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Texts -- 2 Peter 2:7-22 (NET)

Context
2:7 and if he rescued Lot , a righteous man in anguish over the debauched lifestyle of lawless men , 2:8 (for while he lived among them day after day , that righteous man was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard ) 2:9 –if so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials , and to reserve the unrighteous for punishment at the day of judgment , 2:10 especially those who indulge their fleshly desires and who despise authority . Brazen and insolent , they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones, 2:11 yet even angels , who are much more powerful , do not bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord . 2:12 But these men , like irrational animals – creatures of instinct , born to be caught and destroyed – do not understand whom they are insulting , and consequently in their destruction they will be destroyed , 2:13 suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways . By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight , they are stains and blemishes , indulging in their deceitful pleasures when they feast together with you . 2:14 Their eyes , full of adultery , never stop sinning ; they entice unstable people . They have trained their hearts for greed , these cursed children ! 2:15 By forsaking the right path they have gone astray , because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor , who loved the wages of unrighteousness , 2:16 yet was rebuked for his own transgression (a dumb donkey , speaking with a human voice , restrained the prophet’s madness ). 2:17 These men are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm , for whom the utter depths of darkness have been reserved . 2:18 For by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice , with fleshly desires and with debauchery , people who have just escaped from those who reside in error . 2:19 Although these false teachers promise such people freedom , they themselves are enslaved to immorality . For whatever a person succumbs to, to that he is enslaved . 2:20 For if after they have escaped the filthy things of the world through the rich knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ , they again get entangled in them and succumb to them , their last state has become worse for them than their first . 2:21 For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than , having known it, to turn back from the holy commandment that had been delivered to them . 2:22 They are illustrations of this true proverb : “A dog returns to its own vomit ,” and “A sow , after washing herself, wallows in the mire .”

Pericope

NET
  • 2Pe 2:1-22 -- The False Teachers' Ungodly Lifestyle

Bible Dictionary

  • Doctrines

    [nave] DOCTRINES See Teaching.John 7:16, 17 Set forth by church councils, Acts 15:6-29. False Matt. 5:19; Matt. 15:9, 13; Rom. 16:17, 18; 1 Cor. 3:11, 21 vs. 1-4.; 1 Cor. 11:18, 19; 2 Cor. 2:17; 2 Cor. 11:3, 4; Gal. 1:6-8; Eph. 4...

  • Minister

    [nave] MINISTER, a sacred teacher. Index of Sub-topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-topics; Call of; Character and Qualifications of; Charge Delivered to; Courage of; Duties of; Duties of the Church to; Emoluments of; Faithful, Instanc...

  • Heresy

    [nave] HERESY Propagandism of, forbidden under severe penalties, Deut. 13; Tit. 3:10, 11; 2 John 10, 11. Teachers of, among early Christians, Acts 15:24; 2 Cor. 11:4; Gal. 1:7; 2:4; 2 Pet. 2; Jude 3-16; Rev. 2:2. Paul and Silas a...

  • Wicked

    [nave] WICKED Compared with: Abominable branches, Isa. 14:19; ashes under the feet, Mal. 4:3; bad fishes, Matt. 13:48; beasts, Psa. 49:12; 2 Pet. 2:12; the blind, Zeph. 1:17; Matt. 15:14; bronze and iron, Jer. 6:28; Ezek. 22:18; br...

  • JUDE, EPISTLE OF

    [smith] Its author was probably Jude, one of the brethren of Jesus, the subject of the preceding article. There are no data from which to determine its date or place of writing, but it is placed about A.D. 65. The object of the epist...

