Page 60 - General Epistles (James through Jude) Textbook

False Teachers/Scoffers (2 Pet. 2:1—3:7).

The Nature of False Teachers (2 Pet. 2:1-3). Peter wanted his recipients
to know that the coming of the false teachers was not unparalleled. False
prophets were there in the Old Testament times. They would not introduce
their teaching publicly, but secretly. This teaching should not be expected to
be constructive but destructive. Destructive in the sense that it would deny
the source of their (our) ransom from their (our) sins that should damn them
(us) to eternal separation with God—our Lord Jesus Christ. Here is the
danger. Many would follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of
truth (cf. 2 Pet. 1:19-21) into dishonor. If this should be Peter’s concern, it
should be our huge concern too whenever we hear about false teachers. If people begin to honor
heresies, why should one expect them to honor the Word of God? And that is Peter’s point here. When
Christians begin to buy into heresies (or false teaching), you should not expect them to do the same to
the Word of God. So, the first nature of the false teachers is to secretly introduce destructive heresies.
Then, the second nature of false teachers is; in their greed, they would exploit Christians with false
words.

Destiny for False Teachers (2 Pet. 2:4-9). Peter brought to his audiences’ attention three historical
events in order to confirm the destruction of the false teachers. First, since He did not spare angels
when they sinned (Jude 6; Rev. 20:1, 2), second, since He did not spare the ancient world when He
brought the flood (cf. Gen. 6—8; cf. 2 Pet. 3:6), and third, since He condemned the cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah by burning them to ashes. In the same way, the false teachers would be condemned and
judged.

Also, since God preserved the righteous from some of those destructions, for example, Noah and seven
others from the destruction of the ancient world and Lot, then, in the same way, the Lord knows how to
rescue the godly from trials.

The third nature of the false teachers is that they do not tremble when they
revile the angelic majesties. The irony is that those who are stronger and more
powerful than them (in this case, angels) do not heap abuse on such beings.
Celestial beings (or angelic majesties) have been understood to be demons (or
evil angels). However, the fact that they are evil angels (demons) does not give
us an opportunity to heap abuse on them. This highlights the extreme pride and
arrogance of those false teachers. And Peter zeroed-in the lack of understanding
as the cause of such abuse. Even more surprising, Peter likens those false
teachers to animals (or beasts) whose destiny is destruction. Harm would be paid back to them because
they caused harm. They would carouse in broad daylight. They would take pleasure while feasting with
them (or us). This refers to “agapē meals” which “were meant to enrich Christian fellowship and
strengthen the believers’ sense of union with Christ. But the false teachers are using these meals to lead
others astray—they are exploiting the teachings of Christ when others are supposed to be experiencing
the meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice and growing in their faith. Compare Jude 12.” They never stop sinning
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and are likened to Balaam son of Bezer, who loved wickedness (Num. 22—24).

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