2 Peter 2

Guy N. Woods Commentary On 2nd Peter 2SECTION TWO WARNING AGAINST FALSE 2 Peter 2:1-11 2 Peter 2:1 —But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers,—The word “ but” with which this verse begins puts it in contrast with matters dealt with at the close of the preceding chapter. There, the apostle had emphasized the fact that the prophetic word is a product of in­spiration ; that it was delivered by men who spake from God; and that those who thus spoke were moved to do so by the Holy Spirit. Lest from this his readers should conclude that all who affected to be prophets were thus influenced, he hastened to add that as in times past false prophets had risen to lead the people of Israel astray (Deuteronomy 14:1-5; Isaiah 9:15; Jeremiah 14:14; Ezekiel 13:3; Zechariah 13:4), so false teachers were to be expected among them. Such teachers constituted a constant menace to the early church, and many warnings against them appear in the New Testament. (Matthew 24:5 Matthew 24:24; Acts 20:29-30; 1 Timothy 4:1 ff; 2 Timothy 4:1 ff.; 1 John 4:1.)

2 Peter 2:1 —Who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that brought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.—“ Who” refers to the false teachers men­tioned in the second clause of the verse. “ Privily” (Pareisago) means to slip in by the side of, and indicates that these teachers had artfully and slyly introduced their false doctrines by the side of the truth in such fashion as to deceive those who had accepted them. Such doctrines are described as “ destructive heresies.” They were heretical, because they were false; and they were de­structive from the fact that they brought ruin upon all who ac­cepted them, as well as upon those who propagated them. The doctrine to which Peter particularly alludes here led people to deny “ the Master who bought them.” (1 Corinthians 6:20; Hebrews 10:29.) There were many heresies afloat near the close of the first century, all tending to this end. The Lord’ s deity was questioned by some (1 John 4:15), his humanity by others (1 John 4:2). Some teachers then, as now, denied the threefold personality of the god­head, maintaining that there is but one person, with three mani­festations. Others held to the doctrine that the body of Christ was not real, but only imaginary; while still others, by their wicked and corrupt lives, denied their Master by using their bodies as their own and not his.

Reference to denying the Lord by Peter is significant, in the light of his own previous conduct. To him this involved the greatest possible apostasy. But when Peter denied his Lord, the price of redemption had not been paid. How much graver the offense of those who today treat with contempt that precious purchase price! (Acts 20:28.) 2 Peter 2:2 —And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.—The word “ lasciviousness” (aselgeia) refers to unbridled lust, abandoned ac­tions of the flesh, extreme wantonness, dissolute habits and all unclean living. These teachers of whom Peter wrote made a reli­gion of lust, and while confounding Christian liberty with license, preached the gospel of libertinism. Errors which allow such lib­erty have even been attractive to those who live for the world, and many were led to adopt such and to follow willingly and gladly those who propagated them. In consequence, the “ way of truth” was evil spoken of, i.e., reviled, blasphemed. Many unbelievers did not run to such excesses, and failing to distinguish between those professors and those who taught the truth, they regarded such conduct as the usual and ordinary fruits of Christianity, and held the institution of Christianity itself in contempt. 2 Peter 2:3 —And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:—Covetousness— unlawful desire for per­sonal gain— was the motive which influenced these false teachers; and thus motivated, they used feigned words— words artfully and skillfully forged for the occasion— to deceive those whom they could. These teachers “ made merchandise” of their dupes by treating them as merchandise, i.e., as objects by which to enhance their own wealth. Such proselyted only that they might profit, and promised what they could never deliver from motives of greed and avarice. (See 1 Timothy 6:5; Titus 1:11.) Whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.— Being evildoers, and therefore under the ban of all who disobey God, their destiny was definite and their damnation sure. (Philippians 3:19.) Peter solemnly assured his readers that such would not be delayed nor forgotten. “ Linger­eth not” is from ouk argei, is not idle; and “ slumbereth not” is from ou nustasei, does not nod, thus signifying that these deceivers and all those whom they deceived were hastening toward a judgment and a destiny that did not loiter on the way nor nod off to sleep in forgetfulness! 2 Peter 2:4 —For if God spared not angels when they sinned,—In proof of the proposition that judgment against the wicked is inevitable, Peter cites three well-known instances: (1) angels who sinned; (2) the destruction of the old world in the flood; and (3) the overthrow of the cities of the plain. Angels are created beings, “ sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation.” (Hebrews 1:14.) They are moral creatures and answer­able to God for their conduct, though apparently outside the re­demptive provisions of grace. (Hebrews 2:16.) Thus, when they sin, they are beyond the possibility of salvation. These, despite their rank, the honorable position they occupied, and the holiness they possessed when created, sinned and were not spared. What the nature of their sin was when they sinned and the number of those sinning is not stated. Much speculation has been indulged in regarding the matter. There is a popular view that Genesis 6:2-4 involves an unholy association between angels and women, and that the sin of the angels was fornication “ with the daughters of men.” This exposition is based on an erroneous view of Gen 6:1-4.

There is no reference to angels in that passage. The “ sons of God” were human beings. Others, with more reason, have concluded that these angels were the same as those alluded to by Jude when he said that “ they kept not their own principality, but left their proper habitation,” and are kept “ in everlasting bonds under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” (Jude 1:6.) Some hold to the view that Satan was a created angel; that he led a revolt in heaven (Revelation 12:7); that the occasion for the revolt was spiritual pride and a desire for higher position (1 Timothy 3:6); and that for such arrogance and presumption he was cast out of heaven. Inasmuch as it is inconceivable that God created these angels wicked, the following conclusions seem certain: (a) they were originally holy; (b) they sinned; (c) the occasion of their sin was in abandoning their “ proper habitation” ; (d) as a result they were thrust down to a place of bondage. What this place was is designated in the clause which follows.

But cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;— The word translated “ hell” here, tartarosas, does not occur elsewhere in the Greek New Testament. The word is used in Greek mythology of the place of restraint and punishment for the souls of wicked men after death. It seems likely that Peter, writing in Greek, and to people who would be disposed to understand the words of the language in their ordinary signification, here used the word in its usual import, and that by it he intended to convey the idea that these wicked angels were thrust down to such an abode to await the judgment of the great day. Inasmuch as the nature of the place is the same as that which characterized the rich man in torment in Hades, separated by a great gulf from the righteous there (Luke 16 : 23-26), it is reasonable to assume that the places are the same, and that tartarus is that compartment in the Hadean realm where wicked spirits are reserved (kept in restraint) until the day of their final condemna­tion is at hand. The place is described as “ pits of darkness,” from the fact that darkness is the condition which there prevails. The word “ pit,” from the Greek seiros, denotes an underground open­ing or den.

2 Peter 2:5 —And spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;— The argu­ment— an a fortiori one— continues, and the apostle offers the second illustration of the certainty of judgment upon the wicked. The “ ancient world” embraced the people who lived before the flood. Though these people had clear and unmistakable warnings of impending doom, and despite the fact that the time provided them was ample to flee from the destruction which threatened them, they spurned Jehovah’ s offer of amnesty and died. Only Noah and his family, consisting of his wife, his three sons and their wives, were saved. (Gen. 7: 7; 1 Pet. 3: 20.) The account of the flood is recorded in Gen. 6: 13-8: 19. Noah is called a preach­er of righteousness (Psalm 119: 172), from the fact that he both preached and practiced righteousness. “ Noah was a righteous man, and perfect in his generations: Noah walked with God.” (Gen. 6:9.) He was a “ preacher” (literally, a herald) of right­eousness ; he denounced the unrighteousness and corruption about him, and exhorted the people to repentance. Josephus, the Jewish historian of the first century, bears this remarkable testimony con­cerning him: “ Noah being grieved at the things which were done by them and being displeased at their counsels, urged them to change for the better their thoughts and actions.

But seeing that they did not yield, but were mightily mastered by the pleasure of evil, fearing lest they should kill him, he departed from the land with his wife and his sons and the women whom they had mar­ried.” (Antiq. I, 3, 1.)

2 Peter 2:6 —And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly;—The histori­cal account of this event is recorded in Genesis 19:23-29. As a third instance of the certainty of God’ s judgment, the fearful destruction of the cities of the plain— Sodom and Gomorrah— is offered. The prophets cited the destruction which befell these Old Testament cities (Isaiah 1:9-10; Ezekiel 16:48-56), as also did our Lord (Luke 17:28-32). Jude, with more detail than Peter, describes the event thus: “ Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them, having in like manner with these given themselves over to fornication and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 1:7.) The “ over­throw” which these cities suffered evidenced God’s extreme dis­pleasure with their conduct and serves as a warning of the destiny which awaits those who live in similar ungodly fashion today.

2 Peter 2:7 —And delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the las­civious life of the wicked—See Genesis 19:16. The case of Lot is introduced to show that God distinguishes between the righteous and the wicked, delivering the former and bringing destruction on the latter. Lot is called “ righteous” because he kept himself from the combination of the world about him. The words “ sore distressed” are translated from the present passive participle of kata- poneo, to wear down, to tire out, to harass beyond endurance. The verb thus denotes the distress which Lot felt at the open and shameless ungodliness which was practiced around him. Most of the distress which he felt doubtless came from the ungodly conduct characteristic of his own family. Though he sought to keep them from the corruption of the people of Sodom, “ He seemed unto his sons-in-law as one that mocked.” (Genesis 19:14.)

2 Peter 2:8 —For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds—The parentheses in the text explains the nature of the distress which Lot felt in Sodom. He had him­self selected the plain of Jordan and the neighborhood of Sodom on the occasion of the dissension between his herdsmen and those of Abraham (Genesis 13:1-13) ; and when he made the choice it was said that “ the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against Jehovah exceedingly” (Genesis 13:13). When the consequences of his choice became apparent to him, it appears that he often desired to leave but was not able. Forced to live daily in the presence of gross and unrestrained licentiousness, and to see and to hear it constantly, he vexed (imperfect active of basanizo, kept on tor­menting) his righteous soul with the lawlessness about him. It should be observed that it was Lot who tormented his own soul at what he witnessed. The words describe the pain that a naturally sensitive and righteous man would experience at the sight of such flagrant lawlessness as that which existed in Sodom.

