2 Peter 1:1-11
2:1–22 The Danger of False Teaching
Peter used pictorial words to warn his readers of the danger they faced from the false teachers. In 2:1–3 he pictured the immorality and greed of the false teachers. In 2:4–9 he used Old Testament examples of judgment on sin in order to show the certainty of punishment for followers of the false teachers. He described God’s condemnation of the angels who sinned (v. 4), the judgment of the world of Noah (v. 5), and the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (v. 6). He promised deliverance for the godly by referring to the preservation of Noah and Lot (vv. 5, 7, 9). He denounced the pride, lust, and greed of the heretics (2:10–16).
BEWARE OF COUNTERFEITS
2 Peter 2:1–9
One of the most successful rackets in the world today is that of selling “fake art.” Even some of the finest galleries and private collections have been invaded by paintings that are clever counterfeits of the great masters. Publishers have also had their share of hoaxes, purchasing “genuine” manuscripts that weren’t so genuine after all.
But counterfeits are nothing new. Satan is the “great imitator” (2 Cor. 11:13–15), and he has been hard at work ever since he deceived Eve in the Garden (Gen. 3:1–7; 2 Cor. 11:1–4). He has false Christians (Matt. 13:38; John 8:44), a false gospel (Gal. 1:6–9), and even a false righteousness (Rom. 9:30–10:4). One day, he will present to the world a false Christ (2 Thes. 2).
The nation Israel was constantly being led astray by false prophets. Elijah had to contend with the prophets of Baal, but they promoted a pagan religion. It was the Jewish false prophets who did the most damage, for they claimed to speak for Jehovah God. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel exposed this counterfeit ministry, but the people followed the pseudo-prophets just the same. Why? Because the religion of the false prophets was easy, comfortable, and popular. The fact that the false prophets preached a false peace did not worry the people (Jer. 6:14). That was the message they wanted to hear!
The Apostles and prophets laid the foundation for the church and then passed from the scene (Eph. 2:20). This is why Peter wrote about false teachers, rather than false prophets, because there are still teachers in the church. It is not likely that church members would listen to a “prophet,” but they would listen to a teacher of the Word. Satan always uses the approach that will succeed.
In order to warn us to be alert, Peter presented three aspects of this subject of false teachers in the church.
The False Teachers Described (2 Peter 2:1–3)
This is not a very pretty picture! When you read the Epistle of Jude, you will find him using similar language, and vivid language it is. Peter knew that the truth of God’s Word and the false doctrines of the heretics simply could not coexist. There could be no compromise on his part, any more than a surgeon could compromise with a cancerous tumor in a patient’s body.
Deception (v. 1a). This theme runs throughout the entire chapter. To begin with, these teachers’ message is false; Peter called what they taught “destructive heresies.” The word heresy originally meant simply “to make a choice,” but then it came to mean “a sect, a party.” Promoting a party spirit in a church is one of the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:20). Whenever a church member says to another member, “Are you on my side or the pastor’s side?” he is promoting a party spirit and causing division. A false teacher forces you to make a choice between his doctrines and the doctrines of the true Christian faith.
Not only was their message false, but their methods were false. Instead of openly declaring what they believed, they came into the church under false colors and gave the impression that they were true to the Christian faith. “They secretly bring in alongside” is the literal translation. They do not throw out the truth immediately; they simply lay their false teachings alongside the truth and give the impression that they believe the fundamentals of the faith. Before long, they remove the true doctrine and leave their false doctrine in its place.
In 2 Peter 2:3, Peter pointed out that the false teachers used “feigned words.” The Greek word is plastos, from which we get our English word plastic. Plastic words! Words that can be twisted to mean anything you want them to mean! The false teachers use our vocabulary, but they do not use our dictionary. They talk about “salvation,” “inspiration,” and the great words of the Christian faith, but they do not mean what we mean. Immature and untaught believers hear these preachers or read their books and think that these men are sound in the faith, but they are not.
Satan is a liar and his ministers are liars. They use the Bible, not to enlighten, but to deceive. They follow the same pattern Satan followed when he deceived Eve (Gen. 3:1–6). First, he questioned God’s Word—“Yea, hath God said?” Then he denied God’s Word—“Ye shall not surely die.” Finally, he substituted his own lie—“Ye shall be as gods.”
