This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:22
22 But [de] it is happened [sumbaino] unto them [autos] according to [ho] the true [alethes] proverb [paroimia], The dog [kuon] is turned [epistrepho] to [epi] his own [idios] vomit [exerama] again [epistrepho]; and [kai] the sow [hus] that was washed [louo] to [eis] her wallowing [kulisma] in the mire [borboros]. KJV-Interlinear
22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, ‘A dog returns to its own vomit,’ and, ‘A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.’ NASB
Animals have their disgusting habits, and people, when they ignore doctrine, imitate animals in their pursuit of disgusting habits as well, Prov. 26:11.
So, Peter sums it all up pretty well.
People are no more significant that the dust on the ground. People have intelligence that makes them better than animals, but people in their rejection of truth, don’t seem to use their intelligence any better than animals use their instincts. Certainly, they do not recognize their flaws or the significance of their disgusting patterns of life.
Angels have been around far longer than humanity, and even the angels who have been saved in accordance with their history, show no disrespect toward those who have been sentenced to the Lake of Fire.
People on the other hand, are vessels of dust. They are tied to limited life spans, tied to this single planet in this single solar system, tied to the many weaknesses of our biological make-up, and yet people think pretty highly of themselves, compete with deadly hate with one another, for things that have limitations in their value – namely values of zero.
People refuse to see truth, refuse to believe the Bible, and yet will believe things they read in publications.
People refuse to believe the words from God, but will believe almost anyone who invents a religion.
The sin nature is described as the filth of humanity. Salvation and confession are the two mechanisms of cleansing oneself from that filth, and yet people will return to the filth of life and unilaterally destroy themselves, boasting and celebrating themselves all the way into their burial pit.
People are surrounded by truth and examples of truth, and yet they will demand proofs, and evidence, and even if provided, will reject them in favor of their own invented beliefs. Wasn’t the earth flat once?
History is filled with the repercussions of arrogance and rejection of truth. None of those repercussions are good.
Is there any reason to expect that a spiritually negative world will escape hard times? Is there any reason to believe that you, if you are negative, will escape the same or similar hard times of history?
Peter wrote this letter as a reminder that rejection of doctrine, resistance of an open mind toward truth, clinging to beliefs of convenience or habit, and so forth, will only lead you to your own loss and destruction. In so doing you are no better and act no different, than the disgusting habits of animals.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
2 Peter 2:21
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:21
21 For [gar] it had been [en] better [kreitton] for them [autos] not [me] to have known [epiginosko] the way [hodos] of righteousness [dikaiosune], than [e], after they have known [epiginosko] it, to turn [epistrepho] from [ek] the holy [hagios] commandment [entole] delivered [paradidomi] unto them [autos]. KJV-Interlinear
21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. NASB
First a couple of review points. Peter is speaking to believers, not unbelievers.
When he speaks of life being better without Christ, he is not referring to a comparison between unbelievers and believers. Going to the Lake of Fire is never, under any circumstances, better than heaven.
The comparison here is between ignorance and knowledge of Bible doctrine.
There are five classes of people as far as eternity goes. The first and second class belongs to unbelievers, namely those who are knowledgeable of, or ignorant of God. The dividing line here is between those who have reached the age of responsibility, and those who have not.
The people who have not reached the age of responsibility belongs to infants, babies, children under the age wherein they know the difference between right and wrong, of God and rejecting God. That age can vary in different cultures, perhaps between the ages of eight or ten to even the upper teens. Likewise, there are folks that are born with various genetic or mental defects that prevent their assimilation of knowledge.
And then there are those who grow up, become aware of God, and make a conscious rejection of Him.
As for those who make a conscious rejection of Christ, the Lake of Fire is their destiny. As for those who do not grow up, as it were, they are saved automatically when they die before they have any chance of knowing the issues of life. This principle we studied when we studied Davids’ loss of his first born child. The child died in infancy, and yet David stated that he would see the infant in heaven one day.
This group of folks go directly to heaven and there they will receive their just reward, as only God can determine. They do not have to live in this unfair world, and do not have to go through the sufferings that the rest of us do.
The third and fourth and fifth classes of people are believers. They all go to heaven because they have all believed in Christ. The difference between these three is their relative spiritual growth. Some will have no spiritual growth, some will have some spiritual growth, and the last group will advance to spiritual maturity.
The first group goes to heaven but receive no ‘extra’ reward. The second group goes to heaven but receive only a partial portion of their ‘extra’ reward. The last group, the mature believers, go to heaven and they not only receive their full ‘extra’ reward but they receive a portion of the reward that the others forfeited. You will need to review the Parables of Christ for this study.
Now, as for those who advance in their spiritual life, then regress backwards in their spiritual growth by turning back to their former sinful state, they get hammered in several ways.
First, from their own decision standpoint, it is more difficult to return to God, when you have become disillusioned and fallen off of the spiritual path. That is an attitude that is difficult to overcome. Second, when life gets tough and you overcome it partially by your first advance in doctrine, then fall away, then life just gets tougher.
This does not mean that God disciplines you more and more, because there are lots of folks out there, who lead sin nature driven lives and their lives are more or less prosperous, as far as this world is concerned. But by living a spiritually dysfunctional life, you are setting a pattern that leads to the forfeiture of your eternal rewards.
Eternal rewards are measured by the phrase, ‘exceedingly abundantly above and beyond anything you can think or ask.’ In other words these rewards are so vast and great that they are beyond your imagination.
The infant child who dies will be better off in heaven, than the adult believer who had turned against God and doctrine. The brand new believer, who has not had enough time to advance in their spiritual life, will be far better off than the long-term believer who has turned against God and doctrine.
Don’t feel sorry for someone who had died while young in life. They may very well be far better off than you, assuming that you constantly ride the fence of indecision or of being convinced or persuaded with regard to doctrine.
Far too often people allow second guessing to enter into their learning mode. ‘I don’t believe that.’ ‘Where does it say that?’ ‘I don’t agree with that.’
When people should take themselves less seriously, and simply continue their studies with an open mind, then God will unveil the truth for them, and all things become clear. But time and patience solve that one, not logic or attitude. Those who seek proof, often find that they can never be convinced.
Stubbornness is your worst enemy and humility is your best ally, when it comes to spiritual growth.
What is at stake? Your entire eternal future and the content of that future.
The difference between the Lake of Fire and heaven, is infinite. The difference between the reward for zero spiritual production and mature spiritual production, is infinite.
If before you were born into this life, you could have done something that would insure you vast wealth and prosperity in this life, you would have made those arrangements for yourself. But none of us had that chance or opportunity. However, we do now have that opportunity to insure for ourselves, a phenomenal eternal life in heaven, by merely learning doctrine and growing up to spiritual maturity.
Being alive in this world is wonderful, but being alive and being a billionaire would be better, wouldn’t it?
So, what of eternity in heaven. Being in heaven will be phenomenal for us all, but God has rewards waiting for each one of us. And these rewards are tied to your spiritual production in this life. We do not know what the specifics of these rewards are, but ‘beyond imagination,’ makes for a staggering blessing. Compare that to getting nothing and there you have a vast contrast.
So now, will you be the fool, and get all righteous about your eternity, or will you be wise and embrace a wonderful gift that you really don’t deserve, but will receive just by growing up into a responsible spiritually mature believer?
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:21
21 For [gar] it had been [en] better [kreitton] for them [autos] not [me] to have known [epiginosko] the way [hodos] of righteousness [dikaiosune], than [e], after they have known [epiginosko] it, to turn [epistrepho] from [ek] the holy [hagios] commandment [entole] delivered [paradidomi] unto them [autos]. KJV-Interlinear
21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment delivered to them. NASB
First a couple of review points. Peter is speaking to believers, not unbelievers.
When he speaks of life being better without Christ, he is not referring to a comparison between unbelievers and believers. Going to the Lake of Fire is never, under any circumstances, better than heaven.
The comparison here is between ignorance and knowledge of Bible doctrine.
There are five classes of people as far as eternity goes. The first and second class belongs to unbelievers, namely those who are knowledgeable of, or ignorant of God. The dividing line here is between those who have reached the age of responsibility, and those who have not.
The people who have not reached the age of responsibility belongs to infants, babies, children under the age wherein they know the difference between right and wrong, of God and rejecting God. That age can vary in different cultures, perhaps between the ages of eight or ten to even the upper teens. Likewise, there are folks that are born with various genetic or mental defects that prevent their assimilation of knowledge.
And then there are those who grow up, become aware of God, and make a conscious rejection of Him.
As for those who make a conscious rejection of Christ, the Lake of Fire is their destiny. As for those who do not grow up, as it were, they are saved automatically when they die before they have any chance of knowing the issues of life. This principle we studied when we studied Davids’ loss of his first born child. The child died in infancy, and yet David stated that he would see the infant in heaven one day.
This group of folks go directly to heaven and there they will receive their just reward, as only God can determine. They do not have to live in this unfair world, and do not have to go through the sufferings that the rest of us do.
The third and fourth and fifth classes of people are believers. They all go to heaven because they have all believed in Christ. The difference between these three is their relative spiritual growth. Some will have no spiritual growth, some will have some spiritual growth, and the last group will advance to spiritual maturity.
The first group goes to heaven but receive no ‘extra’ reward. The second group goes to heaven but receive only a partial portion of their ‘extra’ reward. The last group, the mature believers, go to heaven and they not only receive their full ‘extra’ reward but they receive a portion of the reward that the others forfeited. You will need to review the Parables of Christ for this study.
Now, as for those who advance in their spiritual life, then regress backwards in their spiritual growth by turning back to their former sinful state, they get hammered in several ways.
First, from their own decision standpoint, it is more difficult to return to God, when you have become disillusioned and fallen off of the spiritual path. That is an attitude that is difficult to overcome. Second, when life gets tough and you overcome it partially by your first advance in doctrine, then fall away, then life just gets tougher.
This does not mean that God disciplines you more and more, because there are lots of folks out there, who lead sin nature driven lives and their lives are more or less prosperous, as far as this world is concerned. But by living a spiritually dysfunctional life, you are setting a pattern that leads to the forfeiture of your eternal rewards.
Eternal rewards are measured by the phrase, ‘exceedingly abundantly above and beyond anything you can think or ask.’ In other words these rewards are so vast and great that they are beyond your imagination.
The infant child who dies will be better off in heaven, than the adult believer who had turned against God and doctrine. The brand new believer, who has not had enough time to advance in their spiritual life, will be far better off than the long-term believer who has turned against God and doctrine.
Don’t feel sorry for someone who had died while young in life. They may very well be far better off than you, assuming that you constantly ride the fence of indecision or of being convinced or persuaded with regard to doctrine.
Far too often people allow second guessing to enter into their learning mode. ‘I don’t believe that.’ ‘Where does it say that?’ ‘I don’t agree with that.’
When people should take themselves less seriously, and simply continue their studies with an open mind, then God will unveil the truth for them, and all things become clear. But time and patience solve that one, not logic or attitude. Those who seek proof, often find that they can never be convinced.
Stubbornness is your worst enemy and humility is your best ally, when it comes to spiritual growth.
What is at stake? Your entire eternal future and the content of that future.
The difference between the Lake of Fire and heaven, is infinite. The difference between the reward for zero spiritual production and mature spiritual production, is infinite.
If before you were born into this life, you could have done something that would insure you vast wealth and prosperity in this life, you would have made those arrangements for yourself. But none of us had that chance or opportunity. However, we do now have that opportunity to insure for ourselves, a phenomenal eternal life in heaven, by merely learning doctrine and growing up to spiritual maturity.
Being alive in this world is wonderful, but being alive and being a billionaire would be better, wouldn’t it?
So, what of eternity in heaven. Being in heaven will be phenomenal for us all, but God has rewards waiting for each one of us. And these rewards are tied to your spiritual production in this life. We do not know what the specifics of these rewards are, but ‘beyond imagination,’ makes for a staggering blessing. Compare that to getting nothing and there you have a vast contrast.
So now, will you be the fool, and get all righteous about your eternity, or will you be wise and embrace a wonderful gift that you really don’t deserve, but will receive just by growing up into a responsible spiritually mature believer?
Thursday, January 29, 2009
2 Peter 2:20
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:20
20 For [gar] if [ei] after they have escaped [apopheugo] the pollutions [miasma] of the world [kosmos] through [en] the knowledge [epignosis] of the Lord [kurios] and [kai] Saviour [soter] Jesus [Iesous] Christ [Christos], they are [empleko] again [palin] entangled [empleko] therein [toutois], and [de] overcome [ginomai] [hettao], the latter end [eschatos] is worse [cheiron] with them [autos] than the beginning [protos]. KJV-Interlinear
20 For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. NASB
To sin or not to sin? That is the question.
But what of the repercussions of sin, of turning to God, and then back to sin. Here Peter is going to lay out exactly what you can expect when you turn to God, then turn back to sin. Your life, and more specifically your destiny, will be worse off, than if you had not turned to Christ in the first place.
Now that needs some explanation, before you get all upset.
The repercussion study will not come until tomorrows study in the next verse, but for now we need to understand the description of the world, as explained by Peter.
The word for pollutions, ‘miasma,’ refers to the unpleasant fumes, odors, ooze and such that are given off by rotting or infectious disease. This is a reference to the yuk that comes with a badly infected wound, or from a rotten decaying human body.
It is not only disgusting, but contagious. And if anyone gets near such a thing, they too can become ill, disease ridden and die from it.
That is the description of evil. Which, as we already know, is the opposite of good. Good is life and health. Evil is the putrid decay and rot of death. Nothing good ever comes from evil.
Evil comes to us in two forms – sin and human good. These being the weaker and stronger production aspects of the sin nature.
The world here is described as one huge open and putrid wound, in which we all must live.
There is only one way to survive such disease and that is by our intake of the perfect medicine for disease. Bible doctrine and the development of ones spiritual life is that medicine.
Think of taking the medicine as your learning process. You confess your sins, in order to get in the doctors office (fellowship), you take the medicine (you listen to doctrine), your metabolism absorbs this medicine into your body (your learning and understanding of doctrinal principles), and then you exercise right (your application of doctrine to your daily life). Your repetition of all of this (analogy) makes you healthier, stronger, wiser and so forth in your spiritual life.
When you are ill, and then get some medicine such that you recover to some extent, and then get off the medicine, and go back to your illness, then your condition simply gets worse.
That is what awaits anyone who turns to doctrine, and then turns away from doctrine. Their life becomes inconsistent, confusing, disappointing, and certainly disillusioned. All kinds of emotions, from hate to frustration, enter into the picture. Instability simply takes over ones life, and getting back on track with doctrine, gets more and more difficult.
A person who turns to God, gets frustrated, as will happen to new believers, and then turns back to the easy prospects of the world, then turning back to God again, requires greater decisional power, than before. Or, as in most cases, the circumstances of ones life, must necessarily get far worse. This means a more difficult life lay ahead.
With some folks, believing in the instruction from the Bible comes easy. They see it, comprehend it, and are patient.
With some folks, the instruction from the Bible requires more mental energy, so to speak. They need proof. They need documentation. They need credentials. They demand results from their learning.
Their faith is not achieved until they have jumped many more hurdles in their life, before they come to realize its truth. And needless to say, their life is usually filled with many more demonstrations from God, but those demonstrations usually come in the form of suffering. And that is a hard way to learn.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:20
20 For [gar] if [ei] after they have escaped [apopheugo] the pollutions [miasma] of the world [kosmos] through [en] the knowledge [epignosis] of the Lord [kurios] and [kai] Saviour [soter] Jesus [Iesous] Christ [Christos], they are [empleko] again [palin] entangled [empleko] therein [toutois], and [de] overcome [ginomai] [hettao], the latter end [eschatos] is worse [cheiron] with them [autos] than the beginning [protos]. KJV-Interlinear
20 For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. NASB
To sin or not to sin? That is the question.