Though in the midst of extreme wickedness, (a) Lot was not corrupted by it; (b) he did not become indifferent to it; (c) he was daily concerned about it. In this he serves as a pattern for us today.

2 Peter 2:9 —The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temp­tation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment;—A conclusion drawn from preceding prem­ises. The Lord can deliver his servants, as illustrated by Noah and Lot; and he does keep the unrighteous under punishment, as evidenced in the cases of the angels who sinned, the wicked, antediluvian world, and the cities of the plain. The word tendered “ temptation” in this verse is the same as that translated “ trial” in 1 Peter 1:6, where it refers to the manifold difficulties which Peter’ s readers then faced. This passage is, therefore, an assurance of deliverance to the righteous whatever the danger which confronts them. The words “ under punishment” are from kolazomenous, present participle of kolazo, to punish, and reveals that the punish­ment of the wicked precedes as well as follows the final judgment, a fact also clearly taught in the narrative of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), as well as in the reference to the angels who sinned (2 Peter 2:4). 2 Peter 2:10 —But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion.—“ Chiefly” (malista), i.e., es­pecially these above all others God will reserve under punishment. In a parallel passage, Jude said, “ Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh and set at nought dominion, and rail at dignities.” (Verse 8.) These false teachers of whom Peter writes were not only walking after the flesh; they desired the defilement of the flesh which their lusts produced; they greedily reached forth for the unlawful and polluting use of the flesh to which their sin led them. These were evidently guilty of the unspeakable sins and other darker forms of impurity which Paul mentions as prevalent in the Roman empire. (Romans 1:24-28.) Moreover, they despised “ dominion,” i.e., they regarded all au­thority with contempt. Any effort to restrain them in their wild rebellion they despised. 2 Peter 2:10 —Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities:—Despite the fact that they knew the penalty for their conduct, they defied the Lord; and arrogant, audacious, and proud, they blas­phemed dignities— all authorities— without fear. These words in­dicate the extreme coarseness, insolence, and hardness of heart characteristic of these false teachers. 2 Peter 2:11 —Whereas angels, though greater in might and power, bring not a railing judgment against them before the Lord.—Angels, though greater in every way than these false and designing teachers, do not bring railing judgments, but with becoming mod­esty and restraint leave such matters in the hands of God. Exam­ples of this attitude may be seen in Zechariah 3:2; Jude 1:9. AND FINAL DESTINY OF FALSE 2 Peter 2:12-22 2 Peter 2:12 —But these, as creatures without reason, born mere ani­mals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed,—The fallen angels recognized the moral law of God and felt the wrath which came upon them in their disobedience; whereas, these false teachers, though greatly inferior to the angels (verse 11), were like mere animals in disregarding utterly any laws of a higher world. Like wild beasts of prey which exist solely for the gratifi­cation of fleshly appetites, and eventually to be taken and destroyed for the harm they do, these false teachers, as similar creatures with­out reason or rational conduct, deserved no better fate. In their senseless railing against matters about which they knew nothing, they would eventually suffer the destruction which was wrought out for all whom they deceived. In destroying others, they would, themselves, eventually, be destroyed. Wild beasts are made to be taken and destroyed by man; and these, being of the same nature, also deserved and would receive destruction.

2 Peter 2:13 —Suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing;—These words are to be construed with the final clause of the verse which precedes, i.e., these false teachers “ shall in their destroying surely be destroyed, suffering wrong at the hire of wrong-doing.” The King James’ rendering, based on a well-supported variation of the Greek text, has here, “ and shall receive the reward of unright­eousness.” The “ reward of unrighteousness” is ruin. Balaam (Numbers 31:8 Numbers 31:19) and Judas (Acts 1:18) are examples of those who received the reward of unrighteousness in this life, and all the wicked will receive it in the world to come.

2 Peter 2:13 —Men that count it pleasure to revel in the day-time,—Ordi­narily, even the wicked confine their excesses to the night; but these, under consideration by Peter, were so abandoned in sin that they extended their revelings into the day, finding pleasure only in ceaseless and unrestrained indulgence. (1 Thessalonians 5:7.)

2 Peter 2:13 —Spots and blemishes, reveling in their deceiving while they feast with you;—Hitherto the apostle had dealt with the in­subordination and disrespect for authority characteristic of these false teachers; with this verse he begins a description of their abandonment in sin. They were full of spots and blemishes, in contrast with the Lord who is “ a lamb without blemish and with­out spot” (1 Peter 1:19); and his body, which he desires to be with­out “ spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27). Further, these teachers had injected themselves into the feasts which the Christians commonly held, and there sported themselves in their deceivings, using such occasions as additional opportunities to deceive the people.

2 Peter 2:14 —Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin;—“ Having eyes full of adultery” is, in the Greek, “ having eyes full of an adulteress” (moichalis). It is a vivid term, descrip­tive of a man who is unable to look at a woman without regarding her as an objective for lasciviousness. It is the disposition of heart which violates the injunction of the Lord when he said, “ Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28.) The hearts of these false teachers were filled with lust, and they ever sought opportunity for the gratification thereof. Thus motivated, they did not, and could not, cease from sin.

2 Peter 2:14 —Enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in cov­etousness; children of cursing;—“ Enticing” is derived from deleazo, a bait. The word also occurs in verse 18 of this chapter, and is such a term as would be most familiar to Peter, a fisherman. Unsteadfast souls, deceived by their teachers, suffered themselves to be entrapped by the bait which was dangled before them. The hearts of these men were exercised (practiced) in covetousness. The word “ exercised” is from a term which indicates training in a gymnasium. These teachers were trained in habits of greed.

They are styled “ children of cursing,” a Hebrew idiom expressing character through sonship. Compare “ the son of perdition” (John 17:12); “ sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2); “ sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). These were “ children of cursing,” because they were a curse to all others, and would themselves suffer the curse of destruction in judgment.

2 Peter 2:15 —Forsaking the right way, they went astray,— The “ right way” is the “ way of truth.” (Verse 2.) It is variously designated “ the way of the Lord” (Genesis 18:19) ; “ the way of peace” (Romans 3:17); “ the way of wisdom” (Proverbs 4:11); “ the way of life” (Proverbs 10:17); and “ the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17). The false teachers whom Peter describes in this section of his epistle had “ forsaken the right way” and had gone “ astray” and were thus apostates to the faith. One cannot forsake a way in which he has never been. These had abandoned the doctrine of Christ, and they no longer conformed in life to the principles which he taught. (Cf. Acts 13:4-12.)

2 Peter 2:15 —Having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the hire of wrong-doing;—“ For the story of Balaam and his effort to curse the children of Israel, see Numbers 22:1-41. Ba­laam desired the reward which the Moabite messengers brought, here called “ the hire of wrong-doing,” because he hoped to receive the money for the wicked work he sought to do. These teachers to whom Peter alludes were like Balaam in that they prostituted the doctrine of Christ for personal gain, and taught doctrines con­trary to the will of the Lord because they loved the wages of unrighteousness. The word “ followed” in the text is translated from a Greek verb which means to follow out to the end. It occurs in 2 Peter 1:16 2 Peter 2:2.

2 Peter 2:16 —But he was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spake with man’s voice and stayed the madness of the prophet.—Balaam’ s transgression was in his readiness to go and curse Israel despite the solemn warning he had received from God. The dumb ass was a beast of burden. Actually, it was the angel who hindered Balaam on his way, but the clearer vision of the beast resulted in the first delay, and the miracle which followed — when the ass spake with the voice of a man— brought to his attention the perverseness of his way. It is significant that Peter accepted and adopted the narrative in Numbers 22, regarding Balaam and the ass, as authentic. It was, to him, no imaginary incident, no fictitious account. Modernistic scholars in seeking to eliminate the supernatural from the sacred writings entirely, allege that Balaam merely heard the promptings of an uneasy conscience on this occasion and that the beast did not really speak.

Such a view not only impeaches Moses as a historian; it also convicts Peter, an apostle of the Lord, as an unreliable writer. The beast spake; he spake with the voice of a man; he spake audibly, and his words have been recorded and preserved. (Numbers 22:28.) There is no miracle in the Old Testament better authenticated than this.

2 Peter 2:17 —These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved.—The apostle, in the verses which precede this, has described the sins of the false teachers about whom he writes; here, he directs attention to the emptiness and worthlessness of that which they taught. Though they paraded under the guise of teachers of truth, they were as springs without water, toward which tired and thirsty travelers hasten, only to meet with bitter disappointment when they arrive and find there is no water there. Though such teachers make great promises, the promises they make do not materialize. They are like mists driven by a storm containing the promise of rain, but blown quickly by the wind over the land and away. The harassed farmer looks longingly at the skies and hopes that the cloud which he sees will bring moisture to his parched fields, only to observe it fleeing before the tempest. Such was characteristic of these men who, though they offered a blessing, deceived and disappointed those whom they duped. For all such the blackness of darkness has been reserved and awaits. (Jude 1:13.) The way of the wicked is often described in the scriptures as a “ way of darkness.” (Proverbs 4:19; Jeremiah 23:9-12.)

