Born to be killed

Published by Stanley Pouw in 2018 · 21 January 2018

We all have experienced fake news but that is nothing new. Ever since the fall, the father of lies, the devil has been spreading lies. But God is protecting truth and so we learn now how to recognize false teachers so we can protect ourselves from these influences. Revelation 22:18-19 says, “If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life.”

In 2 Peter 2:10b -16 we are going to be looking at false teachers who secretly introduce destructive heresies. This section is a stream of violence vented on false teachers who are seducers of men's minds and hearts, who work for Satan against God. They are consumed in a blast of divine fury put into words by the Holy Spirit through the pen of Peter.

Peter speaking on behalf of God calls the false teachers in verse 12 “irrational animals,” who have no rational capability. They operate on passion compelled only by instinct. Animals do not reason. So he is saying that false teachers are equally self-indulgent, equally driven by the instincts of their own passion and they serve men best when they are dead.

Why has Peter exploded in such a fury on these false teachers?" In John 21, three times Jesus said, "Feed My sheep, feed My lambs, feed My sheep." From the very outset, Peter was called to be a shepherd who fed the sheep. And he is very irate at false shepherds who are feeding poison to the congregation.

2 Peter 2 clearly describe false teachers. The first three verses gave us a general outline, then in verse 4 through 10a he described the inevitability of their damnation. Remember now, God gave us this epistle to warn the church that these false teachers are very dangerous and how to defend ourselves against them. Part of it is recognizing them as false teachers and understanding how God views them.

And so, as Peter gives this diatribe against the false teachers, we're going to notice several points. And I want to give you the first two. Number one, their exaggerated self-opinion. Verse 10b-12, “They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.”

Verse 12-13, “But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you.”

Now here is a text that describes their attitude. The first word says it all in verse 10, not afraid. They dare to defy God and His truth. They give no thought to the consequence of what they're doing against God and to the ramifications that are going to come. And then he adds, self-willed. This means they are arrogant and determined in their own way. And nothing will stop them, not the truth, not the lordship of Jesus Christ.

And how presumptuous are they? In verse 10, he says, "They do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties." Historically people have interpreted it in a number of different ways. Well the word "revile" means to blaspheme, to speak evil of, to mock, to ridicule, to denigrate and to degrade. They do that to angelic doxa, it means glories, dignities, dignitaries. And in the context they are angelic dignitaries.

Now, what angelic dignitaries is he talking about? It is a reference to demons. So how can demons be called glories? Are they glorious beings? The answer is yes, they can be called glories in the sense that they have a persona and a level of existence in the supernatural world that has a dignity and a transcendent quality about it that is beyond us.

Paul said in Ephesians 2:2 that he is the prince of the power of the air. Jesus said in John 12:31 that the devil is the ruler of this world. There is a glorious persona that is possessed by even fallen angels, for they still retain the imprint of majesty. Just like fallen, sinful, unregenerate mankind retains the imprint of the image of God.

In fact, in Ephesians 6:12 they are called by Paul principalities and powers and rulers. How can already cursed demons be blasphemed? Even fallen angels have an angelic majesty of sorts and they are not to be taken lightly. We are to avoid irreverence toward them. Listen, they are serious beings, and God is serious about them. And holy angels are also respectful of them.

So what's the practicality of that? It can be applied to the foolishness of the charismatic demon chasers. Arrogant false teachers underestimate the power of Satan and they underestimate the dignity of the host of angelic majesties and they think they are stronger than demons. They assume that there will be no retaliation because they feel a certain kind of invincibility.

And then there are the liberals who come along and just flatly deny demons even exist. Anytime you despise or minimize the power of Satan and his fallen angels, that's a foolish act. Speaking against those glorious beings is elevating yourself to a level you really don't belong on. It's a terrible presumption.

And in contrast, look what he says in verse 11, "Whereas angels," and anytime you see the word "angels," it refers to the good and holy angels of God. "Whereas angels who are greater in might and power." Greater than who? Well certainly greater than the devil and greater than those false teachers. "Do not bring a reviling judgment against demons before the Lord."

Turn to Jude 1:8 - 9, where we have a parallel text, “Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Apparently there was a conflict between Satan and Michael over the body of Moses. Satan wanted the body of Moses, but Michael kept it. And remember, Moses never was allowed to go into the Promised Land. But even Michael, the super angel, did not dare pronounce against the devil a judgment, but he left it in God's hands and he simply said, "The Lord rebuke you."