But what of the repercussions of sin, of turning to God, and then back to sin. Here Peter is going to lay out exactly what you can expect when you turn to God, then turn back to sin. Your life, and more specifically your destiny, will be worse off, than if you had not turned to Christ in the first place.
Now that needs some explanation, before you get all upset.
The repercussion study will not come until tomorrows study in the next verse, but for now we need to understand the description of the world, as explained by Peter.
The word for pollutions, ‘miasma,’ refers to the unpleasant fumes, odors, ooze and such that are given off by rotting or infectious disease. This is a reference to the yuk that comes with a badly infected wound, or from a rotten decaying human body.
It is not only disgusting, but contagious. And if anyone gets near such a thing, they too can become ill, disease ridden and die from it.
That is the description of evil. Which, as we already know, is the opposite of good. Good is life and health. Evil is the putrid decay and rot of death. Nothing good ever comes from evil.
Evil comes to us in two forms – sin and human good. These being the weaker and stronger production aspects of the sin nature.
The world here is described as one huge open and putrid wound, in which we all must live.
There is only one way to survive such disease and that is by our intake of the perfect medicine for disease. Bible doctrine and the development of ones spiritual life is that medicine.
Think of taking the medicine as your learning process. You confess your sins, in order to get in the doctors office (fellowship), you take the medicine (you listen to doctrine), your metabolism absorbs this medicine into your body (your learning and understanding of doctrinal principles), and then you exercise right (your application of doctrine to your daily life). Your repetition of all of this (analogy) makes you healthier, stronger, wiser and so forth in your spiritual life.
When you are ill, and then get some medicine such that you recover to some extent, and then get off the medicine, and go back to your illness, then your condition simply gets worse.
That is what awaits anyone who turns to doctrine, and then turns away from doctrine. Their life becomes inconsistent, confusing, disappointing, and certainly disillusioned. All kinds of emotions, from hate to frustration, enter into the picture. Instability simply takes over ones life, and getting back on track with doctrine, gets more and more difficult.
A person who turns to God, gets frustrated, as will happen to new believers, and then turns back to the easy prospects of the world, then turning back to God again, requires greater decisional power, than before. Or, as in most cases, the circumstances of ones life, must necessarily get far worse. This means a more difficult life lay ahead.
With some folks, believing in the instruction from the Bible comes easy. They see it, comprehend it, and are patient.
With some folks, the instruction from the Bible requires more mental energy, so to speak. They need proof. They need documentation. They need credentials. They demand results from their learning.
Their faith is not achieved until they have jumped many more hurdles in their life, before they come to realize its truth. And needless to say, their life is usually filled with many more demonstrations from God, but those demonstrations usually come in the form of suffering. And that is a hard way to learn.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
2 Peter 2:19
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:19
19 While they promise [epaggello] them [autos] liberty [eleutheria], they themselves [autos] are [huparcho] the servants [doulos] of corruption [phthora]: for [gar] of whom [hos] a man [tis] is overcome [hettao], [kai] of the same [touto] is he brought in bondage [douloo]. KJV-Interlinear
19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. NASB
Words from evil view points, boast of liberty, empowerment, freedom, getting something for nothing. They imply rights without responsibility, equality without accountability, promotion without ability, friendship without honor, love without virtue, success without integrity, approbation without achievement – something for nothing.
The master of evil promises the rewards of freedom, liberty, and justice, when the master of evil is himself a slave to a greater evil, and does not possess these rewards let alone the ability to give them.
The world is saturated with the policies of Satan. Satan's policy is evil.
There are only two approaches to life – good and evil.
For every principle of good, there is at least one and often several, equal and opposite principles promoted by evil.
For example, marriage is a fundamental principle of good, but evil promotes homo-sexuality, partnerships without commitment, random relationships, relationships with idols, and so forth.
Free enterprise is a fundamental principle of good, but evil promotes communism, socialism, feudalism, Islamism, and so forth.
Freedom through military victory is a fundamental principle of good, but evil promotes terrorism, criminality, conscientious objection, not our fight, and so forth.
Good promotes true freedom, liberty, and justice.
Evil gives everyone a cafeteria of choices, all of which promise everything, but enslave the followers and doom them to certain destruction.
Good promotes truth.
Evil promotes enticements through deceptive mechanisms, appealing to the sin nature desires of the individual.
Good guarantees success and fulfillment, peace and prosperity of ones life, ones entire life.
Evil promises everything desired, but delivers nothing better than disaster, enslaving those who promote it, and those who pursue it.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:19
19 While they promise [epaggello] them [autos] liberty [eleutheria], they themselves [autos] are [huparcho] the servants [doulos] of corruption [phthora]: for [gar] of whom [hos] a man [tis] is overcome [hettao], [kai] of the same [touto] is he brought in bondage [douloo]. KJV-Interlinear
19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. NASB
Words from evil view points, boast of liberty, empowerment, freedom, getting something for nothing. They imply rights without responsibility, equality without accountability, promotion without ability, friendship without honor, love without virtue, success without integrity, approbation without achievement – something for nothing.
The master of evil promises the rewards of freedom, liberty, and justice, when the master of evil is himself a slave to a greater evil, and does not possess these rewards let alone the ability to give them.
The world is saturated with the policies of Satan. Satan's policy is evil.
There are only two approaches to life – good and evil.
For every principle of good, there is at least one and often several, equal and opposite principles promoted by evil.
For example, marriage is a fundamental principle of good, but evil promotes homo-sexuality, partnerships without commitment, random relationships, relationships with idols, and so forth.
Free enterprise is a fundamental principle of good, but evil promotes communism, socialism, feudalism, Islamism, and so forth.
Freedom through military victory is a fundamental principle of good, but evil promotes terrorism, criminality, conscientious objection, not our fight, and so forth.
Good promotes true freedom, liberty, and justice.
Evil gives everyone a cafeteria of choices, all of which promise everything, but enslave the followers and doom them to certain destruction.
Good promotes truth.
Evil promotes enticements through deceptive mechanisms, appealing to the sin nature desires of the individual.
Good guarantees success and fulfillment, peace and prosperity of ones life, ones entire life.
Evil promises everything desired, but delivers nothing better than disaster, enslaving those who promote it, and those who pursue it.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
2 Peter 2:18
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:18
18 For [gar] when they speak [phtheggomai] great swelling [huperogkos] words of vanity [mataiotes], they allure [deleazo] through [en] the lusts [epithumia] of the flesh [sarx], through much wantonness [aselgeia], those that were clean [ontos] escaped [apopheugo] from them who live [anastrepho] in [en] error [plane]. KJV-Interlinear
18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, NASB
The word for swelling, ‘huperogkos,’ means great magnitude, grand, superb, sublime, inflated, exaggerated, tumid (swollen or disproportionate), pompous, pretentious.
These are words that sound good to the hearer, but are in fact deceitful and lies. They are intended to gain the hearers trust and support.
They speak to the things that the hearer wants to hear. They speak in ambiguous phrases that can be interpreted into any meaning that the hearer wants.
They hit home to those who are in turmoil and therefore susceptible to their enticements.
An example from history. Back in the 1920’s, Hitler did not gain an audience because Germany was in a state of recovery after World War I. Hitler was in fact an ignored voice. But then world events took a turn for the worse.
The economy in the United States hit a snag and the bottom fell out in 1929 through 1932. This hardship dominoed throughout the rest of the world. Germany was hit hard since it had not fully recovered. And unemployment skyrocketed. Hitler now had a listening audience, beginning in the early 1930’s. He spoke eloquent and passionate words and the masses followed to their ultimate doom.
People do not have to be caught up in a massive worldwide depression, hard times can come in all shapes and sizes. Even in prosperous times, the arrogance of people can turn them toward promising but empty words.
Now Peters point here is not the words per se, but the threat they have for hearers who lack doctrine.
Those who are new to doctrine are the ones that are at risk. They ‘barely escape,’ as Peter puts it.
When you advance in your spiritual life, doctrine serves as a protection, a wall of fire, as it were, for the believer, against the threats of the world.
The wall of fire symbol came from the time of the Exodus when the Israelites were trapped, with their backs to the Red Sea, by the advancing Egyptian army. God put down a wall of fire, an impenetrable wall through which nothing and no one could penetrate.
Pharaoh should have got that final message, just as Balaam’s talking donkey should have given him a clue as to what the real truth of life was.
However, people who lack doctrine, lack orientation to truth, and certainly they lack orientation to life. They cannot read the signs of the times. They cannot interpret the signs of their own actions.
Those who live in error, are all the world, that would cause you to stray away from your spiritual life.
God has a plan for your life. That plan is to make you independent from the chains of this world, to relieve you from the crutches placed upon you by the world, to cut away the chains of this world that load the heavy burdens for life upon you.
The world has a plan for your life. That plan is to impress you with the enticements of your own desires (fleshy desires), which run the entire range of lascivious lusts to ascetic philosophies. The ‘world’ is a term that represents the policies of Satan. Satan’s policies are all evil. Evil is the policy of everything that is opposite truth, and therefore consists of only lies. The world’s policies are to make sure you fail, by means of your own choices of the enticements from the world.
Unbelievers are at risk because they lack truth. Believers just starting out, are at great risk, because they do not yet have the spiritual muscle with which to fight off the temptations of the world.
There is the world and all of its enticements and propaganda on the one hand just hammering you day in and day out, and on the other hand there is doctrine which is only available to those who seek it out, if you care to seek it out.
The enticements of the world include everything from diet enticements, to social enticements, to political enticements, to do-gooder enticements, to entertainment enticements, to any topic you can think of. And all of these make up the realm of fleshy desires, personal opinion, public opinion, and so forth.
Without doctrine, you can see why people can be overwhelmed by life.
But with doctrine, and you can only experience this when you have grown up a bit in your spiritual life, but with doctrine you can cut through all of the rhetoric and fog and deceptions of life. You are more apt to be on your guard, more apt to be alert, more apt to discern and understand the risks that life really pushes on you, and avoid them all.
Without doctrine, of course all of this seems like nonsense, and all to do about nothing. And that attitude will continue so long as life coasts along without too many bumps. But when the bumps do finally occur, then of course it is someone else's fault.
One thing that you really need to learn is that God is the sovereign of this universe, Psa. 103:19.
Nothing happens in life or in history that God does not allow to happen. That does not mean that He condones events, but that He simply allows man to make his choices and allows man to fall on his face from time to time.
There is no one greater than God, Psa. 82:6, 24:10.
God gives to you all that you have and can take it all away in an instant, 1 Sam 2:6-7.
The nations are like a speck of dust, Isa. 40:15. What does that make you?
The plans of man are no better than foolishness, and the person who ignores God, Christ, doctrine, and truth is the most foolish of all.
Don’t let that be you.
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2 Peter 2:18
18 For [gar] when they speak [phtheggomai] great swelling [huperogkos] words of vanity [mataiotes], they allure [deleazo] through [en] the lusts [epithumia] of the flesh [sarx], through much wantonness [aselgeia], those that were clean [ontos] escaped [apopheugo] from them who live [anastrepho] in [en] error [plane]. KJV-Interlinear
18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, NASB
The word for swelling, ‘huperogkos,’ means great magnitude, grand, superb, sublime, inflated, exaggerated, tumid (swollen or disproportionate), pompous, pretentious.
These are words that sound good to the hearer, but are in fact deceitful and lies. They are intended to gain the hearers trust and support.
They speak to the things that the hearer wants to hear. They speak in ambiguous phrases that can be interpreted into any meaning that the hearer wants.
They hit home to those who are in turmoil and therefore susceptible to their enticements.
An example from history. Back in the 1920’s, Hitler did not gain an audience because Germany was in a state of recovery after World War I. Hitler was in fact an ignored voice. But then world events took a turn for the worse.
The economy in the United States hit a snag and the bottom fell out in 1929 through 1932. This hardship dominoed throughout the rest of the world. Germany was hit hard since it had not fully recovered. And unemployment skyrocketed. Hitler now had a listening audience, beginning in the early 1930’s. He spoke eloquent and passionate words and the masses followed to their ultimate doom.
People do not have to be caught up in a massive worldwide depression, hard times can come in all shapes and sizes. Even in prosperous times, the arrogance of people can turn them toward promising but empty words.
Now Peters point here is not the words per se, but the threat they have for hearers who lack doctrine.
Those who are new to doctrine are the ones that are at risk. They ‘barely escape,’ as Peter puts it.
When you advance in your spiritual life, doctrine serves as a protection, a wall of fire, as it were, for the believer, against the threats of the world.
The wall of fire symbol came from the time of the Exodus when the Israelites were trapped, with their backs to the Red Sea, by the advancing Egyptian army. God put down a wall of fire, an impenetrable wall through which nothing and no one could penetrate.
Pharaoh should have got that final message, just as Balaam’s talking donkey should have given him a clue as to what the real truth of life was.
However, people who lack doctrine, lack orientation to truth, and certainly they lack orientation to life. They cannot read the signs of the times. They cannot interpret the signs of their own actions.
Those who live in error, are all the world, that would cause you to stray away from your spiritual life.
God has a plan for your life. That plan is to make you independent from the chains of this world, to relieve you from the crutches placed upon you by the world, to cut away the chains of this world that load the heavy burdens for life upon you.
The world has a plan for your life. That plan is to impress you with the enticements of your own desires (fleshy desires), which run the entire range of lascivious lusts to ascetic philosophies. The ‘world’ is a term that represents the policies of Satan. Satan’s policies are all evil. Evil is the policy of everything that is opposite truth, and therefore consists of only lies. The world’s policies are to make sure you fail, by means of your own choices of the enticements from the world.
Unbelievers are at risk because they lack truth. Believers just starting out, are at great risk, because they do not yet have the spiritual muscle with which to fight off the temptations of the world.
There is the world and all of its enticements and propaganda on the one hand just hammering you day in and day out, and on the other hand there is doctrine which is only available to those who seek it out, if you care to seek it out.
The enticements of the world include everything from diet enticements, to social enticements, to political enticements, to do-gooder enticements, to entertainment enticements, to any topic you can think of. And all of these make up the realm of fleshy desires, personal opinion, public opinion, and so forth.
Without doctrine, you can see why people can be overwhelmed by life.
But with doctrine, and you can only experience this when you have grown up a bit in your spiritual life, but with doctrine you can cut through all of the rhetoric and fog and deceptions of life. You are more apt to be on your guard, more apt to be alert, more apt to discern and understand the risks that life really pushes on you, and avoid them all.
Without doctrine, of course all of this seems like nonsense, and all to do about nothing. And that attitude will continue so long as life coasts along without too many bumps. But when the bumps do finally occur, then of course it is someone else's fault.
One thing that you really need to learn is that God is the sovereign of this universe, Psa. 103:19.
Nothing happens in life or in history that God does not allow to happen. That does not mean that He condones events, but that He simply allows man to make his choices and allows man to fall on his face from time to time.
There is no one greater than God, Psa. 82:6, 24:10.
God gives to you all that you have and can take it all away in an instant, 1 Sam 2:6-7.
The nations are like a speck of dust, Isa. 40:15. What does that make you?
The plans of man are no better than foolishness, and the person who ignores God, Christ, doctrine, and truth is the most foolish of all.
Don’t let that be you.
