False Prophets and Teachers: 2 Peter & Jude

Go To Meeting

Lyall Johnston—March 25, 2022

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Why is the language against false prophets and teacher so shocking?

Why did God use such strong language throughout the Old Testament in places like Jer. 23?

And all the other prophets when they really lambasted verbally the prophets as God spoke through them.

• Why did Peter, Jude, Paul and Jesus Himself speak such strong words?

Yes, these are the words that came from Jesus Himself as He spoke through His servants the prophets and apostles!

Remember what Jesus said in the Olivet Prophecy. He talked about world conditions, many of which we're seeing repeated in our time, and probably some of the events that are going to lead up to the very end of the end-time events as everything is closing in around us.

Matthew 24:6: "And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you do not let these things disturb you…."

That's a very good message for us! Not to be afraid of what we see going on around us. Even as the Proverb says, 'Even in the death of the righteous there is hope.' We have hope in death, because in death we overcome the final victory! When we hear His voice in the grave or if we remain alive and the next thing we find is that we have been supported. We have change in body and going up to the Sea of Glass. Being taken there by one of God's angels. Maybe that angel was the one God has appointed to us as our protecting angel, the one that delivered us.

Verse 7: "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…"

Verse 9: "Then shall they deliver you up to affliction, and shall kill you… [v 10] …And then shall many be led into sin, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another…" We can see how that kind of situation is being prepared in the background!

Verse 4: "…'Be on guard… [Why?] …so that no one deceives you.'"

Jesus mentions that again later in the chapter. He shows that there are going to be signs and wonders in heaven. They're going to be so powerful and strong that if possible, even the elect would believe them and would turn away from the faith!

That is something that God does not want to see. However, when we get to the books of Peter and Jude we find that what Jesus has said, the volume is turned up!

I don't know how many of you have heard the air raid sirens that were sounded throughout the United Kingdom during WWII. You can go online and actually hear those sirens ringing!

In those days, the 1940s, they struck fear into the hearts of many people; but not everyone. Most of the people in the United Kingdom learned that this was a warning to take shelter, be on guard, get to a safe place so that the enemy will not destroy you.

By the time it gets around to the writing of the Epistles—referring specifically of 2-Peter and Jude—we find that what Jesus had predicted had happened. Beginning with Simon Magus who was, indeed, a false prophet, a major false prophet that we find coming out of the New Testament.

Let's read about what Peter has to say, what Jesus inspired him to say. At this stage false prophets and teachers were appearing in the Church.

2-Peter 2:1: "But there were also false prophets among the people…"

That's a reference back to the people of ancient Israel. In fact, if we would like to cast our mind back to Gen. 3:

• Was there a false prophet in the Garden of Eden?
• Was there a being who deceived our first parents?
• Was he not giving a false prophecy?
• Was he not lying about what God had told Adam and Eve?
• Was he not even using the Scriptures? Yes, using the very Word of God, but twisting it even so slightly that Eve believed him!

Adam followed suit, so you and I today have earned the death penalty because of that. But not just because of this sin, but because of our own sin.

This is the first false prophet, the chief of all false prophets, none other than Satan the devil. So, we need to keep that in mind because our battle, as we're told by Paul, 'is not against flesh and blood, but against wicked spirits in high places.' So, we must see the person, the individual, the being behind the false prophets.

We are to reject the false prophets, but when we read the language in 2-Peter 3 it is shocking. God is warning you and me—all the saints—against false prophets and teachers because he does not wan to lose us! We're part of the number called to be part of the firstfruits, to live and dwell with God in all His glory through the ages of eternity.

2-Peter 2:1: "But there were also false prophets among the people, as indeed there will be…"

Not maybe, not perhaps; this is absolutely confirmed because this is the Word of God. God doesn't lie! In history, even in our own time, we've seen this happen within the very Church of God, the Body of Jesus Christ, taking the name Church of God because Jesus Christ is preserving that Church in the Father's name.

