“But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed. For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment. And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood. Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people. But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him. Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day. So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment. He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling.”
False prophets have been spreading lies and misleading God’s people for centuries, and it’s no shock that they’re still doing it today.
Peter doesn’t say there might be false teachers—he says there will be. It’s a guarantee. Throughout the Bible, we see that wherever God is at work, Satan is there trying to mess things up. He’s totally against God and doesn’t back down easily. A good example is in Matthew 5: as soon as Jesus steps off the boat to spread the good news, He’s met by a man possessed by demons. Jesus didn’t even announce He was coming, but Satan’s forces were ready, trying to cause a distraction.
Peter’s warning is just as true today. Maybe more than ever, false teachers are out there spreading lies. Especially with social media!
When we’re going through hard times, we’re more likely to fall for these lies. In our suffering, we’re often looking for quick fixes or answers, and that’s when false teaching can seem the most tempting. That’s why we’ve got to be on guard, especially when life gets tough, because the enemy will try to use our struggles to pull us away from God’s truth.