CHAPTER II.

4. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF FALSE TEACHERS WHO SHALL ARISE.

1-3. But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their lascivious doings; by reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of. And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you whose sentence now from of old lingereth not, and their destruction slumbereth not.

I. In this chapter we have a description of the false teachers and of the heresies which should arise in the

Church, and a warning against them. Peter speaks in short and abrupt sentences, and in words of fervid eloquence denounces the wickedness of those who deny " even the Master that bought them," and predicts their certain destruction. But there arose false prophets also among the people. Besides the true prophets "who were moved by the Holy Ghost" (i. 21), there were also false prophets among the people of Israel, like Balaam (Num. xxii.-xxiv.), the 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings xviii. 18-22), etc. The language of Deut. xiii. 1-5 already warns against such false prophets. among you also there shall be false teachers. These teachers were false in a double sense, unauthorized, falsely pretending to be teachers, and also teachers of falsehood. Who. Such as. Shall privily bring in. One word in Greek, implying to bring in secretly and

As

alongside of something else. Only here in N. T., although Paul uses the adjective in Gal. ii. 4 to describe the false brethren secretly brought in. Observe the future tense, —a prophecy of what was still to come. Note also the contrast between this verb here and the expression in Jude 4, "there are certain men crept in privily” (a different Greek root, but compounded with the same preposition). What Peter describes as future, Jude declares as present. Peter foresaw what Jude saw with his own eyes. This is explicit evidence that Jude wrote after Peter. Destructive heresies, or sects of perdition. Literally heresies of destruction, i. e. which lead to destruction. These heresies are destructive to those who bring them in as well as to those who are led astray by them. The Greek word heresy in the N. T. is applied to a religious sect, as the heresy or sect of the Sadducees (Acts v. 17), of the Pharisees (Acts xv. 5; xxvi. 5), and is applied by the Jews to Christians (Act xxiv. 5, 14; xxviii. 22) The word here means factions or partydivisions which have their origin in false doctrine, as in I Cor. xi. 19; Gal. v. 20. The adjective heretical in Tit. iii. 10 has the same meaning. In later usage a heresy is an erroneous belief in regard to some established fundamental religious doctrine, tending to subvert the true faith and to promote schism or separation. Denying. This clause characterizes more precisely the nature of the heretical teaching. The manner of their denial is not exactly defined, but Peter evidently refers to their denial of the historical Christ as being both God and Man, to which John refers in his Epistles (1 John ii. 22, 43; iv. 2, 3; 2 John 7). Even the Master that bought them. Christ is here called Master as in Jude 4. Bought them is added by way of emphasis. The price paid was the precious blood of Christ. (See notes on 1 Pet. i. 18, 19.)

Wordsworth calls attention to the fact that all the Gnostic false teachers of the Apostolic and Post-Apostolic period taught heretical doctrines concerning the divinity, humanity, and atonement of Christ, though not all in the same way. They agreed, however, in this, that they all denied the Master that bought them. The followers of Simon Magus, who may be regarded as the precursors of the Sabellians, taught that the Three Persons of the Trinity were only three revelations of the same divine Person, and thus they denied their Lord. The Doceta, by denying the reality of the human body of Jesus Christ, and asserting that He died only in appearance, denied the Master that bought them. The Nicolaitans by their licentious practices, virtually denied the Incarnation of the Son of God. (See Rev. ii. 6, 15.) The Ebionites, the predecessors of the Socinians and Unitarians, denied the divinity of Christ; while the Cerinthians of Asia separated Jesus from Christ, asserting that Christ descended from the Father upon the man Jesus, at his baptism, in the form of a dove, but that at the end of His ministry the Christ flew away from Jesus, and did not suffer death, but that only the man Jesus suffered on the cross. Bringing upon themselves swift destruction. On swift compare i. 14. These heresies bring not only destruction to others but also upon themselves, and that before they are aware of it, This destruction is not a blotting out of existence, but is the opposite of eternal life. On this verse compare Jude 4. On the doctrine of the Annihilation of the Wicked or Conditional Immortality see notes on 1 Pet. iv. 18.

2. And many shall follow their lascivious doings. False doctrine and a depraved moral life but too often go hand in hand. This was especially the case in the Early Church. (See ii. 18, 19; Jude 4.) These false teachers

confounded Christian liberty with unbridled license. WORDSWORTH: "Some of the Gnostics affirmed that they were perfect, and that as gold is not injured by mud, so, whatever they themselves do, they are not soiled, although they wallow in the mire of lust, and filth of uncleanliness." By reason of whom. This refers specially to those who are led astray, but the false teachers are not excluded. The way of the truth. That is, the Christian religion. Shall be evil spoken of. For enemies of Christianity charge the Christian religion with the sins and deeds of false Christians-the common argument used by the ignorant and thoughtless against the Christian Church.

3. And in covetousness. They were living in covetousness, and governed by it. The love of money, which is a root of all evils, is only one form of covetousness, for this latter includes also the lust of power and pleasure. Covetousness is the greatest curse of the ministerial office. "Impurity and covetousness may be said to divide between them nearly the whole domain of human selfishness and vice" (LIGHTFOOT on Col. iii. 5). Shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you. By deceitful words, alluring and deceiving, they will seek to spread their pernicious doctrines for the sake of gain, aiming to satisfy their covetous desires (ii. 14; Jude 16). Whose sentence now from of old lingereth not. Sinners themselves slumber, thinking that punishment lingers, but the judgment of these false teachers does not tarry, ever since it has been pronounced it is not inactive, it will in due time surely come. And their destruction slumbereth not, Divine retribution is here personified. Destruction is not dozing, half-asleep, but is awake, and like a beast ready to devour its prey, ever watchful, waiting for the appointed hour.

5. GOD WILL SURELY PUNISH THESE WICKED

PERSONS.

4-11. For if God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them down to hell, and committed them to pits of darkness, to be reserved unto judgement; and spared not the ancient world, but preserved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, having made them an example unto those that should live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot, sore distressed by the lascivious life of the wicked (for that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their lawless deeds): the Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment unto the day of judgement; but chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise dominion. Daring, self willed, they tremble not to rail at dignities: whereas angels, though greater in might and power, bring not a railing judgement against them before the Lord.

4. For if God spared not. In verses 4-6 we have three examples of divine punishment: (1) the punishment upon the apostate angels; (2) the flood; and (3) the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The conclusion of the thought is found in the last half of verse 9, but the construction is irregular. We might have expected the conclusion, “much less will He spare these false teachers.” Angels when they sinned. The evil angels are meant. The nature of their sin is described in Jude 6 as consisting in "not keeping their own principality," and in "leaving their proper habitation." The reference here is to the fall of Satan and his angels at the beginning (John viii. 44; I John iii. 8), and not to Gen. vi. 2 as many moderns hold. The passage in Gen. vi. 2 refers to the intermarriage of the Sethites (sons of God) with the Cainites (daughters of men). (Compare Luke xx. 34-36, and see notes on Jude 6, 7.) But cast them down to hell (Tartarus). The literal translation of this verse reads: But having cast (them) down into Tartarus into pits of