"…false teachers among you…" (v 1).

• Have we seen false teachers among us?
• Did we recognize them?

Sometimes yes, some of us did, and some of us didn't. It's all part of our teaching and learning. God was preparing us for the future, a time that is maybe just ahead of us when there are going to be signs and wonders so powerful that if it's possible—Jesus talking—even the elect would be deceived.

Jesus and the apostles said that many are going to follow them. God is giving us these warnings so that we will nip the problem in the bud and see the false prophets for what they are. We're not to say that this man or woman has such a message. There's so much of that on the Internet.

They have a lot of the Truth, but when it comes down to obedience to the Word of God; when it comes down to keeping God's Sabbath and Holy Days, it doesn't matter how much knowledge, how much information they have, Satan can use them as false prophets and false teachers lulling people to sleep!

"…who will stealthily introduce destructive heresies…" (v 1).

There are some floating around right now. The trinity doctrine is one that just never goes away. That's one, and another one that came out recently was the marriage supper of the Lamb to the Church is going to happen on earth. This is from a Church of God.

• it's a lie
• it's false teaching
• it does not agree with the Scriptures

We must reject it in order to be faithful to the Word of God!

"…personally denying the Lord…" (v 1)—by teaching false prophecies and false teachings, they're denying Jesus Christ!

Peter here is also referring here to those going into the teachings of Gnosticism, which taught that Jesus did not come in the flesh! That Jesus just possessed this body and then the body was crucified, but Jesus did not die.

I know that on the basis of that, that if Jesus Christ did not die, if His blood was not shed, you and I do not have a Savior. It is the blood of Christ that takes us through veil into the very Temple and presence of God as we kneel and pray to God the Father. It's that blood that gives us direct access, and without that blood there is no entrance into the Throne Room of God, which we can do in an instant, in a moment.

But without the blood of Christ it's finished! There's no entrance! This is why it's so important for us for the Passover and the days of Unleavened Bread, that we are examining ourselves, preparing ourselves.

One of the main ways that we do that is if we're repenting daily, if we're, as Paul said in Heb. 4, coming boldly before the Throne of God. We're not fear God; we're to fear to disobey Him! We're to walk in that incredible awesome respect, realizing that God's glory and power is placed above the heavens and above the earth.

When the heavens and the earth are all burned up, the glory of God remains! With that glory and power, God is going to renew everything: the heavens and the earth.

I'm absolutely stunned, always have been, as David said when he looked up at the stars and the heavens and wondered: What am I that You're mindful of me and mankind?

Now we have the addition of the James Webb telescope, that NASA is always preparing in ten years for an even more powerful telescope. But some of those things that they're discovering is absolutely magnificent.

When you see an image that's projected from that telescope—which they're producing and putting on YouTube—that's only one tiny pinpoint with multiple billions of objects that God has created. Just one tiny spot! Yet, the whole creation is just absolutely filled with all these galaxies, with all these nebulae, the most beautiful coloring!

Yet, when we look up at night at the stars, you realize with our eyes basically all you can see are the objects that the stars and some of the planets in our own little galaxy called the Milky Way, a very humble galaxy. I believe that God chose a humble galaxy to teach us a lesson. Beyond our humble galaxy there is beauty! It's the glory of God, which is brilliant that it just inspires us to want to worship God and praise Him.

God our Father, I don't feel that I'm able to give You the thanksgiving and the praise and the blessing that due to You. Please fill me with that praise so that I can stay close to You, so that I can inspire others, so that I can help others.

"…introduce destructive heresies, personally denying the Lord who bought them…" (v 1)—because they reject Jesus Himself!

They're pumping their own selves up and they love the preeminence, like the Apostle John said of Diotrephes (3-John): Diotrephes loved the preeminence among the people and spoke maliciously of John and the other ministers that John had sent to the Church. John said, 'The time is coming when I will deal with him.'

