Introductory remarks:
Peter continues by contrasting the prophets that spoke by inspiration of the Holy Spirit with the false teachers that were seeking to destroy the gospel of grace. "Peter warns that just as there were false prophets, false teachers will bring lies into the church and make money off believers. But God didn't even spare angels or the world in Noah's day, or Sodom and Gomorrah. He will deliver the godly and punish the unjust. They are self-willed, like dumb animals, vain, they love earthly pleasures and while they speak of liberty, they are slaves of sin. It will be worse for them because they knew the truth but rejected it" (A Survey of 2 Peter - By Brenda). This chapter may be outlined as follows: False prophets and teachers vv. 1-22.
False Prophets and Teachers
Verse 1, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."
LGT "But there arose also false prophets among the people, as also among you will be false teachers, who will bring in destructive heresies, and denying the Master who bought them, bringing to themselves swift destruction."
But there arose also false prophets among the people: Peter is writing to Jewish Christians, so they would be well aware of the fact that there were false prophets among their fathers of the Israelite nation, for they were acquainted with the Old Testament Scriptures. These false prophets are contrasted with the true prophets of chapter one verses twenty and twenty one. As also among you will be false teachers: Peter speaks of these false teachers as yet future, for I believe that he is including the church today. There have been many false teachers menacing the body of Christ since its conception. Who will bring in destructive heresies: these false teachers creep into the believers mind by paralleling the Truth of the Word of God, and then cunningly take off in the wrong direction, leading the believer to accept these pious wretches' heresies. And denying the Master who bought them: these false teachers are very deliberate in their destructive heresies, for their whole purpose is to ruin the body of Christ, for they deny the very Lord of Redemption. The danger that they do to the true believer is causing him to be out of fellowship and in a place of non-fruit bearing, for a believer can never commit apostasy. Bringing to themselves swift destruction: this can only refer to the end time when Christ will judge the quick and the dead.
Verse 2, "And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."
LGT "And many will follow out their lascivious doings, through whom the way of the truth will be evil spoken of."
And many will follow out their lascivious doings: the many that follow are mostly unbelievers, or as McGee terms them, 'false followers of false teachers.' Through whom: through the false teachers. The way of the truth will be evil spoken of: these false teachers will eventually deny the Lord who bought them with His precious blood, verse 1. The false cult that comes to my mind at the moment is the Mormon cult, and their perverse teachings about marriage and the family; they are not only lascivious, but also demented morally.
Verse 3, "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."
LGT "And through covetousness with well-turned words, they will make gain of you, for whom judgment of old is not idle, and their destruction slumbers not."
And through covetousness with well-turned words: these false teachers used eloquent speech to delude the people to see things from their human viewpoint. They will make gain of you: the false teachers were out for fame and fortune at the expense of the people. For whom judgment of old is not idle: the same God that judged the false teachers in the Old Testament is still on His throne today. And their destruction slumbers not: God does not wink at sin, neither is asleep; the judgment of these false teachers is yet in the future, but rest assured, they will be judged according to their words and works.
Verse 4, "For if God spared not the angels, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto the judgment."
LGT "For if God spared not the angels who sinned, but having cast [them] to the deepest pits of darkness, delivered [them] having kept [them] for judgment."
For if God spared not the angels who sinned: when Satan sinned against God in heaven by his five I wills Isaiah 14:12-21, a third of the angels fell with him, and these are the angels that lost their first estate, "And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6). But having cast them to the deepest pits of darkness: the Greek word for chains here is seirais meaning dens or pits. These fallen angels have been thrown into these dark gloomy pits until the final judgment day. Delivered them having kept them for judgment: Tartarus is a place created for those who gave up their first estate and are reserved for the final judgment of God.
Verse 5, "And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly."
LGT "And spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah [the] eighth [person], a herald of righteousness, having brought in the flood upon [the] world of [the] ungodly:"
And spared not the ancient world: the habitable world before the flood. But saved Noah the eighth person: Noah had three sons, Ham, Shem and Japheth, and the three wives, and Noah's wife makes eight. A herald of righteousness: herald is the proper sense in that Noah reproved this generation of their wickedness, and warned them of the impending judgment of the coming flood that would destroy the entire human race, save the eight righteous ones. Having brought in the flood upon the world of the ungodly: these unbelievers in Noah's day simply laughed at Noah making out that he was insane, but the wrath of God will not always strive with man; "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen. 6:5).
