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Second Peter, part 5, False Prophets

In 2 Peter 2:1–3, Peter begins the central warning section of his epistle. Having just affirmed the divine origin of true prophecy (1:20, 21), he now contrasts true prophets with false teachers. The transition is deliberate: wherever God raises up genuine witnesses, counterfeits soon appear.

2 Peter 2:1-3 says,

¹ But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. ² Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; ³ and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

Peter looks back to Israel's history. The Old Testament records many false prophets who opposed God's true messengers: Balaam opposed Moses (Numbers 22-24), Hananiah opposed Jeremiah (Jeremiah 28), the prophets of Baal opposed Elijah (1 Kings 18), and numerous false prophets assured Jerusalem of peace before its destruction.

Peter says the church will face the same danger. The word translated “secretly introduce” (pareisagō) means to smuggle something in alongside legitimate goods. False teachers rarely announce themselves openly. They typically use biblical terminology, quote Scripture selectively, appear orthodox at first, and then introduce error gradually.

Heresies and Denominations

The word “heresies” originally meant parties, factions, or chosen opinions. Here it refers to teachings that lead people away from the truth. Yet it also points to denominations, each having its own opinion that differs from the others. Those differences then divide the church into pieces, each ruled by men according to their “traditions.” Peter calls them “destructive heresies” because their end is ruin.

The denominational problem is set forth in the biblical pattern of King Saul, who was crowned king of Israel because the people wanted to be ruled by men, rather than by God directly (1 Samuel 8:7, 8). The people were very religious, but they preferred the traditions of men over the truth of God’s law. This was a problem even in the time of Christ (Matthew 15:2-9). The traditions of men are men’s carnal understandings, interpretations, and applications of the law.

Following the Flesh

Peter says that these “false teachers” are those “denying the Master who bought them.” His terminology points to the law of redemption of slaves. When a man buys a slave (purchasing his debt note), the slave is then obligated by law to serve his new master (Leviticus 25:53). He is not free to fulfill his own will. Jesus is our Redeemer (1 Peter 1:18, 19), who has purchased us by His own blood from the bondage of Sin (personified).

Paul explains this in Romans 6:18,

¹⁸ and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.

Peter says that “many will follow their sensuality.” False teaching often attracts large followings because, being generated by the carnal soul, it appeals to human desires. True revelation originates in one’s spirit, which is our point of contact with the voice of God, and it is at enmity with the flesh (Romans 7:23, 25).

Hence, the opinions of men which originate in the mind of the soul tend to resonate with those who are soulish, rather than spiritual. For this reason, we should never fully trust human reasoning, for though it is useful in earthly matters, it is fundamentally flawed through the power of death (mortality).

“Sensuality” (2 Peter 2:2) refers to unrestrained conduct, shameless behavior, and moral license. A major characteristic of the false teachers in this chapter is not merely doctrinal error but moral corruption. There are many examples of this that have surfaced in recent memory, and much more that has not been reported. This includes not only adultery and prostitution but even human trafficking among some of the biggest names in the American church. If the truth were fully known, it would cause a severe crisis of faith in Christianity as a whole.

Peter sees doctrine and conduct as inseparable. Corrupt beliefs produce corrupt living, just as corrupt living encourages corrupt beliefs.

Christianity is described as “the way of the truth”—a manner of life, not merely a set of doctrines. Because of the behavior of false teachers and their success among “many,” outsiders slander the gospel itself. This has happened throughout history. When religious leaders behave wickedly, the name of Christ suffers reproach.

Greed and Exploitation

In 2 Peter 2:3 Peter exposes their motivation. The driving force is not truth but greed. The word pleonexia means covetousness, the insatiable desire for more. They view people as opportunities for gain. Hence, Peter says, “they will exploit you.” The Greek term comes from the world of commerce. Peter pictures them as merchants trafficking in souls (Revelation 18:13 KJV).