We're not told whether he did, but I would imagine that he did, because Diotrephes was blocking people from entering the Church. Anyone who wanted contact with John and the other ministers, he was throwing them out of the Church. We don't know if Diotrephes was an elder or not.

• Is that the Spirit of Christ? That's a question we can ask of ourselves:
• Do I have the Spirit of Christ? This man that's bringing this message doesn't seem right!
• Is this from the Spirit of Christ?
• Does it agree with the Word of God?

That's where we have the charge from the Apostle Paul in Thessalonians: we're to prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good!

How do we prove all things? From the Word of God! Jesus said to the Father when He was praying (John 17) Your Word is Truth! These are all basic concepts! We must remember that we need to renew some of those basics, because if we have the foundations right, then God—through His Spirit and Word—will build on the right foundations. Peter has a lot to say about that: add to your faith and then gives a list of the characteristics that God wants us to build into our lives.

"…and bringing swift destruction upon themselves" (v 1).

To us it may not seem like "…swift destruction…" but these false prophets are going to be destroyed! We do not know, we cannot tell which ones will be destroyed and which ones that God may be had never called. That's all God's decision. But we must learn to reject them. Many of us have! That's good! It's preparing us for the next attack.

Satan's attacks are going to build up and up until the 'signs and wonders' that are going to deceive many, and many will follow those ways of the devil.

Verse 2: "And many people will follow as authoritative their destructive ways…"

We've seen that! We've had the history through the 70s, 80s and 90s in the Church of God where swift destruction came on that Church, didn't it? Why? Because of the heresies! because of the wrong teachings!

"And many people…" I'm not prepared to say that I'm not one of those people, because Jesus said to be on guard. That doesn't matter how many trials we've been through in the past, we don't fully know the level or the degree and power that Satan has. What's going to happen if Satan goes to God and demand you?

Luke 22:31: "Then the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon, listen well. Satan has demanded to have all of you, to sift as wheat.'"

Read the book of Job! Satan came to God and said, 'I want Job. Give him over to me and I'll prove to you that he's not going to stay faithful to You. We know the end result of that.

But Jesus said to Peter, 'Satan has demanded to have you!' As we know the pronoun you is plural! That's why it is translated in the Faithful Version 'Satan has demanded to have all of you.'

Do you think that he may do that today for you and me, and the rest of the brethren in God's Church? This is why we have those warnings! Basic, simple, not difficult to understand, but when Jesus said 'Be on guard' that's from the lips of Jesus Himself. He keeps repeating that again and again throughout the Scriptures.

Verse 2: "Many people will follow that as authoritative their destructive ways…"—because they have not buried their mind and heart in the Word of God! They have not meditated to the degree necessary.

• they're going to be weak in the faith of Jesus Christ
• they're going to be weak in the knowledge of God

It doesn't matter how strong you and I feel we are today, the Scripture said, 'He who thinks his stands, take heed lest he fall!' There should never be a time when we become self-satisfied, when we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. Because at that point in time, as that moment we open our mind up to deception, to lies.

Remember it says in the Psa. 39 that man at his very best state—leaving God out of the picture—reaching his full natural abilities, he's reached the pinnacle of all his personal traits, of all his attitudes. He can't go any higher. He's actually self-actualizing. He's read all these books on philosophy and pulled himself up by his own bootstraps. David said that man in his very best state is altogether vanity!

That's why Jesus Christ went fishing. He cast the line and you and I took the hook and we were caught. We were by the blood of Christ and repentance, baptism and the laying of hands received God's Spirit. But we must continue to grow. I know that I'm speaking to the converted.

Remember Solomon and all his wisdom and closeness to God. He built the temple for God and then was blessed by God. In the end he listened to the words of his wives who worshipped other gods.

We know what Solomon's end was. God stopped blessing him, so what did he do? He raised the taxes and the people got to the point where they loathed him!

