2 Peter 2 - A Study Guide By Mark A. Copeland

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                     "THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PETER"

                              Chapter Two

OBJECTIVES IN STUDYING THIS CHAPTER

1) To examine Peter's detailed description of false teachers

2) To be aware of their techniques in leading others astray, and their
   sad end

3) To ascertain whether or not these false teachers had ever been true
   Christians

SUMMARY

One of the themes of Peter's second epistle is "beware of false
teachers", and such is the focus of the second chapter.  Just as there
were false prophets in Old Testament times, so there would be false
teachers.

Peter first describes the destructiveness of false teachers.  Denying
the Lord who bought them, they will secretly introduce destructive
heresies.  Many will follow them, and the way of truth will be
blasphemed.  But they will bring swift destruction on themselves (1-3).

Illustrating the doom of false teachers, Peter reminds his readers of
what happen to the angels who sinned, the ancient world destroyed by the
flood, and the fiery end of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Surely God knows how to
reserve the wicked for the day of punishment, and the example of Lot
shows that He also knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations
(4-9).

Peter then discusses the depravity of false teachers.  In arrogance they
revile against authority, all the while reveling in pleasure and lusts
as they circulate among the Christians they seek to influence.  Like the
prophet Balaam, they are motivated by the wages of unrighteousness and
have forsaken the right way.  Empty of true substance, they are like
wells without water, clouds tossed by a tempest (10-17).

Finally, Peter describes the deceptions of false teachers.  In both
their methods and promises they seek to deceive those who like them had
once escaped the pollutions of the world.  But the false teachers are
once again enslaved by such pollutions and their last end is worse than
the beginning (18-22).

OUTLINE

I. THE DESTRUCTIVENESS OF FALSE TEACHERS (1-3)

   A. THEIR DESTRUCTIVE HERESIES (1-2)
      1. Just as there were false prophets, so there will be false
         teachers
      2. They will bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord
         who bought them
      3. Many will follow their destructive ways, and the truth will be
         blasphemed

   B. THEIR DESTRUCTIVE METHODS (1,3)
      1. They bring in their heresies secretly
      2. They will exploit through covetousness and deceptive words

   C. THEIR DESTRUCTIVE END (1,3)
      1. They will bring swift destruction on themselves
      2. Their judgment is not idle, their destruction does not slumber

II. THE DOOM OF FALSE TEACHERS (4-9)

   A. THE EXAMPLE OF ANGELS WHO SINNED (4)
      1. God did not spare the angels who sinned
      2. He cast them down to hell (Tartarus)
      3. Delivered them to chains of darkness, reserved for judgment

   B. THE EXAMPLE OF THE FLOOD (5)
      1. God did not spare the ancient world, bringing the flood on the
         ungodly
      2. He saved Noah and his family of eight, a preacher of
         righteousness

   C. THE EXAMPLE OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH (6-8)
      1. God turned the cities into ashes, condemning them to
         destruction
      2. He made them an example to those who would live ungodly
      3. He delivered righteous Lot
         a. Who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked
         b. Who was tormented daily by seeing and hearing their lawless
            deeds

   D. GOD WILL DELIVER THE GODLY, PUNISH THE UNJUST (9)
      1. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations
      2. He will reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of
         judgment

III. THE DEPRAVITY OF FALSE TEACHERS (10-17)

   A. REVILING AGAINST AUTHORITY (10-13a)
      1. They walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness
      2. They despise authority, are presumptuous, self-willed
      3. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, unlike angels
         a. Who are greater in power and might
         b. Who do not bring reviling accusations before the Lord
      4. They are like natural brute beasts made to be caught and
         destroyed
         a. Speaking evil of things they do not understand
         b. Who will utterly perish in their own corruption
         c. Who will receive the wages of unrighteousness

   B. REVELING WITH GREAT PLEASURE (13b-14)
      1. They count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime
      2. Spots and blemishes, they carouse in their own deceptions while
         feasting with Christians
      3. They have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin,
         beguiling unstable souls
      4. They have hearts trained in covetous practices, and are
         accursed children