Monday, January 26, 2009
2 Peter 2:17
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:17
17 These [houtos] are [eisi] wells [pege] without water [anudros], clouds [nephele] that are carried [elauno] with [hupo] a tempest [lailaps]; to whom [hos] the mist [zophos] of darkness [skotos] is reserved [tereo] for [eis] ever [aion]. KJV-Interlinear
17 These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. NASB
The major objective of the spiritual life is to make you a free and independent person. You accomplish this by means of your growth in God, in Christ, and in doctrine. Gods Word is the quintessence of all that is, Psa. 138:2.
The major objective of the world is to enslave and destroy you by means of arrogance, by its enticements, by its distractions, by its coercion and intimidation, by means of its ridicule of truth, by means of its distorted and deceitful duplication of truth. You fall into this pit simply by means of your indifference to truth.
In doctrine, is truth, power, life, eternal life, comprehension, orientation, completeness, meaning and purpose and so forth.
In the world is emptiness, nothingness, aloneness, loss, failure, worthlessness, etc.
In life there are two opinions – Gods, and everything else.
Gods opinions are truth. Everything consists of lies.
Ignoring truth either in whole or in part, means that you embrace the lies for the world as your standard.
Spiritual maturity represents the attainment of the Promised Land, where prosperity and plenty exist for the taking.
Spiritual dysfunction represents life in the desert, far, far away from everything of meaning and value.
When one walks through the desert, and approaches a well, the joys of life bubble up inside, in anticipation of something as simple as a drink of water. But when the well is discovered to be dry, then the despairs of life overcome and overwhelm your entire essence. All of the former celebrations and boastings quickly vanish.
And so these are the representations of the promises of the world. They are nothing more than dry wells, springs without water, empty hopes. They are the dark clouds on the horizon, promising the hope for badly needed rains, but the clouds only cause darkness, blow over by the winds and bring no rain, no hope, nothing to aid or perpetuate life.
That is what life is without doctrine. A meaningless, and hopeless, and endless existence.
Life is a serious matter. God has given us all examples of the consequences of our decisions in life. We have seen economic depressions, famines, world wars, and more, just to name a few examples of the worst of times.
People have been forced to live through the worst of times, and not because they just happen to have been unlucky, but because they were reserved for the black darkness’s that the world has to offer. And that simply means that they brought them onto themselves.
With doctrine and spiritual growth, what you have to look forward to, are the best of times, even being preserved in dark times, which are certain to come.
Without doctrine, or by means of compromising doctrine, your only future is far worse. Humanity will never be able to eliminate, on their own, the dark times from life. Despite all of the promises, all of the rhetoric for change, for hope, for better things to come from hard work and so forth, these are all empty wells, empty clouds, and when people finally discover their emptiness it will be too late.
In life there are those who deceive, who are driven by their ego’s and lusts for authority and power, and approbation, and such.
In life there are those who are the deceived, the followers who ignore conveniently all that is true in order to get something for nothing. They reject responsibility and accountability and look to others for the answers of life that they don’t want to be held responsible for themselves.
In both cases they become the enslaved and the pathetic when hard times finally catch up to them. And by the way, when a people subscribe to anti-doctrinal ideals in life, it is difficult if not impossible to get them to change. Only the worst of times has the power to break the chains of arrogance, and that unfortunately means dark times for us all.
There is only one category of people who manage to evade the difficulties of the world, and those are the spiritually mature, the spiritually positive, the ones who look to God for their deliverance and support, by means of responsible spiritual growth (not by means of genie wishes). This does not mean that we can avoid being hammered by hard times, but it does mean that we have God to look to for holding out lives together during those hard times.
As for those who have ignored God, they have no one to whom they can look for help. And that is the darkest and worst situation that anyone can ever be in, in life. Something you don’t, want to experience for yourself.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:17
17 These [houtos] are [eisi] wells [pege] without water [anudros], clouds [nephele] that are carried [elauno] with [hupo] a tempest [lailaps]; to whom [hos] the mist [zophos] of darkness [skotos] is reserved [tereo] for [eis] ever [aion]. KJV-Interlinear
17 These are springs without water, and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. NASB
The major objective of the spiritual life is to make you a free and independent person. You accomplish this by means of your growth in God, in Christ, and in doctrine. Gods Word is the quintessence of all that is, Psa. 138:2.
The major objective of the world is to enslave and destroy you by means of arrogance, by its enticements, by its distractions, by its coercion and intimidation, by means of its ridicule of truth, by means of its distorted and deceitful duplication of truth. You fall into this pit simply by means of your indifference to truth.
In doctrine, is truth, power, life, eternal life, comprehension, orientation, completeness, meaning and purpose and so forth.
In the world is emptiness, nothingness, aloneness, loss, failure, worthlessness, etc.
In life there are two opinions – Gods, and everything else.
Gods opinions are truth. Everything consists of lies.
Ignoring truth either in whole or in part, means that you embrace the lies for the world as your standard.
Spiritual maturity represents the attainment of the Promised Land, where prosperity and plenty exist for the taking.
Spiritual dysfunction represents life in the desert, far, far away from everything of meaning and value.
When one walks through the desert, and approaches a well, the joys of life bubble up inside, in anticipation of something as simple as a drink of water. But when the well is discovered to be dry, then the despairs of life overcome and overwhelm your entire essence. All of the former celebrations and boastings quickly vanish.
And so these are the representations of the promises of the world. They are nothing more than dry wells, springs without water, empty hopes. They are the dark clouds on the horizon, promising the hope for badly needed rains, but the clouds only cause darkness, blow over by the winds and bring no rain, no hope, nothing to aid or perpetuate life.
That is what life is without doctrine. A meaningless, and hopeless, and endless existence.
Life is a serious matter. God has given us all examples of the consequences of our decisions in life. We have seen economic depressions, famines, world wars, and more, just to name a few examples of the worst of times.
People have been forced to live through the worst of times, and not because they just happen to have been unlucky, but because they were reserved for the black darkness’s that the world has to offer. And that simply means that they brought them onto themselves.
With doctrine and spiritual growth, what you have to look forward to, are the best of times, even being preserved in dark times, which are certain to come.
Without doctrine, or by means of compromising doctrine, your only future is far worse. Humanity will never be able to eliminate, on their own, the dark times from life. Despite all of the promises, all of the rhetoric for change, for hope, for better things to come from hard work and so forth, these are all empty wells, empty clouds, and when people finally discover their emptiness it will be too late.
In life there are those who deceive, who are driven by their ego’s and lusts for authority and power, and approbation, and such.
In life there are those who are the deceived, the followers who ignore conveniently all that is true in order to get something for nothing. They reject responsibility and accountability and look to others for the answers of life that they don’t want to be held responsible for themselves.
In both cases they become the enslaved and the pathetic when hard times finally catch up to them. And by the way, when a people subscribe to anti-doctrinal ideals in life, it is difficult if not impossible to get them to change. Only the worst of times has the power to break the chains of arrogance, and that unfortunately means dark times for us all.
There is only one category of people who manage to evade the difficulties of the world, and those are the spiritually mature, the spiritually positive, the ones who look to God for their deliverance and support, by means of responsible spiritual growth (not by means of genie wishes). This does not mean that we can avoid being hammered by hard times, but it does mean that we have God to look to for holding out lives together during those hard times.
As for those who have ignored God, they have no one to whom they can look for help. And that is the darkest and worst situation that anyone can ever be in, in life. Something you don’t, want to experience for yourself.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
2 Peter 2:16
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:16
16 But [de] was [echo] rebuked [elegxis] for his [idios] iniquity [paranomia]: the dumb [aphonos] ass [hupozugion] speaking [phtheggomai] with [en] man's [anthropos] voice [phone] forbad [koluo] the madness [paraphronia] of the prophet [prophetes]. KJV-Interlinear
16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression; for a dumb donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. NASB
The dumb donkey is often times referred to as an ass, or a beast of burden. The word for dumb means, one who cannot speak, or one without voice. We covered the Balaam episode a very long time ago. I don’t even think that those studies are online anymore.
But if you were with this study long ago, then you recall the humor of the Old Testament language, with Balaam (an intellectual ass), sitting on his rear end (his posterior ass), riding his ass (the beast of burden, the donkey or burro), and suddenly the ass speaks. Not that this is humorous in total, but Balaam did not catch on when he himself began talking back to (not to mention beating), his ass.
I hope you have a sense of humor. Maybe you had to have been there.
Anyway, the situation was a serious one. Balak wanted to destroy all of Israel, which means that he wanted to kill the entire nation. He sent Balaam, to curse them. And God prevented it all with a dumb animal.
The power of man, regardless of what that power is, is no stronger than a dumb animal. The silliness of God is far more powerful than anything in this world.
Life is a serious business, and people generally take themselves too seriously for their lack of knowledge.
Arrogance rises from the absence of doctrine, and without doctrine, arrogance blinds people to even the silliest of situations.
Isn’t that why we have evolution theories – intelligent man rising out of muck or fish or monkey’s and such? Isn’t that why people get on the bandwagon of the most controversial topics of any given day? Isn’t that why the world was once thought to be flat, and if you disagreed then you were a heretic and executed? Rather drastic sentence for simply thinking something different. Isn’t that why people are socially ostracized for being different? Isn’t that why people often threaten to leave or change or throw you to the wolves, simply because you say or do something they don’t like?
Be careful now. Check your mirror and make sure we aren’t talking about you!!! After all, when was the last time you talked with your … a … donkey?
The Bible is not here to entertain you in the serious business of life, but sometimes it takes a donkey to open your eyes. Balaam finally woke up, but unfortunately, not for long.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:16
16 But [de] was [echo] rebuked [elegxis] for his [idios] iniquity [paranomia]: the dumb [aphonos] ass [hupozugion] speaking [phtheggomai] with [en] man's [anthropos] voice [phone] forbad [koluo] the madness [paraphronia] of the prophet [prophetes]. KJV-Interlinear
16 but he received a rebuke for his own transgression; for a dumb donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. NASB
The dumb donkey is often times referred to as an ass, or a beast of burden. The word for dumb means, one who cannot speak, or one without voice. We covered the Balaam episode a very long time ago. I don’t even think that those studies are online anymore.
But if you were with this study long ago, then you recall the humor of the Old Testament language, with Balaam (an intellectual ass), sitting on his rear end (his posterior ass), riding his ass (the beast of burden, the donkey or burro), and suddenly the ass speaks. Not that this is humorous in total, but Balaam did not catch on when he himself began talking back to (not to mention beating), his ass.
I hope you have a sense of humor. Maybe you had to have been there.
Anyway, the situation was a serious one. Balak wanted to destroy all of Israel, which means that he wanted to kill the entire nation. He sent Balaam, to curse them. And God prevented it all with a dumb animal.
The power of man, regardless of what that power is, is no stronger than a dumb animal. The silliness of God is far more powerful than anything in this world.
Life is a serious business, and people generally take themselves too seriously for their lack of knowledge.
Arrogance rises from the absence of doctrine, and without doctrine, arrogance blinds people to even the silliest of situations.
Isn’t that why we have evolution theories – intelligent man rising out of muck or fish or monkey’s and such? Isn’t that why people get on the bandwagon of the most controversial topics of any given day? Isn’t that why the world was once thought to be flat, and if you disagreed then you were a heretic and executed? Rather drastic sentence for simply thinking something different. Isn’t that why people are socially ostracized for being different? Isn’t that why people often threaten to leave or change or throw you to the wolves, simply because you say or do something they don’t like?
Be careful now. Check your mirror and make sure we aren’t talking about you!!! After all, when was the last time you talked with your … a … donkey?
The Bible is not here to entertain you in the serious business of life, but sometimes it takes a donkey to open your eyes. Balaam finally woke up, but unfortunately, not for long.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
2 Peter 2:15
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:15
15 Which have forsaken [kataleipo] the right [euthus] way [hodos], and are gone astray [planao], following [exakoloutheo] the way [hodos] of Balaam [Balaam] the son of Bosor [Bosor], who [hos] loved [agapao] the wages [misthos] of unrighteousness [adikia]; KJV-Interlinear
15 forsaking the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, NASB
The story of Balaam can be found in three chapters, Num. 22-24.
When the Israelites were still wandering in the desert, but getting ready for their crossing into the Promised Land, Moses led them in several victories. This reputation and news, spread far and wide across the region, and Balak, the king of Moab, hired Balaam to set a curse against the Israelites, so he could defeat them by curse rather than by military force. Balak knew that he was going to be out-gunned and defeated, unless he could find some other means of beating the Israelites.
Balaam was at first reluctant to accept Balak’s offer. He feared God more than Balak. But Balak was persistent, and the offer became too good to pass up for Balaam.
He knew of the God of Israel, enough to be cautious. But the power of worldly reward was too tempting.
Balaam sought to curse the Israelites, but was unable. He instead blessed them with four of the most significant blessings in history, including the star and scepter prophecy related to the birth of Christ.
Balaam eventually went home and was later executed by the Israelites when the Midianites were defeated. Bad decisions in life lead always to bad results.
And Peters whole point here is?
Only God can bless and curse. If you want to be on the right side of history, on the right side of life, then you best align yourself up with God and not the world, else your future will be bleak at best.
Trying to align yourself up with history, with the world, with anything that seems to be popular in society, means that you are only cursing yourself. Whether through indifference, stubbornness, defiance, apathy, or whatever, makes no difference. Anti-God is anti-God.
There are only two sides in history – Gods, and everything else.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:15
15 Which have forsaken [kataleipo] the right [euthus] way [hodos], and are gone astray [planao], following [exakoloutheo] the way [hodos] of Balaam [Balaam] the son of Bosor [Bosor], who [hos] loved [agapao] the wages [misthos] of unrighteousness [adikia]; KJV-Interlinear
15 forsaking the right way they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, NASB
The story of Balaam can be found in three chapters, Num. 22-24.
When the Israelites were still wandering in the desert, but getting ready for their crossing into the Promised Land, Moses led them in several victories. This reputation and news, spread far and wide across the region, and Balak, the king of Moab, hired Balaam to set a curse against the Israelites, so he could defeat them by curse rather than by military force. Balak knew that he was going to be out-gunned and defeated, unless he could find some other means of beating the Israelites.
Balaam was at first reluctant to accept Balak’s offer. He feared God more than Balak. But Balak was persistent, and the offer became too good to pass up for Balaam.
He knew of the God of Israel, enough to be cautious. But the power of worldly reward was too tempting.
Balaam sought to curse the Israelites, but was unable. He instead blessed them with four of the most significant blessings in history, including the star and scepter prophecy related to the birth of Christ.
Balaam eventually went home and was later executed by the Israelites when the Midianites were defeated. Bad decisions in life lead always to bad results.
And Peters whole point here is?
Only God can bless and curse. If you want to be on the right side of history, on the right side of life, then you best align yourself up with God and not the world, else your future will be bleak at best.
Trying to align yourself up with history, with the world, with anything that seems to be popular in society, means that you are only cursing yourself. Whether through indifference, stubbornness, defiance, apathy, or whatever, makes no difference. Anti-God is anti-God.
There are only two sides in history – Gods, and everything else.
Friday, January 23, 2009
2 Peter 2:14
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:14
14 Having [echo] eyes [ophthalmos] full [mestos] of adultery [moichalis], and [kai] that cannot cease from [akatapaustos] sin [hamartia]; beguiling [deleazo] unstable [asteriktos] souls [psuche]: an heart [kardia] they have [echo] exercised [gumnazo] with covetous practices [pleonexia]; cursed [katara] children [teknon]: KJV-Interlinear
14 having eyes full of adultery and that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; NASB
Adultery here stands for dishonesty, betrayal, deceitfulness, treachery, unfaithfulness to ones true life mate.