Keep in mind that these apostate teachers are not innocently ignorant of the Word, as was Apollos (Acts 18:24–28). They know the truth but they deliberately reject it. I read about a liberal pastor who was asked to read a paper at a ministerial conference on “Paul’s views of justification.” He read a paper that superbly presented the truth of the Gospel and justification by faith.
“I didn’t know you believed that,” a friend said to him after the meeting.
“I don’t believe it,” the liberal pastor replied. “They didn’t ask me for my views of justification. They asked for Paul’s!”
Denial (v. 1b). False teachers are better known for what they deny than what they affirm. They deny the inspiration of the Bible, the sinfulness of man, the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross, salvation by faith alone, and even the reality of eternal judgment. They especially deny the deity of Jesus Christ, for they know that if they can do away with His deity they can destroy the entire body of Christian truth. Christianity is Christ, and if He is not what He claims to be, there is no Christian faith.
It must be made clear that these false teachers are unsaved. They are compared to dogs and pigs, not to sheep (2 Peter 2:22). Jude describes these same people, and in Jude 19 he clearly states, “having not the Spirit.” If a person does not have the Spirit of God within, he is not a child of God (Rom. 8:9). He may pretend to be saved and even become a member or an officer in a fundamental church, but eventually he will deny the Lord.
In what sense were these people “bought” by the Lord? While it is true that Jesus Christ died for the church (Eph. 5:25), it is also true that He died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). He is the merchant who purchased the whole field (the world) that He might acquire the treasure in it (Matt. 13:44). When it comes to application, our Lord’s atonement is limited to those who believe. But when it comes to efficacy, His death is sufficient for the whole world. He purchased even those who reject Him and deny Him! This makes their condemnation even greater.
Even good and godly Christians may disagree on fine points of doctrine, but they all agree on the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God and God the Son. He is the only Saviour. To deny this is to condemn your own soul.
Sensuality (v. 2). Pernicious ways simply means “licentious conduct.” Jude accused the false teachers of “turning the grace of God into lasciviousness” (Jude 4). Now we understand why they deny the truths of the Christian faith: they want to satisfy their own lusts and do it under the guise of religion. The false prophets in Jeremiah’s day were guilty of the same sins (Jer. 23:14, 32).
The fact that many follow the evil example of their conduct is proof that people would rather follow the false than the true, the sensual rather than the spiritual. These false teachers are very successful in their ministry! They have glowing statistics to report and crowds gather to hear them! But statistics are not proof of authenticity. The broad way that leads to destruction is crowded (Matt. 7:13–14). Many will claim to be true servants of Christ, but will be rejected on the last day (Matt. 7:21–23).
What happens to their followers? For one thing, they bring disgrace to the name of Christ. The Christian faith gets a bad name because of their filthy lives. “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate” (Titus 1:16). “For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you” (Rom. 2:24). Few things hinder the cause of Christ like the bad reputations of professing Christians who are members of orthodox churches.
Greed (v. 3). False teachers are interested in one thing: making money. They exploit (“make merchandise of”) ignorant people and use their religion as “a cloak of covetousness” (1 Thes. 2:5). Our Lord was a poor Man, and so were the Apostles; yet they gave of themselves to minister to others. These false prophets are rich men who cleverly get others to minister to them! Micah described these false prophets in his day: “Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, her priests instruct for a price, and her prophets divine for money” (Micah 3:11, NASB). Certainly the laborer is worthy of his hire (Luke 10:7), but his motives for ministry had better go beyond money. It has often been said that immorality, love of money, and pride have been the ruin of many people. These false teachers were guilty of all three!
They use their “plastic words” as well as “great swelling words” (2 Peter 2:18) to fascinate and influence their victims. They flatter sinners and tell them the kind of ego-building words that they want to hear (see the contrast in 1 Thes. 2:5). They will scratch the itching ears of people who reject the truth of the Bible and turn to fables (2 Tim. 4:1–4). Religion can be a tremendous tool for exploiting weak people, and these false teachers use religion just to get what they can. They are not ministers; they are merchandisers.