2 Peter 2:18 —For, uttering great swelling words of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error;— In the verse which precedes, Peter describes the false teachers of whom he writes in figures; here, we are informed why they are waterless springs and rainless mists: all that they say is vanity. (Ephesians 4:17.) “ Van­ity” (mataiotes), as here used, signifies that which is empty, use­less, vain; and the “ great swelling wcrds” (huperogka) these teach­ers were accustomed to use, though pompous and high sounding, were nothing more than hollow, vain phrases, sound without sub­stance, mere bombast. Their purpose was to “ entice” in the lusts of the flesh by (dative of the instrument) lasciviousness. The word “ lasciviousness” is, in the Greek, plural (aselgeia) ; there was no temptation of that nature which these teachers did not offer. Hence, (a) their motive was to allure and lead astray; (b) their method of enticement was by high sounding words; (c) the sphere in which the enticement was accomplished was in the list of the flesh; and (d) the bait (deleazo) which was dangled before them (verse 14) was gross fleshly indulgence. The victims of these false teachers were those who were just escaping from the dark night of heathenism through obedience to the gospel, only to be thrust back into the shadows of their former manner of life by these deceivers. Those “ that live in error” were the heathen who knew not God. These unfortunate victims of deceit who were just escaping from the influence of those who lived in error— through their obedience to the gospel— were seized by these false teachers and thrust back into the benighted state formerly characterizing them. 2 Peter 2:19 —Promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage.—The “ great swelling words” which these teachers were accustomed to speak included the offer of liberty, a characteristic feature of their teach­ing. The freedom which the Christian enjoys from the bondage of the law they interpreted to include the privilege of unrestrained indulgence. Disregarding Paul’ s warning, “ For ye, brethren, were called for freedom; only use not your freedom for an occasion to the flesh, but through love be servants one of another” (Galatians 5:13), their “ liberty” became libertinism, and they practiced the grossest corruption. While offering liberty to others, they were themselves in the most advanced slavery, the bondage of sin. Overcome by their vices, they were in bondage to them and were the most enslaved of all creatures. They had become the servants of a master who was using them to enslave others, and who would eventually destroy them. (Verse 12.)

2 Peter 2:20 —For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with them than the first.—The antece­dent of the pronoun “ they” is the false teachers of the preceding verse. These men had obeyed the gospel and had thereby “ es­caped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,’’ only to return to their former state of defilement by a lapse into their earlier manner of living. “ Knowledge,” here, is not from the ordinary gnosis, but the com­pound epignosis, used so often by Paul (Ephesians 4:13; Colossians 2:2 Colossians 3:10; 1 Timothy 2:4) and Peter (2 Peter 1:2-3 2 Peter 1:8) of the highest form of knowledge. These men had thus not always been hypo­crites ; they had known Christ in the fullest possible sense as their Saviour, only to apostatize from the faith. The “ defilements” into which they had fallen were the corruptions of the heathen world from which they had earlier escaped. (2 Peter 1:4.) To these corruptions they had returned, and in them they were again en­tangled. The word “ entangled” (emplakentes) suggests the figure of fishes entrapped in a net. Though these men boasted of their freedom, they were, in reality, like fish entangled in a net, the helpless captives of their own enticements, entrapped by the very bait which they dangled before others. (Verses 14, 18.)

The words ‘‘ the last state is become worse with them than the first” appear to be suggested by a comment of the Lord in the parable of the unclean spirit who was cast out only to return with seven other spirits more wicked than itself. (Matthew 12:45.) Such is the condition characteristic of those who have been delivered from the corruption of the world only to return to its defilements. The last state for all such is worse than the first: (a) apostates are usually more abandoned in sin than those who have never walked in righteousness; (b) ‘such a state involves more guilt because of the greater knowledge such a one possesses; (c) such individuals are far more difficult to influence for good than those who have never known the way of righteousness.

2 Peter 2:21 —For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them.—The verb “ known” is, like the noun “ knowledge” in the preceding verse, from the compound epignosis, the fullest possible form of knowledge, and emphasizes the fact that these teachers had enjoyed a clear percep­tion of the principles of Christ which they had now repudiated. Christianity is styled a “ way” because it is a course to be fol­lowed, and it is a “ way of righteousness” because righteousness characterizes those who walk in it. (Isaiah 35:8.) These deceptive teachers had not only “ known” this way; they had walked in it and enjoyed its benefits and privileges. Despite this, through yielding to their sensuous desires, they had turned back to the world and had fallen into a state worse than that in which Chris­tianity found them. It would have been better for them never to have known Christ and his teaching than, after having known it, to turn back from “ the holy commandment” delivered unto them. The “ holy commandment” was the moral law which Jesus taught, and which these teachers disregarded. It would have been better for them never to have known the right way in view of their sub­sequent apostasy, for (a) in this event they would not have brought reproach on the cause of Christ; (b) they would not have fallen to such a level of depravity as that which now characterized them; and (c) they would not suffer as great punishment in the last day, since with increased knowledge comes an increase of responsibility and consequently greater condemnation for those who do not avail themselves of the advantages afforded them. (Luke 12:47-48.)

2 Peter 2:22 —It happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire.—Cited in this proverb are two beasts held in greatest contempt in all Oriental lands. The dog is a scavenger, and the swine is regarded as an abomination. Jesus associated these two beasts in an illustration of what is most profane and degrading. (Matthew 7:6.) Reference to the dog is a variation of a statement made by Solomon in Proverbs 26:11; that of a sow does not occur in the scriptures, though the truth of that which is affirmed is a matter which has come under the observation of all even casually acquainted with the habits of either of these animals. The proverb was one of general currency when Peter wrote. It should be observed that in both instances the animal was changed. That each returned to its former offensive habits does not alter the fact that a change had occurred.

Advocates of the doctrine of the impossibility of apostasy, in an effort to avoid the obvious force of this passage, insist that the dog remained a dog, the sow a sow. Such is not the point of the proverb. The dog had ejected that which was foul; the sow had been washed. That each returned to its former manner of life reveals that the old nature returned. Peter cites the proverb as an illustration of that which had occurred in the lives of these men who, though they had escaped the corruptions of the world through the knowledge of Christ, had become entangled again therein, and overcome, a$d their last state was thus worse than the first. (Verse 20.) 2nd Peter Chapter TwoVerse 1 CHAPTER 2 This entire chapter is a prophecy of the great apostasy foretold by Christ himself and by Paul, Peter and John. It is printed as a single paragraph in the ASV, but a workable outline of it is given by Strachan, thus:[1]The false teachers and their judgment (2 Peter 2:1-3). Historical illustration of Divine judgment on the wicked, and care of the righteous (2 Peter 2:4-10 a). Further description of the false teachers (2 Peter 2:10 b-14). The example of Balaam (2 Peter 2:15-16). The libertines are themselves slaves (2 Peter 2:17-19). The consequences of apostasy (2 Peter 2:20-22). The connection this chapter has with other New Testament writings on the subject was pointed out by Paine, who observed that the warnings here are “somewhat after the manner of Act 20:29-30; 1 Timothy 4:1-6, and 2 Timothy 3:1-5."[2] Plummer noted the same thing, pointing out that, in addition to the references just cited, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; 2 Timothy 4:3-4; and 1 John 2:18,1 John 4:3, also deal with the apostasy, observing that, “Those in 2Thessalonians and 2Timothy are especially worthy of comparison, as containing like the present chapter, a mixture of future and present."[3] For a fuller list of New Testament prophecies related to the great apostasy see my Commentary on 1,2 Thessalonians , 1,2Timothy, Titus and Philemon, pp. 106-109. With regard to the strange mingling of future and present tenses, this was exactly the manner of the ancient prophets, such a device even being called the prophetic tense. Green agreed that this is the correct view on the mixed tenses, and that they do not, “as some maintain, (come from) the failure of some second century writer to be consistent."[4][1] R. H. Strachan, Expositor’s Greek Testament, Vol. V (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm.

B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967), pp. 133-141. [2] Stephen W. Paine, Wycliffe Bible Commentary, New Testament (Chicago: Moody Press, 197l), p. 994. [3] Alfred Plummer, Ellicott’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. VIII (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), p. 450. [4] Michael Green, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, 2Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1968), p. 93. But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1) False prophets … One of the outstanding teachings in the Petrine writings is the correspondence between the Old and the New Israel, an analogy that he had surely learned from the Lord himself. Jesus himself had flatly predicted the same thing Peter prophesied here (Matthew 7:15-23). A number of Old Testament references to the false prophets of the Old Israel were cited by Barclay, thus:[5]The false prophets said, Peace, Peace, when there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14). Its priests teach for hire, and its prophets divine for money (Micah 3:11). The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink; they are confused with wine (Isaiah 28:17). They commit adultery, and walk in lies, they strengthen the hands of evil-doers (Jeremiah 23:14). They lead my people astray by their lies and by their recklessness (Jeremiah 23:32). The prophets invited the people, Let us go after other gods (Deuteronomy 13:1-5 Deuteronomy 18:20). Paul evaluated the character of false teachers in the New Israel in the same terms (1 Timothy 6:5; Titus 1:11). Among you, also, there shall be false teachers … The scholars who see some dependence of this epistle upon Jude are confronted with a real problem in this. Is it possible that Peter was here prophesying a condition that Jude spoke of as already existent? As a matter of fact, this writer rejects outright any notion that either one of these epistles is dependent upon the other, despite the fact of Jude’s certainly having 2Peter in mind when he wrote. Who shall privily bring in … The significance of “privily” is that, “The heresies were to be introduced under the color of true doctrine, in the dark as it were, little by little."[6]Destructive heresies … Heresies are often thought of as sects; but the thing in view here is, “given opinions, which came to mean the tenets of a party,"[7] at variance from orthodox Christianity. They are called “destructive,” because, “They foster licentiousness and contempt for the way of truth."[8]Denying even the Master that brought them … This is a surprise, coming from one who himself had denied his Lord; and, as Plummer said, “No forger would have ventured to make Peter write this."[9] The reference is, of course, to the Lord Jesus Christ who, in a special sense, bought the church with his own precious blood (Acts 20:28), the important deduction from this being that the apostate teachers foretold here would arise from among the Christians themselves, in full agreement with what Paul wrote in Acts 20:29-30. Again, from Plummer, “The Apostle declares that these impious false teachers were redeemed by Jesus Christ,"[10] a fact absolutely opposed to teachings in Calvinism.