  • Anarchy

    [nave] ANARCHY. Isa. 3:5-8; Gal. 5:13, 14; 2 Pet. 2:10-19; Jude 8-13; Deut. 12:8; Judg. 17:6; 21:25

  • Balaam

    [ebd] lord of the people; foreigner or glutton, as interpreted by others, the son of Beor, was a man of some rank among the Midianites (Num. 31:8; comp. 16). He resided at Pethor (Deut. 23:4), in Mesopotamia (Num. 23:7). It is evi...
    [isbe] BALAAM - ba'-lam bil`am, "devourer"): The son of Beor, from a city in Mesopotamia called Pethor, a man possessing the gift of prophecy, whose remarkable history may be found in Nu 22:2 through 24:25; compare Num 31:8,16; Dt ...
    [smith] (B.C. 1451), the son of beor, a man endowed with the gift of prophecy. (Numbers 22:5) He is mentioned in conjunction with the five kings of Midian, apparently as a person of the same rank. (Numbers 31:8) cf. Numb 31:16 He see...
    [nave] BALAAM, son of Beor. From Mesopotamia, Deut. 23:4. A soothsayer, Josh. 13:22. A prophet, Num. 24:2-9; 2 Pet. 2:14, 16. Balak sends for, to curse Israel, Num. 22:5-7; Josh. 24:9; Neh. 13:2; Mic. 6:5. Anger of, rebuked by h...

  • Apostasy

    [nave] APOSTASY Described, Deut. 13:13; Heb. 3:12. Caused by persecution, Matt. 24:9, 10; Luke 8:13; by worldliness, 2 Tim. 4:10. Guilt and punishment of, Zeph. 1:4-6; Heb. 10:25-31, 39; 2 Pet. 2:17, 20-22. Cautions against, Heb...

  • PETER, SIMON

    [isbe] PETER, SIMON - pe'-ter, si'-mon): 1. Name and Early Career 2. First Appearance in Gospel History 3. Life-Story (1) First Period (2) Second Period 4. Character 5. Writings (1) First Epistle (2) Second Epistle 6. Theology (1) ...

  • PETER, THE SECOND EPISTLE OF

    [isbe] PETER, THE SECOND EPISTLE OF - || I. EXTERNAL EVIDENCE IN FAVOR OF ITS APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY 1. Ancient Opinion 2. Modern Opinion 3. Dr. Chase's View II. INTERNAL EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF ITS APOSTOLIC AUTHORITY 1. Style and Dic...

  • Worldliness

    [nave] WORLDLINESS. 1 Sam. 8:19, 20; Job 20:4-29; Job 21:11-15; Psa. 49:16-18; Psa. 73:2-22; Prov. 14:12, 13; Prov. 15:21; Prov. 21:17; Prov. 23:20, 21; Prov. 27:1, 7; Eccl. 1:8; Eccl. 2:1-12; Eccl. 6:11, 12; Eccl. 8:15-17; Eccl. ...

  • Sin

    [nave] SIN. Index of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to, Defining, and Illustrating; Confession of; Consequences of, Entailed Upon Children; Conviction of; Forgiveness of; Fruits of; Kn...

  • ESCHATOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, VI-X

    [isbe] ESCHATOLOGY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, VI-X - VI. The Resurrection. The resurrection coincides with the parousia and the arrival of the future neon (Lk 20:35; Jn 6:40; 1 Thess 4:16). From 1 Thess 3:13; 4:16 it has been inferred t...

  • BOSOR

    [ebd] the Chaldee or Aramaic form of the name Beor, the father of Balaam (2 Pet. 2:15).
    [isbe] BOSOR - bo'-sor (Bosor): (1) A city named among those taken by Judas Maccabeus "in the land of Gilead" (1 Macc 5:26,36). From the towns named it is evident that this phrase is elastic, covering territory beyond what is usual...
    [smith] same as BEOR. (2 Peter 2:15)

  • Beor

    [ebd] a torch. (1.) The father of Bela, one of the kings of Edom (Gen. 36:32). (2.) The father of Balaam (Num. 22:5; 24:3, 15; 31:8). In 2 Pet. 2:15 he is called Bosor.
    [isbe] BEOR - be'-or (be`or, "destroyer"(?)): (1) Father of Bela, the first king of Edom (Gen 36:32; 1 Ch 1:43). (2) The father of the seer Balaam (Nu 22:5; 24:3,15; 31:8; Dt 23:4; Josh 13:22; 24:9, omitted in Septuagint; Mic 6:5; ...
    [nave] BEOR 1. Father of Bela, Gen. 36:32; 1 Chr. 1:43. 2. Father of Balaam, Num. 22:5. Called Bosor, 2 Pet. 2:15.