Verse 6, "And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemn them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly."
LGT "And [the] cities of Sodom and Gomorrha having reduced to ashes with an overthrow, condemned [them], having set an example [to those] about to live ungodly."
Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed by fire (you can read about it in Genesis 19) because God would not put up with their homosexuality and completely wicked lifestyle. Our country has passed laws making homosexuality legal, and this shows exactly where we are today; if God did not permit it in Sodom, He certainly does not permit it in these good old United States of America, and it will be the chief reason we will go down in a heap someday. McGee wrote this: "The flesh is an ugly thing. You and I have that old nature, and it is a nature, which expresses itself in that which is ugly, that which is wicked, that which is nasty. You cannot make me believe that by making homosexuality lawful somehow or other you have added dignity to it. God has said that when men go down that low, He gives them up. You can take it or leave it, but that's what the Word of God says (see Rom. 1:18-32). The very fact that we have been lenient and have smiled on this type of thing has caused it to increase and grow within our land."
Verses 7, 8, "And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:(for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)"
LGT "And righteous Lot, oppressed by the conduct in licentiousness of the lawless, He delivered: (for through seeing and hearing, the righteous [man] dwelling among them, day by day tormented [his] righteous soul with [their] lawless works."
In these two verses Peter uses two Greek words for "vexed"; in verse seven he uses the Greek word katarneo, which is to be worn down, and as you see in my LGT I have used the word "oppressed", which I believe is the idea Peter had in mind. Then in verse eight he uses the Greek word ebasanizen for vexed, which means to test by touchstone or by torture, so I used the word tormented, which I believe is what Peter was trying to convey. This illustration of Lot being tormented day by day, at the complete lawlessness of the inhabitants, proves that God will not wink at sin, and that He will deliver the just ones, and judges the unrighteous at the judgment seat of Christ.
The complete story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha are told in Genesis 18, 19.
Verse 9, "The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the Day of Judgment to be punished."
LGT "The Lord knows [how] to deliver the spiritual [ones] out of temptation, and [the] unrighteous [ones] to keep to be punished:"
The Lord knows how to deliver the spiritual ones out of temptation: as Peter showed by the lives of both Noah and Lot, he was able to deliver them out of the temptations of the ungodly world, and deliver them to safety; and He also knows how to deliver us today. And the unrighteous ones to keep to be punished: As the generation of the ungodly perished in the flood, and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrha perished in the fire, and are now reserved unto the Judgment Day.
Verse 10, "But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities."
LGT "And especially those who walk after [the] flesh in [the] lust of pollution, and despise lordship. [They are] daring, self-willed; they tremble not speaking evil of glories:"
And especially: in particular will be judged. Those who walk after the flesh in the lust of pollution: give into the flesh as it completely controls all areas of their life; these men live like animals with no self-control, and no regard for others; they are at the level of mere animals. And despise lordships: the Authorized Version has 'governments" which is misleading; the word in the Greek is kuriotetos translated "lordships." This is referring to all the heavenly spiritual powers. They are daring: they are overconfident in themselves to the point of being foolhardy and reckless, not considering the future. Self-willed: "they are self-pleasing, whose ruling principle was to please and gratify themselves without regarding God's will or the good of others - whose god was self. In a secondary sense, the world designates those who are haughty, arrogant, supercilious [pompous], refractory [headstrong]; and such is commonly the character of selfish men" (John Owen). They tremble not speaking evil of glories: they speak reprehensibly against God and His Son, Jesus Christ, with no fear of reprisal.
Verse 11, "Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against and before the Lord."
LGT "Where angels being greater in strength and power, do not bring against them, before the Lord, a blaspheming charge."
The consensuses of the commentators I have sought in connection with this verse seem to agree that it refers to Michael the archangel contending with Satan for the body of Moses; Michael would not rebuke Satan but said, "The Lord rebuke thee." Others say Peter is referring to the false teachers, however, I believe Peter is making a reference to the scene in heaven between Michael and Satan.
Verse 12, "But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption."
LGT "But these, as irrational animals born naturally for capture and corruption, speaking evil in what they are ignorant of, shall in their destroying even be destroyed."
