False Teachers/Evil Practices & Pending Doom - Be Warned! (Part 2)

Dear Saints,

We continue our study of 2 Peter. In this short letter of Peter to the suffering pilgrims, he devotes an entire chapter out of three to warning about false prophets/teachers and false prophecies, deceptions, lies, evil living and the pending doom.

God does not waste His words and does not speak unnecessarily. Every word from the mouth of God is essential. As such, we must pay close attention to this chapter 2 of Second Peter. Let us read from where we stopped the last time.

“For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment. 5 And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.

 6 Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people. 7 But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. 8 Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.

9 So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment. 10 He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority.

These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling. 11 But the angels, who are far greater in power and strength, do not dare to bring from the Lord a charge of blasphemy against those supernatural beings.”

12 These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed. They scoff at things they do not understand, and like animals, they will be destroyed. 13 Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you.

They delight in deception even as they eat with you in your fellowship meals. 14 They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse. 15 They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong. 16 But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice." 2 Peter 2:4-16 (NLT).

The above is a long passage—some takeaways. God will judge all falsehoods/living and false teachers as He did in the past. Even the sinning angels were judged and cast into hell. We are reminded of the first judgment of the world through a flood. Only Noah and his family were saved.

We are also reminded of the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah (the then LBGTQ capital city). Only Lot and his two daughters were saved. His wife looked back and perished.

My friend, judgment is coming to this world that practices and propagates lies with impunity. Yes, it’s June, the “Pride Month.” Do not worry because there was a day for Sodom and Gomorrah. We must plead like Abraham to deliver the righteous and have mercy on all who are proud/arrogant of their sins whether straight or gay.  Please see verse 10, reference to the "Pride Month?"

Remember that “adultery” and “greed” were also mentioned in the 2 Peter 2 passage above.  Someone said it is not "the American Dream," but "the American Greed." We have all sinned and come short of God’s glory.

Are you disturbed, as was Lot? “Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.”- verse 8.

We must love all people but not condone the sins God has condemned. Let us pray for our nations and the Church. False teachers are in churches worldwide and they are popular and with lots of followers. If your church is flying the rainbow “Pride Flag,” please run from there and find a true church of Jesus.

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1-4. 

Can we please pray/preach the gospel and spend less time criticizing the Church/society/sinners? Sinners sin. Prayers and the gospel changes sinners to saints. Self-deception is the worst deception. Have you confessed your sins, repented, asked for forgiveness and trusted Jesus as your Savior and Lord?

Let us be “bold with compassion” and speak the truth of the Gospel, for it’s the only power of God that brings salvation through Christ Jesus for the straight and gay. Nothing is impossible for our God. God could save any sinner if He saved you, apostle Paul and me. Amen. Only those who reject the Gospel (sin paid in full) send themselves to hell.

We are warned of the practices and pending doom of false teachers and teachings in the church and society. We should pay heed to these warnings. DO NOT BE DECEIVED BY YOURSELF OR ANYBODY! "MANY WILL FOLLOW [FALSE TEACHERS'] DESTRUCTIVE WAYS." verse 2.

Lord, please have mercy on us and our people in the USA, the nations and the churches. Turn our hearts in repentance to you. Please forgive our sins as a people, nation and the church. May we be your mouthpiece, and grant us the boldness to proclaim the true Gospel with compassion. Amen

Happy Juneteenth Celebrations! We thank God for true freedom in Christ. TRUTH SETS US FREE!