Pastors Jim and Marie Watt
(From: 2 PETER #2 - 2:1-22)
II. 2 PETER 2:1-22 - VIRTUE SLIGHTED: BRINGS JUDGMENT
a. 2:1 FALSE TEACHERS: FOR BOTH CHURCH AND JEWS
E-GEnon-to de kai pseu-do-proPHEtai [5578] en to laO, hos kai en huMIN Eson-tai pseu-do-diDASka-loi,
But false prophets arose also among the people, as among you also shall be false teachers,
HOIti-nes pa-reiSAxou-sin [3919] haiREseis [139] a-poLEIas [684],
who shall privately bring in destructive heresies,
kai ton a-goRAsan-ta auTOUS desPOten arNOUme-noi [720], ePAgon-tes he-auTOIS ta-chiNEN aPOlei-an.
denying even the Master that bought them,bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
b. 2:2 WARNING: MANY SHALL FOLLOW FALSE TEACHERS
kai polLOI e-xa-ko-louTHEsou-sin auTON tais a-selGEIais [684];
And many shall follow their :lasciviousnesses;
di' hous he hoDOS tes a-leTHEIas blas-phe-meTHEse-tai [987].
by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.
c. 2:3 COVETOUSNESS OF TEACHERS WILL BRING JUDGMENT
kai en ple-o-neXIa [4124] plasTOIS [4112] LOgois huMAS em-poREUson-tai [1710]:
And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:
hois to KRIma [2917] EKpa-lai ouk arGEI, kai heaPOlei-a auTON ou nusTAzei [3573].
whose :sentence now from of old lingers not, and their :destruction slumbers not.
d. 2:4-10a ALWAYS RIGHTEOUS SPARED, BUT FLESH-SPOILERS JUDGED
ei gar ho TheOS agGElon ha-mar-teSANton ouk ePHEIsa-to [5339],
For if :God spared not angels that sinned,
alLA seiROIS [4577] ZOphou [2217]tar-taROsas [5020]paREdo-ken [3860],
but tartarizing themcommitted them to pits of darkness,
eis KRIsin te-rouMEnous [5083]; kai arCHAIou [744]KOSmou ouk ePHEIsa-ta [5339],
to be kept unto judgment; 5and spared not the ancient world,
alLA OGdo-on, NOe, di-kai-oSUnes KEru-ka [2783], ePHUla-xen [5442],
but preserved one of eight, Noah, a preacher of righteousness,
ka-ta-klusMON [2627]KOSmoa-seBON [765]ePAxas;
when he brought a flood upon a world of the ungodly;
kai POleis SoDOmon kai GoMORras tephROsas [5077]kaTEkri-nen [2692],
6and turning thecities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them,
huPOdeig-ma [5262]melLONton a-seBEsin [754]te-theiKOS; kai DIkai-on Lot, ka-ta-poNOUme-non [2669]
having made theman example of thingscoming upon the ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot,
huPO tes ton aTHESmon [133]en a-selGEIa [766]a-na-stroPHES [391], ePHUsa-to [4506]
sore distressed by the lascivious conduct of the wicked
(BLEMma-ti gar kai a-koE, DIkai-os en-ka-toiKON [1460]en auTOIS,
8(for thatrighteous man dwelling among them,
heMEran ex heMEras psuCHEN diKAIan aNOmois ERgois e-baSAni-zen) [928]:
in seeing and hearing, tormented hisrighteous soul from day to day with theirlawless deeds):
OIden KUri-os eu-seBEIS [2152] ek pei-rasMOU [3986] 'RUes-thai [4506],
9 theLord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation,
aDIkous de eis heMEran KRIse-os ko-la-zoMEnous [2849]teREIN;
and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto a day of judgment;
MAlis-ta de tous oPIsosarKOS en e-pi-thuMIa mi-asMOU [3394]po-reu-oMEnous,
10a but chiefly them that go after flesh in lust of defilement,
kai ku-riOte-tos [2963]ka-ta-phroNOUNtas [2706].
and despise lordship.
