Study of 2 Peter 2:1-4, 7-22...
This post is going to ruffle some more feathers, but it is the Truth. I may lose friends and family on this one, but I must post what God wants me to post.
I encourage you to test the Scriptures and make sure I am telling you what God says. Although I would never lie to you, you need to see the Truth for yourselves so you know it is His Word, not mine. Pray about what you read here, and ask Father to show you the Truth and to give you understanding.
2 Peter 2:1
"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."
Peter tells us there will be false teachers telling us to deny what God told us is forever ("denying the Lord that bought them").
God bought us with the blood of His Son Yeshua as our Sacrifice for our sins:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
2 Peter 2:2
"2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."
"Pernicious" means: profitless, unprofitable, ruinous, detrimental; properly, not able to hold together (cohere), i.e. "not profitable because lacking cohesion"; (figuratively) missing benefit because not complete (especially missing something essential). (Strong's Concordance).
So we see that "pernicious ways" are unprofitable, not able to hold together because they lack cohesion and are not complete, they are missing something essential.
What does the Bible say about being profitable?
Titus 3:8
"8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men."
"Good works" are the works of the Word of God/Torah which are good in themselves and valuable to the community.
2 Timothy 3:15-17
"15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
From verse 15 above, we see that "the Holy Scriptures" which they had known from a child (which can only be the Torah, the Prophets, and the Sayings from the Old Testament) are able to make us wise unto Salvation (they teach us about how to worship God, how to treat others, what sin is so we avoid it, and they lead us to Yeshua). All of these Scriptures were inspired by God AND ARE PROFITABLE FOR DOCTRINE, REPROOF, CORRECTION, AND INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Verse 16 above says they are for instruction in righteousness. By this very passage we see that THE TORAH IS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Verse 17 says the Torah will make the man of God be perfect, thoroughly furnished in order to do good works. From this verse we see that the Torah of God is Yeshua and Yeshua is the Torah. We know this because without Yeshua we cannot be perfect, yet this verse says "All Scripture" (which we know they only had the Old Testament from a child) "is profitable"... "that the man of God may be made perfect". So the Torah must be Yeshua, and we already know Yeshua is the Torah (John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.").
Woe to those who teach Torah is "done away with" and is not profitable! Here's what God says about those who turn their ear from hearing (listening, learning, keeping, doing) and who teach this others to do the same:
2 Peter 2:3
"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."
Those who teach against the Word of God (Torah) are called (by God, not by me) covetous and merchandisers of others. They will be judged and will be subject to damnation.
Yeshua Himself says those who break even just one of the least of the commandments of the Torah, and who teach others to do the same, will be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Yeshua also says unless their righteousness exceeds the Pharises and scribes (who followed the Torah but added to it their oral laws, who also healed people and called demons out of them) they will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven at all.
Matthew 5:17-20
"17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven."
Even their prayers are considered an abomination to God:
Proverbs 28:9
"He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination."
If God didn't even spare the angels who sinned (transgressed the law of God), then He won't spare those who disobey the Torah and who teach against it either:
Matthew 7:21-23
"21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."
2 Peter 2:4, 7-9
"4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;"
"7 And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
8 (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
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:"
God knows how to deliver His children from the temptations to disobey His Torah. He will deliver us from even going around those who teach against His Torah.
Those who continue to disobey Torah lust after unclean things (such as disobeying the food laws and worshiping God in pagan ways and on pagan days). They "despise government". This doesn't mean they despise the law of the land. It means they despise God's Torah. Torah is the structure for God's Government (His Holy Nation - Israel)...
2 Peter 2:10-11
"10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
11 Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord."
They are considered "presumptuous", meaning they presume things in His Word instead of reading what it literally says. They add words to the Scriptures. If it is not specifically written in the Bible, it is a LIE! We know this because Timothy says the Scriptures were inspired by God. God wouldn't have changed anything without inspiring someone to write it in His Word.
2 Timothy 3:16
"16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God..."
Peter says some pretty strong things about those who teach against the Torah of God:
2 Peter 2:12-14
"12 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;
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 themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;
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:"
Peter says they "have forsaken the right way" and that they follow the way of the pagans who love unrighteousness:
2 Peter 2:15
"15 Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;"
Peter says that Balaam was rebuked for his iniquity. What was his iniquity?
Numbers 22:9-12, 20-22
"9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?
10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,
11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.
12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed."
"20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.
22 And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him."
Balaam was so excited that God had "changed His mind" about cursing the Israelites that he got up in the morning and went with the Moab princes and was thinking of some good curses to say over them. He didn't wait to see if they would come back to summon him again. He took it upon himself to go to them.
This was his iniquity, he went without being summoned, which is not what God told him to do, and he wanted to curse the Israelites. When God tells us in His Torah that if anyone curses Israel they will be cursed instead, He means it. When God tells us in His Torah to obey Him and His Ways, He means it.
This is why we should always obey God's Torah and do only what he tells us to do, and be careful how we talk to others. We should not assume we know better than He does and go do our own thing, and we should never curse His children in any way, shape, or form. To do so brings curses on us. To disobey God's Torah, and to curse His Children, is "madness" (verse 16 below).
That's why God made the donkey speak and rebuke Balaam. The donkey had tried to warn Balaam three times but He wouldn't listen. After the 3rd time, God cause her to be able to speak and openly rebuked Balaam asking why he had struck her. Balaam was furious with her and said that he would have killed her if he had his sword in his hand. That's when God opened Balaam's eyes to see His Angel standing in front of him. The Angel rebuked him for not listening to the donkey because she is just a servant trying to warn him of the danger coming for his disobedience to God's Word. The donkey obeyed and the Angel said if it weren't for her he would have killed Balaam because of his perverseness(vs.32) and saved her alive (vs.33 below):
Numbers 22:27-34
"27 And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
30 And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? and he said, Nay.
31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
32 And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:
33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
34 And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again."
Balaam was rebuked by the donkey and by the Angel of God for his perverseness in disobeying God's Word.
2 Peter 2:16
"16 But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumb ass speaking with man's voice forbad the madness of the prophet."
The Angel reminded Balaam to only listen to and do that which God had and would say to him:
Numbers 22:12, 20, 35
"12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed."
"20 And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do."
"35 And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak."
Those who go out on their own and do what they think is right, and not what God says is right, "are wells without water" and "clouds that are carried with a tempest". Their place in the mist of darkness is reserved for them for ever.
2 Peter 2: 17
"17 These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever."
Those who preach against the Word of God play on the desires of the old nature, in order to seduce with debaucheries people who have just begun to escape from those whose way of life is wrong:
2 Peter 2:18
"18 For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error."
They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for a person is slave to whatever has defeated him...
2 Peter 2:19
"19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."
If they have once escaped the pollutions of the world through knowing our Lord and Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah, and then have again become entangled and defeated by them, their latter condition has become worse than their former...
2 Peter 2:20
"20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning."
It would have been better for them not to have known the Way of righteousness than, fully knowing, to turn from the holy command delivered to them...
2 Peter 2:21
"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."
A dog returns to its own vomit... The pig washed itself, only to wallow in the mud!
2 Peter 2:22
"22 But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."
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