Caffin also agreed that, “The word for Master, here, implies that the deniers stand to the Lord in the relation of slaves, bondservants."[11]Despite this clause, however, Calvinistic ideas are defended in spite of it by some. Bruce attributed to the false teachers not any salvation at all, but a “measure of enlightenment,” showing “in the end, their real unregenerated nature."[12] Throughout this chapter, there are extensive teachings which demand the understanding that the apostates had indeed known the Lord in the primary salvation of their souls, but who fell away, forsook the right way, and “went back.” Bringing upon themselves swift destruction … This does not mean, “coming soon,” but, “coming suddenly and unexpectedly so as to preclude escape."[13][5] William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1976), p. 314. [6] James Macknight, Macknight on the Epistles, 2Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, reprint, 1969), p. 540. [7] Albert E. Barnett, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. XII (New York and Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1957), p. 187. [8] Ibid. [9] Alfred Plummer, op. cit., p. 451. [10] Ibid. [11] B.C. Caffin, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 22,2Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 43. [12] F. F. Bruce, Answers to Questions (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972), p. 131. [13] Alfred Plummer, op. cit., p. 451. Verse 2 And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.Many shall follow … True Christianity was prophesied to be followed by a period of wholesale defection from the truth. The vast majority of people will fall in with error and immorality. The truth will not be popular in the period foretold here. As Adam Clarke said: Lasciviousness points to the nature of the heresies, a sort of Antinomianism; they pampered and indulged the lusts of the flesh; and if the Nicolaitans are meant, it is very applicable to them, for they taught the community of wives, etc.[14]The way of truth … This was an early name for Christianity (Acts 9:2). Shall be evil spoken of … According to Plummer, Clement of Rome in the second epistle to the Corinthians (xiii), elaborated this clause extensively, indicating that, “this epistle was known to him."[15] Regarding the date of this Clement, see introduction. Antinomianism has foundation in the misunderstanding of Paul’s teaching on salvation “by faith,” which people have willfully perverted to mean “by faith alone,” being apparently blind to the fact that if one is saved by faith alone; he is by that very definition saved without morality of any kind. The scholars, many of them, do not understand this; but the great multitudes make their own application of the obvious meaning of it. [14] Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Holy Bible, Vol. VI (London: Carlton and Porter, 1829), p. 885. [15] Alfred Plummer, op. cit., p. 451. Verse 3 And in covetousness shall they with reigned words make merchandise of you: whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.In covetousness … The making of money is the motivation for a great deal of false teaching, the false teachers invariably being concerned, not with what is true, but what is popular. With feigned words … Any allegation that the apostate teachers appearing at various times during the historical progression of Christianity may be thought of as “sincere and honest” is vigorously denied by this. They, many of them, if indeed not the vast majority, are not sincere and honest in any sense of the words. Their words are “feigned,” translated by Goodspeed as “pretended,"[16] by Weymouth as “bogus,"[17] and by Williams as “messages manufactured by themselves."[18] See more on the nature and quality of their words under 2 Peter 2:18. Whose sentence now from of old, etc …. As Zerr said: This means that the judgment or condemnation of such characters is of long standing, but that God has not changed his mind about it, nor tempered his wrath against them.[19]Slumbereth … It is of interest that the word occurs only one other time in the New Testament (Matthew 25:5).[20][16] Edgar J. Goodspeed, The New Testament, An American Translation (Chicago: The Chicago University Press, 1923), in loco. [17] J. B. Phillips, The New Testament in Modern English (London: Geoffrey Bles, 1960), in loco. [18] Charles B. Williams, The New Testament, a Translation in the Language of the People (Chicago: Moody Press, 1950), in loco. [19] E. M. Zerr, Bible Commentary, 2Peter (Marion, Indiana: The Cogdill Foundation, 1854), p. 273. [20] Alfred Plummer, op. cit., p. 451. Verse 4 For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;Peter with this verse cited some historical examples of God’s judgment and condemnation of the wicked (noting also that the righteous were spared), these being: (1) the example of the sinning angels; (2) the case of Noah and his generation; (3) the example of Sodom and Gomorrah; and (4) the deliverance of Lot. It is an unqualified mystery to this writer why anyone should suppose that Peter found all this in the Book of Enoch, or some other apocryphal writing. Peter received this from the Lord; for he was present when the Lord cited these very things, and in exactly the same order, (Luke 17:25 ff), and connecting them, as Peter did here, with developments in the after times. Furthermore, as Paine pointed out: There is (in Peter’s account) an absence of that rather wild and questionable theorizing and intrusion of non-spiritual concept which is evident even to the casual reader of Enoch.[21]The reason for this is clear. Peter was not inspired by Enoch, but by the Lord Jesus Christ. Angels, when they sinned … Very little is known of this; but, if as widely assumed, Satan himself was the leader of the sinning angels, it was through pride that he fell (Ezekiel 28:12 ff, and 1 Timothy 3:6); and from this is the deduction that pride was also the sin of the angels, a suggestion not denied by Jude 1:6. The point Peter made was that God did not spare them, but condemned them. Cast them down to hell … The word here rendered “hell” is “Tartarus,” a word not found in any other of the sacred writings.[22] The meaning of the word must therefore be sought in the pagan literature. Strachan said: In Homer, Hades is the place of confinement of dead men, and Tartarus is the name given to a murky abyss beneath Hades, in which the sins of fallen immortals are punished.[23]Macknight tells that there were other pagan references to Tartarus as being “in the air."[24] It was natural for Peter, writing to Greeks, to use their word with reference to the state of condemnation of the angels, but without endorsement of any of the pagan traditions about the fallen Titans. It was an “ad hominem” use of the expression here. It would appear that the demons themselves used another of the pagan words for this very place. See Luke 8:31, where is the record that the demons besought Jesus not to send them into the abyss. Committed them to pits of darkness … The language here is figurative, darkness symbolizing their separation from God and their existence under his disapproval and condemnation. To be reserved unto judgment … The fallen angels are not being punished now, but they are reserved to the day of judgment. The point is that, “If angels that sinned are confined in nether gloom until the judgment, assuredly heretical teachers and their immoral followers should know that `their destruction has not been asleep.’"[25][21] Stephen W. Paine, op. cit., p. 995. [22] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 543. [23] R. H. Strachan, op. cit., p. 135. [24] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 544. [25] Albert E. Barnett, op. cit., p. 190. Verse 5 and spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;Significantly, Peter here refers to the flood recorded in Genesis as an historical event, denying the allegation of some that it was a myth. The ancient world … In the Greek text here, Peter omitted the article; but Strachan said, “This is not a mark of illiteracy. The chapter is prophetic in form, and the omission of the article is characteristic of this style."[26]Noah with seven others … These were Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, with their respective wives. A preacher of righteousness … There is not a word in Enoch about Noah’s having been a preacher of righteousness;[27] nor, for that matter, even a word in the Old Testament about it. The link is not between Peter and Enoch, but between Peter and Christ. Furthermore, the implication is clear, even in the Old Testament, that Noah attempted to persuade his contemporaries to renounce their evil ways and turn to God. [26] R. H. Strachan, op. cit., p. 135. [27] Michael Green, op. cit., p. 99. Verse 6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly;Sodom and Gomorrah … These cities were destroyed by God because of their wickedness; and it should not be lost on people of our own generation that the very type of sins prevalent in those two cities has become accepted in some circles today. Such a thing is a commentary upon the depravity of our own era. What were those sins? The sin of Sodom was unnatural lusts (Genesis 19:5), and pride with fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness, especially among the women, and hard-heartedness towards the poor (Ezekiel 16:46, and Jude 1:7).[28]It is quite significant that the two destructions in view in this and the preceding verses were (1) by water in the first instance, and (2) by fire in the second, a sequence which we have already observed was pointed out by Jesus himself (Luke 17:25 ff). Barnett noted that: The sequence also prepares for 2 Peter 3:6-7, where the destruction of the world that then existed by water serves to warn that the heavens and the earth that now exist have been stored up for fire.[29][28] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 546. [29] Albert E. Barnett, op. cit., p. 190. Verse 7 and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wickedPeter injected this to show that whatever judgments may be executed upon the wicked, God will acknowledge and preserve the righteous. Sore distressed … “The corruption of Sodom was open and shameless; and as Lot was compelled to see much of it, his heart was pained."[30]ENDNOTE: [30] Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, 2Peter (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1953), p. 244. Verse 8 (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds):In view of the rather sordid record of Lot’s life in Genesis, some have questioned why such an epithet as “righteous” should be repeatedly applied to him here. However, all human righteousness is relative; and when Lot’s life is evaluated in connection with the depraved culture of his day, the true value of it is evident. He was displeased with the wickedness around him; he did not participate in it; he was thoughtful to entertain strangers, thereby entertaining angels unawares, as extolled in Hebrews 13:2; he was accounted righteous by Abraham who, in his great intercession for the doomed cities, evidently included Lot among the ten righteous persons who, he felt, were living there; and when God commanded him to leave Sodom, Lot did not hesitate to obey. It was also at Lot’s intercession that Zoar was spared. In view of all these things, Peter’s reference to him here is justified. Verse 9 the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgment;The great point of this is that the righteous will be preserved through all of God’s judgments against the wicked. Under punishment … From this, some have concluded that the fallen angels, and other wicked beings are now suffering punishment; but Peter may well have used “under punishment” as a short form for “under sentence of punishment.” It seems clear from Matthew 8:29, that there is “a time” appointed for the punishment of the wicked, a time yet future. (See Jude 1:6). See more on this below. This verse is actually the culmination of all Peter had been saying, reaching all the way back to 2 Peter 2:4. As Kelcy said, “The protasis (that is, the conditional clauses antecedent to a conclusion) begins in 2 Peter 2:4; the apodosis (conclusion), is here."[31]Despite what is said in the second paragraph above, scholars like Russell and Caffin are sure that the wicked are under punishment at the present time. Caffin said, “The wicked are already under punishment, awaiting the judgment, as indicated by the parable of Dives and Lazarus."[32] Russell has the following: This verse implies that the unrighteous are always under punishment from the time that sin is committed, both before the judgment and after. Even between death and the judgment there is apparently a division between the righteous and the wicked (Luke 16:19-21).[33]We do not despise such views as these, for there is certainly a measure of truth in them. The only uncertainty pertains to the scarcity of information in the Bible about such things, and the inability, really, to be certain about the full implications of what is revealed. The Lord simply has not given people a blueprint of the unseen world. Zerr, for example, on this very verse made the deduction from the word “reserve” (as in KJV) that, “The punishment of the unjust is to be at a future time."[34] Barnett struck a kind of middle position, which may be exactly right, saying, “They will get a foretaste of the punishment which will become their permanent destiny after the Second Coming."[35][31] Raymond C. Kelcy, The Letters of Peter and Jude (Austin, Texas: R.