But these, as irrational animals born naturally for capture and corruption: Peter reverts back to the false teachers of verse 1. He compares them to the naturally born wild beats feeding on wild prey, which were born to captured and killed, in order to preserve the life of society. Speaking evil in what they are ignorant of: these false teachers pervert the gospel of grace by their obscene teachings, and they speak against the gospel of which they are ignorant. They teach humanism over against grace. They may speak of the word grace, but are ignorant of the Biblical teaching of grace, for they attach a human definition of grace that is unrecognizable by anyone who has studied God's Word. Shall in their destroying even be destroyed: these false teachers are out to destroy the true Word of God, by leading people astray; but in their pursuit to destroy, in the end they will be destroyed by God at then Great White Throne of justice.
Verse 13, "And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting them selves with their own deceivings while they feast with you."
LGT "Being about to receive [the] reward of unrighteousness, esteeming day time rioting pleasure; [they are] spots and blemishes, luxuriating in their deceits, feasting with you."
Being about to receive the reward of unrighteousness: the apostate does not always suffer during their lifetime, but surely they will be judged and receive the just recompense of their unbelief. Esteeming daytime rioting pleasure: the debauchery of their lives is in their reckless 'eat drink and be merry' lifestyle. They are spots and blemishes: Peter says they are a disgrace to true Christianity. Luxuriating in their deceits: while living their carnal lifestyle, all along they are feasting with you: they hypocritically attend the Lord Supper with the Christians.
Verse 14, "Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:"
LGT "Having eyes full of an adulteress, and that cease not from sin, enticing unstable souls; having a heart exercised in covetousness; of curse children:"
Having eyes full of an adulteress, and that cease not from sin: these false teachers can't even look at a woman without lustful evil thoughts in their minds. This is a perfect picture of how Joseph Smith invented the Mormon religion, with their lusting, and polygamous marriages. Enticing unstable souls: appealing to the spiritually immature ones, drawing them away from grace teaching. Having a heart exercised in covetousness: these false teachers were "skilled in the arts which covetous men adopt in order to cheat others out of their property. A leading purpose, which influenced these men, was to obtain money. One of the most certain ways for dishonest men to do this is to make use of the religious principle; to corrupt and control the conscience; to make others believe that they are eminently holy, or that they are special favorites of heaven; and when they can do this, they have the purses of others at command" (Barnes). Of curse children: this is a Hebraism meaning children of cursing (Robertson). Another way of putting this phrase is, "In their destroying they shall be destroyed."
Verses 15, 16, "Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of righteousness; but was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet."
LGT "Having left [the] straight way, they went astray, having followed in the way of Balaam, [son] of Bosor, who loved [the] reward of righteousness; but reproof had of his own righteousness: [the] dumb beast of burden, in man's voice speaking, hindered the madness of the prophet."
You may read the story of Balaam in Numbers 22-24. Balaam was rebuked for his covetousness, and these false teachers are being compared to Balaam. McGee has this very pointed and true observation of the false teachers in our day: "My friend, I believe that you can judge the religious racketeer by his standard of living. A friend of mine heard me make the statement that people should check up on radio broadcasters and see what kind of homes they live in and what cars they drive. He thought I was wrong to have made a statement like that, but he decided to check up on one man. He found that man living in a very costly home with two Cadillacs parked in front and an expensive swimming pool behind it. My friend had also heard about a certain other excesses in that man's life, and so he decided that he was supporting the wrong broadcaster. 'The way of Balaam' - covetousness. This is one of the ways a false religious teacher can be identified, and God will judge him for it."
Verse 17, "These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to the mist of darkness is reserved for ever."
LGT "These are fountains without water, and mists driven by a storm, to whom the gloom of darkness hath been reserved."
These are fountains without water: a fountain without water is just another hole in the ground, and just as useless are these false teachers. And mists driven by a storm: the storm clouds promise rain, but are driven away by the tempest. On the out side these men appear as learned and spiritual men, but throats are an open sepulcher. To whom the gloom of darkness hath been reserved: their reward will be outer lonely darkness unto the ages of the ages.
Verse 18, "For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lust of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error."
LGT "For speaking great swelling [words] of vanity, they allure with [the] desires of [the] flesh, by licentiousness, those who scarcely are escaping from those who walk in error."