  • Judgment

    [nave] JUDGMENT. The General 1 Chr. 16:33; Job 14:17; Job 21:30; Job 31:13-15; Psa. 9:7; Psa. 50:3-6; Psa. 96:13 Psa. 98:9. Eccl. 3:17; Eccl. 11:9; Eccl. 12:14; Ezek. 18:20-28; Dan. 7:9, 10; Amos 4:12; Matt. 3:12 Luke 3:17. Matt....

  • Greed

    [nave] GREED. Ex. 18:21; Ex. 20:17 Deut. 5:21. Neh. 5:7; Job 20:15; Job 31:24, 25, 28; Psa. 10:3; Psa. 119:36; Prov. 1:19; Prov. 11:24, 26; Prov. 15:27; Prov. 21:25, 26; Prov. 22:16; Prov. 23:4, 5; Prov. 30:8, 9; Eccl. 1:8 vs. 2-8...

  • PRISON, SPIRITS IN

    [isbe] PRISON, SPIRITS IN - The phrase occurs in the much-disputed passage, 1 Pet 3:18-20, where the apostle, exhorting Christians to endurance under suffering for well-doing, says: "Because Christ also suffered for sins once, the ...

  • Lot

    [ebd] (Heb. goral, a "pebble"), a small stone used in casting lots (Num. 33:54; Jonah 1:7). The lot was always resorted to by the Hebrews with strictest reference to the interposition of God, and as a method of ascertaining the di...
    [nave] LOT 1. Feast of. See: Purim. 2. The son of Haran. Accompanies Terah from Ur of the Chaldees to Haran, Gen. 11:31. Migrates with Abraham to the land of Canaan, Gen. 12:4. Accompanies Abraham to Egypt; returns with him to B...

  • Associations

    [nave] ASSOCIATIONS, Evil Gen. 19:15; Gen. 49:6; Ex. 23:2, 32, 33 Ex. 34:12-15; Deut. 7:2-4; Josh. 23:6-13. Lev. 18:3 Lev. 20:23. Num. 16:26 vs. 21-26.; Num. 33:55 Judg. 2:1-3. Deut. 12:30; 2 Sam. 23:6, 7; 2 Chr. 19:2; Ezra 9:14;...
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Arts

Hymns

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  • [2Pe 2:8] How Hurtful Was The Choice Of Lot

Questions

  • Here are the passages in the New Testament where the Greek word (noun) for pastor is found: Matt. 9:36; 25:32; 26:31; Mk. 6:34; 14:27; Lk. 2:8, 15, 18, 20; Jn. 10:2, 11f, 14, 16; Eph. 4:11; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25 Here ...
  • Christ's soul and spirit undoubtedly went directly into the presence of the Father. This is suggested by the fact that (1) His work on the cross paid the full price for our redemption; His substitutionary work was finished, a...
  • Matthew 7:13-23 "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. 14 "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few...
  • Life dominating patterns such as lying (illicit sex, drugs, stealing, etc.) are really just the fruit of a much deeper and more serious problem, failing to walk close to the Lord by faith and by means of the principles of His...
  • I've heard and read the same statement a number of times, but have never troubled myself to look up each passage. I'm not surprised that looking up "heaven" and "hell" in a concordance would give you contradictory results. T...
  • The Greek word translated "heresies" in Gal. 5:20 means either an opinion or a party. As used in the New Testament it stands for an opinion "varying from the true exposition of the Christian faith" (as in II Peter 2:11), or a...
  • The concept that God will not put more on us than we can bear does have some biblical support as long as one keeps in mind the needed balance between what God sovereignly allows according to His wisdom and purpose(s)and our h...

