Tyndale Open Study Notes2 Peter 2

Along with the true prophets, there have always been false prophets, and God brings judgment on the (1:20–21).

• They will: Peter uses the future tense in 2:1–3, but this does not mean that false prophets had not yet appeared. Instead, he is recalling the prophecy Jesus made that false teachers would arise (Matthew 24:11, 24; Mark 13:22; compare Acts 20:29–31; 2 Timothy 3:1–6). The false teachers already present in the church were the fulfillment of that prophecy.

• denying the Master who bought them: The false teachers might have openly rejected Christ. But it is more likely that their bad behavior was a denial of Christ (compare Titus 1:16).

One sad result of false teaching is that people will speak badly about the way of truth. When false teachers live in immoral and greedy ways, they bring shame on Christ.

Three examples of judgment in the Old Testament show that God will protect and vindicate people who remain faithful to him. These examples also show that God will condemn those who deny him, including the false teachers (see 2:3).

• The first example of judgment is the angels when they sinned. The common Jewish tradition was that "the sons of God" in Genesis 6:1–5 (understood as angels) had sexual relations with women. As a result, God judged them at that time (see 1 Enoch 6–10; compare 1 Peter 3:19–20; Jude 1:6).

• in chains of darkness: This phrase reflects a common ancient description of the underworld. It is probably a metaphor that pictures a place of deep darkness and confinement.

The second example of judgment is that God did not spare the ancient world during the time of Noah. In the great flood, God destroyed all human life except for Noah and his family (see Genesis 6–8).

The third example of judgment is that God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. The people in these cities were very evil, so God sent sulfur and fire from the sky to destroy them (Genesis 19:24). Peter focuses on the result of this action: The cities were turned into heaps of ashes.

The Old Testament does not describe Lot as a very righteous man (see “Lot” Profile). However, he stayed mostly faithful to God. Some later Jewish writings also describe him as righteous (see Wisdom of Solomon 10:6; 19:17).

the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials: Noah’s family and Lot show this truth (2:5; 2:7). The Lord is faithful to his people. The people Peter wrote to needed assurance that their struggles to live godly lives, while facing false teaching and the scorn of the world, would be rewarded.

This description of the false teachers focuses more on how they were living than on what they were teaching.

• The corrupt desires of the flesh: This refers to any kind of illicit sexual desire. It may also include homosexual behavior, since Peter mentions Sodom and Gomorrah (2:6).

• The false teachers were very arrogant. They refused to listen to any authority except their own.

glorious beings: These are probably evil angels, unlike the angels in 2:11. It is wrong to make fun of evil angels, because they still show signs of the glorious way God first created them. They have real power and can be a real danger to humans.

not even angels … dare to accuse evil angels of speaking against God. But the false teachers were so full of pride that they did not hesitate to do so.

reveling in their deception as they feast with you: Compare Jude 1:12. Early Christians often shared fellowship meals to honor the Lord (see Acts 2:46; 6:1). The false teachers used these meals as opportunities to deceive true believers.

Some manuscripts say They revel in their fellowship meals as they feast with you. If correct, these false teachers were using the meals for self-indulgence (see 1 Corinthians 11:20–22).

who loved the wages of wickedness: Balaam asked God for guidance, but he still wanted to go his own way so that he could receive Balak’s money (see Numbers 22–24). The Old Testament account suggests that Balaam was greedy. Jewish tradition later expanded this idea (see Numbers Rabbah 20:10; Mishnah Avot 5:22; Philo, Moses 1:266–268).

Peter continues to describe the false teachers by showing how they harm other people.

those who are just escaping: The false teachers cleverly targeted new believers. These were people who had only recently committed themselves to Christ.

False teaching often attracts people by promising freedom from authority. But this kind of freedom is not real (Romans 6:16). The false teachers celebrated what they thought was freedom (see 2 Peter 2:10). In truth, they were slaves to sin and corruption.

their final condition is worse than it was at first: The false teachers, or the people who followed them, had known the truth. But they chose to reject it. Their deliberate choice placed them in a much worse situation than when they sinned without understanding.

• “A dog returns to its vomit”: In biblical times, people did not see dogs as friendly family animals. They saw them as wild and unclean.

• “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud”: This saying may come from a well-known book of wisdom called Ahiqar from around 500 BC. One version says, “My son, you have been to me like the pig who went into the hot bath with people of quality, and when it came out of the hot bath, it saw a filthy hole and went down and wallowed in it” (Ahiqar 8:18).