Introduction

Good morning, everyone. Today, we will be reading 2 Peter chapter 2. If you have grasped our method of reading the Bible, such as identifying the theme, you will find that Peter's writings are particularly difficult to find a central theme. You do not know what he wants to say, and he digresses, seemingly saying a lot of beautiful words, but they do not seem to be related to the main topic.

Today, I discovered that Peter wants to tell us to be careful of false prophets and false teachers, but if this is his topic, then his arguments are very chaotic. Reading it over and over again is confusing. So, someone typed: "Teacher, is Peter telling us to be careful of himself?" Actually, we really need to be careful of Peter, don't we?

Beware of False Prophets and False Teachers

Peter wants to warn brothers and sisters to be careful of false prophets, false teachers, and heresies. What kind of person is qualified to tell us this? It is someone who is very certain that they are orthodox and that they possess the truth. From this perspective, you will find that Peter really thinks he is orthodox. Peter never thinks he is wrong; he feels he is qualified to tell you what heresy is, what to be careful of, and what false prophets and false teachers are. This logic itself is problematic, assuming from the outset that he is not a heretic and that he is orthodox. Isn't this very dangerous?

Don't look at Peter's repentance or that he is about to be martyred for the Lord. In fact, until his death, he did not know where he was wrong. This is why we feel confused after reading it. Next, I will go through it point by point, and after I finish, you will say, "Oh, that's really how it is." I don't want everyone to think that I possess the truth, nor do I think I possess the truth. Some people say, "You don't think you have the truth, so why should we listen to you?" Everyone, please don't listen to me. I feel that listening to me is not right. But let's explore together and build a system of faith together, shall we?

From Genesis to the Five Books of Moses, to the books of the prophets, the Gospels, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the writings of Peter and Paul. After you sort it out, if you truly understand it, building a system will not be confusing. This is why we study the Bible and the word of God so diligently among us, to build a system.

What happens when heresy comes and disturbs us? This is not a matter of being careful; it is a matter of whether our understanding is clear or not. Peter says to be careful. How to be careful? The best way to be careful is to explore and constantly learn and know God. If you know God, who can deceive you? No one can deceive you. Knowing me is useless. What's the use of knowing me? My face does not represent the truth. If you have time, you should read the Bible carefully and build the entire system of faith.

I am telling you where the problem lies in Peter's words, which is not to believe blindly. Someone often says to me, "That's in the Bible. Are you sure you're right?" I'm not right. But one thing is right: do we understand it or not? Many people read 1 Peter and 2 Peter, and they think they understand, but when you ask them, they don't understand. If I don't understand, I tell the truth. Do you understand now? So, Peter wants to warn, but what he warns about is very chaotic.

What is heresy? Peter's understanding of heresy is too superficial. If you put a real banknote and a counterfeit banknote together, the naked eye cannot tell which is real and which is fake. If you draw a hundred-yuan bill with an oil pen and put it next to a real banknote, is that a counterfeit banknote? No, it is not. What is a counterfeit banknote? It is one that looks exactly like a real banknote. If you go to a bank ATM and deposit a banknote drawn with an oil pen, the bank teller will immediately throw it back at you, right?

Is Following Lewd Conduct Heresy?

Are Sodom and Gomorrah heresy? There is no "end" to it; you don't need to discern or be careful. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to drag the two angels out for lewd conduct, which was already extremely lewd. Do you still need heresy? There is no "end" to it; it is not even within the realm of proper conduct. These people seem to have no spirituality and are born as animals, with their eyes full of lust. If you come to church and your eyes are full of lust, can't you tell? If someone is giving you the eye, can't you tell? You don't even need to look to know, right? Is this heresy? It is not within the realm of proper conduct. Peter's teaching is confusing, and you definitely won't understand it.

And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. (2 Peter 2:2)

In the broader Christian environment, many heresies are labeled. Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses are said to be heresies, but when I come into contact with these Mormons, I feel that they believe in the Lord with much life. I really don't see any lewdness or flirtatious behavior in them; they are all upright people. When I go online to see the testimonies of those from Almighty God, I don't see anyone with lewdness. I have never seen them engaging in very wicked things. On the contrary, many who are not in the church commit lewdness, and they have nothing to do with us. Do you understand? So, 2 Peter is written in a chaotic manner.

The men of Gibeah insisted on dragging out the Levite's concubine and letting the whole city rape her. Is that heresy? That is not heresy. So, Peter's argument is immediately confused. He takes these obvious things, which are unacceptable not only in the church but also outside the church, within the normal moral framework, right? So, what is Peter arguing about? What is he warning about? Can these people be false teachers? They cannot. It's like a hundred-yuan bill drawn with an oil pen. At first glance, it's clear that it's not a teacher. False prophets, false teachers, false Christs, and antichrists all have Jesus Christ, with a very sanctimonious appearance. Following lewd conduct is not within the realm of proper conduct.

