Second Peter 2:5

The Bible says in Second Peter 2:5 that God “spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.”

This is a verse that speaks of judgment that a holy God will always bring against sin. But God also always provides a way of escape. God finds a way of bringing His truth to the world in the midst of all of the craziness. God uses those who believe in Him and who become willing servants. Noah was one such individual. Noah was called “a preacher of righteousness.” He preached. He made known to others the truth that had been revealed to Him. The way that God used Noah is the primary method that God has always used people to make known His truth to the world. God chooses certain people and gives them the knowledge and the gift to speak forth for the benefit of others. We read in Second Peter chapter one that “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Today the holy men and women speak about Jesus.

One more thing to notice about Noah is that he is called “a preacher of righteousness,” and yet very few people heeded his message. Of all the people in the world, only eight were saved. Jesus said that the end times would be similar to the times of Noah. Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noah so shall it also be in the days of the coming of the Son of Man.” If that is true, the most faithful preachers will probably be those with the smallest congregations. The opposite will probably also be true: the larger the congregation, the more likely that the teacher that they go to hear is a false teacher. Speaking of the time in which we live where the world is now flooded with false teachers, Second Timothy 4:3 says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.”

In spite of the false teachers, God always makes His truth known. And for those who reject His truth, there is always judgment. Second Peter 2:6 says, “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly.” This example of judgment certainly has stood for ages just like God said that it would. Most people who know very little about the Bible have at least heard of Sodom and Gomorrah. This Bible verse says that God turned those cities “into ashes.” This is another proof that the Bible is literally true. Archeologists have studied the areas near where Sodom and Gomorrah once stood, and nothing can be found of those cities, so utterly were they destroyed.

But before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, God rescued his believers from the destruction. When Lot separated from Abraham, Lot chose Sodom because of its material prosperity. But God never forgets those who belong to Him no matter where their wanderings may take them. The Bible says in Second Peter 2:7 that God “delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked.” The word that is translated “just” is the word “righteous.” This comes from the same word that was used in the previous verse concerning Noah. Noah is called “a preacher of righteousness,” and Lot is called “righteous” Lot. The two men were very different in their accomplishments, but God looked at them and called them both righteous. That is because God accounts righteousness to everyone who has faith in Him. It has always been that way. “The just shall live by faith.” The Bible says the same thing concerning Abraham in Romans 4:3, “For what saith the scriptures? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” If you have true faith in Christ as your Savior, then God looks at you and accounts you as one of His righteous ones; and He will always look at you in that way.

Because the Lord remembers His righteous ones, He will deliver us from His judgments. That happened with Lot. Before God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, God led Lot out of the path of destruction. The world is on a path of destruction. The world is on a path of sin that will inevitably lead to judgment. But before the judgment comes, God’s people will be delivered. Second Peter 2:7 says that God “delivered just Lot.” We will be delivered by the rapture.

We should notice the circumstances under which Lot lived before God delivered him. Second Peter 2:8 says concerning Lot, “For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.” Those who know the Lord would like to see God’s will done “on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus told us to pray for it. It is in our heart. Unfortunately, we live in a world where often God’s will is not done. That causes us sorrow, and grief, and frustration. It caused Jesus Himself to suffer. In this world of sin Christians will be tempted to become discouraged. Hebrews 12:3 reminds believers that Jesus endured the same difficulty. It says, “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.”

Jesus endured the sinfulness of this world. We can endure it also knowing that God will deliver us and take us to our eternal home in His own time. We can endure the sinfulness of this world, knowing that the judgment is coming. Justice will be served. Wrongs will be set right. That is why Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” In Second Peter 2:9 the Bible says, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” The word that is translated “temptations” means trials. In the context this is talking about the trials that come from living in this world around the ungodly. One of the reasons that some people faint in the midst of a trial is because they begin to think that the trial will never end. But every trial has an end to it, because God always delivers His children out of every trial. That was true in the past such as when He delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, and it will be true in the future when He delivers His children from the time of the Great Tribulation.

