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DECEMBER 2
DAY 1:Who were the false teachers that Peter describes in 2 Peter 2:1?
Peter described false teachers in detail in this chapter so that Christians would always recog-
nize their characteristics and methods. The greatest sin of Christ-rejecters and the most damning
work of Satan is misrepresentation of the truth and its consequent deception. Nothing is more
wicked than for someone to claim to speak for God to the salvation of souls when in reality he
speaks for Satan to the damnation of souls.
Peter says they will be from “among the people.”“The people”is used in the New Testament of
Israel (Acts 26:17,23).Peter’s point, though, is that Satan has always endeavored to infiltrate groups
of believers with the deceptions of false teachers (John 8:44). Since Eve, he has been in the deceit
business (2 Cor. 11:3,4). The false teachers parade themselves as Christian pastors, teachers, and
evangelists and “secretly bring in destructive heresies.”“Heresies”means self-designed religious lies
which lead to division and faction (1 Cor.11:19; Gal.5:20).The Greek word for “destructive”basically
means damnation.This word is used 6 times in this letter and always speaks of final damnation (vv.
1–3; 3:7,16).This is why it is so tragic when a church makes a virtue out of the toleration of unscrip-
tural teachings and ideas in the name of love and unity (2 Thess. 3:14; 1 Tim. 4:1–5;Titus 3:9–11).
“Denying the Lord.”This phrase exposes the depth of the crime and guilt of the false teachers.
This unusual Greek word for “Lord”appears 10 times in the New Testament and means one who has
supreme authority,whether human authority or divine authority.Peter here warns that false prophets
deny the sovereign lordship of Jesus Christ.Though their heresies may include the denial of the virgin
birth,deity,bodily resurrection,and Second Coming of Christ,the false teachers’basic error is that they
will not submit their lives to the rule of Christ.All false religions have an erroneous Christology.

December 2 up among them, before whom three of the
first horns were plucked out by the roots. And
there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a
man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
Daniel 7:1–8:27
9 “I watched till thrones were put in place,
In the first year of Belshazzar king of And the Ancient of Days was seated;
7 Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions His garment was white as snow,
of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote And the hair of His head was like
down the dream, telling the main facts. pure wool.
2 Daniel spoke, saying, “I saw in my vision by His throne was a fiery flame,
night, and behold, the four winds of heaven Its wheels a burning fire;
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were stirring up the Great Sea. And four great 10 A fiery stream issued
beasts came up from the sea, each different And came forth from before Him.
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from the other. The first was like a lion, and A thousand thousands ministered
had eagle’s wings. I watched till its wings were to Him;
plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth Ten thousand times ten thousand
and made to stand on two feet like a man, and stood before Him.
a man’s heart was given to it. The court was seated,
5 “And suddenly another beast, a second, like And the books were opened.
a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had
three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And 11 “I watched then because of the sound of
they said thus to it: ‘Arise, devour much flesh!’ the pompous words which the horn was
6 “After this I looked, and there was another, speaking; I watched till the beast was slain,
like a leopard, which had on its back four and its body destroyed and given to the burn-
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wings of a bird. The beast also had four heads, ing flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they
and dominion was given to it. had their dominion taken away, yet their lives
7 “After this I saw in the night visions, and were prolonged for a season and a time.
behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, 13 “I was watching in the night visions,
exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it And behold, One like the Son of Man,
was devouring, breaking in pieces, and tram- Coming with the clouds of heaven!
pling the residue with its feet. It was different He came to the Ancient of Days,
from all the beasts that were before it, and it had And they brought Him near before Him.
ten horns. I was considering the horns, and 14 Then to Him was given dominion and
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there was another horn, a little one, coming glory and a kingdom,

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