1:10-11 Therefore, the readers should be eager to demonstrate that they truly are the called and elect of God. They can be assured that they will never fall and will be warmly welcomed into the eternal kingdom of Jesus Christ.

v. 12-15 Peter will continue to remind them of this even though they already know it. His readers are already firmly grounded in the true gospel. Peter speaks of his impending death. That he will soon leave "this tent" of his mortal body as the Lord has revealed to him. His main concern is for the readers, that they will retain the gospel message.

v. 16-18 "We (Peter, James and John) did not follow cleverly invented stories" but were eye-witnesses of Jesus at His transfiguration (Matt. 17:5, Mark 9:7). They heard the voice from heaven say that Jesus is the Son of God and God was pleased with Him.

v. 19-21 The OT prophets also proclaimed that Jesus is the Christ. Their testimony is "made more certain" by the eye-witness account of the transfiguration by the leading apostles. The readers must "pay attention" to this as to a light shining in the darkness. And not just for a little while but until the return of Christ which Peter describes as when "the day dawns and the morning star (Jesus, Rev 22:16) rises in your hearts." Prophets do not speak of their own accord. Prophecy originates from God, not man, and true prophets speak from God as they are "carried along by the Holy Spirit."

2:1-3 But there were also false prophets among the Jews. In the same way, there will be false teachers among the Christians. "They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying" Jesus. These men will ultimately be destroyed but not until after they have done much damage to the church. "Many will follow their shameful ways." This will harm the reputation of the way of truth. These false teachers are greedy and will exploit the believers "with stories they have made up." This is why Peter is so insistent that his own testimony is not something he just made up (v. 16). The false teachers will ultimately be condemned for their heresies. God is their judge.

v. 4  God did not spare the angels who sinned but sent them to "hell" or Tartarus to be held for the judgment that is to come.

v. 5 God did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood. But He protected a righteous man, Noah, and his family.

v. 6-8 God condemned Sodom and Gomorrah, "burning them to ashes and making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly." But He rescued Lot, a righteous man.

v. 9 "If this is so," and it is, then it says two important things about the Lord: 1) He "knows how to rescue godly men from trials," and 2) He knows how "to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment."

v. 10-15 These unrighteous people follow the sinful nature and despise authority. In their disrespect for authority these "bold and arrogant" false teachers slander (make false statements about) celestial beings. But even angels who are more powerful than men do not do such things. Peter has much more to say against these false teachers. It may seem that he's being harsh in his description of them but keep in mind that Peter knows he will die soon and he wants to warn his readers about these men who have the potential to do great damage in the local churches.

• They blaspheme (speak irreverently about God and sacred things) in matters they don't understand.
• They are like brute beasts operating on mere instincts, born only to be caught and destroyed. They will perish like beasts.
• They will be paid back with harm for the harm they've done.
• Their idea of pleasure is to carouse (drink excessively) in broad daylight.
• They are blots and blemishes, who revel (engage in noisy merrymaking) at the Christians' celebrations.
• Their eyes are full of adultery and they never stop sinning.
• They seduce unstable people and are experts in greed.
• They are "an accursed brood." (a brood is the offspring of one family; a particular breed).
• They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam.

v. 15-16 Balaam was a prophet who was hired by a Gentile king to put a curse on Israel because the king was afraid that his nation would be overthrown by the Israelites as they took possession of the Promised Land (Numbers 22 to 25). As Balaam was traveling to meet with this king his donkey saw an angel with a drawn sword standing in the road. Three times the donkey stopped and refused to go on and three times Balaam beat her for stopping. Finally the donkey spoke to Balaam in the voice of a man and Balaam was able to see the angel who was poised to kill him. God allowed Balaam to continue on his journey but when it came time to prophesy he could only speak blessings for Israel. Since Israel could not be cursed, Balaam advised the king to have his young women seduce the Israelite men and turn them away from the Lord (Numbers 31:15-16). Their idolatry caused many to die in a plague at Peor. Finally Balaam was killed by the Israelite army (Numbers 31:8). Peter is telling them that the false teachers are like Balaam, leading people into idolatry and prophesying for money.

v. 17-19 Peter continues his description of these false teachers:

• They are springs without water (should have water but do not).
• They are mists driven by a storm (should bring rain but do not).
• Blackest darkness is reserved for them.
• They mouth empty and boastful words.
• They entice (lure) new believers who are just escaping from error by appealing to their lusts.
• They promise these new believers freedom but they themselves are slaves of depravity.

We ran out of time and had to stop here. Much more next time.

Remember, we're moving to Hutchins Hall #402 this week and can still Skype from there.