
with every wind of doctrine."
Then a startling
fact is revealed about these false teachers ...
"to whom the mist of darkness is reserved
for ever."
The noun "mist"
is "zophos" and means "darkness" (2 times in Scripture) or
"blackness" (1 time).
The noun
"darkness" translates "skotos," which in the New Testament is
rendered 32 times just as that, "darkness!" The land of Nova
Scotia means "new darkness!"
This
"mist of darkness" sounds to me
like Jesus' term "outer darkness," which was one of His
descriptions of Hell!
"Reserved" is "tereo" and means
guarded or kept or held fast! Our mighty God has certain places
under constant guard! If Satan could, no doubt he would destroy
that place called Hell!
And
"for ever" is spelled "eis aion,"
into the ages! Never ending!
Hear me today.
Being a false preacher or teacher carries with it dire
consequences, terrible judgment! Likely the hottest place in
Hell is reserved not for drunkards or dope addicts or "common"
sinners ... but for men or women who pretended to have the very
Truth of God, but were liars and imposters ... misleading God's
people deliberately!
Today let's thank
God for real Men who preach His Word faithfully!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 18:
How deceptive sin can be!
Peter says it can
"allure" an innocent victim into its clutches!
And some wicked
men are experts in handling sin ... giving it all the more power
to deceive!
Yes, the devil
has "ministers" too!
Paul says so in
2nd Corinthians 2:14-15. "And no marvel;
for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers
also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end
shall be according to their works."
Peter fully
describes such "ministers" in the second chapter of his second
Epistle.
Here's a verse
that tells us how such ungodly men "entrap" many innocent
believers!
"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."
2nd Peter 2:18
I believe the
"key" word in this verse may be "allure." It's "deleazo" and
means to entice or beguile. It has the idea of entrapment! To
trick! To offer "bait!" To decoy! It's the same word James
uses when he describes sin. "But every
man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and
enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth
sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."
The false
teachers and fake preachers of 2nd Peter 2 are good "fishers"
(in the use of "bait") of men and women! "Catching" them ... in
lust!
"Deleazo" here is
an indicative present active verb. It is describing the
constant patterns of life these men follow! Always "alluring"
people into sin!
They are
dangerous!
But HOW do
they allure such good people?
Three ways are
given by Peter.
One,
"they speak great swelling words of
vanity."
This verb "say"
is unusual. It blends two words, each of which can mean
"light!" It's almost as if their talking is supernaturally
empowered ... by the devil! Does the devil have anything to do
with "light?" Remember, "Lucifer" means "light bearer!"
"Great swelling"
words ("huperogkos") are words of flattery that "hyper-size"
those to whom they're spoken! That's "super-sizing" someone's
ego! "Ogkos" is a load so heavy that it bends its wagon!
And "vanity" (in
Greek = "mataiotes") just means empty or with no purpose.
Secondly, they
allure "through the lusts of the flesh."
The noun "lusts"
is "epithumia," strong desires or even cravings!
And the flesh
here ("sarx") is anything physical or sensual that helps to pull
one into sin, using his or her "natural" inclinations!
The preposition
"through" is in Greek "en." It means "in, on, at or near!"
That is, "within the sphere of" lust itself!
Thirdly, their
enticing practices have now reached the "wantoness" level,
"through much wantoness." "Aselgeia"
means excessive sensuality! An overflowing quantity! Sin that
no longer has any restraint! No longer ashamed! Shocking!
Christians, be
careful!
Now, look at whom
they regularly deceive!
"Those that were clean escaped from them who live in error."
They are able to
entrap even those who had initially escaped such sinful
practices!
These wicked
preachers are nearly overpowering it seems!
They've never led
a soul to Jesus ... but have led many a person to lust and
filth!
"Clean escaped"
translates "ontos apopheugo." "Certainly, verily," and "of a
truth" are each King James Version renderings of "ontos!" And
escaped ("pheugo") means "to flee or run away" from something or
someone!
These once
"separated" folks are again entangled in lust ... because of
these dangerous so-called "preachers!"
But who is it
from whom we are supposed to flee?
"Them who live in error."
Those who "live"
(in Greek = "anastrepho" ... to move about and come and go and
conduct one's life ... "strepho" = to twist or turn) or behave
or follow certain patterns.
And "error" is
"plane," a wandering about in darkness! (This has become our
English word "planet!")
Some people live
in perpetual deceit!