B. Sweet Company), p. 141. [32] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 45. [33] James William Russell, Compact Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1964), p. 592. [34] E. M. Zerr, op. cit., p. 274. [35] Albert E. Barnett, op. cit., p. 191. Verse 10 but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion. Daring, self-willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities:This concludes the description of them that are kept under punishment until the judgment. The peculiar cast of the words here “suggests that sodomy is here referred to."[36] It is as though Peter said that the sin of sodomy in particular is especially offensive to God and that the judgment of it is certain. Our generation needs this warning. Daring … “This is a shameless and irreverent daring."[37] A rather full description of the apostate teachers which will appear in the church is included in this and the following verses to the end of the chapter. Rail at dignities … This includes reviling “magistrates,” as Macknight said, but much more is meant. It is a loudmouthed, blasphemous declamation against all that is high, honorable, or holy. Authority of any or all kinds is anathema to this class. They have but one criterion, that being whatever their selfish, lustful desires may prompt them to do. There does not seem to be here any reference to speaking evil of angels; for the class of reprobates in view here would be incapable even of imagining the existence of such things as angels. [36] David H. Wheaton, New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 1255. [37] R. H. Strachan, op. cit., p. 137. James Macknight, op. cit., p. 547. Verse 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, bring not a railing judgment against them before the Lord.Greater in might and power … This is, greater in might and power than apostate teachers. Bring not a railing judgment against them … The “them” here is the same as “the dignities” in the preceding verse. There is absolutely nothing in view here of angels bringing a railing judgment against other angels. This meaning, which appears so obvious in the light of what Peter actually wrote here, was certainly admitted to be possibly the true one by Plummer. He said: “Against them” may possibly mean “against the false teachers.” … The angels bring no accusation against the false teachers, but leave all judgment to God (Deuteronomy 32:35-36;Romans 12:19; Hebrews 10:30). This explanation avoids the awkwardness of making “dignities” in verse 10 mean “good authorities” and making it refer in this verse to “evil powers only.” The vain supposition that Peter here is talking about the book of Enoch causes many commentators to miss the point altogether. Peter’s verse here is the Biblical equivalent of the statement in Shakespeare that, “Wrens may prey where eagles dare not perch,"[39] or Pope’s line that, “Fools rush in where angels dare to tread."[40] There is absolutely nothing of Enoch here. Chase also, quoted by Strachan, suggested that the reference in this verse “is to the false teachers,” making the deduction that “angels are represented as not bringing before the Lord tidings as to the conduct of created beings,"[41] a deduction that does not violate in any manner the witness of the holy Scriptures. Likewise Kelcy declared that, “it is far more natural to take the contrast as referring to the false teachers."[42] Alfred Plummer, op. cit., p. 454. [39] William Shakespeare, King Richard III, Act I, Scene 3, Line 70. [40] Alexander Pope, Essay on Criticism, Part III, Line 66. [41] R. H. Strachan, op. cit., p. 137. [42] Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 143. Verse 12 But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals to be taken and destroyed, railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their destroying surely be destroyed,Railing in matters whereof they are ignorant … Paine applied these words to railers against the New Testament, thus: The characteristic of modern “liberal” critical teachers which amazes one most is their absolute confidence in their own conclusions, based upon evidence however trivial, and involving tremendously important departures from tenets maintained for centuries by the historic church.[43]The contrast between the mere animals and the reprobate teachers is this: Animals cannot help themselves; it is their nature to rush after what will prove their ruin; but the false teachers voluntarily seek their own destruction against nature.[44]Evil men, through fraud, violence, lust and deceit establish the very type of social climate which inevitably encompasses their own destruction as well as that of their victims. [43] Stephen W. Paine, op. cit., p. 996. [44] Alfred Plummer, op. cit., p. 454. Verse 13 suffering wrong as the hire of wrong-doing; men that count it pleasure to revel in the daytime, spots and blemishes, reveling in their deceivings while they feast with you;Wrong as the hire of wrong-doing … is the same as Paul’s “wages of sin is death.” Evil behavior is its own wages. Revel in the day-time … “Daytime revelry is a feature of extreme dissipation; for the Christian, the day is the time of work (John 9:4; Romans 13:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:7 f)."[45]Spots and blemishes … These are a reference to apostate Christians whose wicked and immoral behavior was a disgrace to the body of Christ. Reveling in their deceivings … The Greek text here falls short of using the word for love feasts, which would appear to have been in the apostle’s mind, especially from his use of “while they feast with you” in connection with this. Perhaps he thought it was improper to apply a word of such sacred implications to the type of occasions used by the apostate teachers as a platform for their evil devices against the church. ENDNOTE: [45] David H. Wheaton, op. cit., p. 1255. Verse 14 having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; children of cursing;Eyes full of adultery … Wheaton said, “This is a compressed phrase for, ‘always looking for a woman with whom to commit adultery.’"[46] Barnett understood it to mean, “Whenever they see a woman, they have licentious thoughts."[47]Enticing unstedfast souls … The imagery here is that of using a lure, “bait” to catch the unwary. The New English Bible (1961) translates this, “lure to their ruin unstable souls.” “The metaphor is from fishing, and recurs again in 2 Peter 2:18."[48] Should not this have been expected of a fisherman? Children of cursing … This, although a permissible translation, is inferior to the KJV, which has “cursed children.” The purpose of the change seems to have been that of obscuring the fact of the apostate teachers having been, at one time, truly born-again Christians. It is true, of course, as Vine pointed out that the construction here is the same as in “children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3, etc.)”; yet the very use of “children” in any sense in this context identifies the meaning as that favored in the KJV.[49] Of course, whether this is allowed or not, the truth surfaces in the succeeding verses any way. Fuhrman was impressed with the reading in J.B. Phillips New Testament, “cursed children,” meaning “under a curse.” They are under God’s curse now, and are heirs of doom in the world to come.[50][46] Ibid., p. 1256. [47] Albert E. Barnett, op. cit., p. 193. [48] Michael Green, op. cit., p. 111. [49] W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (Old Tappan, New Jersey: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1940), 1p. 187. [50] Eldon R. Fuhrman, Beacon Bible Commentary, Vol. 10 (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1967), p. 332. Verse 15 forsaking the right way, they went astray, having followed the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the hire of wrongdoing;This clears up exactly the identity of the “cursed children” just mentioned. They were those who once were in the right way and then forsook it, who were lured from the path of duty by the wages of wrong-doing. The example selected by Peter to illustrate this departure is also eloquent in explaining the true meaning. Balaam was not always a false prophet; because, at one time, he was a genuine prophet of God, one of the great Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament being accredited to him: There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth (Numbers 24:17). Peter’s choice of Balaam, once a true prophet of God, but later an apostate, is absolutely analogous to the apostate teachers, once true children of God, later “cursed children,” makes the meaning certain. Who loved the hire of wrong-doing … The story is set forth fully in the Book of Numbers, detailing how Balaam, for the love of reward, attempted to curse Israel for the king of Moab. The choice of Balaam is most appropriate in still another particular. Finding it impossible to curse Israel, despite every effort to do so, Balaam originated the evil advice which he gave to Balak, and which eventually was the undoing of Israel. He advised the temptation of the Israelites to commit adultery, a temptation to which they succumbed (Numbers 31:16). Due to the extremely licentious character of the apostate teachers, Balaam was the perfect illustration of them. Verse 16 but he was rebuked for his own transgression: a dumb ass spake with man’s voice and stayed the madness of the prophet.It is important that Peter accepted this event as historical; and Christians today should do likewise. Certainly, it is contrary to what is natural; because the event itself is supernatural. One who does not believe in miracles does not believe in the Bible at all, in any worthwhile sense. Take the supernatural out of Christianity, and there is absolutely nothing left. Verse 17 These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm; for whom the blackness of darkness hath been reserved.Springs without water … mists driven by a storm … These are metaphors of the utter emptiness and disappointment that always come of accepting the teaching of apostates. This absolute emptiness is what is wrong with all false teaching. “It is this feature of the movement known as `religious liberalism’ which has caused great numbers of spiritually hungry people to desert cold, formal churches."[51] In the desert, a spring without water would be the ultimate disaster; and clouds, or mists that promised moisture for burning crops, which instead of doing so were driven away, would be exactly the same thing. The blackness of darkness … Macknight’s comment on this is: In Scripture darkness signifies a state of disconsolate misery. Here it denotes the punishment of the wicked after judgment, which our Lord also hath represented by persons being cast into outer darkness (Matthew 8:12).[52][51] Stephen W. Paine, op. cit., p. 997. [52] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 554. Verse 18 For, uttering great swelling words of vanity, they entice in the lusts of the flesh, by lasciviousness, those who are just escaping from them that live in error;Great swelling words of vanity … The empty, extravagant, and pretentious words of apostate teachers is a phenomenon by no means absent from the earth at the present time. Barnett’s description of their speech is this, “Using fine phrases that have no meaning, they bait their hook with the wanton appetites of sense."[53] Green called it “ostentatious verbosity."[54] One translator referred to it as “canting nonsense.” But does it still go on? In 1974, Dr. Donald H. Naftulin, University of Southern California Medical School, John E. Ware, Jr., assistant professor of medical education at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, and Frank A. Donnelley, instructor in psychiatry at the University of Southern California designed a study and published the results in the Journal of Medical Education. They tried it out on a distinguished gathering of 55 educators, school administrators, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers. The speaker was introduced as Dr. Myron L. Fox and identified by a high-sounding ambiguous title, and as an authority on the application of mathematics to human behavior. Actually, the lecture was nonsense - pure meaningless double-talk; but it fooled the distinguished audience! It so impressed some of them that they expressed interest in learning more about it. Not one of the distinguished auditors recognized it as a hoax. “Fox” was only an actor, hired by the three medical educators to prove a point. The audience was asked to fill out a questionnaire concerning “Dr. Fox’s” lecture, after it ended. Exactly 42 of them agreed that “he used enough examples to clarify the material,” and that “the material was well organized,” and that “it stimulated their thinking!” This report, after being given in the Journal of Medical Education, was widely circulated in newspapers throughout the United States, the information given here, having been published in the Houston Chronicle, Section 3, page 20, Wednesday, May 8,1974. It is reproduced here for the purpose of pointing up this writer’s observation that there is also an incredible amount of the same kind of nonsense being disseminated from religious platforms in the present era. Perhaps not in the same unalloyed manner as in the above experiment, but with just enough popular cliches and high sounding phrases thrown in to give an impression of substance. Those who are just escaping from them that live in error … This is a departure from the KJV; and again, there would seem to be no very good reason for the change. Caffin observed that the King James version here follows the Textus Receptus[55] rendering the passage, “those who are clean escaped,” which would appear to be the proper meaning, no matter how the verse is rendered. There is no such thing as a partial escape, or a bare escape, from sin. One either has “clean escaped,” or he has not escaped at all. [53] Albert E. Barnett, op. cit., p. 194. [54] Michael Green, op. cit., p. 115. [55] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 48. Verse 19 promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he also brought into bondage.Jesus the Lord himself said, “Every one that committeth sin is the bondservant of sin” (John 8:34); and Paul declared that, “To whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness” (Romans 6:16). Thus, what Peter said here is exactly an echo of the teachings both of the Saviour and of Paul. A glimpse of the allurement in the teaching of the apostates appears in this; because they were promising the people the free and easy indulgence of all their sinful passions, “liberty” they called it; but the falsity of their claims was manifest in the fact of those false teachers being themselves veritable slaves of the darkest passions and debaucheries. Such “liberty” has indeed been heralded in the present age; Paine quoted a professor by the name of Rauschenbusch who declared that, “The worst thing that could happen to God would be to remain an autocrat, while the world is moving toward democracy.” Also, he mentioned another, a Professor Hartshorne, who said, “We no longer derive our ethical standards from established authority, whether state, church, family, convention, or philosophical system.” Such people suppose that they are “free”; but they are slaves.[56]ENDNOTE: [56] Stephen F. Paine, op. cit., p. 997. Verse 20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein and overcome, the last state has become worse with them than the first.Here again, the subsequent clause makes it perfectly clear what Peter said, and fully justifies the KJV rendition in 2 Peter 2:18. The thing in view in this verse is a spiritual condition described as worse than being lost; and the only thing that answers to such a condition is that of being lost without the possibility of being saved. Therefore, this verse is to be understood in connection with Hebrews 6:6, “quenching the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19), “the sin unto death” (1 John 5:16), being “dead while alive” (1 Timothy 5:6), etc., that is, the state of having committed “an eternal sin” (Mark 3:29). The apostate teachers in view in this chapter are in a state of total rejection of Christ, having thereby committed the sin against the Holy Spirit, called by Mark, “an eternal sin.” For full discussion of this, see in my Commentary on Matthew, pp. 173-175, and also in my Commentary on Mark, pp. 65-67. Verse 21 For it were better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered unto them.As Caffin said, “This verse implies that these unhappy men once had the full knowledge of Christ.[57] “The passage indicates that the heretics had been orthodox Christians in the first place."[58] “Peter said they had escaped the defilements of the world, which could not be said of pretenders."[59] The verse also declares that the holy commandment had once been “delivered unto them,” which is a far different thing from merely having been preached to them. These men had once been true teachers of God’s precious word. Green summarized the whole paragraph (the entire chapter), saying: The subject of the whole paragraph is then the same … those overcome in :19,20 are also the same. There can be little doubt that the false teachers had once been orthodox Christians.[60][57] Ibid., p. 49. [58] David F. Payne, A New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 603. [59] Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 150. [60] Michael Green, op. cit., p. 118. Verse 22 It has happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog turning to his own vomit again, and the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire.The first of these proverbs is found in Proverbs 26:11, another indication of the familiarity which Peter had with the book of Proverbs. The origin of the second half of this verse is not known; but it is exactly the same kind of stark, realistic, down-to-earth saying as the other half, both expressions being exactly the type of homely wisdom that would have been familiar to a man like Peter. In fact, this whole chapter, the reference to “bait” in the enticement to sin, the impetuous and enthusiastic manner of the writing, as he piles word upon word, phrase upon phrase, rushing on to his conclusion - the whole thing is absolutely harmonious with what the New Testament reveals elsewhere of the mind and personality of this magnificent apostle. Before concluding the study of this verse, it should be noted that we have to do here with a prophecy of what would take place in the after times of Christianity; and in a word, the prophecy has been most overwhelmingly and circumstantially fulfilled. Who can deny that the very things foretold by Peter are even now in the world? and neither is this to deny that other manifestations and fulfillments of this prophecy have appeared at other times previously. Furthermore, Peter was not finished with the prophecy at the end of this chapter; but he would go on to elaborate even more fully on these matters in chapter 3. There is no logical way for people to deny that the Spirit of the Lord spoke through Peter in this epistle. “THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PETER”