The true minister of Jesus Christ has nothing to hide: his life and ministry are an open book. He preaches the truth in love and does not twist the Scriptures to support his own selfish ideas. He does not flatter the rich or minister only to make money. Paul described the true minister in 2 Corinthians 4:2—“But [we] have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” Contrast that description with what Peter wrote in this chapter, and with what Jude wrote, and you will see the difference. How we need to be alert and refuse to support ministries that exploit people and deny the Saviour.
The False Teachers Destroyed (2 Peter 2:3–6, 9b)
Peter saw no hope for these apostates; their doom was sealed. His attitude was different from that of “tolerant” religious people today who say, “Well, they may not agree with us, but there are many roads to heaven.” Peter made it clear that these false teachers had “forsaken the right way” (2 Peter 2:15), which simply means they were going the wrong way! Their judgment was sure, even though it had not yet come. The trial was over, but the sentence had not yet been executed. It would not linger or slumber, Peter affirmed; it would come in due time.
In this section, Peter proved that judgment finally does come, no matter how secure the sinner might feel. He used three examples to verify this truth (see also Jude 6–8).
The fallen angels (v. 4). We wish we knew more about the creation of the angels and the fall of Lucifer and his host, but most of these details are shrouded in mystery. Many Bible students believe that Isaiah 14:12–15 describes the fall of Lucifer, the highest of the angels. Some students feel that Ezekiel 28:11–19 also deals with the same topic. It would appear that Lucifer was God’s deputy, in charge of the angelic hosts, but that his pride made him grasp after the very throne of God. (John Milton imaginatively portrayed this in the famous poem, Paradise Lost.) Revelation 12:4 suggests that perhaps one third of the angels fell with Lucifer, who became Satan, the adversary of God.
Where are these fallen angels now? We know that Satan is free and at work in the world (1 Peter 5:8), and that he has an army of demonic powers assisting him (Eph. 6:10–12), who are probably some of the fallen angels. But Peter said that some of the angels were confined to Tartarus (“hell”), which is a Greek word for the underworld. Tartarus may be a special section of hell where these angels are chained in pits of darkness, awaiting the final judgment. It is not necessary to debate the hidden mysteries of this verse in order to get the main message: God judges rebellion and will not spare those who reject His will. If God judged the angels, who in many respects are higher than men, then certainly He will judge rebellious men.
The old world (v. 5). Genesis 6:3 indicates that God waited 120 years before He sent the Flood. All during that time, Noah ministered as a “herald” of God’s righteousness. If you want to read a description of the world before the Flood, read Romans 1:18ff. Gentile civilization had become so corrupt that it was necessary for God to wipe the earth clean. He saved only eight people, Noah and his family, because they had faith in God (Heb. 11:7).
But nobody believed Noah’s message! Jesus made it clear that people were enjoying their normal lives up to the very day that Noah and his family entered the ark! (Luke 17:26–27) No doubt there were plenty of “experts” who laughed at Noah and assured the people that a rainstorm was out of the question. Had anybody ever seen one? The apostates in Peter’s day used that same argument to “prove” that the Day of the Lord would not come (2 Peter 3:3ff).
When you compare our world with Noah’s world, you see some frightening parallels. The population was multiplying (Gen. 6:1), and the world was filled with wickedness (Gen. 6:5) and violence (Gen. 6:11, 13). Lawlessness abounded. True believers were a minority, and nobody paid any attention to them! But the Flood came and the entire population of the world was destroyed. God does indeed judge those who reject His truth.
Sodom and Gomorrah (vv. 6, 9b). The record is given in Genesis 18–19, and God’s opinion of the people of these cities is found in Genesis 13:13—“But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.” Peter said they were “ungodly,” and Jude said they were given to “fornication and going after strange flesh” (Jude 7). The men of Sodom practiced filthy behavior and unlawful deeds (2 Peter 2:7–8). Since the Law of Moses had not yet been given, the word unlawful cannot refer to some Jewish law. In what sense were their filthy deeds “unlawful”? They were contrary to nature (see Rom. 1:24–27). The flagrant sin of Sodom and the other cities was unnatural sex, sodomy, or homosexual behavior, a sin that is clearly condemned in Scripture (Lev. 18:22; Rom. 1:24–27; 1 Cor. 6:9).