They live a lie!
Fellow Believers,
we are to FLEE from such individuals!
Let's separate
ourselves!
One more time
now, here's today's whole verse: "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."
Think about it!
No one is exempt!
It is critically
important where you go to Church!
It is vitally
significant who preaches to you week after week!
Stay away from
false or "psuedo" preaching and preachers!
They are
deceptively dangerous!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 19:
Liberty!
Freedom!
Especially ...
Freedom of Choice!
Those are the
watchwords of postmodern society!
Liberty to do
whatsoever one pleases!
Yet, as the world
practices her wild living and ungodly behavior ... all in the
pursuit of liberty ... she in reality becomes more and more
entangled in the clutches of sin! She becomes a "slave" to her
"liberties!"
Unsaved humanity
defines liberty as "the freedom to do what one pleases!"
The Bible defines
liberty as "the power to do what pleases God!"
What a
difference!
In 2nd Peter
2:19, speaking of a group of "false teachers" or pseudo
preachers, the Bible teaches us that while they ...
"promise liberty, they themselves are the
servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the
same is he brought in bondage."
The first
enlightening thing about this verse is its revelation of the
content of these apostates' message!
They promise
their people ... liberty!
The verb
"promise" (in Greek = "apaggelo") means to announce! To preach!
To proclaim!
What do they
preach?
"Liberty!"
This noun, "eleutheria"
means freedom. It is thought to be derived from the Greek verb
"erchomai," which means to come or go! (To come or go or do
anything else ... as one pleases!)
These modernistic
preachers would never preach a series of sermons on the
Commandments of Scripture!
Or separation
from sin!
Or the evils of
worldliness!
Or the wickedness
of the human heart!
Such sermonizing
might inhibit one's "liberties!"
"They promise them liberty."
BUT ... while
they preach "liberty," they themselves have become "slaves" of
the very sins they have allowed!
So-called
"liberty" to pursue sin and selfishness always leads to
bondage!
These false
prophets ...
"they themselves are the servants of corruption."
"Corruption" is a
one-word description of the lifestyle they have chosen! "Phthora"
comes from a root verb that means to wilt, to shrivel, to pine
or waste away! To be spoiled or ruined!
Sin, even
libertarian sin, kills! It has consequences! And
"the wages of sin is death."
Romans 6:23
And that noun
..."servants" is "doulos" in Greek! That's the word for a
common "slave!" A bond-slave! A man in chains! (Chained to
one's sins! Addicted! Under the influence of wickedness!)
What a verse of
Scripture this is!
Lastly,
"for of whom a man
is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."
The verb "is
overcome" translates "ettao" (really "hettao") and means "to
make worse" or "to make less" or "to rate lower!" It is based
upon a root word meaning "slightly." (Middle voice verb ... the
action impacts the subject, changing him or her!)
And the auxiliary
verb of this last clause, "is brought in bondage" represents "douloo"
(that "bond-slave" word again) and means "to reduce to bondage"
or "to make one a slave!"
Do you see this
today?
While these
hypocrites preach "liberty" to do what one pleases ... in
reality they themselves have become "slaves" to those desires!
In bondage to the things that prove their "freedom!"
I have long
believed that one of God's judgments upon the sinner (here they
would say the man at "liberty") is just allowing him (or her)
more and more opportunity to pursue that sin! Head over heels
plunging into wickedness without restraint! Sin has its own
built-in judgment!
It ultimately
enslaves ... then kills!
What holy irony!
Proclaiming
liberty ... they become slaves!
Yet, on the other
hand, that crowd of born-again Blood-washed Believers in Jesus
who preach "obedience" to a Holy God ... they end up "free,"
truly "free" in Jesus Christ our Lord!
Not free to do
anything their flesh might want ... but free to do
anything they ought under a loving and Almighty God!
Praise the Lord!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 20:
Our verse for today describes a
group of preachers who have perverted the Grace of God!
They not only
deny the Bible and its key doctrines, but also live ungodly
lives. They have been tainted by "the pollutions of this
world."
Peter says of
them: "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."
2nd Peter 2:20
It appears that
once these men were relatively "separated" from the world!
They had
"escaped" its filthy tentacles. This verb ("apopheugo") means
"to run away" or "to flee" from something or someone! In its
aorist form it indicates past action that is now completed.
They at one time had lived much cleaner lives!
The word
"pollutions" sure is interesting too! It ("miasma") means that
which defiles or taints or stains! It has a graphic history!