Chapter Two IN THIS CHAPTER

1. To examine Peter’s detailed description of false teachers

2. To be aware of their techniques in leading others astray, and their sad end

3. To ascertain whether or not these false teachers had ever been true Christians

SUMMARY One of the themes of Peter’s second epistle is “beware of false teachers”, and such is the focus of the second chapter. Just as there were false prophets in Old Testament times, so there would be false teachers.

Peter first describes the destructiveness of false teachers. Denying the Lord who bought them, they will secretly introduce destructive heresies. Many will follow them, and the way of truth will be blasphemed. But they will bring swift destruction on themselves (2 Peter 2:1-3).

Illustrating the doom of false teachers, Peter reminds his readers of what happen to the angels who sinned, the ancient world destroyed by the flood, and the fiery end of Sodom and Gomorrah. Surely God knows how to reserve the wicked for the day of punishment, and the example of Lot shows that He also knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations (2 Peter 2:4-9).

Peter then discusses the depravity of false teachers. In arrogance they revile against authority, all the while reveling in pleasure and lusts as they circulate among the Christians they seek to influence. Like the prophet Balaam, they are motivated by the wages of unrighteousness and have forsaken the right way. Empty of true substance, they are like wells without water, clouds tossed by a tempest (2 Peter 2:10-17).

Finally, Peter describes the deceptions of false teachers. In both their methods and promises they seek to deceive those who like them had once escaped the pollutions of the world. But the false teachers are once again enslaved by such pollutions and their last end is worse than the beginning (2 Peter 2:18-22).

OUTLINE I. THE OF FALSE (2 Peter 2:1-3) A. THEIR (2 Peter 2:1-2)1. Just as there were false prophets, so there will be false teachers 2. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them 3. Many will follow their destructive ways, and the truth will be blasphemed

B. THEIR METHODS (2 Peter 2:1 2 Peter 2:3)1. They bring in their heresies secretly 2. They will exploit through covetousness and deceptive words

C. THEIR END (2 Peter 2:1 2 Peter 2:3)1. They will bring swift destruction on themselves 2. Their judgment is not idle, their destruction does not slumber

II. THE DOOM OF FALSE (2 Peter 2:4-9) A. THE EXAMPLE OF ANGELS WHO SINNED (2 Peter 2:4)1. God did not spare the angels who sinned 2. He cast them down to hell (Tartarus) 3. Delivered them to chains of darkness, reserved for judgment

B. THE EXAMPLE OF THE FLOOD (2 Peter 2:5)1. God did not spare the ancient world, bringing the flood on the ungodly 2. He saved Noah and his family of eight, a preacher of righteousness

C. THE EXAMPLE OF SODOM AND (2 Peter 2:6-8)1. God turned the cities into ashes, condemning them to destruction 2. He made them an example to those who would live ungodly 3. He delivered righteous Lot a. Who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked b. Who was tormented daily by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds

D. GOD WILL DELIVER THE GODLY, PUNISH THE UNJUST (2 Peter 2:9)1. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations 2. He will reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment

III. THE OF FALSE (2 Peter 2:10-17) A. AGAINST (2 Peter 2:10-13 a)1. They walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness 2. They despise authority, are presumptuous, self-willed 3. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, unlike angels a. Who are greater in power and might b. Who do not bring reviling accusations before the Lord 4. They are like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed a. Speaking evil of things they do not understand b. Who will utterly perish in their own corruption c. Who will receive the wages of unrighteousness

B. WITH GREAT (2 Peter 2:13-14)1. They count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime 2. Spots and blemishes, they carouse in their own deceptions while feasting with Christians 3. They have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls 4. They have hearts trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children

