2 Peter 2:1-3; Amos 7:10-17, Fact of False Teachers

Peter’s language is specific.  There were false prophets in OT times; there will be false teachers in NT times.  In the former days there were prophets who spoke the word of God.  They heard from God in various ways (dreams, hearing His voice, etc; Heb. 1:1).  In NT days Christ was the fullness of revelation (Heb. 1:1-3) and as His chosen Apostles began to produce a record of Scripture, there was less and less need for prophets and more and more need for those who would teach the apostles doctrine (Ac. 2:42).  Keep that in mind today.  Those who call themselves prophets need to be questioned as to what they mean.  Those who claim to speak for God and whose words are a message in addition to what is recorded in the Bible must be rejected.

What Peter says here, that there will be false teachers among you, should be no surprise nor should we think this an exceptional or unique situation.  Over and over we are warned about this.  Let us not be naïve!

·        Matt. 24:5,11,24: Jesus warned us in the Olivet Discourse, that false Christs and false prophets would come on the scene before His return.

·        Acts 20:28-31: Paul warned of wolves coming in from outside the Church and men rising up from within the Church, speaking perverse things and drawing away the disciples after themselves.

·        2 Cor. 11:13-15: Paul warned of the rise of false apostles, ministers of Satan, who transform themselves into apostles of Christ and ministers of righteousness.

·        1 Tim. 4:1-3: Paul warned of people in the visible Church, in latter times, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.

·        2 Tim. 4:3-4: Paul warned of those who heap up for themselves teachers, teachers who turn the ears of believers from the truth, turning them to believe fables.

·        Titus 1:10-11: Paul warned of idle talkers and deceivers, in this case emphasizing those of the circumcision (Judaizers, the first major attack on Christianity before the Gnostic attack on the rise by the time Peter wrote his second epistle).

·        1 John 2:18-19,26: John refers to those trying those who try to deceive you as antichrists who anticipate the ultimate Antichrist.  Language like this should make it clear that this problem of false teachers/Christs/apostles cannot be taken lightly.

And now we see it in 2 Peter 2-3.  If that is not enough, Peter says there were false prophets.  You may not realize how many of these were referred to in the OT, often by name, called out specifically by God’s spokesmen.  Here is a list.

Num. 22-24: Balaam 1 Kings 22: Zedekiah and 400 others Neh. 6:14: Noadiah Isa. 28:7: priests,  prophets against Isaiah Jer. 14:13-16; 23:11,14: against Jeremiah Jer. 28: Hananiah

Jer. 29: Ahab, Zedekiah, Shemaiah Ezek. 13:1-16: against Ezekiel Amos 7:10-17: Amaziah the priest Micah 3:11: against Micah Zephaniah 3:4: against Zephaniah Etc.