That was sort of the beginning of the end of that great kingdom that God had shown Solomon in his good days as a type of Christ. He let down; yet, look how close he was to God. Look how God blessed him. So, 'he that thinks he stands, take heed, lest he fall.' That's the message that we have to keep telling ourselves.

• God raises the humble
• God blesses the humble

When we get proud and vain that's the beginning of a downward spiral. I'm continually amazed at Jesus Christ when He said:

Come on to Me all you who labor in are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. My burden is light, My yoke is easy.

So, that's the mind of Jesus Christ, the One Who created the whole universe before us, what we can see. Meek and lowly! Do you think the Father is also meek and lowly? Of course! But we should never take that for granted. We must remain humble and of that mind—humble and lowly attitude—exalting God the Father in His glory so that we are not trapped by Satan. So that we will listen to false prophets.

2-Peter 2:2: "…and because of them, the way of the Truth will be blasphemed."

Verse 20—identify who this is talking about: "For if, after escaping the moral defilements of the world…" It's obviously addressing those who were part of the household of God!

"…through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ… [these were once converted Christians] …they again become entangled in them…" (v 20).

Do you know someone—maybe those close to you, a friend—who became entangled in them, the "…moral defilements…"

"…and are overcome, the final end is worse than the beginning" (v 20).

Yes, it's possible to fall away. That's the warning! That's what Jesus and God the Father, the apostles and the faithful elders today desire. Not to see anyone fall away and go back into "…moral defilements…"

Verse 21: "For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the Holy commandment that was delivered to them."

A reference to ancient Israel and how they fell away, and also a warning to be on guard to the Church.

Verse 22: "But the pronouncement found in the true proverb has happened to them…"

This is shocking that these brothers and sisters who in the past, or those in the future, where this could happen if we don't remain on guard.

The reason that I'm belaboring this point is because God does not want us to fall away. It is not God's will that any should perish. But that all mankind should come to the salvation that He's offering.

All mankind is not going to take it, and there are those whom God had created who will be destroyed. We don't exactly, or the history of what's going to happen to people like Cain, to others in the Bible that are named, or even people of our own time. Even those today who are fighting against the very Church of God. God knows that we have to beware of them all.

"…The dog has returned to eat his own vomit…" (v 22). That's disgusting!

Why would Jesus have Peter write this? Because He wants us to know how vile it is for us when you fall away from the salvation that we've been offered!

Because we don't really know, we can't see how powerful the signs and wonders are going to be, but we have to be ready to be tempted even to the point of giving our lives so that we can be sure that Jesus Christ will come and raise us from the grave or as we live if we remain in the flesh.

"…and the sow that was washed has returned to her wallowing place in the filthy mire" (v 22).

2-Peter 3:1: "Now, beloved, I am writing this second epistle to you; in both… [1st & 2nd Peter] …I am stirring up your pure minds by causing you to remember in order for you to be mindful of the words that were spoken before by the Holy prophets, and of the commandment of the Lord and Savior, spoken by us, the apostles" (vs 1-2).

It's interesting to note how the prophets of old and David constantly went back recounted the history of the people of Israel. Why? For our learning, teaching and admonition! We have to go back and see what happens to those people and why it happens so that we may avoid the same results.

Verse 3: "Knowing this first, that in the last days there will come mockers… [we've experienced those] …walking according to their own personal lusts."

This is talking about those outside of the Church, but it's also talking about those within the Church. We're to expect it! We're not to look around at each brother and sister and pass judgment on them. But we're to be watching for false teachers when they appear.

Verse 4: "And asking, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the forefathers died, everything has remained the same as from the beginning of creation.'"

This promise of Jesus Christ returning, nothing is happening! We thought He was coming shortly after His resurrection, but He hasn't come! So, let's go and eat, drink and be merry!