C. AGAINST THE RIGHT WAY (2 Peter 2:15-17)1. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray 2. Like Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness a. Who was rebuked for his iniquity b. His madness restrained by donkey speaking with a man’s voice 3. They are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest 4. For who the gloom of darkness is reserved forever

IV. THE OF FALSE (2 Peter 2:18-22) A. IN THEIR METHODS (2 Peter 2:18)1. They speak great swelling words of emptiness 2. They allure those who have escaped through the lusts of the flesh, through licentiousness

B. IN THEIR (2 Peter 2:19)1. They promise liberty, while they themselves are slaves of corruption 2. For by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage

C. WHOSE LATTER END IS WORSE THAN THE (2 Peter 2:20-22)1. Having become entangled and overcome by the pollutions of the world which they had escaped through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 2. It would have been better not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them 3. It has happened to them according to the proverb a. “A dog returns to his own vomit” b. “A sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire”

REVIEW FOR THE CHAPTER

1. What are the main points of this chapter?- The destructiveness of false teachers (2 Peter 2:1-3)

• The doom of false teachers (2 Peter 2:4-9)
• The depravity of false teachers (2 Peter 2:10-17)
• The deceptions of false teachers (2 Peter 2:18-22)

2. What does Peter warn that false teachers will do? (2 Peter 2:1)- Secretly bring in destructive heresies

• Even denying the Lord who bought them

3. What impact will such false teachers have? (2 Peter 2:2)- Many will follow their destructive ways

• The way of truth will be blasphemed

4. How will such teachers exploit people? (2 Peter 2:3)- By covetousness, with deceptive words

5. What three examples does Peter use to illustrate the doom of false teachers? (2 Peter 2:4-6)- The angels who sinned and were cast down to hell

• The ancient world destroyed by the flood
• The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah turned into ashes

6. How was Lot oppressed by living in Sodom? (2 Peter 2:7-8)- Every day seeing and hearing the filthy conduct of wicked

7. What two things does the Lord know to do? (2 Peter 2:9)- How to deliver the godly out of temptations

• How to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment

8. Who in particular will receive such punishment? (2 Peter 2:10)- Those who walk in uncleanness and despise authority

• Those who are presumptuous and self-willed; not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries

9. What are angels unwilling to do? (2 Peter 2:11)- Bring reviling accusations against dignitaries before the Lord

10. How does Peter further describe the false teachers? (2 Peter 2:12-14)- They speak evil of things they do not understand

• They count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime
• They have eyes full of adultery, beguiling unstable souls
• They have hearts trained in covetousness, and are accursed children

11. In whose way have such false teachers followed? (2 Peter 2:15-16)- Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness and was rebuked by a donkey

12. How else does Peter describe these false teachers? (2 Peter 2:17)- As wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest

• For whom the gloom of darkness is reserved

13. How are the false teachers able to allure others? (2 Peter 2:18)- By speaking great swelling words of emptiness

• Through the lusts of the flesh and licentiousness

14. Who will they seek to allure? (2 Peter 2:18)- The ones who have escaped from those living in error

15. In promising others liberty, what are they themselves? Why? (2 Peter 2:19)- Slaves of corruption

• For by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage

16. What had these false teachers once escaped? How? (2 Peter 2:20)- The pollutions of the world

• Through the knowledge of Jesus Christ

17. What had then happened to them? (2 Peter 2:20)- They were again entangled in the pollutions of the world and overcome

18. How had their latter end become worse for them than the beginning? (2 Peter 2:20-21)- It would have better for them not to have known the way of righteousness

• Than knowing it, to then turn from the holy commandment

19. What twofold proverb does Peter use to describe their sorry condition? (2 Peter 2:22)- A dog returns to his own vomit

• A sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire

20. What in this chapter reveals that these false teachers had once been saved? (2 Peter 2:1 2 Peter 2:15 2 Peter 2:20-22)- The Lord had bought them

• They have forsaken the right way
• They had escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Jesus
• They had known the way of righteousness
• Like a sow, they had been washed Questions by E.M. Zerr On 2nd Peter 21. Were all prophets of the true kind?

2. Did their kind die with thcm?
3. What will they bring in?
4. In what manner will they do this?
5. To what length will they go in their teaching?
6. What will this bring upon themselves?
7. Will they have any following?
8. What evil speaking will result?
9. State the motive of this movement.
10. What is meaning of “feigned words”?
11. Tell what is about to coone upon them.
12. Can angels sin?
13. What did God do with certain angels?
14. To what are they reserved f
15. Is there any plan for their redemptIOn?
16. What was the “old world” in verse five?
17. Noah and how many others were saved?
18. What was the matter with Sodom and Gomorra,
19. State what was made of them.
20. What kind of man was Lot?
21. Does this apply after moving to Sodom?
22. Did he prevent the wickedness of Sodom?
23. How could he be considered just?
24. To what extent did he fret over the evil?
25. What deliverance will God give the righteous?
26. Does this mean he will prevent temptations?
27. When will the unjust be punished?
28. Will any “get their hell in this life”?
29. How do the unrighteous walk?
30. State their attitude towards being ruled.
31. How do they dare to speak?
32. Whose will do these wish to follow,
33. To what characters is reference made here?
34. How should their example shame others?
35. Of what thinga do these evil ones speak?
36. To what transient creatures are they compared?
37. What is to be their miserable end?
38. Whose reward will they receive?
39. Describe their character among others.
40. State the character of their eyes.
41. From what cannot they cease?
42. How do they affect unstable ones?
43. Tell what exercise they practice.
44. What kind of a generation are they?
45. Whose way do they follow?
46. Tell the motive of such ways.
47. How was Balaam rebuked?
48. What sort of humiliation does this imply?
49. How useful is a well without water?
50. What is the comparison here?
51. Tell what is reserved for all such.
52. By what means do they do their alluring 1
53. Through what nature do they succeed?
54. What class can they allure?
55. Tell what they promise as an inducement.
56. Show their inconsistency at the same time.
57. What will make things worse than in the beginning?
58. State what would have been better.
59. Then should men hesitate from becoming saved?
60. What comparison is made in last verse?

2 Peter 2:1

2 Peter 2:1. All good things can be abused and that which is true will always have pretenders or imitators. In old times the Lord had faithful prophets and many people learned to love them for their work’s sake. Profiting by the respect that was rightly had for the true prophets, others attempted to put over some unrighteous schemes in the name of prophecy. Among the people of Israel were many false prophets and the number of instances is too great to enumerate, but the one in 1 Kings 18 is a noted case. Likewise in the time of the New Testament Peter says there will be false teachers (one name for prophets).

Damnable heresies means false doc- trines that will condemn all who accept them. The apostle specifies one of the false doctrines namely. a denial of the divinity of the Lord notwith-standing that He has bought them with his own blood. Privily means secretly; false prophets or teachers are not usually open ith their wicked works for fear of being exposed by someone who knows the truth. (John 3:19-21.) Swift destruction means the condemnation that God will bring on these false teachers: it will be swift in that it will be sure and the Lord will not hesitate to inflict the punishment when the time comes.

2 Peter 2:2

2 Peter 2:2. The leading thought in pernicious is something that is destruction of the truth. That definition is confirmed by the rest of the verse, for it says the way of truth shall be evil spoken of by the ones who follow the false teachers.

2 Peter 2:3

2 Peter 2:3. Through coretousness indicates the motive of the false teachers. Feigned words means those so formed as to deceive the hearer. Make merchandise denotes that they were so successful in imposing their false theories on the people that they could make a gain off of them. There are so many things that could be conducted on this Principle that it would be useless to try specifying. We understand that many people are conscientious regarding the propagation of religious principles.

If they can be made believe that people are working in the interest of truth, they will be willing to give liberal support to a man engage’l in it. Whose judgement now of a long time. God has always condemned the false teacher and evil worker. Lingereth not. The leading definition of the first word is “to be idle.” The passage means that the judgement or condemnation of such characters is of long standing, but that God has not changed his mind about it nor even tempered His wrath against them. Thayer explains the definition as follows: “Whose punishment has long been impending and will shortly fall.” However, the word “shortly” must be understood in a compartive sense, because the apostle proceeds at once to illustrate his declaration by referring to the unjust to be reserved unto the day of judgement to be punished.

2 Peter 2:4

2 Peter 2:4. For if. This phrase will be taken up with comments when we get to verse 9. God spared not the angles that sinned. We occasionally meet people who are troubled over the idea of angels sinning since they are in heaven. They are overlooking the truth that neither angels nor man have reached the judgement day, and until that time both classes are capable of sinning.

Were that not the case there would not now be such a creature as “the devil,” for he was once in heaven and was thrust out because of his pride (1 Timothy 3:6; Luke 10:18). But after the judgement no more changes will take place either for better or for worse. (See Revelation 22:10-11.) That means after that all wicked men and angels will be in the place of everlasting punishment where they can never reform, and the righteous men and angels will be in heaven where they can never sin because the divine decree is that the righteous shall “be righteous still.” The English word “hell” in the King James Version comes from three different Greek words that have different meanings. In our present passage it comes from which means that part of the intermediate state where the wicked go at death. This whole subject of “hell” is explained in detail at Matthew 5:30, in the first volume of the New Testament Commentary. Into chains of darkness is figurative and refers to the regions of the wicked dead, because that place was thought of as one of midnight darkness. Reserved unto judgement.

These fallen angels have no prospect of deliverence but must await the final judgement day. The only relief that any of them ever had was when some of them were released temporarily to enter into men in the time of Christ and the apostles. See the long note on this at Matthew 8:28-31 in the first volume of the New Testament Corn-mentary.

2 Peter 2:5

2 Peter 2:5. Spared not the old world refers to the people that were living in the days of Noah, because the last v ord is from KOSMOS which is defined “the inhabitants of the earth.” They were wicked and God did not spare them from the flood; Noah was spared because he was a man of faith. Noah the eighth. This could not mean that Noah was number eight in the genealogy for he was tenth. The lexicons and various translations prefer to word this place, “Noah and seven others.” He is called a preacher of righteousness because lie preached what was right and what pertained to the needs of the day. The people were wicked and living after their evil imaginations, and the situation required teaching directing them to reform. World of the ungodly is the same as old world in the beginning of the verse.