Believers become customers to be manipulated rather than sheep to be shepherded. This theme appears repeatedly throughout Scripture. Micah condemned prophets who prophesied for money (Micah 3:11); Jeremiah denounced greed in both prophets and priests (Jeremiah 8:10); Jesus drove money changers from the Temple (Matthew 21:12, 13); Paul warned against those who suppose godliness (utilizing the gifts of the Spirit?) is a means of gain or a source of profit (1 Timothy 6:5).

The word translated “false” can carry the idea of fabricated or molded words. Peter is warning against polished rhetoric that is detached from truth. The false teachers may seem successful. They may attract followers, gain wealth, and even avoid immediate consequences. Yet Peter personifies judgment as standing ready. Judgment is not idle, inactive, or asleep. God has not forgotten.

The examples in the rest of the chapter—fallen angels, the Flood, and Sodom—will demonstrate that divine judgment may be delayed, but it is never canceled.

The Angels that Sinned

2 Peter 2:4, 5 says,

⁴ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly;

Here Peter begins a series of historical examples proving that God's judgment upon false teachers is certain. At the same time, Peter shows that God knows how to preserve the righteous while judging the wicked. Just because there are denominational factions and false teachers who use religion as a source of profit does not mean that everyone has been deceived or that everyone will be judged.

Peter's first example reaches back before Noah’s flood to the angels that sinned. Peter does not specify the exact sin here, but there is no doubt that it is connected to Genesis 6:1–4, and also to Jude 6:

⁶ And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.

The ancient Jewish interpretation, reflected in books such as Book of 1 Enoch, understood the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 to be angelic beings who transgressed divinely appointed boundaries. Whether one accepts that interpretation or understands Genesis 6 differently, Peter's main point remains: Even angels are not immune from divine judgment. Rank, power, and heavenly status provide no protection from accountability.

"Cast Them into Hell"

The Greek word for “hell” is unique: ταρταρώσας (tartarōsas). This is the only occurrence in the New Testament. Peter does not use Gehenna, as in Matthew 5:22, 29, 30, nor does he use Hades, as in Acts 2:27, but a verb derived from Tartarus, the deepest prison of Greek thought. Peter borrows the term as a descriptive word for a place of confinement. The emphasis is not on Greek mythology, which was a distortion of the truth, but on severe imprisonment awaiting final judgment.

Notice that final judgment has not yet occurred. The angels are confined, restrained, and awaiting a future judgment. This agrees with Jude 6 and with the broader biblical picture of a final day of judgment.

The Ancient World

In verse 5 Peter moves from angels to humanity. The phrase “did not spare” repeats the argument. “The ancient world” refers to the pre-flood civilization described in Genesis 6–8.

According to Genesis 6:5:

⁵ Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth.

The Flood became one of Scripture's great examples of universal judgment. Jesus Himself referred to Noah's days as a type of future judgment (Matthew 24:37–39). God “Preserved Noah.” The same flood that destroyed one group saved another. This theme continues throughout the chapter: Noah was preserved, Lot was rescued from Sodom, diligent believers spared when false teachers are judged.

God is able to distinguish between the righteous and the wicked.

Noah is called “a Preacher of Righteousness.” This description of Noah appears only here in Scripture. For many years while building the ark, Noah stood as a witness against the corruption surrounding him. His very obedience was a sermon. This agrees with Hebrews 11:7:

⁷ By faith Noah... condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”

He did this “with seven others.” This refers to the eight persons saved in the ark:

The Chinese word for boat/ship is 船 (chuán). The character is composed of three parts:

• 舟 = boat, vessel
• 八 = eight
• 口 = mouth, person (often interpreted as a person or individual)

Thus some Christians note that:

船 = 舟 + 八 + 口

and interpret it as “a boat containing eight people.” There are many Chinese words that reflect and confirm stories from the book of Genesis. Christians have used this for centuries in their evangelism among the Chinese people. (I learned this as a child in the Philippines after many missionaries had to leave China in 1949. Some of them moved to the Philippines, because many Filipinos are ethnically Chinese. They then ministered in Chinese churches in the Philippines.)