   C. REVOLTING AGAINST THE RIGHT WAY (15-17)
      1. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray
      2. Like Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness
         a. Who was rebuked for his iniquity
         b. His madness restrained by donkey speaking with a man's voice
      3. They are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest
      4. For who the gloom of darkness is reserved forever

IV. THE DECEPTIONS OF FALSE TEACHERS (18-22)

   A. DECEPTIVE IN THEIR METHODS (18)
      1. They speak great swelling words of emptiness
      2. They allure those who have escaped through the lusts of the
         flesh, through licentiousness

   B. DECEPTIVE IN THEIR PROMISES (19)
      1. They promise liberty, while they themselves are slaves of
         corruption
      2. For by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought
         into bondage

   C. WHOSE LATTER END IS WORSE THAN THE BEGINNING (20-22)
      1. Having become entangled and overcome by the pollutions of the
         world which they had escaped through the knowledge of the Lord
         and Savior Jesus Christ
      2. It would have been better not to have known the way of
         righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy
         commandment delivered to them
      3. It has happened to them according to the proverb
         a. "A dog returns to his own vomit"
         b. "A sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire"

REVIEW QUESTIONS FOR THE CHAPTER

1) What are the main points of this chapter?
   - The destructiveness of false teachers (1-3)
   - The doom of false teachers (4-9)
   - The depravity of false teachers (10-17)
   - The deceptions of false teachers (18-22)

2) What does Peter warn that false teachers will do? (1)
   - Secretly bring in destructive heresies
   - Even denying the Lord who bought them

3) What impact will such false teachers have? (2)
   - Many will follow their destructive ways
   - The way of truth will be blasphemed

4) How will such teachers exploit people? (3)
   - By covetousness, with deceptive words

5) What three examples does Peter use to illustrate the doom of false
   teachers? (4-6)
   - The angels who sinned and were cast down to hell
   - The ancient world destroyed by the flood
   - The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah turned into ashes

6) How was Lot oppressed by living in Sodom? (7-8)
   - Every day seeing and hearing the filthy conduct of wicked

7) What two things does the Lord know to do? (9)
   - How to deliver the godly out of temptations
   - How to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment

8) Who in particular will receive such punishment? (10)
   - Those who walk in uncleanness and despise authority
   - Those who are presumptuous and self-willed; not afraid to speak
     evil of dignitaries

9) What are angels unwilling to do? (11)
   - Bring reviling accusations against dignitaries before the Lord

10) How does Peter further describe the false teachers? (12-14)
   - They speak evil of things they do not understand
   - They count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime
   - They have eyes full of adultery, beguiling unstable souls
   - They have hearts trained in covetousness, and are accursed children

11) In whose way have such false teachers followed? (15-16)
   - Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness and was rebuked by a
     donkey

12) How else does Peter describe these false teachers? (17)
   - As wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest
   - For whom the gloom of darkness is reserved

13) How are the false teachers able to allure others? (18)
   - By speaking great swelling words of emptiness
   - Through the lusts of the flesh and licentiousness

14) Who will they seek to allure? (18)
   - The ones who have escaped from those living in error

15) In promising others liberty, what are they themselves?  Why? (19)
   - Slaves of corruption
   - For by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into
     bondage

16) What had these false teachers once escaped?  How? (20)
   - The pollutions of the world
   - Through the knowledge of Jesus Christ

17) What had then happened to them? (20)
   - They were again entangled in the pollutions of the world and
     overcome

18) How had their latter end become worse for them than the beginning?
    (20-21)
   - It would have better for them not to have known the way of
     righteousness
   - Than knowing  it, to then turn from the holy commandment

19) What twofold proverb does Peter use to describe their sorry
    condition? (22)
   - A dog returns to his own vomit
   - A sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire

20) What in this chapter reveals that these false teachers had once
    been saved? (1,15,20,21, 22)
   - The Lord had bought them
   - They have forsaken the right way
   - They had escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge
     of Jesus
   - They had known the way of righteousness
	- Like a sow, they had been washed
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