These false
teachers have at some time in the past been close enough to the
real teaching of God's Word that they had "knowledge" of it! "Epignosis"
just means an extreme familiarity or mental grasp of a subject
at hand. It can here imply expert or full knowledge. It does
NOT always imply that its possessor has experienced the saving
grace of God! For proof, see the first use of the word in the
Bible: "And even as they did not like to
retain God in their
knowledge
("epignosis"), God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do
those things which are not convenient, being filled with all
unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness,
maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity;
whisperers ...." Romans 1:28-29
Also notice that
Peter did not call Jesus their Lord and Saviour
... but just the Lord and Saviour! I do not believe
these folks were saved.
In the great old
hymn "Amazing Grace" John Newton was once blind, but then could
see! These apostates in 2nd Peter once could see but are now
blind! Sin is belittling and demeaning and retrogressive!
These people have
experienced some kind of reformation, but not genuine soul
salvation!
Because ... they
are again "entangled" in the defiling sins of the world. This
verb, "empleko," means to be involved in, to to be "woven" into,
or to be entwined into something! Hence, entangled! In Greek "pleko"
means to braid or twine! It's an aorist verb, the action is
complete! They are again addicted to filthy living!
But not only are
they "entangled" in such sin, they are also "overcome" of it
too! This verb, "hettao," means to become worse! To be rated
lower! Hence, to be overcome or defeated!
What a biography
of sin this verse presents!
Iniquity leaves
one in worse condition at the end ... than at the beginning!
"Their latter end is worse with them than the beginning"
says Peter.
The expression
"latter end" is in Greek "eschatos" and means the last of a
series. Our English word "eschatology" means the study of Bible
prophecy, particularly the Rapture and Second Coming of Jesus.
It is believed that the "root" of our word here may be "echo,"
meaning "to have or to hold!"
"Worse," an
adjective, translates "cheiron" which means more evil or more
depraved or even more worthless! It's in the comparative
degree. "Cheirson" may be derived from "kakos," a key word for
wickedness!
And the
"beginning," or the "protos," means that which is in the
forefront! Foremost in time or place or order!
These people
looked so good at first!
But they were
overcome of lust and sin!
This biography
we've studied today can only be plotted by downward trends.
Whereas ... with
a true saint of God ... the very opposite is true!
"The path of the just is as the
shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day."
(Proverbs 4:18) Here's an upward path!
Or as Peter
himself would soon say, "Grow in grace,
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To
him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." That's the
normal life pattern for a Believer in Jesus!
Thank God for His
marvelous transforming victorious Grace!
Friend, are you
presently growing in your Christian life?
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
VERSE 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." 2nd Peter 2:21
What does
Scripture mean by that brief declaration?
Peter is
describing some men whom he earlier calls "false teachers."
They are pseudo-preachers, "fakes" in the work of the Lord!
They both
question the key doctrines of God's Word ... and live loose
moral lives. They are ungodly!
Yet they at some
time have come into close contact with the Truth. They have
"known" ("epignosko" in Greek, indicating thorough knowledge)
"the way of righteousness." Often
the Christian manner of life is called a "way" ... or even the
way.
Yet Peter goes
further, including a parallel term for Christianity here ...
"the holy commandment!"
It seems the Holy
Spirit is distinctly emphasizing the two aspects of our Faith
that these men have most viciously attacked!
It is a RIGHTEOUS
way. And these false teachers are exceedingly unrighteous.
And it is a way
with numerous
commandments! Our verse even summarizes all Christianity
as "the holy commandment!" And these people are not going to
follow any set pattern of living. They want liberty for the
flesh, not restrictive behavior of any kind!
They have
turned from God's
way ... from His commandment! The verb "epistrepho" means to
twist or violently wrench something from its original setting!
The word in this exact form is only used three times in the
Bible, in each case referring to a spiritual change of heart!
Review this with
me. These men had once been exceedingly familiar with the
Truth. Yet they rejected and spurned it! No commands for
them! No holiness either!
BUT ... Scripture
says that it would have been BETTER for them not to have known
Truth, than having known it ... to turn away so pointedly!
With knowledge
comes responsibility!
Peter here may be
alluding to something he heard Jesus say years earlier.
Peter's words:
"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."
Jesus' words:
"And the last state of that man is
worse than the first." Matthew 12:45 but repeated in
Luke 11:26
Yes, for one to
have walked in light ... then return to darkness is far more
detrimental than one having only lived in darkness!