But, in 2 Peter 2, false teachers, who are lower, are not afraid to do what holy angels, who are higher, are afraid to do. Verse 12, “But these (false teachers), like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption.” They don't even know against whom they are talking.

Jude 1:10 says the same thing, “But these (false teachers) speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.” “Brute beasts,” he says, just have instinct, not reason. They can only respond to preprogrammed, prepared stimuli that are built into their physical being, through the act of God's creation.

The end of 2 Peter 2:12 in Greek says, "In their destroying they shall be destroyed." When these false teachers destroy God’s people with their false witness and lies, they will receive God’s judgment that brings destruction upon themselves. And down in verses 19 to 22 you can see the details of that destruction.

Verse 13, “And will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you.” Galatians 6:7 calls that the law of sowing and reaping. If a man dedicates himself to lies, false teaching, to a daring, brazen, lustful passionate approach to the things of God, it will destroy him.

So first these false teachers are proud. Secondly, they live ungodly. They go from attitude to action in verse 13, "They count it a pleasure to carouse in the daytime." Normally sinners do their debauchery at night (1 Thessalonians 5:7). But these sinners are so wretched that they do it in the daytime. “They are spots and blemishes.” They are dirt and filth. Blemish means there is a defect, they are diseased.

Then Peter says, “They are carousing in their own deceptions.” They are living in sinful pleasure, enticing others to do the same sins. “While they feast with you.” When they show up for your church dinner, they pollute it. 2 John 10 -11 says, "If anyone comes to you and does not bring the right doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; ¹¹ for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.”

Verse 14, “They're having eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.” These people have lost moral control that they cannot look on a woman any time without seeing her as a potential adulteress. Living by lust brings sinful thoughts, which dominate so that lust can never be satisfied.

"They entice unstable souls," which means they get other people to behave like this. They draw in the unwitting, the weak to their sexual deviations, to their lies and to their passions. Then he says, "They have a heart trained in greed." Sex and greed often go together with false teachers. And Peter says finally in verse 14, "Accursed children!" which means they are marked by a curse.

Now in going astray they have followed the pattern of the prototype false prophet, a man by the name of Balaam. Jude 1:11 says, "They have run greedily in the error of Balaam.” He was a prophet and he had been given by God the ability to speak for God. But false teachers can be characterized by what payment they want. Balaam also had a prize and a payment that motivated him.

The Moabites wanted victory over Israel. Balaam had a reputation as being a prophet who could be bought. In Numbers 22, he sounds like a loyal man, but Peter says, "Balaam loved the wages of unrighteousness." He preferred money over obeying God. And God had to intervene to prevent him from pronouncing a curse on Israel because his true desire in life was the love of money.

Now what means did the Lord use to stop him? Verse 16: "He received a rebuke for his own transgression." Now there was no outward transgression yet because he hadn't prophesied anything, but it was the wretchedness of his greedy heart. And what did God use to rebuke him but a dumb donkey, speaking with a voice of a man who restrained the madness of the prophet.

Let's look at Numbers 22 beginning with verse 20, “And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.” 21 So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab. 22 Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.”

23 Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road. 24 Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again.”

26 Then the Angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. 27 And when the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have abused me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for now I would kill you!”

Now that's a shocking moment in the life of Balaam. This is not a new donkey, this is an old donkey. “30 So the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever disposed to do this to you?” And he said, “No.” 31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face.”

How is it possible that a donkey can speak? Well, remember what happened in John 12:28-29, “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” 29 Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered.” Only Jesus could hear the voice of God. And remember in Acts 9:4 that Paul heard the Lord speak to him in a way that others didn't hear? Surely what the servants heard was some donkey braying, but God made the normal braying of a donkey clear to the mad prophet Balaam, the prototype false teacher.

Look at Revelation 2:14, where the Lord says to the church of Pergamum that He has a few things against them, “because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam.” Now we know he was greedy, but what was his teaching? Well, “he taught Balak how to plunge the people of Israel into sin, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit immorality.” There was a holy war against the apostasy that had been generated by Balaam.

So these verses give us insight into how false teachers follow the path of Balaam. First, they identify themselves as good Christians, we are preachers and teachers they claim. Secondly, they practice evil dressed up in religious robes while teaching others false doctrine. Thirdly, they are in it for the money and all the sexual gratification they can get. And fourthly, they encourage others to follow their way. May God give us wisdom and faith to stand strong against them! Let us pray.