Verse 5: "But this fact is hidden from them—they themselves choosing to ignore it… [What the fact they're ignoring?] "…that by the Word of God the heavens existed of old…"

This is going right back to the Word of God creating the heavens, then the angels and then the earth. Then the angels sinning and the earth thrown into confusion. God has to re-create the earth for mankind. There were reasons for that, as well.

"…and the earth came forth out of water and amid water… [the re-creation] …by which the world at that time, having been deluged with water…" (vs 5-6).

We read in Gen. 1 that when God created the earth, re-created it for mankind, He saw what He had done and it was very good, exceptionally beautiful. When God first created the earth and the angels were shouting for joy (Job 38) did God create the earth in utter confusion and chaos? I suggest that if He had the angels would not be shouting for joy! They were shouting for joy because the earth was beautiful!

By the time we get to the Garden of Eden, God had recreated it and here was Satan creeping and sneaking around awaiting his chance to get to Adam and Eve.

"…had itself been destroyed" (v 6).

So, again just another little data point of proof that the earth had a creation, then there was a destruction and then a re-creation. There are people who cannot see that, that there is a gap between the creation of the heavens and then the creation of the earth. In between that the angels were created!

The Lord is not delaying His coming!

Let's see what Jude has to say about these people. Again, the language… Remember that this is the inspired Word of God. This word that Jude is giving to us is from the mouth of Jesus Himself!

Jude 1: "Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to the called saints, sanctified by God the Father and kept in Jesus Christ: Mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. Beloved, when personally exerting all my diligence to write to you concerning the common salvation, I was compelled to write to you…" (vs 1-3).

• What compelled Jude to write? The Holy Spirit!
• Who has the mind of the Spirit? Jesus Christ!

So, it was Jesus compelling Jude, through the Spirit of God, to write.

"…exhorting you to ferventlyfight for the faith…" (v 3). This is the reason and why God warns us against false teachers!

"…which once for all time has been delivered to the saints" (v 3).

Doesn't need any additions; did not need the church fathers and theologians throughout the centuries right down to today to add anything, or take anything away from the Scriptures. It was set finally by the power of God's Spirit. All the power of the universe, God's glory that is above the heaven and the earth, sealed the New Testament by the Holy Spirit of God through His prophet Ezra, who connected the two together. So, by the end of the first century the Word of God was complete in every way. It needed no additions or subtractions.

• it's where we learn about God the Father and Jesus Christ
• it's where we learn to come close to Them

Satan does not want that!

Verse 10: "As for these, whatever things they do not understand…"

This is talking primarily about false teachers, false prophets and there's a plethora of them out there. All you have to do is tune into YouTube or somewhere else, and you'll find them by the dozens. All spouting lies! Some Truth, but will they teach you:

• to obey the Law of God?
• that the Sabbath Day is the only day that God accepts to worship Him?
• that the Sabbath Day the only day that God made Holy, along with all the Holy Days?

Even when they do have the Holy Days, they don't teach real meaning of the Holy Days. They'll waffle off into some other spiritual understanding, which is not related to the meaning of that God has put in them.

"…they blaspheme; but whatever things they understand by instinct, as irrational brute beasts…" (v 10).

These we can only see from the wording and from the context that this is talking about classes of people:

• those on the outside
• those who will come into the inside

Stealthily bringing in these teachings! Even Paul said, 'From among the apostles, the elders there in Ephesus, are going to take people away from the Body of Christ.' Warning after warning! In that sense we're without excuse! But also, we are fortified by these words.

"…they are corrupting themselves in these things. Woe to them! For they have walked in the way of Cain; and for gain… " (vs 10-11).

We just have to look at some of these ministers on line, the health, wealth and prosperity doctrine, fleecing the people! So-called claims of healing people! Even when people die they still continue to pay their money. These are charlatans! Deceived, sadly!

"…they have wholly given themselves up to Balaam's delusion, and haveperished in the rebellion of Korah. These are subversive stains in your love feasts…" (vs 11-12).

