1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked 8 (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.
Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you. 14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray. They have followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved gain from wrongdoing, 16 but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
Peter warned his disciples about heresies, which he anticipated would be a big problem. Really? Is it still a problem? In Singapore, the Jehovah's Witness, the Moonies and even the Seven-Day are not popular. Does it mean that we are free from Cults? Not really. In fact, the problem may be more severe. The modern cults are not easily distinguishable. No one can very clearly point the finger at them and say they are cults. Very often, their supporters may be more than the Evangelical Churches.
Interestingly, they do not 'deny' the Master. Instead, they praise the Lord even louder than anyone. So, why do I call them cults? Because while they acknowledge the name of the Master, they twisted all his teaching. Then how could a young believer differentiate? Simple, these false prophets did not deceive others for no reason. As Peter rightly pointed out, they usually do it due to greed or satisfy their lusts. Thus, these pastors are generally wealthy or are accompanied by many beautiful ladies. If you encounter a pastor like this, be in particular precaution.
Peter said it clearly if God did not spare angels when they sinned, neither would he spare us. These false teachers and their followers would not be spared. Let us be alerted not to be deceived by such preachers.
Perhaps you would ask how is it that Peter did not provide us with a solution. As lay people, we cannot differentiate the teaching. Well, Peter did not give a solution because very seldom would an innocent party be deceived by the cult leaders. Very often, it was the congregation that chose the cult because it satisfied their lusts. As for us, we have the Words of God and the Holy Spirit to guide us in choosing what is right. To ensure we do not fall into the traps, let us yield ourselves to the daily reading of God's words and prayer.
