These cults make you think of all these translations, paraphrases and perversions of the Word of God that are on the market today. They all claim to be the Word of God, but they differ in their translations of the scriptures. So how can they all be the Word of God?
Also, we cannot possibly believe that all these cults today are based on the Word of God, since they teach different things.
With that in mind, we can understand why Paul wrote to young Timothy about this. Look at 1 Timothy 4:1, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, GIVING HEED TO SEDUCING SPIRITS, AND DOCTRINES OF DEVILS.”
Illus: Dr. Joseph Parker, of London, said many years ago, "In the last thirty years I have seen enough dead theories and discarded hypotheses to fill a good-sized cemetery. They entered the world like an amateur band and coughed their way out like a squad of consumptive tramps.”
If Dr. Parker thought we were being besieged by false teachings in his day, what would he think about our day?
Paul told Timothy these things would come in the latter days, and some would depart from the faith to follow these "seducing spirits."
I. THERE SHALL BE
There shall be what? There shall be many false prophets in the last days, before Christ returns for His church.
Look at 2 Peter 2:1-2, we read, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”
These two verses reveal two concerns:
A. NEW TESTAMENT CONCERN
Men in the ministry are like men in other professions. You find good and bad in all professions. False prophets existed during the days of Peter.
For example, if I told you that all doctors and lawyers are good, you would wonder what I have been drinking, because while we know there are some good doctors and lawyers, in these professions there are also a lot of bad ones.
• The same thing goes for the ministry. Some of the greatest people you will find on this earth are ministers, who could be making a lot more money doing something else, but they have dedicated their lives to the preaching of God’s Word to lost mankind.
• At the same time, some of the biggest crooks that you will find on this earth are also claiming to do the same thing.
The fact that Peter speaks of false prophets implies that there were also true prophets, but he is warning us so we can be careful not to follow those who are teaching false doctrines.
One of the most unrecognized problems in the church today is that of corrupt teachings by these false prophets. Today they are allowed to teach all kinds of damnable teachings, and the Christian church will never open their mouths. WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?
It was a problem in Peter's day, and it is an even bigger problem for us today. The Lord recognized this growing problem when He was here.
He said in Matt. 24:11, “And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.”
It was a New Testament concern that the apostles frequently dealt with. Today in many churches you will never hear the man of God trying to warn God’s people of that same danger that is still prevalent.
But not only was it a NEW TESTAMENT CONCERN, also, it was an-
B. OLD TESTAMENT CONCERN
In the Old Testament, we see that they dealt with false prophets by not only condemning them with their mouths, they dealt with them severely.
WHAT DID THEY DO TO THEM?
Look at Deuteronomy 13:1-5. “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee.”
In the Old Testament they stoned them, in our age we make them into icons to be worshipped and adored.
For example, you can show some professing Christians that these “Hucksters” are not preaching the Word of God, and they will still continue to follow them.
It always amazes me that the “pop” music singers can draw the crowds they draw.
Illus: We have seen groups on television and on stage, and they looked like they had not taken a bath in a month. They would scream and holler as if they were having a gallbladder attack, and people call that singing. Thousands of people attend their concerts to see, hear, and smell them.
There is one more thing unbelievable to the Bible believers.
• That is that some television preacher can take 3 or 4 scriptures, out of context, and preach to football stadiums full of people, and have the message broadcast across this nation via television.
• Some of these preachers do not even use any scripture. All they do is give speeches to minority ethnic groups that inspire feelings of dissatisfaction and rebellion, and they call that preaching the gospel. Yet, these people have large followings.
God's Word tells us that we should be concerned about this. We are never to endorse false teaching that is based on emotionalism, or even on racism.
God's Word says there will be imposters among us, who, “... SHALL BRING DAMNABLE HERESIES, EVEN DENYING THE LORD THAT BOUGHT THEM.”
Their goal is twofold:
1. They will introduce heresies
2. They will deny the Lord that bought them
They might teach that we are saved by grace, but they do not stop there. They deny the Lord who purchased our salvation by saying, “We are saved by grace, BUT…..”, and they start to list what we have to do to be saved.
