Bill Fitzhenry's Thoughts For Today…

Understanding important truths from the Bible….

II Peter 2:4-19 NKJV

4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;

6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;

7 and delivered righteous Lot,who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked

8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)—

9then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,

11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.
12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption,

13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you,

14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.

15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.
18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.

19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

Yesterday, 9/15/11, was marked for me by two things. It was my wife’s birthday and the vain babbler from Houston appeared for a short interview on a national TV show. He is in New York City to promote his latest book.

After repeatedly watching the interview it is evident to me that he is intellectually bankrupt. He represents something, Positive Thinking, New Age, or something I do not know. This I do know – he does not in any way represent Christianity. I must say I wonder who ghost writes his books and prepares his sermons for him.

Peter in verse 4 begins illustrating and describing the judgment of God on false teachers and certain characteristics of their activity. The two great judgments of the Old Testament guarantee absolutely the inescapable judgment determined for false teachers.

There are certain characteristics that have been, and always will be, associated with false teachers. They are:

1. Lust and uncleanness – vs 10 A. This is primarily sexual uncleanness.

2. They recognize no authority higher than themselves. Vs 10-11. The fool Benny Hinn is bold and presumptuous in commanding Satan and his followers to act as he commands.

3. They are ignorant and bring about their own destruction by their ignorance. Vs 12

4. They are made bold by their ability to deceive to the extent that practice their deception and impurity openly in the Church. Vs 13

5. They are ruled by covetousness. Vs 14-16 Please read these verses. Some familiarity with what is written here will give you insight into the practices that are prevalent with these evil men.

6. Intellectually they are empty, unstable, lustful, and slaves of depravity. Vs 17-19.

Some men described here will show all of the traits mentioned. Some will show some of the character with its activity. Some will be able to mask and hide most if not all for a great period of time. But by and by the truth will out. Lurking in the Scriptures is I John 2:19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

This fearful passage guarantees disclosure of the heretic to the church.

Beginning with his denial of Christ’s sovereign blood-bought ownership to a wasted life the false teacher is present with us to deceive and destroy. He has no redeeming virtue. His end is destruction. And your responsibility is to know him and avoid him.