For speaking great swelling words of vanity: these false teachers practice the art of oratory, and speak with resounding voice, but are speaking vain and empty words that fall to the ground. They allure with the desires of the flesh: The words they speak appeal to the ears and the pride, that is, they only have affect on those who want their ears tickled with fancy phrases and non-accusing affect. They want to hear the Fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man crap, like that of Robert Schuler, Rick Warren, who have followed in the footsteps of Norman Vincent Peal from the Reformed Church in America. By licentiousness: this refers to lewdness and sexual excesses. Those who are scarcely escaping from those who walk in error: if they once heard the gospel of grace and were almost convinced, like King Agrippa in the Acts had almost been persuaded by Paul, but was lost; so with these false teachers, they could not be persuaded to believe.
Verse 19, "While they promise them liberty, they themselves are servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."
LGT "They promise them freedom, being themselves slaves of corruption: for by whom anyone has been subdued, by him [also] he is held in bondage."
They promise them freedom: these false teachers promise their disciples license in regard to the law, that is they are free from the burden of the law. This is true, but it is not true in the way in which the false teachers taught. Being themselves slaves of corruption: they were slaves to sin because they were not born again by the Spirit of God. These false teachers were teaching a social gospel exactly like the liberals do today. Man cannot be reformed, but he can be regenerated. These false teachers were teaching that nothing was unlawful for their followers, and they led them into all sorts of lasciviousness. For by whom anyone has been subdued: these followers would be led into following the lusts of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. By him also he is led in bondage: that is, these false teachers would lead their followers in being slaves to sin; this is exactly what all unbelievers are; they are slaves to sin, and they need to allow Christ to purchase them out of the slave market of sin.
Verse 20, "For if after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning."
LGT "For if having escaped the pollutions of the world through [the] knowledge of [our] Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but again having been entangled, they are subdued by these; it has become worse to them the last [state] worse than the first."
For if having escaped the pollutions of the world: these people placed themselves in a position of coming out of the world by listening to the doctrines of grace. Through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: they heard the doctrines of free grace salvation. But again having been entangled: they went back into the world by choice. They are subdued by these: they are completely subdued by the pollutions of the world. It has become worse to them the last state worse than the first: these professors of being Christians, after they apostatize (remember a true believer cannot commit apostasy), they become more an more entangled in this world, and we read in Romans 1:28 that God gave the apostate up to their reprobate mind. God has extended His love, in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the entire world, but only those who will accepts His Divine gift, are beneficiaries of His Divine Riches of Grace; and all of these are given along with salvation.
Verse 21, "For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them."
LGT "For better it were for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known [it] to have turned back from the holy commandment delivered to them."
The most important thing to know in order to understand this verse is that the holy commandment is the gospel of grace, and that is, ye must be born again. The second important issue is that these who have fallen away heard this gospel of grace over and over and still returned to the vomit of the world system. Now the third thing is that everyone has heard, and therefore all are responsible for their own actions. The last thing to cover is that there are degrees of punishment meted out to the unbeliever the same, as there are degrees rewards meted out at the Bema Seat of Christ. Peter is saying that these who have returned to the world will have to give an account to God someday for their total rejection, and that it would have been better for them if the had never been exposed to the gospel of grace.
Verse 22, "But it happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that washed to her wallowing in the mire."
LGT "But has happened to them the [word] of the true proverb, [The] dog having returned to his own vomit, and, [the] washed sow, to [her] rolling place in [the] mire."
Peter quotes from Proverbs 26:11. This passage is not proving that one can fall from grace, that is, lose their salvation. What it does prove is that no matter how hard a person tries to be good, they will always return to their old habits of being slaves to sin. A sinner cannot be reformed, but the Holy Spirit can regenerate them by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. Barnes has a good paragraph on this verse:
"This passage is often quoted to prove the possibility of falling from grace, and from a very high degree of it too. But it is one of the last passages in the Bible that should be adduced to prove that (false) doctrine. The true point of this passage is to show that the persons referred to never were changed; that whatever external reformation might have occurred, their nature remained the same; and that when they apostatized from their outward profession, they merely acted out of their nature, and showed that in fact there had been no real change. This passage will prove - what there are abundant facts to confirm - that persons may reform externally, and then return again to their former corrupt habits; it can never be made to prove that one true Christian will fall away and perish. It will also prove that we should rely on no mere external reformation, no outward cleansing, as certain evidence of piety. Thousands who have been externally reformed have ultimately shown that they had no religion [conversion], and there is nothing in mere outward reformation that can fit us for heaven. God looks upon the heart; and it is only religion [Christianity] that has its seat there, that can secure our final salvation."
Peter continues dealing with apostates in the next chapter.
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