Your true, and one and only true mate for life, for all of eternity, is Bible doctrine. That is the only possession, which you can receive into your soul and possess for all of eternity, and make yourself whole and complete. That is the one thing that will give you happiness, fulfillment, meaning and purpose in life, security, satisfaction, capacity, and completeness of and for your self.
The entire book of the Song of Solomon, is about divine viewpoint and your intimate relationship with Bible doctrine.
When you are not true to doctrine, then you are an adulterer, cheating not only on yourself, but on God, on Christ, on truth and on everything in life that has any value.
When you are indifferent toward your spiritual life then you by default, embrace and pursue sin. And remember that the sin nature has two regions within it. The first is an area of weakness, which is sin, and the second is the area of strength called human good. Both are ingredients for an apostate life making you a traitorous, fugitive from life. You might want to review the Human Carnal Nature chart sometime, for a more descriptive view of the regions of the sin nature.
Continued departure from doctrine and truth, becomes a habit forming pattern of life that becomes difficult to correct and escape. Once you have pursued anti-doctrine values, then that pattern of life becomes your training ground and breeding ground for disaster and failure in life.
Continued departure from doctrine results in a pattern of life that becomes as natural to you as the instincts of animals are to their function in life. At some point in your life, your chosen philosophies, and beliefs will seem perfectly natural and normal to you. And, once you have adopted a certain view of life, then correcting it, or changing from it, becomes difficult if not impossible.
Continued departure from doctrine results in a soul untrained in truth, and therefore an unprepared soul. An unprepared soul is an unstable soul, incapable of correctly viewing life.
The eventual result – a cursed life. Not cursed specifically for this life in this world, but with respect to your overall evaluation for all of eternity. In this world you will find all categories of success and failure, but everyone eventually meets their maker, and in leaving this world, all become equally subject to Gods evaluation.
Spiritual production is rewarded, while spiritual dysfunction is not.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:14
14 Having [echo] eyes [ophthalmos] full [mestos] of adultery [moichalis], and [kai] that cannot cease from [akatapaustos] sin [hamartia]; beguiling [deleazo] unstable [asteriktos] souls [psuche]: an heart [kardia] they have [echo] exercised [gumnazo] with covetous practices [pleonexia]; cursed [katara] children [teknon]: KJV-Interlinear
14 having eyes full of adultery and that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; NASB
Adultery here stands for dishonesty, betrayal, deceitfulness, treachery, unfaithfulness to ones true life mate.
Your true, and one and only true mate for life, for all of eternity, is Bible doctrine. That is the only possession, which you can receive into your soul and possess for all of eternity, and make yourself whole and complete. That is the one thing that will give you happiness, fulfillment, meaning and purpose in life, security, satisfaction, capacity, and completeness of and for your self.
The entire book of the Song of Solomon, is about divine viewpoint and your intimate relationship with Bible doctrine.
When you are not true to doctrine, then you are an adulterer, cheating not only on yourself, but on God, on Christ, on truth and on everything in life that has any value.
When you are indifferent toward your spiritual life then you by default, embrace and pursue sin. And remember that the sin nature has two regions within it. The first is an area of weakness, which is sin, and the second is the area of strength called human good. Both are ingredients for an apostate life making you a traitorous, fugitive from life. You might want to review the Human Carnal Nature chart sometime, for a more descriptive view of the regions of the sin nature.
Continued departure from doctrine and truth, becomes a habit forming pattern of life that becomes difficult to correct and escape. Once you have pursued anti-doctrine values, then that pattern of life becomes your training ground and breeding ground for disaster and failure in life.
Continued departure from doctrine results in a pattern of life that becomes as natural to you as the instincts of animals are to their function in life. At some point in your life, your chosen philosophies, and beliefs will seem perfectly natural and normal to you. And, once you have adopted a certain view of life, then correcting it, or changing from it, becomes difficult if not impossible.
Continued departure from doctrine results in a soul untrained in truth, and therefore an unprepared soul. An unprepared soul is an unstable soul, incapable of correctly viewing life.
The eventual result – a cursed life. Not cursed specifically for this life in this world, but with respect to your overall evaluation for all of eternity. In this world you will find all categories of success and failure, but everyone eventually meets their maker, and in leaving this world, all become equally subject to Gods evaluation.
Spiritual production is rewarded, while spiritual dysfunction is not.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
2 Peter 2:13
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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2 Peter 2:13
13 And shall receive [komizo] the reward [misthos] of unrighteousness [adikia], as they that count [hegeomai] it pleasure [hedone] to riot [truphe] in [en] the day time [hemera]. Spots [spilos] they are and [kai] blemishes [momos], sporting themselves [entruphao] with [en] their own [autos] deceivings [apate] while they feast [suneuocheo] with you [humin]; KJV-Interlinear
13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, NASB
Our two primary groups for comparisons are the population of folks who lived in the generation immediately prior to the flood of Noah, and the group that lived in or near Sodom, during the time of Abraham.
Only Lot is mentioned by name, as a person who got caught up in his misguided choices. But he was spared from being destroyed in Sodom, and his wife came close to being delivered, but was not because she just had to look back, longing for the society of Sodom.
What did these two groups have in common?
Well, typically the sinners of the world are described as people who stay in the shadows of the night, pursuing their deeds, hoping to not be discovered.
The night is generally used in symbolism as a place of no wisdom, no doctrine, no relationship with God, or the dysfunction of ones spiritual life, if a person even has one.
The day is generally used in symbolism as the place of truth, of doctrine, of a relationship with God, and of a functioning spiritual life.
Here however, these two groups pursued their dastardly deeds in the open daylight. And this is the whole point that Peter is making. Their sins and attitude toward truth had gone so far overboard, that they no longer tried to hide their actions.
That the sins for the world and of society have become so great, that they have become commonplace and accepted as normal behavior.
People flaunt their sins. People flaunt their attitudes toward anything that smacks of honesty, integrity, objectivity and so forth. People become insulted when their beliefs are challenged, or when other beliefs are presented. People go out of their way to silence the opinions of others. People go out of their way to bring harm to those that do not agree with them, to those whom they simply do not like, to those who present a competition for them.
They carouse and buddy up, but not to become friends, but to take advantage and destroy anything and anyone they perceive as in their way, or perhaps anyone who has more than they do, or anyone who they believe has more than they deserve, or anyone that they have defeated in some way.
Our study of Matt. 24:38 and following, describes the attitudes of people in the end times, that is, our end times, just as the people in Noah’s time were indifferent toward Noah’s warnings, right up until the rain began coming down. People in the last generations of our day, will behave in the same way.
And we have certainly seen the steady decline of social norms and standards since the turn of the century in the 1900’s, and escalating even more rapidly in our current day since 2000. II Timothy 3:1-5, 7, goes on to describe the decline of basic manners and courtesy as well as other declines in social standards.
But again, the only defense against your falling into these destructive categories, is Bible doctrine. Doctrine is given to you so that you can properly discover yourself and identify your own weaknesses, and avoid them.
It is not given to you so that you can evaluate or critic others. That is Gods job.
The only reason that I mention the end times, is because we are obviously closer to the end times than we were centuries ago. Since our dispensation began at Pentecost, fifty days following Passover, in approximately 30 A.D., almost 1979 years have passed. Our dispensation will end when the Rapture occurs.
No one knows when that will be, but we have been given many signs that will indicate that it is getting near. Near does not mean tomorrow or next year, but within a few generations. We could certainly be a hundred years away from the Rapture. And if that is the case, then subsequent generations will slip further and further away from doctrine, and grow more and more bold in their anti-God attitudes and life styles.
Regardless of the end times or not, anyone who drifts away from God and truth, will adopt ridiculous, adversarial, indifferent beliefs and they will boast of their beliefs, fearing no one and certainly not fearing God or their ultimate judgment.
It wasn’t too long ago that man thought the earth was flat. Not so.
That the earth was the center of the universe. Not so.
That our galaxy was the entire universe. Not so.
But as we discover more and more about the universe around us, if you are objective, then you begin to understand the vastness for Gods brilliance, knowledge, and wisdom. And, this entire environment, from DNA to the distant galaxies, was all invented, designed, and placed here for our benefit.
Don’t get caught up in petty attitudes, or beliefs of tradition or habit, and allow them to get in the way of your spiritual growth.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:13
13 And shall receive [komizo] the reward [misthos] of unrighteousness [adikia], as they that count [hegeomai] it pleasure [hedone] to riot [truphe] in [en] the day time [hemera]. Spots [spilos] they are and [kai] blemishes [momos], sporting themselves [entruphao] with [en] their own [autos] deceivings [apate] while they feast [suneuocheo] with you [humin]; KJV-Interlinear
13 suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, NASB
Our two primary groups for comparisons are the population of folks who lived in the generation immediately prior to the flood of Noah, and the group that lived in or near Sodom, during the time of Abraham.
Only Lot is mentioned by name, as a person who got caught up in his misguided choices. But he was spared from being destroyed in Sodom, and his wife came close to being delivered, but was not because she just had to look back, longing for the society of Sodom.
What did these two groups have in common?
Well, typically the sinners of the world are described as people who stay in the shadows of the night, pursuing their deeds, hoping to not be discovered.
The night is generally used in symbolism as a place of no wisdom, no doctrine, no relationship with God, or the dysfunction of ones spiritual life, if a person even has one.
The day is generally used in symbolism as the place of truth, of doctrine, of a relationship with God, and of a functioning spiritual life.
Here however, these two groups pursued their dastardly deeds in the open daylight. And this is the whole point that Peter is making. Their sins and attitude toward truth had gone so far overboard, that they no longer tried to hide their actions.
That the sins for the world and of society have become so great, that they have become commonplace and accepted as normal behavior.
People flaunt their sins. People flaunt their attitudes toward anything that smacks of honesty, integrity, objectivity and so forth. People become insulted when their beliefs are challenged, or when other beliefs are presented. People go out of their way to silence the opinions of others. People go out of their way to bring harm to those that do not agree with them, to those whom they simply do not like, to those who present a competition for them.
They carouse and buddy up, but not to become friends, but to take advantage and destroy anything and anyone they perceive as in their way, or perhaps anyone who has more than they do, or anyone who they believe has more than they deserve, or anyone that they have defeated in some way.
Our study of Matt. 24:38 and following, describes the attitudes of people in the end times, that is, our end times, just as the people in Noah’s time were indifferent toward Noah’s warnings, right up until the rain began coming down. People in the last generations of our day, will behave in the same way.
And we have certainly seen the steady decline of social norms and standards since the turn of the century in the 1900’s, and escalating even more rapidly in our current day since 2000. II Timothy 3:1-5, 7, goes on to describe the decline of basic manners and courtesy as well as other declines in social standards.
But again, the only defense against your falling into these destructive categories, is Bible doctrine. Doctrine is given to you so that you can properly discover yourself and identify your own weaknesses, and avoid them.
It is not given to you so that you can evaluate or critic others. That is Gods job.
The only reason that I mention the end times, is because we are obviously closer to the end times than we were centuries ago. Since our dispensation began at Pentecost, fifty days following Passover, in approximately 30 A.D., almost 1979 years have passed. Our dispensation will end when the Rapture occurs.
No one knows when that will be, but we have been given many signs that will indicate that it is getting near. Near does not mean tomorrow or next year, but within a few generations. We could certainly be a hundred years away from the Rapture. And if that is the case, then subsequent generations will slip further and further away from doctrine, and grow more and more bold in their anti-God attitudes and life styles.
Regardless of the end times or not, anyone who drifts away from God and truth, will adopt ridiculous, adversarial, indifferent beliefs and they will boast of their beliefs, fearing no one and certainly not fearing God or their ultimate judgment.
It wasn’t too long ago that man thought the earth was flat. Not so.
That the earth was the center of the universe. Not so.
That our galaxy was the entire universe. Not so.
But as we discover more and more about the universe around us, if you are objective, then you begin to understand the vastness for Gods brilliance, knowledge, and wisdom. And, this entire environment, from DNA to the distant galaxies, was all invented, designed, and placed here for our benefit.
Don’t get caught up in petty attitudes, or beliefs of tradition or habit, and allow them to get in the way of your spiritual growth.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
2 Peter 2:12
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:12
12 But [de] these [houtos], as [hos] natural [phusikos] brute [alogos] beasts [zoon], made [gennao] to [eis] be taken [halosis] and [kai] destroyed [phthora], speak evil [blasphemeo] of [en] the things that [hos] they understand not [agnoeo]; and shall utterly perish [katphtheiro] in [en] their own [autos] corruption [phthora]; KJV-Interlinear
12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, NASB
Peter has given us several examples of angelic and human failure in history.
People who reject Gods word, ultimately fail in life. But more than that, they adopt an attitude of arrogance.
In the angelic realm, their arrogance does not eliminate their manners with respect to each other. However in the human realm, the manners fly right out the window, and criticism, rudeness, self-righteousness, every bad behavior and attitude that you can think of, get flushed, as humans without doctrine will become the worst of the worst of creatures.
Take the recent election transition. There have been controversial Presidents in the past (Clinton, Carter, Nixon, just to name a few), but never has any received such rude departure as Bush. The comments, the boos, the manner in which he was treated was absolutely unnecessary. And on national television no less. Even if you did not like the man, he was still elected to the highest office in the land, and that office deserves respect.
Even the elect angels do not ridicule those who have been condemned to the Lake of Fire.
But what do people do? They ridicule their parents. They ridicule those who want to move into this country. They enter into crimes, both blue collar and white, for no reason other than lazy greed or hate. They lust after virtually everything that can be imagined in this world. They covet or murder, which are nothing more than thefts of things or life, that others possess. They criticize and comment in order to promote their own ego.
And note that everything in this world is temporary at its very best and will be lost when the person dies. Eternity will continue forever, but people are near-sighted when it comes to life.
Marriages break up. Families break up. Nations break up. While people refuse to let go of their opinions.
And how does Peter describe these individuals? As nothing more than animals destined for slaughter.
Without doctrine in the soul, people are no better than animals functioning on their instincts and basic desires. At least the animal kingdom functions within its designed boundaries. Humanity without doctrine, imitates a lower life form, and boasts of it.
Bible doctrine instills reason, common sense, logic, as well as capacity for life, capacity for dealing with both desperate and prosperous times, orientation to ones self, orientation with people, and especially orientation with God and truth. Not to mention installing a set of manners.
Without doctrine, you are left only with arrogance, and arrogance equates to zero meaning and purpose in life.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:12
12 But [de] these [houtos], as [hos] natural [phusikos] brute [alogos] beasts [zoon], made [gennao] to [eis] be taken [halosis] and [kai] destroyed [phthora], speak evil [blasphemeo] of [en] the things that [hos] they understand not [agnoeo]; and shall utterly perish [katphtheiro] in [en] their own [autos] corruption [phthora]; KJV-Interlinear
12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, NASB
Peter has given us several examples of angelic and human failure in history.
People who reject Gods word, ultimately fail in life. But more than that, they adopt an attitude of arrogance.
In the angelic realm, their arrogance does not eliminate their manners with respect to each other. However in the human realm, the manners fly right out the window, and criticism, rudeness, self-righteousness, every bad behavior and attitude that you can think of, get flushed, as humans without doctrine will become the worst of the worst of creatures.
Take the recent election transition. There have been controversial Presidents in the past (Clinton, Carter, Nixon, just to name a few), but never has any received such rude departure as Bush. The comments, the boos, the manner in which he was treated was absolutely unnecessary. And on national television no less. Even if you did not like the man, he was still elected to the highest office in the land, and that office deserves respect.
Even the elect angels do not ridicule those who have been condemned to the Lake of Fire.