2 Peter 2:6

2 Peter 2:6. The history of Sodom and Gomorrha is in Genesis 19. Into ashes states the result of the overthrow which was sent on them in the condemnation from God. An example. The punishment of evildoers is not only for their own sakes, but also that the example may be a lesson for warning to others. (See 1 Timothy 5:20.)

2 Peter 2:7

2 Peter 2:7. Just Lot. This statement is made by an inspired writer and must be accepted as true. Much criticism has been made of Lot because of the choice he made in the time of Abraham. The criticism is unjust because it is contrary to the facts of the circumstance. The reader may see a full explanation of this subject at Genesis 13:9-12, in Volume 1 of Bible, Commentary. Vexed with the filthy conversation (conduct) of the wicked. This has special reference to their gross immorality, for the account that is given in Genesis 19:4-11 shows them to have been worse than dumb beasts.

2 Peter 2:8

2 Peter 2:8. This is the same as the preceding verse.

2 Peter 2:9

2 Peter 2:9. This verse resumes the thought that was introduced at verse 4, but was interrupted with a list of facts set forth as a basis for the present passage. The argument is that if God was able and also disposed to do all the things referred to, He is able and determined also to do the following. Deliver the godly out of temptation. God does not promise to work a miracle to keep the trials from coming, but if a disciple is faithful He will care for him and hell) him overcome them (1 Corinthians 10:13). Reserve the unjust indicates that the punishment of the unjust is to be at a future time. This spoils a wishful-thinking notion that “a man will get all of his ‘hell’ in this life.” Wicked men as well as wicked angels will not be given their final sentence until the judgement at the last day.

2 Peter 2:10

0 2 Peter 2:10. Chiefly has no reference to the kind of punishment that is to be meted out to these sinners for all will receive the same doom. In Matthew 25:31-46 we see that those whose only sin mentioned is a failure to relieve the needy, will receive the same punishment that was “prepared for the devil and his angels.” The word chiefly means that Peter is making particular mention of these characters. Walk after the flesh. The connection shows they were living after the lowest desires similar to the Sodomites. Despise government means they belittled the laws that would curb their immoral lives.

Presumptuous and self- willed mean virtually the same, referring to people who are determined to have their own way, regardless of whether it is right or wrong. Speak evil of dignities. The last word means any thing or any being that is glorious, but the connection shows Peter is writing of angels because of their dignity and glory.

2 Peter 2:11

2 Peter 2:11. The angels of whom the mentioned “presumptuous” persons are not afraid to speak evil, show more courtesy toward their inferior accusers than the accusers show to them. Power and might have virtually the same degree of importance in the lexicon definition, hence their use is for the sake of emphasis. Bring not railing accusation which means blasphemous charges. A specific instance of this kind of angelic mildness shown in Jude 1:6.

2 Peter 2:12

2 Peter 2:12. These refers to the ungodly people described in verse 10. The Englishman’s Greek New Testament translates the next four words, “as natural irrational animals,” and it is these creatures that Peter says were made to be taken and destroyed. He compares the wicked men to these in that they act as if they were as irrational as they. He is expressing the situation as one that is surprisingly foolish, that human beings would behave no better than creatures that were not intended to be any more important than to be taken and slain. But the comparison is just, since they speak cell of the things that they understand not.

Certainly men who thus speak do not show much better intellect than the brute beasts. Utterly perish in their own corruption. This is said as a contrast to the case of the dumb animals. They are taken by others and slain, while these will be self-destroyed; perish in their own corruption.

2 Peter 2:13

2 Peter 2:13. Reward of unrighteousness means they will be treated as an unrighteous man should be treated; they will “reap what they have sowed.” Pleasure to riot in the day time. It is wrong to riot at any time, but the usual practice is to use the night for it. “For they that be drunken are drunken in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:7). But these characters are brazen and take pleasure in flaunting their evil conduct at a time when everyone can see it. Spots and blemishes. Paul says the church was desired to be without spot (Ephesians 5:27), but the conduct of these wicked men puts a terrible blemish on the institution.

Sporting themselves is defined by Thayer, “To live in luxury,” and it was done while they feast with you. This has refesence to the love feasts that the Christians conducted in the early times. Such feasts were intended only as an expression of good will and were put on for the special benefit of the poorer Christians. But they were often abused as most good things may be, and evil persons attended the assemblies merely to indulge themselves in the good things provided by the brethren for the help of the poor. (See Jude 1:12.)

2 Peter 2:14

2 Peter 2:14. Adultery is from a Greek word that is defined by Thayer, “An adulteress.” He explains about eyes being full of her as follows: “Eyes always on the watch for an adulteress, or from which adulterous desire beams forth.” That cannot cease from sin. We know the Lord will not condemn a man for something he actually cannot avoid, hence we must look for the meaning of this phrase. In Thayer’s definition of the Greek (the words in italics), he says, “Not quieted, that cannot be quieted,” and he explains it as follows: “Eyes not quieted with sin, which they commit with adulterous look.” Hence it does not mean these men cannot cease looking at an adulteress (for they could), but they cannot satisfy themselves just by looking; they will desire to obtain gratification. Doubtless that is why Jesus said “Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her bath committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Beguiling unstable souls.

These men looking round for an adulteress may not find one with such intentions, but if they are unstable (not firm in character), these evil men may entice them into sin. Covetous practices. In addition to being immoral they are grasping and try to take undue advantage of the free provisions that were intended as an expression of brotherly fellowship. Cursed children. The first word is an adjective and describes children which means a certain class of individuals. These people are under the curse of the Lord because He has pronounced condemnation upon all such characters who do not repent before death.

2 Peter 2:15

2 Peter 2:15. Forsaken the right way indicates these men had once been righteous, but had gone astray which means to step aside from the pathway of righteousness. Bosor is the same as Beor, the father of Balaam. Balaam pretended that all the wealth of Balak could not entice him to come to him, but he finally yielded and went in the direction of sin (Numbers 22-24).

2 Peter 2:16

2 Peter 2:16. This verse continues the case begun in the preceding one, and the record is included in the chapters in Numbers cited. The point is that the false prophet was rebuked even though no other was at hand through whom God could speak. Yet since He was able to give speech to the dumb brute to chastise the prophet, it is made sure that the Lord will be able to give wicked men their proper punishment when the time comes for the judgement of evildoers.

2 Peter 2:17

2 Peter 2:17. Wells without water are places that are supposed to furnish water but have gone dry. Clouds carried with a tempest are those without much moisture and hence are so light they are driven about with the wind. Both figures are used to illustrate men who make the pretense of service for the Lord but who are empty of real worth. Mist of darkness is reserved. Since these pretenders are like a mist without rainfall, they deserve to go into another form of mist or gloom, and that is eternal darkness which is being reserved for them.

2 Peter 2:18

2 Peter 2:18. The principal subject of this verse is the influence these evil men have over those who would de sire to be good if left alone. They accomplish their wicked designs by means of great swelling words of vaity. This means they use deceptive language that causes others to expect certain enjoyments. They make their contact with the victims at the point of wantonness (impure desires) and lusts of the flesh, that being the place in the nature of a human being where he is the most apt to be influenced. These wicked pretenders are so successful that they allure (draw aside) those who were clean escaped from a life of error. Some translations render this as if the victims were only in the process of being brought out of error, but the word for clean is defined by Thayer, “Truly, in reality, in point of fact.” This definition agrees also with the reasoning in verses 20-22 below.

2 Peter 2:19

2 Peter 2:19. A man cannot truly impart something to another he does not have himself, especially when it concerns moral or spiritual principles. These evil workers held out the prospect of a life free from the restraints of law. Yet while emphasizing the good fortune of being “free men,” they were themselves a group of slaves. Not to temporal or literal masters it is true, but to the harsh master of sin. Peter proves his assertion by the self-evident truth that if a man is overcome by any person or thing he is the slave of that thing; Paul teaches the same in Romans 6:16.

2 Peter 2:20

2 Peter 2:20. The words latter end are from a Greek word that is defined “last state” in the lexicon. It does not mean that he has come to the end of his oportunity; that there is nothing he can do about it. The only point the apostle is making at this place in the man’s life, is a comparison between his state at the two periods of his experience. They are the one where he escaped from error and the one after he went back to it; of the two the second is worse.

2 Peter 2:21

2 Peter 2:21. For it had been better, etc. It is sometimes argued from this verse that it would be wise not to become a Christian in the first place, then one can avoid what Peter says is the worse of two states. The apostle had no such idea in mind when he wrote this passage, and the theory does him an injustice. Besides, the one who makes such a proposition assumes that only two states are possible and everyone must take one or the other of them. Such is not true for it is not necessary to decide on either, namely, either remain unconverted or go back into sin afterward.

The thing he can do and should do is to know and enter the way of righteousness, then remain in it. The reason a backslider is in worse state than the alien sinner, is that his heart has been hardened by the experience and will be less favorable to the truth.

2 Peter 2:22

2 Peter 2:22. The proverb about the dog is in Proverbs 26:11, but I have no information about the one concerning the sow. The two proverbs are stated only as an illustration of what men did, not that they had to do. If we apply the reasoning and my comments of the preceding verse to this one, it will say that the sick dog did not have to retain the objectionable matter in his stomach, nor did he have to return to it afterward. Likewise, it was proper to wash the sow after her mire and then for her to stay away from the place of filth. It is not so strange that dumb animals would act as here described, but men may be expected not to imitate them. If they do they will duplicate the saying in verse 12 where men are shown to act like the “brute beasts that were made to be taken and destroyed,” and certainly no person would wish to place himself in that class.