Second Peter chapter 2

^2:1But lying-prophets also came-to-pass among the people, as also lying-teachers will be among you, the-people-who will lead-in-beside (you) sects of destruction, and denying the Master having bought them, leading quick destruction on themselves;

 

^.2and many-people will follow-out with their licentiousnesses, because-of whom the way of the truth will be blasphemed; ^.3and they will merchandize you in covetousness with molded words, to whom the judgment from-old is not workless and their destruction is not drowsy.

A "lying prophet" is a false prophet, one who claims to speak God's words being revealed to him/her concerning the past, present and/or future – but a lying prophet does not speak the only true God’s words to the people, instead he/she speaks lies, false statements. This is in contrast to the true prophets and their prophecies referred to in II Peter 1:20 and 21.

Continuing from the end of II Peter chapter 1, Peter writes:

But lying-prophets also came-to-pass (became, came to be) among the people (referring to the mass or group of people collectively as one unit)…

·         as also lying-teachers (people who falsely claim to teach/instruct with God's Word which would include what was prophesied by the true prophets – but these will be false teachers, instructors who speak falsities, lying about the true Word of God and teaching false statements)

·         will be among you (holy-people, Christians),

o   these lying teachers will lead-in-beside you (they will bring alongside you, even though what they bring into your company will not truly be part of your group; they will slip-by surreptitiously, stealthily, sneakily, but in fact they are against you) – what will they lead in beside you? – 

§  sects of destruction (heresies, choices, opinions or chosen-ways which are different to the traditional way of thinking, used here in the bad sense of choosing what is against God; these sects are described as pertaining to loss, perdition, being utterly lost and ruined away-from God),

·         and the lying teachers will be denying (disowning, negating, rejecting)

o   the Master (this word translated “Master” is despotes, not the Greek word kurios usually translated ‘lord’; “Master” means: the sovereign lord, the absolute-master, the despot, the one who has absolute dominion, supreme authority, and unlimited power; the word emphasizes subjection; here it is referring to the Lord Jesus Christ who is our Master; he is over his own slaves whereby his slaves figuratively have their feet bound in complete subjection to him in service during everyday living)

§  having bought them (as a person buys in a market-place – Jesus Christ paid the price which was himself; he shed his own blood for all, even those who refuse to believe what God says regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus refuse the salvation that is available to them),

·         leading quick (directing, conducting, conveying swift or speedy)

·         destruction on themselves;

…and a lot of people will follow-out (come after, go from everything that has happened)…

·         with/by their licentiousnesses (the debaucheries of the lying teachers who teach according to the lying prophets)

o   on account of whom the way of the truth (the progress, manner of action, method of proceeding pertaining to and consisting of the essential reality, the inherent verity of God and the things of God)

§  will be blasphemed (spoken evilly against, calumniated, treated with lack of Godly reverential respect);

·         and they will merchandize you (perform a traveling trade, drum up business, they will be in business, they will trade to carry-out deals as in an emporium – the object they import into their business and which they will trade will be you holy-people for their own gain)

o   in covetousness (within the cause and sphere of action of a constant wanting to have more than what God provides; it is greed, always grasping and reaching out to get something else more than what is right)

§  with molded words (words formed as from clay, as a potter makes his earthenware vessels, or as plastic molded into different shapes adaptable to their needs, and thus these words have no lasting value),

·         to whom the judgment from-old (the pronounced decision to/for/regarding people who behave in this manner, the sentence passed, the decision made or arrived-at issuing from the judging process, which occurred during a period of time that has now become old)

o   is not workless (idle, inactive – in other words, the judgment is working, it is effective and producing results)

·         and their destruction (loss, perdition, being utterly lost and ruined away-from God)

o   is not drowsy (torpid, dazed – in other words, the time of/for their destruction is alert and ready for the action of its implementation).

[Reference: Jeremiah 23:9-18, 28:9-17; Matthew 7:15, 10:25 and 33, 13:27 and 37, 24:11 and 24; John 3:16; Acts 3:13 and 14, 13:6; Romans 5:6-8, 13:13; I Corinthians 6:20, 7:23; Galatians 2:4, 3:13, 4:3-5, 5:19 and 20; Ephesians 4:11 and 19; Colossians 2:8, 20-23; I Timothy 2:6, 5:8; II Timothy 2:12 and 13, 3:5, 4:3; Hebrews 2:9; James 4:13; I Peter 3:18, 4:3; II Peter 1:16; I John 2:2; Jude 1:4; Revelation 5:9.]