But what do people do? They ridicule their parents. They ridicule those who want to move into this country. They enter into crimes, both blue collar and white, for no reason other than lazy greed or hate. They lust after virtually everything that can be imagined in this world. They covet or murder, which are nothing more than thefts of things or life, that others possess. They criticize and comment in order to promote their own ego.
And note that everything in this world is temporary at its very best and will be lost when the person dies. Eternity will continue forever, but people are near-sighted when it comes to life.
Marriages break up. Families break up. Nations break up. While people refuse to let go of their opinions.
And how does Peter describe these individuals? As nothing more than animals destined for slaughter.
Without doctrine in the soul, people are no better than animals functioning on their instincts and basic desires. At least the animal kingdom functions within its designed boundaries. Humanity without doctrine, imitates a lower life form, and boasts of it.
Bible doctrine instills reason, common sense, logic, as well as capacity for life, capacity for dealing with both desperate and prosperous times, orientation to ones self, orientation with people, and especially orientation with God and truth. Not to mention installing a set of manners.
Without doctrine, you are left only with arrogance, and arrogance equates to zero meaning and purpose in life.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
2 Peter 2:11
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:11
11 Whereas [hopou] angels [aggelos], which are [on] greater in [meizon] power [ischus] and [kai] might [dunamis], bring [phero] not [ou] railing [blasphemos] accusation [krisis] against [kata] them [autos] before [para] the Lord [kurios]. KJV-Interlinear
11 whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. NASB
A stark contrast between man and angel is offered here by Peter.
Man is made of the dust of the earth. With imputed life from God, limited to this planet earth, and with many limitations in life including mans own lifespan, man seems to be more opinionated about life, about history, just about anything, even in the face of no first hand knowledge about most of his own surroundings or history.
Angels, on the other hand have been around for a very long time, and have first hand knowledge as well as experience with just about everything that has ever occurred in history.
The Bible records four distinct beginnings. The first beginning is not really a beginning, but is a reference to eternity past, Gen. 1:1, ‘In the beginning God … See also Psa. 90:2 and Jn. 1:1.
This beginning is eternity past, and God (all three members of the Godhead) was on hand and has been on hand forever since eternity past.
The second beginning was the angelic realm. They witnessed the handiwork of God in the creation of the universe, and therefore since they were witness to the creation of the universe, then they were here prior to its creation, Psa. 8:3.
All of the angels were in harmony when the universe was created, Job 38:4, 5, 6, 7. The technical word for sons of God here is ‘bene elohim’ which is a reference to the angels. There did not exist any rebellion at the time of the creation for the universe. The angels were on hand to witness the actual creation of the universe.
The third beginning is the universe itself, Gen. 1:1, ‘… created [bara – out of nothing] the heavens and the earth.’ We have already studied extensively, the various words used for the several creations including the universe, of man, of woman, and so forth.
The fourth beginning is of man on the sixth day, Gen. 1:26.
Between these beginnings – the universe and man – Lucifer (Satan) rebelled and led one-third of the angels permanently away from God. That one-third remained in opposition to God for all of history, and continue to remain in opposition to God, Isa. 14:12, 13, 14, Eze. 28:12-18, Rev. 12:4.
The important thing to understand here is that God did not make the universe, nor the world, a place that was in chaos. God created it not a wasteland, Isa. 45:18. God created the universe and the earth a perfect place.
But in Gen. 1:2, we read that the earth became null and void, ‘tohu wabohu.’
Therefore, we understand that from the time of the initial creation to the time of the destruction of planet earth, something happened, and that something was the rebellion of the angels. They desired to be like God, Isa. 14:13-14, they revolted, Rev. 12:4, they were judged, Matt. 25:41, they were condemned to this planet, Eze. 28:17-18, and thus the resolution of the angelic conflict began – human history.
The fall of Satan led to the destruction of earth which history occurred between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2. Note Isa. 14, Eze 28.
The chaos on planet earth is called null and void which reflect the deep destruction and darkness (absence of truth) caused by Satan. Similar descriptions are used in Ex. 10:21-23, Psa. 35:6, Joel 2:2, Matt. 4:16, and Jn. 3:19.
Genesis goes on to account for the restoration from chaos, of the earth in the literal seven day period, for human habitation.
Now, what does all of this have to do with anything?
Well the angels have lived far longer than the entire human race, and certainly far longer than any single individual. The angels have had access to the entire universe. The angels have been witness to all of history. Even when Jesus arrived on this earth in the first advent, the fallen angels (demons) demonstrated respect toward Him. They were not disrespectful, but knew indeed who He was, and that He was their ultimate judge and executioner.
Man knows right from wrong. Man knows his own limitations. But man in his arrogance can be unbelievably presumptuous and disrespectful not only toward God, but to his fellow man. Human history is filled with the power driven lusts of people.
With the vast universe just hanging in the night sky, we can all see how small and insignificant we are, and yet people will ignore the obvious, and fight over the little puddle we call earth. People will hold on to their ideologies, to their beliefs, to their opinions, to whatever it is that they have hung on to throughout their lives, even in the face of documented evidence to the contrary.
Such is mans self imposed barrier preventing him from seeing the truth of life.
That is one of your greatest barriers, preventing your spiritual growth, your stubbornness to listen and to learn.
The Bible proposes many truths regarding history. Information external to the Bible support an extensive history regarding our little planet. Even though there are many interpretations that are ridiculous, like evolution, there is a great deal of evidence that supports sound Christian creation doctrine.
However, Peter points out here that people who lack information, will be more opinionated than angels who possess personal experience with historical information, even the angels that have already been condemned.
Angels, both elect and fallen, respect God and His authority.
Man invents religions, cults, weird ideas concerning life and even his own role in life, all of which are direct insults to truth.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:11
11 Whereas [hopou] angels [aggelos], which are [on] greater in [meizon] power [ischus] and [kai] might [dunamis], bring [phero] not [ou] railing [blasphemos] accusation [krisis] against [kata] them [autos] before [para] the Lord [kurios]. KJV-Interlinear
11 whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. NASB
A stark contrast between man and angel is offered here by Peter.
Man is made of the dust of the earth. With imputed life from God, limited to this planet earth, and with many limitations in life including mans own lifespan, man seems to be more opinionated about life, about history, just about anything, even in the face of no first hand knowledge about most of his own surroundings or history.
Angels, on the other hand have been around for a very long time, and have first hand knowledge as well as experience with just about everything that has ever occurred in history.
The Bible records four distinct beginnings. The first beginning is not really a beginning, but is a reference to eternity past, Gen. 1:1, ‘In the beginning God … See also Psa. 90:2 and Jn. 1:1.
This beginning is eternity past, and God (all three members of the Godhead) was on hand and has been on hand forever since eternity past.
The second beginning was the angelic realm. They witnessed the handiwork of God in the creation of the universe, and therefore since they were witness to the creation of the universe, then they were here prior to its creation, Psa. 8:3.
All of the angels were in harmony when the universe was created, Job 38:4, 5, 6, 7. The technical word for sons of God here is ‘bene elohim’ which is a reference to the angels. There did not exist any rebellion at the time of the creation for the universe. The angels were on hand to witness the actual creation of the universe.
The third beginning is the universe itself, Gen. 1:1, ‘… created [bara – out of nothing] the heavens and the earth.’ We have already studied extensively, the various words used for the several creations including the universe, of man, of woman, and so forth.
The fourth beginning is of man on the sixth day, Gen. 1:26.
Between these beginnings – the universe and man – Lucifer (Satan) rebelled and led one-third of the angels permanently away from God. That one-third remained in opposition to God for all of history, and continue to remain in opposition to God, Isa. 14:12, 13, 14, Eze. 28:12-18, Rev. 12:4.
The important thing to understand here is that God did not make the universe, nor the world, a place that was in chaos. God created it not a wasteland, Isa. 45:18. God created the universe and the earth a perfect place.
But in Gen. 1:2, we read that the earth became null and void, ‘tohu wabohu.’
Therefore, we understand that from the time of the initial creation to the time of the destruction of planet earth, something happened, and that something was the rebellion of the angels. They desired to be like God, Isa. 14:13-14, they revolted, Rev. 12:4, they were judged, Matt. 25:41, they were condemned to this planet, Eze. 28:17-18, and thus the resolution of the angelic conflict began – human history.
The fall of Satan led to the destruction of earth which history occurred between Gen. 1:1 and Gen. 1:2. Note Isa. 14, Eze 28.
The chaos on planet earth is called null and void which reflect the deep destruction and darkness (absence of truth) caused by Satan. Similar descriptions are used in Ex. 10:21-23, Psa. 35:6, Joel 2:2, Matt. 4:16, and Jn. 3:19.
Genesis goes on to account for the restoration from chaos, of the earth in the literal seven day period, for human habitation.
Now, what does all of this have to do with anything?
Well the angels have lived far longer than the entire human race, and certainly far longer than any single individual. The angels have had access to the entire universe. The angels have been witness to all of history. Even when Jesus arrived on this earth in the first advent, the fallen angels (demons) demonstrated respect toward Him. They were not disrespectful, but knew indeed who He was, and that He was their ultimate judge and executioner.
Man knows right from wrong. Man knows his own limitations. But man in his arrogance can be unbelievably presumptuous and disrespectful not only toward God, but to his fellow man. Human history is filled with the power driven lusts of people.
With the vast universe just hanging in the night sky, we can all see how small and insignificant we are, and yet people will ignore the obvious, and fight over the little puddle we call earth. People will hold on to their ideologies, to their beliefs, to their opinions, to whatever it is that they have hung on to throughout their lives, even in the face of documented evidence to the contrary.
Such is mans self imposed barrier preventing him from seeing the truth of life.
That is one of your greatest barriers, preventing your spiritual growth, your stubbornness to listen and to learn.
The Bible proposes many truths regarding history. Information external to the Bible support an extensive history regarding our little planet. Even though there are many interpretations that are ridiculous, like evolution, there is a great deal of evidence that supports sound Christian creation doctrine.
However, Peter points out here that people who lack information, will be more opinionated than angels who possess personal experience with historical information, even the angels that have already been condemned.
Angels, both elect and fallen, respect God and His authority.
Man invents religions, cults, weird ideas concerning life and even his own role in life, all of which are direct insults to truth.
Monday, January 19, 2009
2 Peter 2:10
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:10
10 But [de] chiefly [malista] them that walk [poreuomai] after [opiso] the flesh [sarx] in [en] the lust [epithumia] of uncleanness [miasmos], and [kai] despise [kataphroneo] government [kuriotes]. Presumptuous [tolmetes] are they, selfwilled [authades], they are not [ou] afraid [tremo] to speak evil [blasphemeo] of dignities [doxa]. KJV-Interlinear
10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, NASB
Among those who are disobedient toward God and truth, are the arrogant.
All sin finds its foundation is arrogance, but there are those who are extremely indignant toward anyone or anything that is successful in life, toward anyone of anything that possesses any form of authority, and especially against anyone or anything that possesses more than they, whatever that ‘more’ might be.
Indulgent in the corrupt desires, is not limited to the lasciviousness's of this world, but to refers to anything that sits in opposition toward God, Christ, doctrine or the spiritual life. This includes all categories of sin and human good.
When the lightning of justice does not strike immediately, then people in opposition toward Christianity, grow confident in their opposition toward God and everything that Christianity stands for. They oppose Christian principles, tradition, and especially everything that smacks of Christ.
Even believers who are growing up, and especially spiritually young believers, can adopt bizarre beliefs that have no substance within them. They are easily snared by some popular belief, only because it is popular, or perhaps because they were brought up believing in it.
The only defense against adoption of false concepts, is the continued daily study with an open mind and willingness and desire to learn what God has to teach.
Of the many first things you learn in Christianity, is that if you wish to learn, then you must develop a genuine desire to ‘want’ to learn. With a desire, then you follow up by adopting your own motivation and self-discipline to go after truth. Reading the Bible, in its entirety is a good start. You would be surprised as to how many believers have never even read the entire Bible. And of those who have, they will retain only a small percentage of the information they have read.
The spiritual life is not a one time read through, and then you are done. It is a lifetime commitment, and nothing less.
Those who complain, those who criticize, those who make a point of letting everyone know of their disagreement, are the ones that know the least, and are unwilling to learn. They are the self-willed, the presumptuous, self-appointed experts, and intolerant.
They dare to challenge, and they are not intimidated by any power or authority, but rather place themselves in opposition to established truths, legitimate truths not popular views (which are generally not truths).
All unbelievers, all followers of religions of the world, fit this description. They oppose Christianity, or are simply indifferent toward it, and therefore place themselves in opposition to the one and only true God. That is the quintessence of arrogance and stupidity.
Any human being has been on this earth for only a few decades. No human being has lived throughout the entirety of human history, let alone any history that has occurred prior to humanity. And yet there is a vast majority who think that they know everything about contemporary history, ancient history, and pre-historic history.
Peter has given us examples of angels that have failed, and the angels are far superior to the human race in their intellect, in their lifespan, in virtually every aspect of their existence, and still despite these greater attributes, many of the angels failed.
How is it that humanity who is inferior to angels, presumes that he knows as much or more?
People who live on planet earth today, have been here for only a few years or decades. How is it than any of us, can presume to know anything that is wise, especially if the only source of wisdom (the Bible), has not been thoroughly studied?
And yet, people are opinionated, and place their opinions ahead of their knowledge, and will even get angry to the point of quitting Christianity, because they have been somehow offended.
When a person discontinues their search for truth, then they open themselves up to the untruths of life. When the untruths of life seize you, then your courage against truth grows to such a point that you don’t even fear God.
Tyrants of bad nations do not fear other nations. Hardened criminals do not fear the workings of law. Couples do not fear the principles of marriage. Society redefines the principles of family. Leaders redefine the role of government.
Anything built on a false foundation, will eventually crumble under its own weight. That is when the big trouble begins for individuals, or for nations.
No one is above the laws which God has ordained. No one can redefine them.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:10
10 But [de] chiefly [malista] them that walk [poreuomai] after [opiso] the flesh [sarx] in [en] the lust [epithumia] of uncleanness [miasmos], and [kai] despise [kataphroneo] government [kuriotes]. Presumptuous [tolmetes] are they, selfwilled [authades], they are not [ou] afraid [tremo] to speak evil [blasphemeo] of dignities [doxa]. KJV-Interlinear
10 and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, NASB
Among those who are disobedient toward God and truth, are the arrogant.
All sin finds its foundation is arrogance, but there are those who are extremely indignant toward anyone or anything that is successful in life, toward anyone of anything that possesses any form of authority, and especially against anyone or anything that possesses more than they, whatever that ‘more’ might be.
Indulgent in the corrupt desires, is not limited to the lasciviousness's of this world, but to refers to anything that sits in opposition toward God, Christ, doctrine or the spiritual life. This includes all categories of sin and human good.
When the lightning of justice does not strike immediately, then people in opposition toward Christianity, grow confident in their opposition toward God and everything that Christianity stands for. They oppose Christian principles, tradition, and especially everything that smacks of Christ.
Even believers who are growing up, and especially spiritually young believers, can adopt bizarre beliefs that have no substance within them. They are easily snared by some popular belief, only because it is popular, or perhaps because they were brought up believing in it.
The only defense against adoption of false concepts, is the continued daily study with an open mind and willingness and desire to learn what God has to teach.
Of the many first things you learn in Christianity, is that if you wish to learn, then you must develop a genuine desire to ‘want’ to learn. With a desire, then you follow up by adopting your own motivation and self-discipline to go after truth. Reading the Bible, in its entirety is a good start. You would be surprised as to how many believers have never even read the entire Bible. And of those who have, they will retain only a small percentage of the information they have read.