• What is that talking about?
• Is it talking about God's Holy Days?
• Is that talking about the Sabbaths?

"…feasting in person together with you; fearlessly they are feeding themselves…." (v 12).

We have people who from time to time that come into the Church with different teachings and different doctrines. One of those is the Messianic Judaism, which is actually trying to pump us the Jewish people as superior to anyone else who becomes a Christian that is not a Jew.

"…They are clouds without water, being driven by the winds; trees of late autumn, without any fruit, uprooted, twice dead; raging waves of the sea…" (vs 12-13).

They can be really forthright, argumentative like a roaring sea, trying to convince and convict you of the errors, of the heresies of their lives.

"…casting up like foam their own ignominious shame; wandering stars, for whom has been reserved the blackest darkness forever!" (v 13).

Does that not indicate that those who do this knowingly are destined for eternal death?

Verse 14: "And Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied of these, proclaiming, 'Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His Holy saints.'"

That's the group we want to be a part of. That's why we pay heed to these warning from Christ through His prophets and apostles.

Verse 15: "'To execute judgment against all, and to convict all who are ungodly of all their works of evil ungodliness that they have impiously committed, andof all the hard things that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.' These are complainers and critics, who are walking after their own personal lusts…" (vs 15-16).

Does that sound like the Spirit of Christ walking around in the Church?

"…while their mouths are speaking great swelling words, flattering persons for the sake of advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words that were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; because they said to you that in the last time there would be mockers, who would be selfishly walking according to their own ungodly lusts"(vs 16-18).

Walking where? That's Satan walking around among the angels of God! These human being who receive all these epitaphs will be walking around amongst us. We've seen it in the past and the next time it's going to be more powerful, more subtle and all the more reason why:

• we need to be on guard
• we need to stand fast
• we need to stand tall
• we need to hide ourselves under the covering wings of God our Father and Jesus Christ

Verse 19: "These are the ones who cause division… [watch for any who would want to cause division] …they are psychic…"

If you look into the Revised Version, the explanation is that they're actually operating by demonic spirits! Yes, it was in the Body of Christ! Remember, Satan is wandering around amongst the angels of God in heaven. We read that in the book of Job; 'What are you doing here, Satan, where have you been?' Oh, you know, roaming around!

What does Peter say about Satan roaming around like a roaring lion. Sometimes that roar is very subtle! The roar comes in the lies! The lies are so blatant they're like a lie. But those who are not careful and diligent may be deceived. But:

• if we stay close
• if we are in Christ
• if we are in constant daily contact filling our mind with His Word

Then we're going to be just like that air raid siren that can strike the right kind of fear into us.

• avoid these teachings
• avoid this person

The Bible has a lot to say as to how we avoid such people! We are not to have contact with them!

• we're to rebuke them
• we're to correct them if they will listen

If it's a brother or sister, if possible we are to ask God to helps us to rescue them from the fire. That's where they're heading! They're heading for the fire and for eternal damnation!

The life that God has called us to is not a joke! It's serious! It's wonderful and life of righteousness, a life of loving God the Father and Jesus Christ. Even They promise to fill us with Their Spirit. And loving one another, because if we don't love our brother/sister are we really able to love God? God looks to see if we love our brothers and sisters, and by that He knows that we love Him.

Verse 19: "These are the ones who cause division; they are psychic… [a demonic spirit guiding them; may even be possessed] …not having the Spirit of God."

• Does God allow these types of people into His Body? Yes!
• Did God allow Satan into heaven, the heavenly realm? Yes, up until he is going to be cast out!
• Is God going to allow these people to come into the Church? Yes, to test and try us!

So that we can remain solid in the faith and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ our Savior!

Verse 20: "But you… [Jude's direction to us] …beloved, be building up yourselves on your most Holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, so that you keep yourselves in the love of God while you are personally awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (vs 20-21).