This problem existed in the days of the Old Testament, and of the New Testament church.
IT IS STILL A PROBLEM TODAY!
But it should not surprise us that this is a problem, because the Lord said, “...THERE SHALL BE FALSE TEACHERS AMONG YOU…”
We have looked at THERE SHALL BE, but let us also look at-
II. THEY SHALL DO
The Word of God tells us that they are among us, but what are they doing?
Look at 2 Peter 2:2-3. “And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”
Illus: During the holocaust, thousands of people were led into large gas chambers. Those people had no idea where they were being led. They hardly resisted because they did not know they were headed to their death, until it was too late!
Peter uses the strong word, “pernicious,” which means: “Damnable.”
Look again at how he uses this word. "And many shall follow their permicious (evil, immoral) ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.”
How sad it will be when the multitudes discover they have been misled.
Peter shows us how and why these false prophets do what they do.
A. THROUGH WAYWARDNESS - “...many shall follow them...”
B. THROUGH WICKEDNESS - "... by reason of whom the way of by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken.”
C. THROUGH WEALTH - "And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you...”
We have looked at THERE SHALL BE and THEY SHALL DO, but look at-
III. THEY SHALL BE
We have all heard the expression that hell will be hot for a lot of people. You can mark it down that hell will certainly be hot for these “Hucksters” who have deceived millions. Look at-
A. PETER'S STATEMENT OF JUDGMENT
Peter states that their Judgment is coming.
Look at verse 3b, “…Whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”
Unlike man, God does not pay all His wages every Friday, or even on the first of each month. That does not mean God's judgment is not sure!
Look at Hebrews 9-27, “...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.”
Illus: Multitudes of people have committed sin and crimes, who have never been caught and punished because no one knew who committed the acts, or they could not prove the evil they had committed and bring them to justice. But, God knows every sin anyone has ever committed, and He has proclaimed that payday is on the way!
Illus: A pastor and his wife were going to visit a lady one rainy night. Their little boy was in the back seat. As they stopped and waited at a red light, a car sped up behind them. The car's lights were not on, and he crashed into the back of the pastor's car with such force that it hurled the vehicle down the street. When the little car finally stopped, the pastor got out just in time to see the driver of the other car speed away into the darkness. That person never knew if he killed anyone or not. No one here knows who he was, but God knows, and one day that driver will give account for what he did.
Peter says that their judgment is coming.
B. PETER'S SHOW OF JUDGMENT
HOW DOES HE DO THIS? By showing-
1. GOD SPARED NOT THE ANGELS
Look at verse 4, “For if GOD SPARED NOT THE ANGELS that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.”
2. GOD SPARED NOT THE OLD WORLD
Look at verse 5, “And SPARED NOT THE OLD WORLD, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly”
3. GOD SPARED NOT SODOM AND GOMORRA
Look at verses 6-8. “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.”
Peter shows us the Judgment of God comes to all the ungodly.
The church that allows sinners to feel comfortable in their sin, is not doing what God commanded it to do.
In churches like that you will find the meanest, most wicked people on earth, standing on Sunday morning, singing, "O how I love Jesus”, and all they are doing is singing a lie.
People in our church pews need to be told that God did not:
• SPARE THE ANGELS
• SPARE THE PEOPLE OF NOAH'S GENERATION
And God did not even spare His own Son, as He took our sins upon Himself.
And God is not going to spare those today who are living an ungodly life, or promoting a false religion.
The only way any of us will be spared is through the precious blood of Jesus!
Conclusion:
I. THERE SHALL BE
A. A NEW TESTAMENT CONCERN
B. AN OLD TESTAMENT CONCERN
II. THEY SHALL DO
A. THROUGH WAYWARDNESS
B. THROUGH WICKEDNESS
C. THROUGH WEALTH
III. THEY SHALL BE
A. PETER’S STATEMENT OF JUDGMENT
B. PETER’S SHOW OF JUDGMENT
1. GOD SPARED NOT THE ANGELS.
2. GOD SPARED NOT THE OLD WORLD.
3. GOD SPARED NOT SODOM AND GOMORRA