The spiritual life is not a one time read through, and then you are done. It is a lifetime commitment, and nothing less.
Those who complain, those who criticize, those who make a point of letting everyone know of their disagreement, are the ones that know the least, and are unwilling to learn. They are the self-willed, the presumptuous, self-appointed experts, and intolerant.
They dare to challenge, and they are not intimidated by any power or authority, but rather place themselves in opposition to established truths, legitimate truths not popular views (which are generally not truths).
All unbelievers, all followers of religions of the world, fit this description. They oppose Christianity, or are simply indifferent toward it, and therefore place themselves in opposition to the one and only true God. That is the quintessence of arrogance and stupidity.
Any human being has been on this earth for only a few decades. No human being has lived throughout the entirety of human history, let alone any history that has occurred prior to humanity. And yet there is a vast majority who think that they know everything about contemporary history, ancient history, and pre-historic history.
Peter has given us examples of angels that have failed, and the angels are far superior to the human race in their intellect, in their lifespan, in virtually every aspect of their existence, and still despite these greater attributes, many of the angels failed.
How is it that humanity who is inferior to angels, presumes that he knows as much or more?
People who live on planet earth today, have been here for only a few years or decades. How is it than any of us, can presume to know anything that is wise, especially if the only source of wisdom (the Bible), has not been thoroughly studied?
And yet, people are opinionated, and place their opinions ahead of their knowledge, and will even get angry to the point of quitting Christianity, because they have been somehow offended.
When a person discontinues their search for truth, then they open themselves up to the untruths of life. When the untruths of life seize you, then your courage against truth grows to such a point that you don’t even fear God.
Tyrants of bad nations do not fear other nations. Hardened criminals do not fear the workings of law. Couples do not fear the principles of marriage. Society redefines the principles of family. Leaders redefine the role of government.
Anything built on a false foundation, will eventually crumble under its own weight. That is when the big trouble begins for individuals, or for nations.
No one is above the laws which God has ordained. No one can redefine them.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
2 Peter 2:9
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:9
9 The Lord [kurios] knoweth [eido] how to deliver [rhoumai] the godly [eusebes] out of [ek] temptations [peirasmos], and [de] to reserve [tereo] the unjust [adikos] unto [eis] the day [hemera] of judgment [krisis] to be punished [kolazo]: KJV-Interlinear
9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, NASB
God is able to identify the just from the unjust. God is able to identify and distinguish between the incorrigible, the incurable, the self-righteous, the misguided, the misled, the foolish, and so forth. God is able to determine the true nature, intent, and design of the individual heart, and apply the appropriate blessing, discipline or judgment.
Whether out of trillions, or billions, or millions, or just a single person, God has all of the facts and God is able to make the right decisions regarding each and every creature in all of the universe and in heaven.
You cannot hide behind your presumptions or self-willed opinions concerning life. God deals in truth and in nothing else. Truth is the perfect matching up of facts with reality. It rejects arbitrary interpretations, theories, opinions, and guesswork.
Over the course of your life, you will establish the pattern or lifestyle that you will accept for your own life, by means of your own thinking and actions, or lack of them.
God knows the changes you will or will not make for your life, and armed with facts of your decisions, and His foreknowledge of your life, He is able to determine and order the destiny that is perfectly matched for you.
God gives us all time, doctrine and volition, with which to establish our intentions in life. Once we have established our position, then our destiny or fate is sealed.
So long as you are alive, then God has obviously not decided to remove you from this life. You still have hope for yourself, if indeed you need it. Use that time wisely to get your life in order.
Once you leave this life, then there are no do-over's, no repeats, no second chances to live your life over.
Once you leave this life, then your future has been sealed. Hopefully for your sake, that destiny will be the best of the best, rather than loss of blessings, or worse.
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2 Peter 2:9
9 The Lord [kurios] knoweth [eido] how to deliver [rhoumai] the godly [eusebes] out of [ek] temptations [peirasmos], and [de] to reserve [tereo] the unjust [adikos] unto [eis] the day [hemera] of judgment [krisis] to be punished [kolazo]: KJV-Interlinear
9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, NASB
God is able to identify the just from the unjust. God is able to identify and distinguish between the incorrigible, the incurable, the self-righteous, the misguided, the misled, the foolish, and so forth. God is able to determine the true nature, intent, and design of the individual heart, and apply the appropriate blessing, discipline or judgment.
Whether out of trillions, or billions, or millions, or just a single person, God has all of the facts and God is able to make the right decisions regarding each and every creature in all of the universe and in heaven.
You cannot hide behind your presumptions or self-willed opinions concerning life. God deals in truth and in nothing else. Truth is the perfect matching up of facts with reality. It rejects arbitrary interpretations, theories, opinions, and guesswork.
Over the course of your life, you will establish the pattern or lifestyle that you will accept for your own life, by means of your own thinking and actions, or lack of them.
God knows the changes you will or will not make for your life, and armed with facts of your decisions, and His foreknowledge of your life, He is able to determine and order the destiny that is perfectly matched for you.
God gives us all time, doctrine and volition, with which to establish our intentions in life. Once we have established our position, then our destiny or fate is sealed.
So long as you are alive, then God has obviously not decided to remove you from this life. You still have hope for yourself, if indeed you need it. Use that time wisely to get your life in order.
Once you leave this life, then there are no do-over's, no repeats, no second chances to live your life over.
Once you leave this life, then your future has been sealed. Hopefully for your sake, that destiny will be the best of the best, rather than loss of blessings, or worse.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
2 Peter 2:7-8
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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2 Peter 2:7-8
7 And [kai] delivered [rhoumai] just [dikaios] Lot [Lot], vexed [kataponeo] with [hupo] the filthy [aselgeia] conversation [anastrophe] of the wicked [athesmos]:
8 (For [gar] that righteous man [dikaios] dwelling [egkatoikeo] among [en] them [autos], in seeing [blemma] and [kai] hearing [akoe], vexed [basanizo] his righteous [dikaios] soul [psuche] from day [hemera] to [ek] day [hemera] with their unlawful [anomos] deeds [ergon];) KJV-Interlinear
7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds), NASB
God rescued Lot from the disgusting surroundings that he lived in, despite Lots own decisions that created his predicament.
There is more here than meets the eye.
Peter mentioned Lot, but dose not mention the source scripture that the story comes from. Like most believers of his day, he presumes that people are familiar with the story, and therefore do not need coddling in order to make his point.
Far too often you will run into folks that will demand documentation for your words. If they were truly interested, then they would research out a matter (objectively), but it is often much easier to question the speaker and make them do your homework, rather than figuring out life for yourself.
One of the objectives of spiritual growth, is to bring you to a point of self-independence from the views of this world. That means you assume the responsibility to get the answers you need to the questions you have, rather than simply rejecting a statement and ignoring the possible answers, because you are too lazy to go after them.
Lot is in this situation. Recall the story from Gen. 13. Actually it begins earlier than that chapter, but that is a good starting point.
Lot lived with Abraham on the western side of the Jordan River valley. To their east lay a vast plain in which Sodom and various cities existed.
Abraham and Lot knew very well, the reputations of the peoples (their neighbors), that lived there.
Lot decided that they did not have enough room for their combined flocks and herds. He wanted to separate from Abraham and go to the plains to the east. Abraham gave him his choice, and Lot chose Sodom.
Lot moved there and remained there. In our current verse, Peter explains that Lot was emotionally burdened (oppressed), daily, by the social habits of the people that lived there.
But, Lot did not move away.
Later in Genesis we read that Lot was taken captive by an invading force, which came into that valley, and sacked several of the cities, taking many captives.
Abraham went after the invading force and rescued Lot and everyone else, along with all of their property.
Lot had many warnings that the place in which he lived was not a good place. The people of the region had many warnings to turn for their corrupt ways.
Everyone seems to ignore the warnings.
Then came the angels and the decision to destroy the cities of the valley. Abraham prayed for the righteous (those who were saved individuals). Lot was the target of his prayer, obviously. And God graciously granted Abrahams prayer.
Lot was saved, but not because he deserved it, but primarily because of Abrahams prayer.
Lot moved into corruption. Lot remained in corruption. Lot suffered as a result of living among corruption, and yet God graciously delivered him.
Corruption is not limited to the city of Sodom, but follows the pattern of rejection of truth.
We all live in a corrupt world. Most of the world is anti-Christian (Sodom). Most of Christianity is indifferent, or has adopted various weird or compromising ideas (Lot) about their own faith. Most Christians resist leaving their own beliefs, wanting someone else to search out the truth for them (Abraham).
Some angels were locked away in the Abyss and have been there for all of human history, and probably longer. The reasons for their imprisonment are never revealed in the scriptures. Some angels disobeyed and were locked up in Tartarus. We presume that the first group was locked up for some other type or similar disobedience. Why does anyone get locked up in prison?
Humanity was disobedient to the maximum and was destroyed. Sodom citizens were corrupt, by their own choice, and they were destroyed. Lot moved to corruption, remained there, but he was set apart because of his former faith, and thus was delivered. His wife was not so lucky.
All of us are given a constant stream of warnings in life, that are intended to keep us on track with our spiritual lives, and to prevent failure from all of our flagrant, indifferent, or just dumb ideas about life.
The ideas from this world are nothing more than a constant burden as Lot was exposed to. The only way to free yourself from that burden, is through a daily study of doctrine, an open mind, and lots of patience.
If you are genuinely positive toward God, then even despite your failures in life, and you will have lots of failures (we all do), God is faithful to deliver you not only from the corruption of this world, but from the stupidity of your own decisions.
But then isn’t it a good deal less trouble for you, if you don’t make dumb mistakes in life?
Growing up helps you in that regard.
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2 Peter 2:7-8
7 And [kai] delivered [rhoumai] just [dikaios] Lot [Lot], vexed [kataponeo] with [hupo] the filthy [aselgeia] conversation [anastrophe] of the wicked [athesmos]:
8 (For [gar] that righteous man [dikaios] dwelling [egkatoikeo] among [en] them [autos], in seeing [blemma] and [kai] hearing [akoe], vexed [basanizo] his righteous [dikaios] soul [psuche] from day [hemera] to [ek] day [hemera] with their unlawful [anomos] deeds [ergon];) KJV-Interlinear
7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds), NASB
God rescued Lot from the disgusting surroundings that he lived in, despite Lots own decisions that created his predicament.
There is more here than meets the eye.
Peter mentioned Lot, but dose not mention the source scripture that the story comes from. Like most believers of his day, he presumes that people are familiar with the story, and therefore do not need coddling in order to make his point.
Far too often you will run into folks that will demand documentation for your words. If they were truly interested, then they would research out a matter (objectively), but it is often much easier to question the speaker and make them do your homework, rather than figuring out life for yourself.
One of the objectives of spiritual growth, is to bring you to a point of self-independence from the views of this world. That means you assume the responsibility to get the answers you need to the questions you have, rather than simply rejecting a statement and ignoring the possible answers, because you are too lazy to go after them.
Lot is in this situation. Recall the story from Gen. 13. Actually it begins earlier than that chapter, but that is a good starting point.
Lot lived with Abraham on the western side of the Jordan River valley. To their east lay a vast plain in which Sodom and various cities existed.
Abraham and Lot knew very well, the reputations of the peoples (their neighbors), that lived there.
Lot decided that they did not have enough room for their combined flocks and herds. He wanted to separate from Abraham and go to the plains to the east. Abraham gave him his choice, and Lot chose Sodom.
Lot moved there and remained there. In our current verse, Peter explains that Lot was emotionally burdened (oppressed), daily, by the social habits of the people that lived there.
But, Lot did not move away.
Later in Genesis we read that Lot was taken captive by an invading force, which came into that valley, and sacked several of the cities, taking many captives.
Abraham went after the invading force and rescued Lot and everyone else, along with all of their property.
Lot had many warnings that the place in which he lived was not a good place. The people of the region had many warnings to turn for their corrupt ways.
Everyone seems to ignore the warnings.
Then came the angels and the decision to destroy the cities of the valley. Abraham prayed for the righteous (those who were saved individuals). Lot was the target of his prayer, obviously. And God graciously granted Abrahams prayer.
Lot was saved, but not because he deserved it, but primarily because of Abrahams prayer.
Lot moved into corruption. Lot remained in corruption. Lot suffered as a result of living among corruption, and yet God graciously delivered him.
Corruption is not limited to the city of Sodom, but follows the pattern of rejection of truth.
We all live in a corrupt world. Most of the world is anti-Christian (Sodom). Most of Christianity is indifferent, or has adopted various weird or compromising ideas (Lot) about their own faith. Most Christians resist leaving their own beliefs, wanting someone else to search out the truth for them (Abraham).
Some angels were locked away in the Abyss and have been there for all of human history, and probably longer. The reasons for their imprisonment are never revealed in the scriptures. Some angels disobeyed and were locked up in Tartarus. We presume that the first group was locked up for some other type or similar disobedience. Why does anyone get locked up in prison?
Humanity was disobedient to the maximum and was destroyed. Sodom citizens were corrupt, by their own choice, and they were destroyed. Lot moved to corruption, remained there, but he was set apart because of his former faith, and thus was delivered. His wife was not so lucky.
All of us are given a constant stream of warnings in life, that are intended to keep us on track with our spiritual lives, and to prevent failure from all of our flagrant, indifferent, or just dumb ideas about life.
The ideas from this world are nothing more than a constant burden as Lot was exposed to. The only way to free yourself from that burden, is through a daily study of doctrine, an open mind, and lots of patience.
If you are genuinely positive toward God, then even despite your failures in life, and you will have lots of failures (we all do), God is faithful to deliver you not only from the corruption of this world, but from the stupidity of your own decisions.
But then isn’t it a good deal less trouble for you, if you don’t make dumb mistakes in life?
Growing up helps you in that regard.
Friday, January 16, 2009
2 Peter 2:6
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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2 Peter 2:6
6 And [kai] turning [tephroo] the cities [polis] of Sodom [Sodoma] and [kai] Gomorrha [Gomorrha] into ashes [tephroo] condemned [katakrino] them with an overthrow [katastrophe], making [tithemi] them an ensample [hupodeigma] unto those that after should [mello] live ungodly [asebeo]; KJV-Interlinear
6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter; NASB
God judged the angels for their disobedience. He judged the ancient world for their disobedience, and here Peter explains that Sodom and Gomorrha, Gen. 19, and all of the rest of the cities of that vast plain, Jude 7, were destroyed as an example to all of the rest of us, so we can know what to expect if we decide that disobeying God is the right choice for our lives.
The area that is currently known as the dead sea, was formerly a vast lush and grassy plain. In the time of Abraham and Lot, this area was occupied by several cities.
Lot chose to move to this huge valley and Abraham chose to remain on the Mediterranean side of the mountains that separated the Sodom region, from the region west of the Jordan River.
These cities were filled with corrupt people. Their sins were so great and flagrant, that they had virtually no morals, conscience or any regard or their actions.
One day, their luck, so to speak, ran out. God had been patient with them for a long while. Even Lots presence had no impact on their character. And then the cities were visited and destroyed so thoroughly, that there was nothing but ashes left.
Anyone walking through the region could not even identify their remains because the destruction was so thorough.
At some point later in history, that whole valley collapsed into one of the deepest locations, below sea level, in the world, and whatever remains of those cities, couldn’t be located even if we tried to find them. Ashes under water, don’t leave much of anything for archeologists to discover, except drilled hole core samples, if even that.
The importance of Sodom is not in finding them, but in the lesson their moral corruption, taught.