Who are these ones who will be reserved “unto the day of judgment to be punished?” Second Peter 2:10 answers that. It says, “But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.” There are only two ways to walk in this world: after the spirit or “after the flesh.” The ones who are headed for eternal punishment are “chiefly them that walk after the flesh.” The flesh speaks of the human will in rebellion against God and selfish. The flesh is filled with lust. Lust is strong human desire that goes beyond the bounds that God has set for it. But lust always ends in destruction. Lust never gives what it promises. That is why it is called here “the lust of uncleanness.” This means “defiling lust.” Lust defiles. It corrupts. It ruins the one who gives himself or herself over to it, whether it be lust for money or anything else.

Those who are headed towards judgment also are those who “despise government.” This means that they have a hatred for those who are in positions of authority. They attack and oppose those who are in authority just for the sake of doing so. It is in their nature and their character. Why is this kind of hatred so deserving of judgment?. One reason is that human society will fall apart unless the larger part of that society shows respect and honor for the authorities. Another reason is that God is at the head of all authority, and those human authorities who exist have been put into power by God. Those who resist the human authority also resist the will of God. Those who hate the human authority hate what God has established, and they will be judged for so doing.

Perhaps in order to emphasize the rebellious spirit possessed by these lost souls, Second Peter 2:10 says also that “they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.” The word translated “dignities” comes from a word that is often translated “glory.” It is the word that is used when speaking of the glory of God. Whether this phrase is speaking of the “dignities” of earth or the “dignities” of heaven, the result is the same. He who speaks against the one is speaking against the other, and will be judged for speaking against. Those who are in power should be treated with respect from all.

The human beings who are headed for judgment are “presumptuous” and “self-willed.” The word “presumptuous” speaks of someone who is bold and daring. One might think in our modern society that those are good characteristics, but they are not good when they refer to someone who is self-confident without any reliance on God. The antichrist will have this kind of boldness. It is a boldness that is based upon self-confidence to the exclusion of a need for God. It is better to have no self-confidence and thus to be driven to trust in the Lord and in His power to save. The word that is translated “self-willed” means literally “those who please themselves.” One of the chief goals of human life is to please God. To paraphrase what Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters. He will love the one and hate the other.” Those who are “self-willed” have decided to love themselves and to hate God. They are headed for judgment.

The Bible says in Second Peter 2:11-12, “Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord. But these as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption.” These two verses compare the human beings who are headed to their doom with angels who sinned. Even compared to the evil angels, the evil human beings do not look very good. The evil angels had more respect for authority than these types of human beings do. It is evil to “make railing accusations” against those in authority. These humans “speak evil of the things that they understand not.” The phrase that is translated “speak evil” means literally “to blaspheme.” They blaspheme the truth because they are opposed to it, even though they do not understand it.

These last several Bible verses emphasize the speech of the wicked. The message seems to be that to give the wrong words is the greatest sin of all. Jesus did say that we would be judged for our words. He said in Matthew 12:36-37, “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” Speech is so important because it is the organ of truth or of error. Jesus is the Truth. To be part of Him and His eternal kingdom, you must believe the truth, and to believe the truth about Jesus you must hear it, and to hear the truth someone else must speak it. Everyone teaches by the things that they say. Those who teach error are destroying souls with the error, and those who teach error are heading for their own judgment.

God is just. Because He is just, He must deliver a just judgment. He must reward iniquity with what it rightfully deserves. Second Peter 2:13 says, “And shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time. Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you.” Of course, the false ones come in to the congregation of the saints. Second Peter 2:1 made that clear. It says, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you.” The false teachers will be harmful to Christian congregations to the degree that the congregations allow the false teachers in their midst. Believers need to love the Word of God, study the Word of God, and know the Word of God. Being grounded in this way, believers can then know how to recognize teachers who will teach the Word of God instead of something that departs from the Word of God. How sad that some congregations have brought in teachers based upon their speaking ability or their academic accomplishments. Too bad that they did not look for and find a teacher of the Word of God.

The strange thing about Second Peter 2:13 is that it appears that these believers were allowing false teachers into their congregations knowing that they were false teachers. “Come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord.” “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.”

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