In spite of Abraham’s intercessory prayer (Gen. 18:22ff) and Lot’s last-minute warning, the people of Sodom perished in fire and brimstone. Again, up to the very minute that Lot left the city, the people were confident that everything was safe; but then the fire fell (Luke 17:28–29). God did not spare them, nor will He spare sinners today who willfully reject His truth and deny His Son. God buried Sodom and Gomorrah, probably under the Dead Sea. They are examples to sinners today to beware the wrath to come.
Having cited these three examples of certain judgment, Peter then applied the lesson to the subject at hand, the false teachers (2 Peter 2:9b). God has reserved the unjust for special punishment on that day of judgment. The false teachers may seem successful (for “many” follow them), but in the end, they will be condemned. Their judgment is being prepared now (“lingereth not,” 2 Peter 2:3), and what is prepared will be reserved and applied on the last day.
What a contrast between the false teachers and the true children of God! We have an inheritance reserved for us (1 Peter 1:4) because Jesus Christ is preparing a home for us in heaven (John 14:1–6). We are not looking for judgment, but for the coming of the Lord to take His people home to glory! “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thes. 5:9).
Peter next turned his attention to the believers themselves. How could they stay true to the Lord in such a wicked world?
The True Believers Delivered (2 Peter 2:5–9a)
Peter’s purpose was not just to denounce the apostates; he also wanted to encourage the true believers. He once again reached back into the Old Testament and cited two examples of deliverance.
Noah (v. 5). This man of faith experienced a twofold deliverance. First, God delivered him from the pollutions of the world around him. For 120 years, Noah faithfully proclaimed the Word of God to people who would not believe it. He and his family were surrounded by moral and spiritual darkness, yet they kept their lights shining. God did not protect Noah and his family by isolating them from the world, but by enabling them to remain pure in the midst of corruption. Through Jesus Christ, we too have “escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).
Our Lord petitioned the Heavenly Father, “I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (John 17:15). Imagine Noah and his wife raising a family in a world so wicked that they could have no believing friends! Yet God found believing wives for their three sons, and God guarded this home from the pollutions of the world.
But God also delivered Noah and his family from the judgment of the world. The flood waters that brought condemnation to the world only lifted Noah and his household up above the judgment. They were secure in the ark of safety. In his first epistle, Peter had seen in the ark a type of our salvation in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:20–22). The world, as it were, was “buried” in the baptism of the Flood, but Noah was lifted up, a picture of resurrection and salvation.
Certainly Peter was assuring his readers that, when the great day of judgment does come, they will be kept safe. Jesus Christ is our “ark of safety.” He delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thes. 1:10). God has promised that the earth will never again be judged by water, but there is coming a judgment of fire (2 Peter 3:10ff). But those who have trusted Christ will never face judgment (John 5:24), because He bore their judgment on the cross.
Lot (vv. 6–9a). Abraham took his nephew, Lot, with him when he left Ur and went to the land of Canaan, but Lot proved to be more of a problem than a blessing. When Abraham, in a lapse of faith, went down to Egypt, Lot went with him and got a taste of “the world” (Gen. 12:10–13:1). As Lot became richer, he had to separate from Abraham, and this removed him from his uncle’s godly influence. What a privilege Lot had to walk with Abraham who walked with God! And yet, how Lot wasted his privileges.
When Lot had to choose a new area for his home, he measured it by what he had seen in Egypt (Gen. 13:10). Abraham took Lot out of Egypt, but he could not take Egypt out of Lot. Lot “pitched his tent toward Sodom” (Gen. 13:12), and then finally moved into Sodom (Gen. 14:12). God even used a local war to try to get Lot out of Sodom, but he went right back. That is where his heart was.
It is difficult for us to understand Lot. Peter made it clear that Lot was saved (“just Lot … that righteous man”), and yet we wonder what he was doing in such a wicked place as Sodom. If we understand Genesis 19 correctly, Lot had at least four daughters, two of whom had married men of Sodom. All the while Lot lived in Sodom, his soul was “tortured” and “greatly troubled” by the filthy conduct of the people. Perhaps he thought he could change them. If so, he failed miserably.
