House of Faith Ministries

Peter, it was probably not very difficult for Peter to understand the meaning of it, for it simply reveals human nature at work when placed in a position of authority.

But there is also a deeper meaning to the above verse that reveals to us how the enemy takes advantage of our human natural desires, and then turn what initially were well meaning teachers of the Word of God into carriers of destructive heresies.
 
The first part of the revelation is that of the pattern, there were false prophets in the past so there will be false teachers in the present.
 
The second part of the revelation is, that the introduction of the destructive heresies will take place in secret or unbeknown to them.
 
The third part of the revelation reveals how the devil takes advantage of the misleading doctrines to turn them into the antichrist’s doctrine, which is to deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh.
 
And the final and fourth revelation is the judgment that the Holy Spirit brings upon those who peddle heresies. The end result for them is swift destruction, and this is not necessarily what we think of when we picture what their destruction would eventually be like.
 
For us humans the word death always implies a cessation of labor, for after all, when a person becomes deceased they no longer exist in our present realm, so that for the living they are no longer a personal issue.
 
But for the spirits that do not die, death is not an issue, so that when the Bible refers to unclean spirits and their demonic doctrines being judged, the word used for them is the word destruction, for when their laborious works are destroyed, their works are no longer an issue, even though the demons behind such doctrines might still be around.
 
This is why the demons would say to Jesus, Have You come to destroy us before our time? When they referred to Jesus destroying them, it was their works that they were referring to, for that was what Jesus was destroying. For they knew that their final personal destruction, that is when they are imprisoned forever, would not take place until the final day of God’s judgment takes place.
 
1 John 3:8 “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
 
The first appearance of Jesus was to destroy the works of the devil, and His second advent will be to destroy the devil with all of his cohorts.
 
The swift destruction of the false teachers has more to do with the anointing being removed from their ministries that started teaching under God’s anointing. Due to their selfish ambitions getting involved within their ministries, they allowed into their ministries false teachings that brought about the swift destruction of what little anointing they had.
 
2 Peter 2:2 “And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.”
 
If their swift destruction implies the removal of their anointing, then they will continue on with their ministries, but instead of them proclaiming the truth of God’s Word, their ministry will become one of opposing the truth and the propagation of the devil’s lies.
 
Now, why would well-meaning ministers turn away from the truth of the Word of God and turn their ministries into peddling the devil’s lies by blaspheming the truth of the Word of God?
 
2 Peter 2:3 “By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.”
 
The Holy Spirit reveals to Peter that even though these false teachers have been around a long time, it does not mean that they have not been speedily judged, for as Peter wrote, Their destruction does not slumber!
 
Covetousness has to do with self-gain that often leads to the exploitation of others through the mischaracterization of God’s Word.
 
Which leads us into what prompted Peter to start the second chapter of his second epistle. Let’s take a good look at the verse that preceded our opening Scripture.
 
2 Peter 1:21 “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
 
If I know that the Word of God did not come about by the will of men, and I do, then how could I ever miss use it or abuse it for self-gain?
 
The meat of what I am trying to say is this; a minister that starts ministry with an honest heart and then, for some reason, turns away from the truth for self-gain, does not have a proper understanding of the veracity of the Word of God to begin with. For if they did, it does not make any sense why they would risk judgment.
 
When we are not sure that there are consequences to wrong actions, it makes it easier to fall into the sin of misjudgment. And that is the primary reason why the Lord removes the anointing from the ministry, to let their leaders know that they are abusing or misusing His Word, in the hope that they will come to their senses and repent by turning their ministries back to the foundation of God’s Truth.
 
Unfortunately, many ministries get themselves into debt, by trying to appeal to the masses by worldly means, and by the time that they realize that their problem is that the anointing has left them, it feels like it’s too late for them. For if they give up their misleading ways, that will mean the loss of all that they have worked so hard for, and that is a choice that many are not willing to make, so that their ministries becomes more like a carcass, or what could be called, the night of the living dead.
 
Revelation 3:1 “...I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.”
 
So how do we keep ourselves from getting snared by ministries that have the endorsement of the world, that they are alive, when in reality every anointed believer knows within their heart that they are dead?
 
2 Peter 2:9 “Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment.”
 
Peter, from verse four to verse eight, lists a litany of past judgments that the Lord brought upon those who chose to rebel against His Word; he mentions the angels that sinned and God judged, the ancient world that before the flood rejected His Word and was utterly destroyed, the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and how righteous Lot was delivered from the destruction, then Peter adds, Then the Lord knows how to deliver the righteous out of temptation. 
 
Without faith it is impossible to please God. We need to believe that there are consequences for those who pervert and compromise the Word of Truth, and if we truly believe that, then we will not be partakers of their self-willed ministries, even if we have to endure their rejection for us and not be willing to fit in with them. For if we are accepted by the Lord, and we know it, then we do not need their acceptance.
 
2 Peter 2:15 “They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.”
 
There are many perks offered to those who support ministries that deviated from the truth of the Word of God, from status within the community of believers, to real benefits that profit those who are in the ministry for personal profit.
 
In the first chapter of his second epistle, Peter also offers a litany of the good things that we are commanded to do, like walking in virtue and self-control, as we follow the great and precious promises that our Lord has given to us, for us to follow, as we walk in His godliness, and then Peter reminds us of the real benefits of following the Truth of His Word.
 
2 Peter 1:10-11 “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call an election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”