Speaking Evil and Utterly Perish 2 Peter 2:12

The apostle Peter continues his discourse on the fate of those who are false prophets who bring “damnable heresies” into the church. In chapter two and verse twelve he becomes more emphatic about what he deems their destiny will be. He wrote:

But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

The verse begins, “But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed,” Peter likens these false teachers to animals that are “absurd, destitute and contrary to reason”. He said their entire reason for being created was to be “captured” brought to “corruption, destruction, and to be perished”. We get this sense from this language that Peter is greatly against these false prophets, and so should he be.

The verse goes on to say, “speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;” As to further explanation of his reason for being against these teachers, Peter said they “speak evil” which is the Greek word “blasphemeo” and means to “speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate, blaspheme, to be evil spoken of” things of which they are “ignorant, do not understand, make error or sin through mistake, and are wrong”. These evil speakers will ultimately be “corrupt, depraved, destroyed, and perished” within their own “corruption” and moral decay.

We should get a sense of the seriousness of the apostle Peter as he shares these words. First he declared that these false prophets would arrive on the scene of the church and noted that they shall be among us. He then told of the fate of those in history who followed such false teaching like the fallen angels, the ungodly in Noah's day, and those in Sodom and Gomorrah. These presumptuous teachers speak evil of dignities things they do not understand, and because they do, their fate will be a destiny of perishing in the very corruption and moral decay they promote.

As we think about these false teachers and ponder their doings, we will benefit by making sure we do not align ourselves with them or their doctrine. Secondly we should be all the wiser to those who bring in heretical doctrine that does not align with the gospel and God's word. There are false teachers and prophets even among us, and by knowing the truth and examining what they teach, we too will be as adamantly opposed to them and their teachings as Peter was.

Next time we learn more about these false prophets, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

 

Until tomorrow...there is more...

 

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