• in spite of all these strong, hard words
• in spite of all this language against these false teachers

God wants us as His sons and daughters! God does not want any to take that from us.

2-Cor. 11 tells us that Satan comes as an angel of light, and his ministers also appear as ministers of righteousness. It says that they appear as ministers of righteousness, but inside they're painted like whited sepulchers, but they're like ravaging wolves. Through them Satan is trying to take you our of the Body of Christ!

You are so special to God that He is giving you and me these warnings; He doesn't want to lose us. If we stay close to Him, if we remain in Christ, it's not going to be possible for Satan to snatch us out of the hands of God.

That's what the Scriptures say, and I'm sure there will be many Scriptures that you can quote to encourage us, as we teach one another. That's what this program—Go to Meeting—is all about, teaching one another. Yes, the elders speak and talk to you and teach you from the Word of God, but when you speak and quote Scriptures you're teaching us. That's the way it should be! It's not a one-way street.

Verse 21: "So that you keep yourselves in the love of God while you are personally awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

That's our goal every day! That's why we're on our knees praying, constantly in prayer with God. That's why we love His Word! As we love His Word the closer we get to God as time goes by. That Word keeps coming to our mind and the Holy Spirit connects Scripture with Scripture in our mind and inspires us.

We desire to get back into the Word of God in the safety of that Word, that God is going to teach us through His Spirit. He's unfolding His righteousness, unfolding His love, unfolding the knowledge of Himself and His Son Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Verse 22: "Now on the one hand, show mercy to those individuals who are doubting."

Here's the love aspect! Anyone who is doubting, show mercy to them! We can't forgive them if they've sinned, because that kind of mercy can come only from God. I mention that, because that was a point that was brought out to me recently that there's a case where mercy should be shown, but the individual has to seek the mercy from God. You and I cannot forgive other people's sins! Only God can do that through the blood of Jesus Christ.

Verse 23: "But on the other hand, save others with fear…"

There may be some that you know that have been pulled away by these false teachers, false prophets and all the language that Paul, Peter, Christ Himself and Jude mentioned about them. Pejorative language! God wants us to understand how serious this is. This is a matter of eternal life. Remember, our lives are hid in Him. He will not let anyone take us from Him as long as we remain in Him.

"…snatching them out of the fire… [you may have an opportunity to do that] …hating even the garment that has been defiled by the flesh. Now, to Him Who is able to keep them from falling… [able to keep you and me from falling] …and to bring them into the presence of His own glory, blameless in exceeding joy" (vs 23-24).

All this warning is for this purpose: God does not want any to perish! Some will choose to and they will be destroyed. God does not want anyone living in sin in an immortal, spirit body! That's why God will destroy them, to remove them from the misery of the state that they have come to.

Verse 25: "To the only wise God our Savior, be the glory and greatness…"

David says, 'You have placed Your glory above the heavens and the earth (Psa. 8). God's glory is so great! The day is coming when you and I, as we stay faithful to Him, are going to see that glory! We're going to be so filled with joy. 'In His presence there are pleasures and joys forevermore!' What are they? We don't know! But we know they're going to be something that is going to make us so joyful!

Verse 25: "To the only wise God our Savior…[w look to Him; we don't look to any man] …be the glory and greatness…"

Can you perceive that, feel that? At times we're corrected and need correcting, but after the correction there is that joy, that glory and greatness that He's going to share with us!

"…the might and authority, even now, and into all the ages of eternity. Amen" (v 25).

Scriptural References:

• Matthew 24:6-7, 9-10, 4
• 2 Peter 2:1-2
• Luke 22:31
• 2 Peter 2:2, 20-22
• 2 Peter 3:1-6
• Jude 1-3, 10-25

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Jeremiah 23
• Genesis 3
• John 17
• Psalm 39
• Genesis 1
• Hebrews 4
• 3 John
• Job 38
• 2 Corinthians 11
• Psalm 8

LJ:bo
Transcribed: 4/28/22

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