II Peter 2: 1-3
But there were false prophets also among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you,
There will always be those who present themselves as God's people, when they really are not teaching God's Truth.
who will secretly introduce destructive heresies,
They will sneak in other ideas that seem to go along with the Truth, but subtly twist it into some application that really doesn't apply. These heresies are called "damnable" in the KJV, and are very destructive to people who are being led astray by them.
even denying the Master who bought them,
These false teachers may not even admit that there is sin to be dealt with, so they consider the Lord as not a Savior but only a Benefactor.
bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
Their destruction will come upon them in a very sudden way, not necessarily right away.
Many will follow their sensuality,
Their focus is actually on the material World, acquiring physical things and enjoying physical pleasures. The King James Version uses the word "pernicious" here, which means that it causes harm or ruin, with a note that it can also be translated as "lascivious," which goes along with the sensuality mentioned here. These teachers are intent on satisfying all the physical needs we have at the expense of ignoring the spiritual realm altogether.
and because of them the way of Truth will be maligned;
The popularity of these false teachers is a reason why the True Gospel is put down as not necessary, and therefore it is spoken evil of, and slandered.
and in their greed they will exploit you with false words;
These false teachers only want to fleece the sheep, to use them for their own personal gain, to make them just merchandise. They do this by teaching what is not True. Our words are very powerful, for both good and for evil.
their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
God's judgment is just and sure and certain. As has been decreed since before God created anything. Those who put themselves under this Judgment are accountable, and will one day give account for all the evil they have spoken to draw away so many from the Truth of God's unspeakable gift of Redemption in Christ Jesus.
We are to be wise in discerning who to listen to, so we will not be seduced into following any of these false teachers today. Their messages are very attractive to our human desires and needs and wants. So if we are tricked into wanting to satisfy only our physical needs, because they sound "spiritual" in quoting Scripture to support their own theories, then we will also be destroying ourselves, and putting ourselves under God's judgment.
That's why we are told over and over again in Scripture to "be careful" and to "watch out" and to "take care" that we are following godly preachers and teachers who are teaching God's Truth honestly, according to God's ways.
We will follow this further tomorrow.
O my Father, You are so good to give us Your written Word, so that we can see ancient parchments and know that Your message has not changed. We have today the same teachings You gave Your people so long ago because You do not change. You still Love us with a Love so great and so deep and so pure, that we are not capable of understanding it in our feeble human brains.
Through time You have revealed to us more details of how magnanimous Your Love is for us, in sending Your most precious Son to be our Sacrifice, and to cleanse us pristine, as though we have never sinned, to be Your children, Your princes and princesses, to reign with King Jesus as He reigns with You, Father, on Your Throne. And that we will even judge the angels who sinned.
Father, Your great Plan of the Ages has been unfolding through all this time that Mankind has inhabited this beautiful Earth You made for us. And we have been living through each day, each year, each decade, each century, each epoch of each age, that You planned out so long ago, just as You planned it, and as You told us it would, even before it happened.
And our enemy has been at work all this time, lying and deceiving and capturing every victim he can, to destroy whatever good of Yours that he can, everywhere he can, against everyone he can, as long as he can. He knows that his time has grown short, so he is working feverishly, multiplying the destruction as much as he can.
But Father, Your power has overcome him already, in the work Your Son accomplished on Calvary.
Jesus, our Redeemer and King, is coming soon, and will end this enemy's reign as the god of this World; and will establish His rule.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
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