No one ever gets away with evil. No matter whether your evil is veiled in little white lies or is of a more dastardly nature, is irrelevant. Evil is evil and corruption is corruption, and all of that type of characteristic is destroyed thoroughly and completely, and as in this example, lost totally to history.
If we never had any mention of their existence, we would never have known that those cities even existed. They would have remained undiscoverable forever.
And such is the destiny of evil people. The most evil of all are unbelievers. Their evil is in their rejection of truth, which is Christ. One day, they will vanish from history, and it will be as though they never existed. They will be totally forgotten, as all believers advance into their own destiny in eternity.
Likewise, for believers who are negative in their spiritual life, their former lives, regardless of their success, will be forgotten. Evil and its production, in believers, will never be carried forward into heaven. All of the popular want-to-be’s in life will lose their popularity. Their approbations will cease, and their celebrityship, their titles, their worldly attributes, will cease.
There is no place for untruths, for mans boasting, for arrogance, for worldly standards of any kind, in heaven.
Your opinions, your attitudes, your self-defined standards for life will cease when you finally leave this life. And by the way, what was the inheritance of the citizens of Sodom? Zip.
They were not humble, but arrogance and opinionated. They were not honorable, but disrespectful. They were not open minded, but rigidly biased and prejudiced, superficial and shallow, against all forms of truth not to mention the opinions of others.
The Bible in its entirety, issues a stern warning as to what will become of you, if you discard humility and doctrine in your life.
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2 Peter 2:6
6 And [kai] turning [tephroo] the cities [polis] of Sodom [Sodoma] and [kai] Gomorrha [Gomorrha] into ashes [tephroo] condemned [katakrino] them with an overthrow [katastrophe], making [tithemi] them an ensample [hupodeigma] unto those that after should [mello] live ungodly [asebeo]; KJV-Interlinear
6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly thereafter; NASB
God judged the angels for their disobedience. He judged the ancient world for their disobedience, and here Peter explains that Sodom and Gomorrha, Gen. 19, and all of the rest of the cities of that vast plain, Jude 7, were destroyed as an example to all of the rest of us, so we can know what to expect if we decide that disobeying God is the right choice for our lives.
The area that is currently known as the dead sea, was formerly a vast lush and grassy plain. In the time of Abraham and Lot, this area was occupied by several cities.
Lot chose to move to this huge valley and Abraham chose to remain on the Mediterranean side of the mountains that separated the Sodom region, from the region west of the Jordan River.
These cities were filled with corrupt people. Their sins were so great and flagrant, that they had virtually no morals, conscience or any regard or their actions.
One day, their luck, so to speak, ran out. God had been patient with them for a long while. Even Lots presence had no impact on their character. And then the cities were visited and destroyed so thoroughly, that there was nothing but ashes left.
Anyone walking through the region could not even identify their remains because the destruction was so thorough.
At some point later in history, that whole valley collapsed into one of the deepest locations, below sea level, in the world, and whatever remains of those cities, couldn’t be located even if we tried to find them. Ashes under water, don’t leave much of anything for archeologists to discover, except drilled hole core samples, if even that.
The importance of Sodom is not in finding them, but in the lesson their moral corruption, taught.
No one ever gets away with evil. No matter whether your evil is veiled in little white lies or is of a more dastardly nature, is irrelevant. Evil is evil and corruption is corruption, and all of that type of characteristic is destroyed thoroughly and completely, and as in this example, lost totally to history.
If we never had any mention of their existence, we would never have known that those cities even existed. They would have remained undiscoverable forever.
And such is the destiny of evil people. The most evil of all are unbelievers. Their evil is in their rejection of truth, which is Christ. One day, they will vanish from history, and it will be as though they never existed. They will be totally forgotten, as all believers advance into their own destiny in eternity.
Likewise, for believers who are negative in their spiritual life, their former lives, regardless of their success, will be forgotten. Evil and its production, in believers, will never be carried forward into heaven. All of the popular want-to-be’s in life will lose their popularity. Their approbations will cease, and their celebrityship, their titles, their worldly attributes, will cease.
There is no place for untruths, for mans boasting, for arrogance, for worldly standards of any kind, in heaven.
Your opinions, your attitudes, your self-defined standards for life will cease when you finally leave this life. And by the way, what was the inheritance of the citizens of Sodom? Zip.
They were not humble, but arrogance and opinionated. They were not honorable, but disrespectful. They were not open minded, but rigidly biased and prejudiced, superficial and shallow, against all forms of truth not to mention the opinions of others.
The Bible in its entirety, issues a stern warning as to what will become of you, if you discard humility and doctrine in your life.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
2 Peter 2:5
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
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2 Peter 2:5
5 And [kai] spared [pheidomai] not [ou] the old [archaios] world [kosmos], but [alla] saved [phulasso] Noah [Noe] the eighth [ogdoos] person, a preacher [kerux] of righteousness [dikaiosune], bringing in [epago] the flood [kataklusmos] upon the world [kosmos] of the ungodly [asebes]; KJV-Interlinear
5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; NASB
Some sixteen-hundred and fifty-six years after Adam was created, a great flood occurred on the earth. We call this the flood of Noah, since he was the principle person mentioned in the Bible surrounding the time of the flood.
God saw the corruption of mankind. Humanity had presumed to sin with impunity and the patterns of evil were only getting worse and worse. God told Noah that the world would have only 120 years left before judgment would come. At that time, Methuselah was about 849 years old. He had only 120 years left in his life as God would graciously take him just prior to the flood.
Noah represented a minority of only eight positive believers on the planet when he boarded the ark. Presumably there were others, just as Methuselah was, but God took them in the normal course of their lives prior to the flood.
Since Adam left the Garden, there must have been a huge population explosion, since humanity lived for over 1600 years until the flood. What the population was, is anyone's guess. But what we know was that people lived very long life spans. That means they were probably very healthy. That implies that they had lots of children. And that implies a huge population growth during those sixteen centuries.
We are not told the total numbers, but with common sense, we can see that there is an immediate contrast in the number of people who will be saved (eight), and the number of people destroyed in the flood (perhaps millions, perhaps many more).
Having lots of people on your side, or agreeing with the majority of the general opinions of the world, will not save you from Gods judgment.
Noah and his wife boarded the ark. His three sons and their three wives (six people), boarded the ark. That makes eight people out of perhaps millions.
Also, we read between the lines and from common sense again, we know that there would be old folks, middle age folks, young folks and even babies within the population that did not board the ark.
God is not cruel, but God is just, and in His judgment of all of humanity for their corruption, He was correct in His decision to destroy the wickedness that existed on the earth. Otherwise, corruption would have destroyed everyone.
Recall verse one in our chapter. Corrupt people bring destruction on themselves. And here we see the other side of the coin as God brings destruction on evil people.
God gives every person an opportunity to get their life in order. They had 120 years to make the corrections to their beliefs. They rejected God and doctrine, as it was made available to them in their day.
The ark was the first and only of its kind. Rain had never before occurred on the earth as everything was watered through springs and mists, etc. So the idea of rain was something to ridicule. After all, how can the air possibly hold buckets of water. A silly thought!!
And yet Noah and his family continued to build an ark despite the ridicule and despite never having seen rain, or even understanding what it was. They continued to build for 120 years. More than enough time to convince those who refused to believe, and more than enough time to test the faith of Noah’s family.
Evil will be judged regardless of its number. God is steadfast in His policies of truth and unyielding in his policies against rejection of truth.
Whether you are an unbeliever or an indifferent believer, or a stubborn believer with odd ideas about life, makes no difference. Rejection for truth will result in the appropriate judgment or discipline against you, whichever is appropriate.
You cannot reject truth, you cannot live your life as only you see fit, without repercussions.
God is immutable. That means that truth does not change for your convenience. Gods policies of today, are the very same policies that He imposed on humanity back in Noah’s day. Gods policies of today, are the very same as His policies against the angels, when they disobeyed.
Truth is truth. There is not one set of rules for angels and another set of rules for humanity. There is not one set of rules for ancient history, and another set of rules for contemporary history.
And so Peter is laying out a very clear policy for life. Obey and follow Gods rules and reap the blessings that accompany that life style, or remain indifferent, disregard Gods rules for life and suffer the consequences.
The choices are always yours, but the results are under Gods control.
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2 Peter 2:5
5 And [kai] spared [pheidomai] not [ou] the old [archaios] world [kosmos], but [alla] saved [phulasso] Noah [Noe] the eighth [ogdoos] person, a preacher [kerux] of righteousness [dikaiosune], bringing in [epago] the flood [kataklusmos] upon the world [kosmos] of the ungodly [asebes]; KJV-Interlinear
5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; NASB
Some sixteen-hundred and fifty-six years after Adam was created, a great flood occurred on the earth. We call this the flood of Noah, since he was the principle person mentioned in the Bible surrounding the time of the flood.
God saw the corruption of mankind. Humanity had presumed to sin with impunity and the patterns of evil were only getting worse and worse. God told Noah that the world would have only 120 years left before judgment would come. At that time, Methuselah was about 849 years old. He had only 120 years left in his life as God would graciously take him just prior to the flood.
Noah represented a minority of only eight positive believers on the planet when he boarded the ark. Presumably there were others, just as Methuselah was, but God took them in the normal course of their lives prior to the flood.
Since Adam left the Garden, there must have been a huge population explosion, since humanity lived for over 1600 years until the flood. What the population was, is anyone's guess. But what we know was that people lived very long life spans. That means they were probably very healthy. That implies that they had lots of children. And that implies a huge population growth during those sixteen centuries.
We are not told the total numbers, but with common sense, we can see that there is an immediate contrast in the number of people who will be saved (eight), and the number of people destroyed in the flood (perhaps millions, perhaps many more).
Having lots of people on your side, or agreeing with the majority of the general opinions of the world, will not save you from Gods judgment.
Noah and his wife boarded the ark. His three sons and their three wives (six people), boarded the ark. That makes eight people out of perhaps millions.
Also, we read between the lines and from common sense again, we know that there would be old folks, middle age folks, young folks and even babies within the population that did not board the ark.
God is not cruel, but God is just, and in His judgment of all of humanity for their corruption, He was correct in His decision to destroy the wickedness that existed on the earth. Otherwise, corruption would have destroyed everyone.
Recall verse one in our chapter. Corrupt people bring destruction on themselves. And here we see the other side of the coin as God brings destruction on evil people.
God gives every person an opportunity to get their life in order. They had 120 years to make the corrections to their beliefs. They rejected God and doctrine, as it was made available to them in their day.
The ark was the first and only of its kind. Rain had never before occurred on the earth as everything was watered through springs and mists, etc. So the idea of rain was something to ridicule. After all, how can the air possibly hold buckets of water. A silly thought!!
And yet Noah and his family continued to build an ark despite the ridicule and despite never having seen rain, or even understanding what it was. They continued to build for 120 years. More than enough time to convince those who refused to believe, and more than enough time to test the faith of Noah’s family.
Evil will be judged regardless of its number. God is steadfast in His policies of truth and unyielding in his policies against rejection of truth.
Whether you are an unbeliever or an indifferent believer, or a stubborn believer with odd ideas about life, makes no difference. Rejection for truth will result in the appropriate judgment or discipline against you, whichever is appropriate.
You cannot reject truth, you cannot live your life as only you see fit, without repercussions.
God is immutable. That means that truth does not change for your convenience. Gods policies of today, are the very same policies that He imposed on humanity back in Noah’s day. Gods policies of today, are the very same as His policies against the angels, when they disobeyed.
Truth is truth. There is not one set of rules for angels and another set of rules for humanity. There is not one set of rules for ancient history, and another set of rules for contemporary history.
And so Peter is laying out a very clear policy for life. Obey and follow Gods rules and reap the blessings that accompany that life style, or remain indifferent, disregard Gods rules for life and suffer the consequences.
The choices are always yours, but the results are under Gods control.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
2 Peter 2:4
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:4
4 For [gar] if [ei] God [theos] spared [pheidomai] not [ou] the angels [aggelos] that sinned [hamartano], but [alla] cast them down to hell [tartaroo], and delivered [paradidomi] them into chains [seira] of darkness [zophos], to be reserved [tereo] unto [eis] judgment [krisis]; KJV-Interlinear
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; NASB
God does not withhold judgment when judgment is due.
God is however, merciful and gives you lots of room with which to form your life. And given that room, or time, over the course of your life, when you finally arrive at its end, then you have no excuse for the decisions you have made during your life.
At life's end, all the tears, all the pleading, all of the emotional genuflexing (knees bent to the floor in total humility) you may try in order to give yourself another chance, will fall on deaf ears.
Peter goes through several historical examples of this principle. God gives us all time, enough time to get our life in order. During our life, we establish a pattern of a lifestyle for our life and though we may deviate from that pattern from time to time, the overall pattern will stick with us because our decisions and attitudes and so forth, establish that pattern of thought.
None of us are perfect. All of us fail from time to time. Even if you pursue your spiritual life with a vigor, you will still stumble from time to time. But God does not evaluate you based on your occasional failure, but on your overall life.
Likewise if you ignore your spiritual life, and occasionally recognize a Biblical principle from time to time, this will not result in your spiritual growth, nor cancel Gods bad evaluation of you. Your choices in life are what you subscribe to over the long term.
Therefore, do not think that you can ignore God all of your life and then suddenly go off to heaven and make your changes there, in order to get better grades, as it were.
Peter’s first example comes from the angels that sinned. The reference comes from Jude 13.
Here, Peter uses a word that has its roots in Greek mythology. ‘Tartaroo,’ is a Greek word that refers to a place where anyone who is extremely disobedient, is sent. It is a place of deep darkness and is located deep in the bowels of the earth. In our study of Hades, Tartarus is one of the four compartments located in Hades.
Hades is a broad term referring to the underworld. Hades has four compartments within it – Paradise, Torments, Tartarus, and the Abyss.
Paradise used to be the temporary home of Old Testament believers called prisoners, who were led out of captivity by Christ after the event of the Cross. They are now in heaven and Paradise is now empty.
Torments, is and remains the temporary home of unbelievers from all of human history. There they remain waiting their final judgment at the Great White Throne, which will occur at the end of the Millennium.
The Abyss houses the badest of the bad, of all fallen angels. They have been there for a very long time even prior to the beginning of human history. They will get a temporary release during the Tribulation (two-hundred million demons, Rev. 9:16, released under their general Abaddon), and they will cause tremendous terror and death to humanity. Upon their release, their sole purpose, immediate and without hesitation, is the destruction of the human race as one-third of the human race will be murdered, Rev. 9:18. They will again be jailed by Christ for the same one-thousand years as Satan is jailed, and there await their final judgment at the Great White Throne.
By the way, we do not know anything about these demon angels. Only that they are extremely bad, and have been locked up during all of human history. Presumably, so they could not interfere with humanity.
Tartarus, houses those fallen angels of Genesis six. These are the angels in focus in our current verse. They disobeyed God and had relationships with human females, producing the monsters or half breeds of human and angel offspring . Those half breeds (half human and half angel) are the heroes or famous people of whom the stories of old came from. You might want to review Gen. 6.
Those angels, disobeyed God, by breeding with humans, which implies that they were not supposed to breed with humans. That should be obvious. They were rounded up and cast into a pit of darkness, which is called Tartarus.
There they remain until their final judgment, which again is the Great White Throne, which is the final appearance before Christ for all the condemned. The Lake of Fire is their sentence.
Now there are only three groups of folks imprisoned. Unbelievers are in Torments for their unbelief. The disobedient angels are in Tartarus for their disobedience and interference with human history. And, then we have the angels who are bound in the Abyss. Those Abyss occupants may (only guessing here) very well be imprisoned for their disobedience in prehistoric history.
