
2 Peter 2
2 Peter 2 provides a stark warning against false prophets and teachers who infiltrate the church, leading many astray with destructive heresies. Peter describes the severe consequences that await these deceivers and compares their behavior to notorious sinners of the past, emphasizing God's sure judgment against them while also reassuring believers of God’s protection and deliverance.
2 Peter 2:1-3 (NKJV)
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.
Peter warns of false teachers similar to the false prophets of old, introducing destructive heresies and even denying Christ. Their influence leads many astray, resulting in a tarnishing of the gospel’s reputation. Their greedy exploitation of believers is noted as particularly condemnable, with a reminder that their judgment, though seemingly delayed, is certain and impending.
2 Peter 2:4-10 (NKJV)
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;
7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked
8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—
9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,
10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,
Peter uses historical examples to illustrate God’s consistent pattern of punishing the wicked and saving the righteous. He references the fallen angels, the ancient world during Noah’s time, and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, contrasting these with the deliverance of Noah and Lot. These examples serve to reassure believers that God knows how to rescue the godly and hold the wicked for judgment, particularly those who indulge in immorality and reject authority.
2 Peter 2:11-16 (NKJV)
11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring reviling accusations against them before the Lord.
12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption,
13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you,
14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.
15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;
16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
Peter contrasts the behavior of false teachers with that of angels, noting that even beings of higher power do not behave as recklessly. The false teachers, likened to irrational animals, engage in brazen wrongdoing and exploitation, even during communal gatherings. He highlights their greed, sexual immorality, and manipulation, pointing to the story of Balaam as a parallel—someone who also misused his gifts for personal gain but was ultimately rebuked.
2 Peter 2:17-22 (NKJV)
17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried by a tempest, to whom the gloom of darkness is reserved forever.
18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.
19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.
20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”
Peter warns about false teachers who mislead others while being spiritually empty themselves, like wells without water and clouds driven by storms. They use enticing words to lure those who have barely escaped sin, promising freedom while they themselves are slaves to corruption. The passage emphasizes that if someone has known the truth of Christ and then turns back to sin, their latter state is worse than before. It would have been better for them not to have known righteousness than to reject it after receiving it. Verse 22 illustrates this with two proverbs: a dog returning to its vomit and a washed sow going back to the mud, showing that those who reject God's truth after knowing it revert to their sinful nature, proving their unchanged hearts. This passage highlights the importance of true conversion and perseverance in faith, warning against the dangers of spiritual apostasy.