2 Peter 2:1-3

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.  And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.  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.

Peter started this book demonstrating how we can be firm in our faith.  That foundation is so important because it is under attack.  There are false prophets that want to destroy the faith.  Satan seeks to deceive people and drive them far from the faith.  Believers must be prepared for this.  Peter warns us to be on the lookout and understand these truths about false teachers.

THEIR CONSTANCE IS UNAVOIDABLE: Everything that is of great value will always be a target for counterfeited.  There is nothing more valuable that the Gospel and the truth of God’s Word.  There have been false prophets in the past, there are false prophets in the present, and there will be false prophets in the future.  Satan is at work and he is a deceiver by his very nature.  He is out to destroy our faith and to distract believers from the mission God has given us and the truth of His Word.  The Church must be vigilant and seek to prevent, expose, and correct false teachings.  

THEIR CONTENT IS ABOMINABLE: The messages that false prophets proclaim are described as destructive heresies and denying Christ.  All false teaching is destructive but especially those that deny the person and work of Jesus Christ.  False teachers will always make use of false words and will seek to twist the truth in ways that make people doubt and reject the truth.  Messages that deny the deity of Christ, attack the authority of Scripture, or reject any fundamentals of our faith are heretical and will stifle the growth of the church.

THEIR CONDUCT IS REPREHENSABLE: There are several things that Peter warns us about the conduct of false teachers.  Just as good doctrine should always foster good works; bad doctrine will foster bad works. Peter warns us that false teachers will be secretive in their attempts to deceive and destroy.  We should have nothing to hide in our teachings and dealing within the body of Christ.  Secrecy is a tactic used to spread heresies, not truth.  Peter describes them as sensual which is appealing to the flesh and the sinful desires of the body.  He also describes them as greedy and exploitative.  False teachers will usually have some sort of agenda that leads to self-promotion at the expense of other people.  True ministers of the Gospel will always seek to glorify Christ and not themselves.  Those who truly follow Christ will love and serve others as opposed to exploiting them for their own personal gain.

THEIR CONSEQUENCES ARE TERRIBLE: Unfortunately, there is a price to be paid for as a result of the presence of false prophets.  The first is that many people chose to follow them.  Because the truth is often hard to hear and difficult to follow; it is often rejected.  False teaching appeals to our sinful flesh so it becomes attractive to many people and they can be easily deceived into following it.  The second consequence is that the way of truth ends up being blasphemed.  False teachers claim to be true believers and so those on the outside identify them as being member of the church so we all end up being lumped together.  This is does much damage to the cause of Christ. 

THEIR CONDEMNATION IS INEVITABLE: While people may be deceived by false prophets and they can constantly create confusion and chaos; God is not deceived or confused.  He is the perfect and righteous Judge.  We can rest assured that all false teachers will be exposed and justly condemned by God.  Peter says that they bring this destruction upon themselves and that it will come swiftly.  Though it may seem that false teachers are “getting away with it;” that is not true.  God’s timing is often different than we would like or expect, but we must trust Him with that.  Swiftly can mean suddenly, surprising, unexpected, not just immediate or quick.  Both condemnation and destruction are in the future of all false prophets when they stand before God.

APPLICATION: Beware of the constant threat we face of having false prophets in our midst.  Clearly and publicly teach the truth of God’s Word and exalt the name of Christ.  Make the glory of God and the love of others our greatest priority.  Expose false teachings and false prophets so they are not identified as belonging to the church.  Trust God’s timing and ability to judge according to His sovereign will.