Again I quote
Jesus. "That
servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself,
neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many
stripes.
But he that knew not, and did commit
things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes."
Luke 12:47-48
The more one
knows, the more liable he or she becomes!
"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him
shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of
him they will ask the more." Luke 12:48 again!
Those of us who
have the Light of God's Word, God's completed Word ... all 66
Books ... had best NOT TURN from it either!
To do so is to
invite the Lord's harshest judgment!
"Beaten with many stripes!"
Christian, stay
true to the Faith and to the Bible and to the Lord!
Don't turn away!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
AND NOW ... VERSE 22:
This verse of Scripture does not
paint a lovely picture!
"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." 2nd Peter 2:22
It is used by the
Apostle Peter to describe certain "false teachers" who have
infiltrated the churches of his day. Of course, their
descendants are still here, two thousand years later!
When they first
"identified" with the church, "joining" its ranks, things looked
well!
But having only
experienced "reformation," not true "salvation," things soon
changed!
The verb
"happened" translates "sumbaino," which means "to walk beside!"
I suspect we would all be surprised what might come and "walk
beside" us if we were not constantly on guard! And this is the
opening word in the sentence too, giving further emphasis to its
action! This gives new meaning to Paul's command in Ephesians
5:15 --- "See then that ye walk
circumspectly." Walk ... looking all around as you do!
The noun
"proverb" is "paroimia" and its verbal root means "to imagine"
or "to make like" or "to suppose." Here we have a comparison, a
word picturte, a figure of speech. Peter is not saying these
men are hogs or wild dogs. But that they are "like" hogs and
dogs in certain areas.
Solomon does the
same thing in Proverbs 26:11. "As a dog
returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his
folly."
So ... here we
have some "foolish" so-called preachers!
The root word
behind "dog" ("keleb") means to yelp or maybe even to attack!
We are here not talking about some little "pet" doggie, but a
mangy wild fierce animal. Dogs were not held in high regard in
Peter's time. But when Jesus, speaking to the Canaanite woman
in Matthew 15:26 used another word for "dog." Our Lord used the
term meaning "a little doggie!" This time a "pet" is meant!
See how precise the language of the New Testament can be?
"Turned" (in
Greek = "epistrepho") indicates a reversal of direction. To
twist!
The noun "vomit"
is derived from a word meaning "to spue," to disgorge food!
The metaphor is
designed to produce sickening disgust! It also gives us a
pretty good idea of how the Holy Spirit pictures sin! It's
repulsive!
A "sow" is a
hog. "Hus" here indicates a female member of the swine family
of animals.
This sow was
"washed." In Greek there's a word that means to wash only a
part of oneself, "nipto." Another word is used to indicate just
the washing of one's clothing, "pluno." But our verb, "louo,"
means to bathe the whole body! This hog initially was really
clean ... on the outside anyway! What a picture of false
profession!
And "wallowing"
("kulisma," only here in the whole Bible) means that which
swells, bends or curves! It was often used to describe a wave
of the sea as it rolls toward shore. Hence, "wallowing,"
rolling around in a puddle of filthy water!
The Greek word
for "mire" ("borboros") just means mud. Again, this is the only
place you will find the word in the whole New Testament. When
the Old Testament speaks of "mire," naturally a Hebrew word is
used.
Peter, for 22
verses now, has been defining and describing a group of "false
teachers" who both have been and will continue to harass the
true Church of God ... until Jesus comes!
Do notice that
today, in his concluding point, Peter did NOT compare these
people to sheep or lambs or innocent little doves. No! He
compared them to dogs and hogs, unclean animals of Scripture.
No dog or hog could be offered to our great God! He required
clean animals!
I believe this is
another way Peter is telling us that these people are just not
saved!
Had they been
"sheep" by nature ... they would NOT have returned to their own
vomit or rolled around in the slime of some watery mud hole!
Sheep just don't
do those things!
Let's be thankful
today that when the Lord saves us, He changes us!
He transforms our
desires!
We no longer
identify with the world's vomit and mud and filth!
We long for green
pastures and still waters!
We now must hear
the true Shepherd's Voice!
Amen!
--- Dr. Mike Bagwell
WE PRAY YOU HAVE GROWN IN THE LORD BY STUDYING
THIS GREAT CHAPTER OF SCRIPTURE.
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