e. 2:10b-11 CONTRAST OF FALSE TEACHERS AND GOOD ANGELS
tol-meTAI [5113], auTHAdeis [829], DOxas ou TREmou-sin, blas-pheMOUNtes [987];
Darers, self-willed, they tremble not at dignities, railing;
HOpou AGge-loi, isCHUi kai duNAmei MEIzo-nes ONtes,
11 whereas angels, being greater in might and power,
ou PHErou-sin kat' auTON paRA KuRIoBLASphe-mon [989] KRIsin.
bring not railing judgment against them before theLord.
f. 2:12-16 DESCRIPTION AND PENALTY OF THE UNRIGHTEOUS
HOUtoi de, hos Alo-ga [249] ZOa [2226], ge-gen-neMEna PHUsi-ka [5446] eis HAlo-sin [269] kai phthoRAN,
But these, as creatures without reason, born mere animals for capture and corruption,
en hois ag-noOUsin [50] blas-pheMOUNtes, en te phthoRA auTON kai phthaREson-tai,
railing in matters whereof they are ignorant, shall in their corruption also be corrupted,
a-diKOUme-noi [91] misTHON a-diKIas;
13 suffering wrong as the wage of wrong-doing;
he-doNEN [2237] heGOUme-noi ten en heMEra truPHEN [5172], SPIloi [4695] kai MOmoi [3470],
men that count revel by day a pleasure, spots and blemishes,
en-truPHONtes [1792] en tais aPAtais [539] auTON su-neu-oCHOUme-noi [4910] huMIN;
revelling in their :deceivings while they feast with you;
oph-thalMOUS Echon-tes mesTOUS moi-chaLIdos [3428],
14 having eyes full of adultery,
kai a-ka-taPAstous [180] ha-marTIas; de-leAzon-tes [1185] psuCHAS as-teRIKtous [793];
and that cannot cease from sin; enticing unstedfast souls;
karDIan ge-gum-nasMEnen [1128] ple-o-neXIas [4124] Echon-tes; kaTAras [2671] TEKna:
having a heart practised in covetousness; children of a curse:
ka-taLEIpon-tes euTHEIan hoDON, ep-laNEthe-san [4105],
15 forsaking thestraight way, they went astray,
e-xa-ko-louTHEsan-tes tehoDOtou Ba-laAM tou BeOR,
having followed the way of :Balaam the son of :Beor,
hos misTHON a-diKIas eGApe-sen: Eleg-xin [1649] de ESchen iDIas pa-ra-noMIas [3892]:
who loved thewage of unrighteousness: 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression:
hu-poZUgi-on [5268] Apho-non en anTHROpou phoNEphthegXAme-non [5350]
a dumb ass spoke with man's voice
eKOlu-sen [2967] ten tou proPHEtou pa-ra-phroNIan [3913].
andstayed the madness of the prophet.
g. 2:17 EMPTINESS BEGETS ETERNAL DARKNESS
HOU-TOI ei-sin peGAI Anu-droi [504], kai oMICHlai [3507]huPO LAIla-pos [2978]e-lauNOme-nai [1643];
These are waterless springs, and mists driven by a storm;
hois ho ZOphos [2217]tou SKOtous [4655]te-TEretai [5083].
for whom the blackness of the darkness has been reserved.
h. 2:18-19 HYPOCRISY: TO PROCLAIM FREEDOM WHEN ENSLAVED!
huPErog-ka [5246]gar ma-taiOte-tos [3153]phthegGOme-noi [5350],
For, uttering great swellings of vanity,
de-leAzou-sin [1185] en e-pi-thuMIais [1939] sarKOS a-selGEIais [766]
they entice in lusts of theflesh by lasciviousness
tous oLIgos a-poPHEUgon-tas [668]tous en PLAne[4106]a-na-stre-phoMEnous [390];
those who are just escaping from them that live in error;
eleutheRIan [1657] auTOIS e-pag-gelLOme-noi [1861], auTOI DOUloi [1401] huPARchon-tes tes phthoRAS;
19 promising them liberty, while themselves are bondmen of :corruption;
hogar tis HETte-tai [2274]TOUtodeDOUlo-tai [1402].
