Daily Bread – September 12, 2022 (The Second Day – Genesis 1:6-8) 2 Peter 2:1 – Now, there were also false prophets among the people, just as also false teachers shall be among you, who shall sneak in destructive opinions; also denying the Master Who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. False Teachers Are Like False Prophets Of Old In order to grasp the identity of these false teachers that will be among us, we must understand the false prophets they are compared to. The Greek word ‘pseudoprophetai’ is found ten times in the Septuagint. Although there is no actual Hebrew word conveying the meaning of “false prophet”, it is implied by the context. Of the ten times that ‘pseudoprophetai’ is found in the Septuagint, it occurs nine times in Jeremiah. In this context then, we can further understand the impact of false prophets and the impact they can have. Unfortunately, we discover that the false prophets were accepted while Jeremiah was rejected. The popular opinion of the people refused to accept that they themselves were wrong and needed to repent and conform to the sanctity of and obedience to God’s Word. The issue of God’s controversy against His people has always been over purity and obedience, rather than minor issues or details associated with style and ritual. Jesus warned us to beware of false prophets that look like sheep, but are actually wolves (Matthew 7:15). Jesus also identifies these false prophets as those who His rebellious people spoke well of, warning His disciples to beware of such expectations (Luke 6:26). Jesus credits these false prophets with the ability to do great signs and wonders; thereby, increasing their ability to deceive (Matthew 24:24; Mark 13:22). John associates false prophets with the antichrist power already at work among the churches in his day (1 John 4:1). Just as there were false prophets contemporary with the prophets such as Jeremiah, Peter warns us that there will be false teachers among us. Although the Greek word for false teacher is only found here, Paul describes false teachers in his Epistles to Timothy. The description of false teachers is as follows: 1 – They do not consent to the sound Word of God. 2 – They do not consent to the doctrines of godliness. 3 – They create strife, envy, evil speaking, and suspicion of others. 4 – They suppose gain to be godliness (1 Timothy 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 3:6-7; Titus 1:11). Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread 9/12/2022
