2 Peter 2:9-12 Podcast
9 ... if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. 12 But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish. (2 Peter 2:9-12)
We continue today with the destiny of the false teachers who had infiltrated the church. We will always have false teachers among us, and one way we can identify them as such, is to take note of their selfishness. The flesh always expresses itself contrary to the ways of God, unrighteous, corrupt, despising authority, arrogant, heaping abuse, bringing God's judgement upon themselves, unreasoning, instinctual, and will perish.
Peter tells us these false teachers heaped abuse on the "celestial beings", which means some of their teachings aligned with God's judgement on the evil angels who chose to rebel with Satan so long ago. Such is the case with false teachers, they mix truth with the false. In doing so, they follow the lead of the Evil One, Satan himself.
The truth is objective not subjective. By and large, today's church has lost its ability to discern truth from error. This is the result of not being students of the Word. We are more committed to nice sound bites than we are the whole counsel of God. Of course, when we become students of the Word, we will be in the position to discern the false.
In v.10-11 Peter informs us that even the good angels who, unlike the false teachers, are stronger than the evil ones, nevertheless do not presume to pronounce a reviling judgment on them. The good angels humbly leave the judgement of these corrupt teachers to God.
Note the difference between the evil and the good angels in v.10-11, the good angels submit to the authority of God, but the evil angels, like the false teachers, resist God's authority.
In v.12 Peter notes that the false teachers are like "unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish."
In the end truth will prevail and those who resist the truth will perish. I trust you are know the One who is the Truth. (John 14:6) The old saying is true: those who move the world are not moved by the world.
