2 Peter 2:5-22

(2 Peter 2:5-22)

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;
 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;  And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:  (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)  The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:  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.  Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.  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;  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;  Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children: 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;  But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet.  These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever.  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.  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. 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.  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. 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.

 

『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 second proof that God's judgment against false teachers is certain is true of Noah's flood judgment." Noah was a preacher of righteousness. In that obscene and wild day, Noah must have been a man who loved his wife and defended the holiness of his family, and was a humble obey of God's command to build an ark. Noah was a witness of God's righteousness in words and deeds. God destroyed all of those who were ungodly at the time of the flood except Noah's eight. They are those who deny God, are not afraid of God, and have forsaken God's will. In this way, God will also bring judgment on destruction against false teachers. Only those who are in the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved.

 

『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 third proof that God's judgment against false teachers is certain is the fact of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The word "determining to perish" means "turning over and condemning". God set down fire from heaven and overthrew Sodom, Gomorrah, and all the people around them (Genesis 19:24-25). This case sets an example for those who are ungodly in posterity

 

『And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 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 sexual morality of Sodom and Gomorrah was extremely disturbed, and homosexuality was practiced in public. Lot lived among them and broke the spirit by seeing and hearing that illegal conduct every day. Today, we live in an era of homosexuality. We live in an age when governments around the world recognize or want to recognize homosexuality. The spirits of the unrighteous will be thrown into hell and imprisoned, waiting for the final Judgment Day, as will the conclusions of false teachers.

The first characteristic of false teachers is obscenity. They act in filthy lust according to their physical feelings. The reason that pornography is dirty is because it is a sin built with the body out of the marital relationship that God ordained. Obscene sins defile one's body and eventually make the family unhappy.

The second characteristic of false teachers is to despise and condemn the servants of God who are proud to proclaim the truth. Today, pastors proclaim the word of God in the name of the church, but it is not easy to tell whether it is a true church or heresy. False teachers despise the true servants of God and are not afraid to blame them unholy.

 

『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. 』, The word glorious means the emperors and rulers. Even though there is nothing respectable in their lives, we are well aware that the office of management is superior to that of other offices. God is Lord of the world, although Satan is empowered to rule over the world, everything depends on God. However, those who rule the world in this world should also see it as being given order from God.

 

We can see that "the ones that Peter is referring to in verses 10-13" were madmen who caused trouble and confusion. This is because if anyone turns the world into chaos in anarchy, there must be chaos. Those like this shamelessly intrude upon the rulers and destroy all respect for public law and order. This was, in effect, an attack on God with their words of desperation.

 

『Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. Even for angels with greater power and power, the apostle points out their senseless thought in the fact that they dare to think they have more valuable freedom than angels. How could they have opposed the divine order they knew God had established? How do they get up and do an offensive against the officials in charge of the same ministry as them? At that time, almost all the officials were enemies of the gospel who were ungodly and blood-loving. Hence, they must have been filled with hatred of the angels, the guardians of the gospel. Nevertheless, the apostle says that those who bought the hatreds and curses of the officials were condemned by them, preserving the respect for the power established by God. The apostle points out that even though the angels are so self-control, these reckless wicked continue to boldly continue their evil and intemperance. They are again referred to as beings, like the beasts that were originally born to die, and who will be destroyed in perdition and will receive the retribution of injustice. The actions of false teachers are also expressed as seeking physical pleasure. They are those who are pleased with physical pleasure during the day when others sweat and work. They are lovers of eating and enjoying. These are the points and blemishes in the holy church. They had the name Teacher, but they are actually demonic servants and worldly people.

 

False teachers speak obscenely. They tempt souls who are restless and hard to sin with their hearts full of eyes, that is, religiously and personally weak. The characteristic of false teachers is material greed. They are minded with greed. They are the ones who have left the right path and have gone sideways, following the path of the prophet Balaam, a prophet who had reproved the word of a donkey, who was told by God, who had gone by loving an unrighteous gift. Peter describes Balaam's acts of material covetousness and worldly honor as crazy. Also, by telling the false teachers that they are the children of the curse, he once again clearly demonstrates what their ending will be.

 

『They Know the Savior Jesus Christ』. Believers also sin. But God does not allow sin to dominate them, and they do not disobey God's grace, nor do they forfeit the confession of the sound lessons they once accepted. Indeed, we should not see them as defeated. For they are fighting fiercely against the body and its passions. In 1 John 3:9『Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 』