Sermon Illustrations

Believers are Partakers; Biblical Concepts with Counseling; 1 Peter 3:18-20; The Way of Balaam; World (Kosmos); Thirty-one New Testament Descriptions of Sinful Mankind; World Originally Created Good; Temptation; Genesis 13:13; I Shout and Scream to Prevent Them from Changing Me; A Good Reason to Scream; Kinds of false prophets:

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Chapters 18 and 19 "paint a vivid contrast between the respective patriarchal ancestors, Abraham and Lot, with an obvious moralistic intent (i.e., a demonstration that human initiatives--Lot's choice--always lead to catastrop...
  • 22:1-20 Moab had not attacked Israel as the people of God had moved north along Moab's eastern border. In fact the Moabites sold the Israelites bread and water (Deut. 2:29). The Moabites probably counted on Sihon, who had for...
  • The analogies in chapter 25 dealt with both wise and foolish conduct, but those in chapter 26 deal mainly with fools and folly.26:2 If someone curses another person who does not deserve it, the curse will not be effective (cf...
  • The book of Hosea is an unusually powerful book because the prophet ministered out of his deep personal emotions. His intellectual appeals to the Israelites in his day, and to us in ours, arose out of great personal tragedy i...
  • Luke included three things in this heart of the death scene. He gave two evidences of God's displeasure with people for rejecting His Son. He recorded Jesus' prayer of trust in the Father, and he noted three immediate reactio...
  • 2:1-2 Paul introduced his teaching by urging his readers not to be shaken from their adherence to the truth he had taught them by what they were hearing from others. The issue centered on Paul's instructions concerning the Ra...
  • This epistle claims that the Apostle Peter wrote it (1:1). It also claims to follow a former letter by Peter (3:1) that appears to be a reference to 1 Peter, though Peter may have been referring to a letter we no longer have....
  • Peter wrote this epistle, as he did 1 Peter, to establish believers in their faith. He wrote both letters in obedience to Jesus' instructions to him to "strengthen your brothers"(Luke 22:32). Both epistles contain reminders o...
  • I. Introduction 1:1-2II. The condition of the Christian 1:3-11A. The believer's resources 1:3-4B. The believer's needs 1:5-9C. The believer's adequacy 1:10-11III. The authority for the Christian 1:12-21A. The need for a remin...
  • Peter began his second epistle as he did to introduce himself to his readers and to lay a foundation for what follows.1:1 The writer could hardly have stated his identity more clearly than he did in this verse. "Simon"was Pet...
  • Peter reminded his readers of God's power and promises that were available to them. He did this to rekindle an appreciation for the resources God had given them in view of their present needs. This epistle begins and ends on ...
  • Peter next warned his readers of the false teachers who presented a message contradictory to that of the apostles to help them avoid their influence. In chapter 1 Peter stressed the importance of building oneself up spiritual...
  • Peter next described the consequences that follow false teaching to help his readers see the importance of avoiding it."Verses 4-10a form one long, complex conditional sentence; verses 4-8 form the conditional statement, and ...
  • Peter next emphasized the conduct of false teachers to motivate his readers to turn away from them.2:10b "Daring"means bold to the point of being presumptuous, and "self-willed"is arrogant."They are concerned about doing thei...
  • Peter focused his discussion next on the false teachers' final doom to warn his readers of the serious results of following their instruction.2:20 To whom does "they"refer? Some interpreters believe the antecedent is the new ...
  • Peter turned from a negative warning against false teachers to make a positive declaration of the apostles' message to help his readers understand why he wrote this letter. His language had been strong and confrontive, but no...
  • 3:1 Peter's first letter was most likely 1 Peter. He implied that he wrote this letter soon after the earlier one. This second epistle, he said, went to the same audience in northern Asia Minor (cf. 1 Pet. 1:1), primarily Gen...
  • Peter warned his readers about the activity of mockers preceding the Lord's return to enable them to deal with this test of their faith."Peter finally brings together two of the most important issues in the letter: the false ...
  • Peter drew application for his readers and focused their attention on how they should live presently in view of the future.3:11 Peter believed that an understanding of the future should motivate the believer to live a holy li...
  • Peter concluded his epistle with a summary of what he had said and a doxology. He did so to condense his teaching for his readers and to redirect their living to glorify God.3:17 Much of what Peter had written was warning tha...
  • Alford, Henry. Alford's Greek Testament. 4 vols. New ed. London: Rivingtons, 1884.Bailey, Mark L., and Thomas L. Constable. The New Testament Explorer. Nashville: Word Publishing Co., 1999.Barbieri, Louis A. First and Second ...
  • Jude explained his reason for writing this letter to introduce what follows and to impress the urgency of his subject on his readers.v. 3 Most Spirit-led preachers have felt exactly how Jude said he felt in this verse. It is ...
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