2 Peter 2:1-13English
Standard Version (ESV)
2 But false prophets also
arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who
will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought
them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them
the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And
in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from
long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.
4 For if God did not spare
angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell[a]
and committed them to chains[b] of gloomy
darkness to be kept until the judgment; 5 if
he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of
righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the
ungodly; 6 if by turning
the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction,
making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;[c] 7 and
if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the
wicked 8 (for as that
righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous
soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials,[d] and to keep the unrighteous under punishment
until the day of judgment, 10 and
especially those who indulge[e] in the lust
of defiling passion and despise authority.
Bold and
willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 11 whereas angels, though greater
in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before
the Lord. 12 But these,
like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and
destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be
destroyed in their destruction, 13 suffering
wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the
daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions,[f] while they feast with you.
Have
you ever met a false prophet or teacher?
I have not only met one but have had close contact with one. Someone who claimed to have been baptized as
a believer in Christ but totally turned from the teachings of Christ. I never thought it was possible but it
is. The scripture tells us, right here,
that it is possible. I don’t know if
this person ever truly made a commitment of faith or was just doing what
everyone else was doing but at any point the person turned totally away from
the ways of Christ and into a religion that is contradictory to Christ.
The
person ate a my table, laughed with me and shared with me just as the scripture
says. Then, this person turned on me,
talked about me, and tried to destroy me with strong words, as the scripture
predicts. The scripture says we need to
be cautious, we need to watch out for the deceiver and this is so true. I once thought there was hope for this person
to come back to the faith found only in Christ and had prayed for that. Even this morning I was asking God, before I
even got out of bed, how to pray for this person. When I began doing my blog, He answered!!!!!!
So,
how do we pray for this person? Do we
pray for destruction or that the person will come to the Lord? I believe the scripture in this case in
pretty clear as to their end. It is not
up to me for I am not the judge but it is up to the Father in Heaven. What is up to me is that I do not find myself
becoming a part of their deception. I do not have to engage in their games, I
do not have to bow to their desires. I
must be true to the One who is my Lord and Savior. I have to give to Him my all. I must thank Him for His protection, for His
righteousness, for His grace to me. I
must remember that He is the perfect judge who knows all the truth and all the
deception. I must trust that He is in
control. I must pray for those around
this person that they too will not fall into the arms of the deceiver but they
will be true to the One True God. I
praise Him for answering my prayers through the Holy Scriptures! That is what happens when we seek Him with
all our heart! Go forth and serve the
One True God with gladness and joy!!!!
Seeking
Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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