God enabled Lot and his family to remain unpolluted, even though they were living in the midst of a cesspool of iniquity. God also rescued Lot and two of his daughters before the judgment fell on Sodom and the other cities of the plain (Gen. 19). Lot was not rescued because of any merit on his part. He was rescued because he was a believer and because his Uncle Abraham had prayed for him. Abraham outside of Sodom had more influence than Lot inside the city. Lot even lost his testimony to his own family, for his married daughters and their husbands laughed at his warning, and his wife disobeyed God and was killed.
Lot chose to live in Sodom and could have avoided the filthy influence of the place, but many people today really have no choice and must live surrounded by the pollutions of the world. Think of the Christian slaves who had to serve godless masters, or Christian wives married to unsaved husbands, or believing children with unsaved parents. Christian employees working in offices or factories are forced to see and hear things that can easily stain the mind and heart. Peter assured his readers and us that God knows how to “be delivering the godly out of testing and temptation” (2 Peter 2:9, WUEST) so that we may live victoriously.
He also is able to rescue us from judgment. In Noah’s case, it was a judgment of water, but in Lot’s case it was a judgment of fire. The cities of the plain were caught in a violent overthrow as the area became a vast furnace of fire and brimstone. This certainly would parallel Peter’s warning about the coming judgment of fire (2 Peter 3:10ff).
Peter was not pointing to Lot as an example of separated living, but rather as an example of one whom God rescued from pollution and condemnation. In a sense, Lot was even rescued against his will, because the angels had to grasp him by the hand and pull him out of the city (Gen. 19:16). Lot had entered Sodom, and then Sodom had entered Lot, and he found it difficult to leave.
Our Lord used both Noah and Lot to warn us to be prepared for His return (Luke 17:26–37). The people in Sodom were enjoying their regular pleasures, careless of the fact that judgment was coming; when it came, they were unprepared. “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless” (1 Peter 3:14).
But the same God who delivers the godly also reserves the ungodly for judgment. It has well been said that if God spares today’s cities from judgment, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah. Why is God’s judgment lingering? Because God “is long-suffering … not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Society in Noah’s day had 120 years in which to repent and believe, yet they rejected the truth. Though Lot’s example and testimony were weak, he at least represented the truth; yet his immoral neighbors wanted nothing to do with God.
Our present age is not only like “the days of Noah,” but it is also like “the days of Lot.” Many believers have abandoned the place of separation and are compromising with the world. The professing church has but a weak testimony to the world and sinners do not really believe that judgment is coming. Society is full of immorality, especially the kind of sin for which Sodom was famous. It appears as though God is slumbering, unconcerned about the way rebellious sinners have polluted His world. But one day the fire will fall; then it will be too late.
God’s people, as weak as they are, will be delivered from judgment by the grace and mercy of God. God could not judge Sodom until Lot and his family were out of the city. Likewise, it is my belief that God will not send wrath on this world until He takes His own people out and home to heaven. “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep [live or die], we should live together with Him” (1 Thes. 5:9–10).
One day soon, the fire will fall. Are you ready?
2:1–22 Peter explicitly denounces the false teachers who had crept into the community. The harsh language of this chapter indicates the severity of the problems he combats.
The Formation of the New Testament
2:1–3 Peter appeals to the OT to explain how to deal with false teachers. He makes four of the same claims as Jude (employing four of the same terms; see Jude 4–5) to emphasize that destructive heretics will perish like the heretics of the wilderness wanderings (see Num 14:26–38; 16:1–35). In doing so, Peter creates a rubric for identifying heretical leaders.
2:1 there will be false teachers among you also Peter identifies the current false teachers with the false prophets of the OT era.
destructive heresies In the first century, a heresy (Greek hairesis) referred to a faction or a school of thought (compare Acts 26:5; 1 Cor 11:19). Therefore, Peter has to specify that these are not just any teachings, but destructive ones (compare 2 Pet 3:7, 16).
denying the Master who bought them Probably indicates that they distorted what the apostles taught about Jesus Christ (see note on 3:2; compare 1 John 2:22–23; Titus 1:16). This may also refer to their blatant immorality (compare Jude 4; 1 Cor 6:20; 7:23).