for of whom a man is worsted of the same is he also enslaved.
i. 2:20 RE-ENTANGLEMENT IN OLD SIN WORSE THAN FIRST STATE
ei gar, a-po-phuGONtes [668] ta miASma-ta [3393] tou KOSmou
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world
en e-pigNOsei [1922]tou KuRIou kai soTEros IeSOU ChrisTOU,
through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
TOUtois de PAlin em-plaKENtes [1707]hetTONtai [2274],
they are again entangled therein and are worsted,
GEgo-nen auTOIS ta EScha-ta CHEIro-na [5501]ton PROton.
theirlast are become worse with them than the first.
j. 2:21 BETTER NOT TO KNOW GOSPEL, THAN TO KNOW AND TURN BACK
KREITton gar en auTOIS mee-peg-noKEnai [1921]ten hoDON tes di-kai-oSUnes,
Better were it for them not to have known the way of :righteousness,
e, e-pigNOUsin, hu-poSTREpsai [1994]ek tes pa-ra-doTHEIses [3860]auTOIS haGIas en-toLES [1785].
than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.
k. 2:22 AS MUCH CHANGE ANIMAL NATURE AS A WICKED NATURE
sumBEbe-ken [4819]auTOIS to tes a-leTHOUS pa-roiMIas [3942],
It has happened to them :afterthe true proverb,
KUon e-piSTREpsas ePI to Idi-on eXEra-ma, kai, Hus lou-saMEneeis KUlis-ma [2946]borBOrou [1004].
A dog turning to his :own vomit again, and, A washed sow to wallowing in mire.
NOTE: Peter wrote the above nearly 2000 years ago - but it would seem that it is as relevant today as it was then.
That is the wonderful thing about our Bible. Because God - not man - is the trueauthor by His Spirit through man - of courseit is relevant. Ivan Panin confirms through Bible Numerics that it is impossible for any man to have written any part of the Bible. Dr. Karl Sabiers in his book of 1941, “Mathematics Prove Holy Scriptures,” conclusively sets forth proof to this effect.
Judgment upon a sinful, disobedient and rebellious race is certain. Paul clearly set this principle forward to Felix in his day, and caused the Roman governor to tremble. God the Father has committed all judgment to God the Son, who will perform this prophetic act upon His Second Advent.
In the days of Noah, rebellious mankind flaunted the love, wisdom and authority of God. Suddenly judgment came and eliminated the then human race by all but 8 souls. God assures us through His chosen writers of the Bible that this is an accurate preview of how the world in our day will be judged - only - instead of by water - judgment this time will be by fire. Atomic discoveries in our day make this eminently possible.
Read again Peter's careful arguments as led by the Holy Spirit. And let us remember that it was Peter in the preceding chapter that carefully pointed out that “No prophecy was everborne by man's will; but men spoke from God, being borne on by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). Paul confirmed this for himself in 1 Cor 14:37, and of course for all Bible writers.
When we look at the nature of America today with over 50 million abortions committed under the permission of our Supreme Court, which has wrongfully taken over the responsibility of our government on this issue - and of the flagrant legitimizing of homosexuality as it was in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah - and of such crimes that it is safer in many cities of the world for us than here at home - and the record and tale goes on and on.
No doubt we are coming to the end of God's age of grace for us. Jesus said in Matthew 24 that the generation living when Jerusalem fell back into the hands of Israel (this took place in 1967), would not pass away till all things be fulfilled. Men have placed a generation between 40 to 50 years. God places it at 100 years. He said that Israel was captive in Egypt for 4 generations of 400 years.
In any case, we do not know the day or the hour of our Lord's return - but - suddenlyit will come upon us, just as the flood in Noah's day.
So this chapter of God through Peter is sober truth. The world as a whole is oblivious to the soberness and truthfulness of the time in which we live. But when we are in heaven, we will look back, and see with clarity that all of God's Word in the Bible is sober truth. Don't quibble that God in His Word records sayings of Satan as well as carnal men. His own word can clearly be distinguished from them in the light of all of this. - J.A.W.