Now, I offer a bit of speculation here. I know that some do not like my speculation, but it can be fun just to wonder about various things.
Since we know that the dinosaur age pre-existed our human age, and that the dinosaur age was destroyed. And, given that we have to incorporate the fall of Satan and his angels into that dinosaur age, somehow, then we can speculate that it may have been those bad angels, who are in the Abyss, who had something to do with the demise of the dinosaurs. What impact they had, what relationship they had to earth’s history, we haven’t a clue. Were they incarcerated for their interference?
Somehow, I don’t think that they were just observers of prehistoric life on the earth. But then, how they interfered is anyone's guess.
In Genesis 1 the earth was created along with the universe and it was created perfect, then it became null and void (destroyed) and Satan was blamed for this result. So I believe that these angels had a part in this destruction.
Anyway, back to our verse.
What is the whole point of all of this? Whether speculation of reality, we know that disobedience is punishable and when punishment is decreed, it is not removed or cancelled out.
The angels in Tartarus have been there since before the flood of Noah, and there they remain until their judgment, which Peter herein states, they are reserved for. They are on hold, waiting the execution order of their sentence.
And by the way, they are in chains of darkness. This is a reference to an extreme darkness, in which there is no light. Chains, which is the darkness itself, are thick and heavy and from which there is no escape, and no rescue is possible.
God is light, and when you have been removed from His light, then there is total darkness, no orientation, no frame of reference, no knowledge, no wisdom, nothing. There is only total aloneness and captivity. And from this captivity there is no quality of life, nothing. Even the angels who have been allowed to wander on this earth, express fear, to Jesus, of this place. So it is an extremely fearful place. One in which we cannot imagine.
Peter states this so that you will know that your disobedience, your indifference, your playing games with God now, your being argumentative, in this life, is a big, big, big, big mistake.
There is a greater history and precedence before you ever existed. Don’t presume that you are above any of that.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:4
4 For [gar] if [ei] God [theos] spared [pheidomai] not [ou] the angels [aggelos] that sinned [hamartano], but [alla] cast them down to hell [tartaroo], and delivered [paradidomi] them into chains [seira] of darkness [zophos], to be reserved [tereo] unto [eis] judgment [krisis]; KJV-Interlinear
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; NASB
God does not withhold judgment when judgment is due.
God is however, merciful and gives you lots of room with which to form your life. And given that room, or time, over the course of your life, when you finally arrive at its end, then you have no excuse for the decisions you have made during your life.
At life's end, all the tears, all the pleading, all of the emotional genuflexing (knees bent to the floor in total humility) you may try in order to give yourself another chance, will fall on deaf ears.
Peter goes through several historical examples of this principle. God gives us all time, enough time to get our life in order. During our life, we establish a pattern of a lifestyle for our life and though we may deviate from that pattern from time to time, the overall pattern will stick with us because our decisions and attitudes and so forth, establish that pattern of thought.
None of us are perfect. All of us fail from time to time. Even if you pursue your spiritual life with a vigor, you will still stumble from time to time. But God does not evaluate you based on your occasional failure, but on your overall life.
Likewise if you ignore your spiritual life, and occasionally recognize a Biblical principle from time to time, this will not result in your spiritual growth, nor cancel Gods bad evaluation of you. Your choices in life are what you subscribe to over the long term.
Therefore, do not think that you can ignore God all of your life and then suddenly go off to heaven and make your changes there, in order to get better grades, as it were.
Peter’s first example comes from the angels that sinned. The reference comes from Jude 13.
Here, Peter uses a word that has its roots in Greek mythology. ‘Tartaroo,’ is a Greek word that refers to a place where anyone who is extremely disobedient, is sent. It is a place of deep darkness and is located deep in the bowels of the earth. In our study of Hades, Tartarus is one of the four compartments located in Hades.
Hades is a broad term referring to the underworld. Hades has four compartments within it – Paradise, Torments, Tartarus, and the Abyss.
Paradise used to be the temporary home of Old Testament believers called prisoners, who were led out of captivity by Christ after the event of the Cross. They are now in heaven and Paradise is now empty.
Torments, is and remains the temporary home of unbelievers from all of human history. There they remain waiting their final judgment at the Great White Throne, which will occur at the end of the Millennium.
The Abyss houses the badest of the bad, of all fallen angels. They have been there for a very long time even prior to the beginning of human history. They will get a temporary release during the Tribulation (two-hundred million demons, Rev. 9:16, released under their general Abaddon), and they will cause tremendous terror and death to humanity. Upon their release, their sole purpose, immediate and without hesitation, is the destruction of the human race as one-third of the human race will be murdered, Rev. 9:18. They will again be jailed by Christ for the same one-thousand years as Satan is jailed, and there await their final judgment at the Great White Throne.
By the way, we do not know anything about these demon angels. Only that they are extremely bad, and have been locked up during all of human history. Presumably, so they could not interfere with humanity.
Tartarus, houses those fallen angels of Genesis six. These are the angels in focus in our current verse. They disobeyed God and had relationships with human females, producing the monsters or half breeds of human and angel offspring . Those half breeds (half human and half angel) are the heroes or famous people of whom the stories of old came from. You might want to review Gen. 6.
Those angels, disobeyed God, by breeding with humans, which implies that they were not supposed to breed with humans. That should be obvious. They were rounded up and cast into a pit of darkness, which is called Tartarus.
There they remain until their final judgment, which again is the Great White Throne, which is the final appearance before Christ for all the condemned. The Lake of Fire is their sentence.
Now there are only three groups of folks imprisoned. Unbelievers are in Torments for their unbelief. The disobedient angels are in Tartarus for their disobedience and interference with human history. And, then we have the angels who are bound in the Abyss. Those Abyss occupants may (only guessing here) very well be imprisoned for their disobedience in prehistoric history.
Now, I offer a bit of speculation here. I know that some do not like my speculation, but it can be fun just to wonder about various things.
Since we know that the dinosaur age pre-existed our human age, and that the dinosaur age was destroyed. And, given that we have to incorporate the fall of Satan and his angels into that dinosaur age, somehow, then we can speculate that it may have been those bad angels, who are in the Abyss, who had something to do with the demise of the dinosaurs. What impact they had, what relationship they had to earth’s history, we haven’t a clue. Were they incarcerated for their interference?
Somehow, I don’t think that they were just observers of prehistoric life on the earth. But then, how they interfered is anyone's guess.
In Genesis 1 the earth was created along with the universe and it was created perfect, then it became null and void (destroyed) and Satan was blamed for this result. So I believe that these angels had a part in this destruction.
Anyway, back to our verse.
What is the whole point of all of this? Whether speculation of reality, we know that disobedience is punishable and when punishment is decreed, it is not removed or cancelled out.
The angels in Tartarus have been there since before the flood of Noah, and there they remain until their judgment, which Peter herein states, they are reserved for. They are on hold, waiting the execution order of their sentence.
And by the way, they are in chains of darkness. This is a reference to an extreme darkness, in which there is no light. Chains, which is the darkness itself, are thick and heavy and from which there is no escape, and no rescue is possible.
God is light, and when you have been removed from His light, then there is total darkness, no orientation, no frame of reference, no knowledge, no wisdom, nothing. There is only total aloneness and captivity. And from this captivity there is no quality of life, nothing. Even the angels who have been allowed to wander on this earth, express fear, to Jesus, of this place. So it is an extremely fearful place. One in which we cannot imagine.
Peter states this so that you will know that your disobedience, your indifference, your playing games with God now, your being argumentative, in this life, is a big, big, big, big mistake.
There is a greater history and precedence before you ever existed. Don’t presume that you are above any of that.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
2 Peter 2:3
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:3
3 And [kai] through [en] covetousness [pleonexia] shall they with feigned [plastos] words [logos] make merchandise [emporeuomai] of you [humas]: whose [hos] judgment [krima] now of a long time [ekpalai] lingereth [argeo] not [ou], and [kai] their [autos] damnation [apoleia] slumbereth [nustazo] not [ou]. KJV-Interlinear
3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. NASB
Whenever you stand up for truth in any way, there will be a line of folks ready and willing to confront you.
Without any background preparation, without any basis for their confrontation, without any reasonable purpose, there are those who will challenge the believer in order to intimidate them into backing down from their beliefs, or to cause embarrassment against them in the public eye.
The phrases, ‘feigned words,’ or ‘exploit with false words,’ really says it all.
Feigned means pretended, insincere, craftily contrived and so forth. And even though their words of challenge are in fact false, in their own minds they seem very reasonable.
The Bible is a large volume of many books. It contains thousands of verses, principles, concepts, and so forth. It would be impossible and unreasonable to cite every passage every time when you are discussing any given subject. The only way anyone can know what you are speaking about, is if they have the same access to the same background text, that you have.
Then, with both parties speaking from the same page, as it were, your conversation can have merit and meaning.
However, lets look to Jesus and the Pharisees. They had a confrontation. Jesus stated very plainly that He was the Son of God. He proved it with many miracles, which no human being could duplicate.
The Pharisees had the same scriptures that spoke of Him, but they had one more thing that prevented their understanding. They had arrogance.
They had their own beliefs as to what they expected from God, and from the expected Messiah. So they chose to reject truth, and they advanced their own beliefs to their own detriment.
You do not have to be a celebrity or someone in high office to be anti-God. In fact most of the world is anti-God and most of those folks have only their own personal views of life which guide them.
They choose to see what they want to see, and they argue the heck out of anyone they do not agree with. They will go so far as to mis-state or distort the words of the one they are disagreeing with.
Peter calls their bias here, greed, and that is really all that it is. Anyone who rejects truth, has a greed for their own views, which is nothing more than a bias for their own beliefs. That means simply that they will refuse to be objective, will refuse to listen, and therefore will be very nearly unteachable.
In general, leaders have an agenda for their rejection of truth. They want power, money, fame and such things. But the common person gains none of these things when they argue with truth. They have only their ego, which is supported by their arrogance of refusal to listen and be taught.
We live in a day of political correctness. People get insulted easily, especially when you say something that they believe in. Take politics for example, if person A likes a candidate, and person B says something negative about that candidate, then person A gets mad at B. You can apply this to any topic – sports, movies, music, food, hobbies, anything you can think of.
But in the grand scheme of things are any of these things really important? No. Not one of them advances you in your spiritual life. Agree or disagree about things in life, but do not allow that to interfere with your spiritual growth. Your eternal future is far more important than any, repeat, than any earthly subject that you can think of.
Peter reminds you here and now, that your judgment, your evaluation, your destiny, was established long ago. Long ago means in eternity past when God laid out His divine decrees.
No matter what candidate you like or dislike, no matter what color you like or dislike, no matter what you like or dislike in this world, your worldly preferences are irrelevant.
You have but one objective and that is to advance in your spiritual life.
You were born at least once, and hopefully born again into Christ. You will also leave this world someday. At that time you will face Jesus and your final evaluation. This you cannot avoid.
Life is not going to rubber stamp your beliefs so you can have everything your way, but if anything, will insult your beliefs, which is better for you, so you can get off your ego and onto a mode of humility so you can advance in your spiritual life.
Anything anti-God has an agenda of greed and selfishness designed to derail your life. Don’t subscribe to it.
Your future evaluation or judgment, whichever applies to you, is already on the calendar – Gods calendar.
He brought you into this world and He will remove you at His convenience.
The only real question is, will you use your time for growing up in your spiritual life, or will you use your time for acting like a baby when your feelings get hurt. Only you can make that choice. And if you make the wrong choices in life, you have only yourself to blame.
The Bible says that the word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword. That sword is designed to cut out your whining and surgically install spiritual toughness.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 2:3
3 And [kai] through [en] covetousness [pleonexia] shall they with feigned [plastos] words [logos] make merchandise [emporeuomai] of you [humas]: whose [hos] judgment [krima] now of a long time [ekpalai] lingereth [argeo] not [ou], and [kai] their [autos] damnation [apoleia] slumbereth [nustazo] not [ou]. KJV-Interlinear
3 and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. NASB
Whenever you stand up for truth in any way, there will be a line of folks ready and willing to confront you.
Without any background preparation, without any basis for their confrontation, without any reasonable purpose, there are those who will challenge the believer in order to intimidate them into backing down from their beliefs, or to cause embarrassment against them in the public eye.
The phrases, ‘feigned words,’ or ‘exploit with false words,’ really says it all.
Feigned means pretended, insincere, craftily contrived and so forth. And even though their words of challenge are in fact false, in their own minds they seem very reasonable.
The Bible is a large volume of many books. It contains thousands of verses, principles, concepts, and so forth. It would be impossible and unreasonable to cite every passage every time when you are discussing any given subject. The only way anyone can know what you are speaking about, is if they have the same access to the same background text, that you have.
Then, with both parties speaking from the same page, as it were, your conversation can have merit and meaning.
However, lets look to Jesus and the Pharisees. They had a confrontation. Jesus stated very plainly that He was the Son of God. He proved it with many miracles, which no human being could duplicate.
The Pharisees had the same scriptures that spoke of Him, but they had one more thing that prevented their understanding. They had arrogance.
They had their own beliefs as to what they expected from God, and from the expected Messiah. So they chose to reject truth, and they advanced their own beliefs to their own detriment.
You do not have to be a celebrity or someone in high office to be anti-God. In fact most of the world is anti-God and most of those folks have only their own personal views of life which guide them.
They choose to see what they want to see, and they argue the heck out of anyone they do not agree with. They will go so far as to mis-state or distort the words of the one they are disagreeing with.
Peter calls their bias here, greed, and that is really all that it is. Anyone who rejects truth, has a greed for their own views, which is nothing more than a bias for their own beliefs. That means simply that they will refuse to be objective, will refuse to listen, and therefore will be very nearly unteachable.
In general, leaders have an agenda for their rejection of truth. They want power, money, fame and such things. But the common person gains none of these things when they argue with truth. They have only their ego, which is supported by their arrogance of refusal to listen and be taught.
We live in a day of political correctness. People get insulted easily, especially when you say something that they believe in. Take politics for example, if person A likes a candidate, and person B says something negative about that candidate, then person A gets mad at B. You can apply this to any topic – sports, movies, music, food, hobbies, anything you can think of.
But in the grand scheme of things are any of these things really important? No. Not one of them advances you in your spiritual life. Agree or disagree about things in life, but do not allow that to interfere with your spiritual growth. Your eternal future is far more important than any, repeat, than any earthly subject that you can think of.
Peter reminds you here and now, that your judgment, your evaluation, your destiny, was established long ago. Long ago means in eternity past when God laid out His divine decrees.
No matter what candidate you like or dislike, no matter what color you like or dislike, no matter what you like or dislike in this world, your worldly preferences are irrelevant.
You have but one objective and that is to advance in your spiritual life.
You were born at least once, and hopefully born again into Christ. You will also leave this world someday. At that time you will face Jesus and your final evaluation. This you cannot avoid.
Life is not going to rubber stamp your beliefs so you can have everything your way, but if anything, will insult your beliefs, which is better for you, so you can get off your ego and onto a mode of humility so you can advance in your spiritual life.
Anything anti-God has an agenda of greed and selfishness designed to derail your life. Don’t subscribe to it.
Your future evaluation or judgment, whichever applies to you, is already on the calendar – Gods calendar.
He brought you into this world and He will remove you at His convenience.
The only real question is, will you use your time for growing up in your spiritual life, or will you use your time for acting like a baby when your feelings get hurt. Only you can make that choice. And if you make the wrong choices in life, you have only yourself to blame.
The Bible says that the word of God is alive and powerful, sharper than any two edged sword. That sword is designed to cut out your whining and surgically install spiritual toughness.
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