2:2 licentious ways Likely based on a false characterization of the freedom and grace Jesus offers, the heretics taught a form of liberty that promoted Christians enjoying sexual debauchery (see Jude 4 and note).
the way of truth will be reviled People at this time viewed Christianity with suspicion. The presence of immoral false teachers in the church might give outsiders an excuse to dismiss all Christians as immoral.
2:3 greediness The false teachers were not just motivated by sexual sin, but by greed as well.
condemnation from long ago is not idle Refers to the sure punishment that would come for their sin (Jude 4; Matt 7:15–19). There is no sign that these false leaders intend to repent, so Peter is certain that their end in destruction is inevitable.
2:4–9 Like Jude, Peter announces that God will bring judgment upon those who seek out sin and lead others to do the same. To do so, he uses the analogy of the rebellious spiritual beings (Gen 6:1–4; compare Jude 6–7) and Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19); Peter also includes the example of the flood during Noah’s lifetime (Gen 7–9).
2:4 God did not spare the angels who sinned According to the Jewish tradition represented in the books 1 Enoch and Jubilees, these angels are the spiritual beings from Gen 6:1–4 who sinned by taking human wives (see Gen 6:1–4; compare 1 Enoch 6–11; Jubilees 4–5). Jude 6–7 also implies that the angelic rebellion was sexual in nature.
Tartarus The Greek here refers to Tartarus, a place of torment in Greek mythology where the Titans were imprisoned (see Hesiod’s Theogony, which has conceptual parallels with Gen 6:1–4). Some Jewish writers also apparently borrowed or adapted this concept; it is mentioned in 1 Enoch 20:2.
with chains of darkness The reference to the offending angels as being kept in darkness fits with Jewish tradition (reflected in 1 Enoch) that the offending angels of Gen 6:1–4 were imprisoned under the earth.
kept for judgment Now in bondage in the underworld, these angels await God’s final judgment, which will come on the Day of the Lord (see note on 2 Pet 3:7).
2:5 did not spare the ancient world God desires justice so much that He was willing to destroy His own good creation with a flood in order to vanquish corruption and violence (Gen 6:11–13; compare Gen 1:10). In Noah’s time, the entire world—with the exception of Noah and his family—was deemed ungodly. The continual excusing of sinful behavior, without any fear of God, is concerning to Peter.
preserved Noah Peter’s addition of the Noah story fits well in this context because the story of the rebellious spiritual beings in Gen 6 can be read as a precursor to the flood event (see Gen 6:4 and note). The incident of spiritual beings having intercourse with women from earth and creating a subspecies could have been one of the reasons for the flood. Unlike Peter, Jude does not mention the flood; compare Jude 5–8.
proclaimer of righteousness Noah represented the hope of humanity acting rightly, even though Noah ultimately failed to live righteously himself (Gen 6:9; 9:18–29). Noah also acted righteously by acting in faith, following God’s instructions (Gen 6:22; compare Gal 3:6).
2:6 cities of Sodom and Gomorrah Two ancient cities that God destroyed because of their incredible wickedness (Gen 18:16–19:29; compare Jude 7 and note).
an example God’s past judgments against people who embrace a life of sinfulness, especially when it is to the detriment of others, should lead people to change their ways.
2:7 Lot Abraham’s nephew who was rescued from Sodom. See Gen 19:16, 29.
licentiousness The Greek term used here, meaning “lack of restraint,” occurs elsewhere in NT listings of sexual sin (e.g., Rom 13:13; 2 Cor 12:21; Gal 5:19; 1 Pet 4:3). The sexual misconduct of Sodom was so extensive that men from the city attempted to rape the angels visiting Lot (Gen 19:1–22).
2:8 righteous man Lot’s disturbance at the sin of Sodom is seen in Gen 19:7–9. Lot is also depicted as a man so hospitable to foreign visitors that he ends up entertaining angels (Gen 19:1–3; compare Heb 13:2). In this way, Lot acted rightly (as a righteous man).
