The fifth column

There were no chapters or headings in the original letter.

2 Peter 1:16 NASB95

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

We heard the utterance from heaven:

This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.

2 Peter 1:19 NASB95

19 So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.

You can trust prophecy

2 Peter 1:21 NASB95

21 for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

BUT

There were false prophets then, and will be false teachers among you.

The 5th column

In the 1936 Spanish Civil War, General Emilio Mola was marching on Madrid. He was asked how many columns of men he had. He said 5. Four behind him and the Fifth column was inside the city’s walls.

He was referring to the nationalist sympathizers hiding in plain sight.

Peter is warning us in chapter 2 of his second letter that there have always been evil people hiding within the family of God’s people.

2 Peter 2:1–3 NASB95

1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; 3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Characteristics of a False teacher:

Introduce destructive heresies:

Falsehoods that undermine the Gospel message.

You can be saved and never have to change. (easy believism)

Legalism (works salvation)

Universalism

Prosperity Gospel

Deny the Master who bought them.

through their words and/actions they deny the Lordship and authority of Christ.

Dangers of false teachers:

Many will follow the sensuality.

The way of the truth will be maligned.

Their greed will exploit you.

7 False teachers

The Heritic

False Teaching

The Charlatan

Greedy

The Prophet

New revolation

The Abuser

Uses the power to Lord over people.

The divider

Trying to break up the church

The Ear Tickler

Tell you what you want to hear.

The Speculator

Looks more at the signs than the word.

Their FATE

Vs 4-8 Peter gives us three examples of how God will not spare the wicked, and two examples of how He can save the righteous among the wicked.

The fallen angels

IF/THEN

If He didn’t spare the angels that sinned, but cast them into hell.

If he didn’t spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah

If he didn’t spare Sodom and Gomorrah, but rescued Lot.

THEN

2 Peter 2:9–10 NASB95

9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties,

Discription:

2 Peter 2:12–16 NASB95

12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, 13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; 15 forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.

Each false teacher has received and ignored the rebuke of the Lord.

Empty words

2 Peter 2:17–19 NASB95

17 These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. 18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, 19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved.

John 8:34–36 NASB95

34 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. 35 “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. 36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

NOW YOU KNOW: AND KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE.

2 Peter 2:20–22 NASB95

20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”