2:9 the Lord knows how to rescue the godly Peter’s rebuke asserts that when God’s full judgment upon the earth is unleashed, He will surely look out for His people, just like He spared Noah and Lot.
reserve the unrighteous to be punished Peter draws on the fact that spiritual beings are reserved for judgment (v. 4) to argue that God surely has judgment planned for those who intentionally live unjust and wicked lives without repenting, especially those who should know better (v. 9; compare note on v. 21).
2:10–12 Peter asserts that even spiritual beings do not claim to have the type of authority and insight that the false teachers in his audience claim to have (compare Jude 8–10). These false teachers were claiming authority and understanding of things they could not possibly comprehend—particularly regarding when and whether Christ would return.
2:10 blaspheme majestic beings Probably refers to high-ranking, powerful beings in the spiritual realm. The same Greek phrase used here is found in Jude 8. The phrase in Jude and 2 Peter emphasizes that unlike angels, who sensibly refrain from speaking against higher-ranking beings, false teachers presumptuously slander the words or authority of spiritual beings. They assume authority they do not have.
This is a complex chapter, and we should compare it to Jude’s epistle where some of these same phrases are used. The danger of false teachers is so great that the Holy Spirit used both Peter and Jude to warn us, so we had better pay attention.
Please keep in mind that a false teacher is not a person who teaches false doctrine out of ignorance. In Acts 18:24–28, Apollos taught mistakenly the message and the baptism of John, but he was not a false teacher. Many of the great leaders of the church in centuries past have held interpretations of minor matters that we may not believe are biblical; still, we cannot call them false teachers. False teachers are professed believers who know the truth but who deliberately teach lies in the hope of promoting themselves and getting financial gain from their followers (2:3, 14). They are able to live in sin to please themselves (2:10, 13–14, 18–19). They use deceptive means (2:1, 3) and twist the Word of God to suit their fancies.
I. Their Condemnation (2:1–9)
Peter opens this section by declaring that false teachers are bound to appear but will ultimately be condemned by God. Verse 1 summarizes the methods of the false teachers: (1) they appear among the people as members of the church; (2) they work secretly, under cover of hypocrisy, pretending to be what they are not; (3) they bring in their false teachings alongside the true doctrine, and then replace the truth with their lies; (4) their lives deny what their lips teach. In other words, “heresy” is not simply false doctrine; it is false living based on false doctrine. “Wolves in sheep’s clothing” is the way our Lord pictured them (Matt. 7:15; and see 2 Cor. 4:1–2; 11:13). Unfortunately, the false teaching will be more popular than the true way (v. 2); but then, Jesus said that the leaven of false doctrine would permeate the whole lump (Matt. 13:33). People will choose to follow the false teachers because they exalt themselves rather than Christ, and many people love to worship popular and successful people. Also, the false way makes it easy to live in sin while pretending to practice a religious life.
“Feigned words” in 2:3 means “counterfeit words” or “manufactured, fabricated words.” The Gk. word is plastos, from which we get the English word “plastic.” These false teachers depart from the Spirit-given words of the Bible (1 Cor. 2:9–16) and manufacture their own words to fit their own doctrines. They take familiar Bible words and manufacture new meanings for them. They use our vocabulary but empty these words of spiritual meaning. It is not what a teacher says, but what he or she means, that counts.
These false teachers will be destroyed, and Peter cites three OT examples to prove it: the angels that sinned and are now imprisoned in Tartarus (which is the meaning of the word translated “hell”); the world before the flood; and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In each of these cases, the persons involved had a form of religion but not the true faith that empowers the life (2 Tim. 3:5). Before Christ comes back, there will be a great deal of “religion” in the world, but it will not be true faith in Him. Peter also points out that God is able to preserve and deliver His true saints, as He did with Noah and his family, and Lot. Noah is a symbol of the believing Jews who will be preserved through the Tribulation; Lot stands for the church saints who will be “caught away” before the destruction begins. These false teachers may seem to be successful and protected, but one of these days God will destroy them.
II. Their Character (2:10–16)
A. Pride (vv. 10–11).
They despise any kind of dominion or authority. God has established the “dominions” in this world—human government, headship in the home, leadership in the church, and so on. But false teachers want to run things their own way and reject God’s order. Even the angels do not despise God-given authorities; see Jude 8–9.