Is Being Greedy for Profit Heresy?

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. (2 Peter 2:3)

Can that be called heresy? You will know it is a scam before long. The so-called heresies I have seen, or even some churches that consider themselves orthodox, do more charity than we do. For example, in Taiwan, in some disaster-stricken areas, Buddhist donations are more than Christian donations. Is that being greedy for profit? It doesn't sound right.

Today, brothers and sisters, we must know that things are not so obvious. Following lewd conduct is very obvious, and being greedy for profit is also very obvious. This is where the problem lies. I have to say something fair: many of these Buddhists, their hearts are actually quite kind. Do they have selfish motives? Actually, whether it's Christians or any other "ists," selfish motives are hard to deal with. But based on the way this person acts, the appearance of Buddhists being greedy for profit is not obvious, because being greedy for profit is not within the realm of proper conduct.

Angels Sinned and Were Thrown into Hell

For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; (2 Peter 2:4)

This statement is very problematic. If angels who sinned were thrown into hell, why are they so rampant on earth? If they were thrown into hell and sealed up, are there still demons on earth? Are there still fallen angels? No.

Later, in my research, I discovered that after these angels sinned and fell, where do they reside? They reside in people's hearts. This is what we call the "heart demon." So, do they reside in hell or in people's hearts? The theological system of 2 Peter is extremely chaotic. Peter's mind, he just came up with this off the top of his head. If he came up with tofu brains, I would praise him. What kind of logic is this? What does it mean to be reserved for judgment? Angels, does God judge angels? What does God judge them for? God judges people.

God created all things, making everything beautiful in its time, including these fallen angels. What kind of work do fallen angels do? They are still particularly useful in the church today. They do the work of cleaning up garbage. These are the fallen angels. In Peter's logical system, he feels that God will judge these things, which sounds extremely chaotic. These angels have no salvation at all. Salvation is for people. So, why create these fallen angels, and create people, and create all kinds of trees, and create a whole bunch of things? It is to let these things work together and then let those who love God be chosen. So, the church is here on earth to select treasures.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but threw the bad away. (Matthew 13:47-48)

Do you understand now? I don't know where Peter got this from. Jesus rarely taught these things. I have hardly heard Jesus teach these things. He just feels that angels are bad.

Was There Heresy in Noah's Time?

and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; (2 Peter 2:5)

In Noah's time, did those people believe in heresy? No. Peter's words are very strange. The flood came upon the ungodly world, which was a world of materialism and violence. It was not about godliness or ungodliness. Do you understand? But he protected Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness.

I ask you: What did Noah preach in that era? Preach righteousness? Noah's family should just hurry up and save themselves. I'm not sure if he preached righteousness, but this kind of argument is actually a very strange argument. So, even now, many people want to inherit Peter's theological system and want to save everyone.

We carefully read Genesis and do not see Noah preaching righteousness. Noah was just building the ark every day. If you want to come and see, you can come and see. If you don't want to come and see, that's fine. Noah's time had nothing to do with heresy, and it had nothing to do with false prophets or false teachers. It was clearly a violent era, and it had nothing to do with righteousness.

Was the Era of Sodom and Gomorrah a Problem of Heresy?

Was Noah's time a problem of heresy? Was it a problem of false prophets or false teachers? It had nothing to do with it. If the college entrance examination essay topic was "Be careful of false prophets, be careful of false teachers, be careful of heresy," Peter's essay would definitely fail. Don't look at how much he wrote; after a little analysis, it's all irrelevant information pulled together. Sodom and Gomorrah had nothing to do with heresy. On the contrary, I think Lot had some problems at that time. What kind of stuff is Peter's brain filled with? This is called being unlearned and unskilled, and then putting together a bunch of words. Can you teach people to be careful of heresy by teaching like this? You can't.

Noah's time was not a problem of heresy, and the time of Sodom and Gomorrah was not a problem of heresy. Is Peter unlearned and unskilled? I tell you, he is really not a cultured person. He is not a knowledgeable person. He likes to write a bunch of beautiful words and talk about a bunch of things without knowing what the focus is. I assume he wants to tell us to warn brothers and sisters to be careful of heresy, be careful of false prophets and false teachers, but what he argues about is completely off-key. Sodom and Gomorrah was an era where people wanted to drag out angels and rape them, an era where homosexuality was rampant, which even ordinary moral concepts cannot tolerate.

The current era is rife with obscene videos, yet it pales in comparison to the depravity of Sodom and Gomorrah as depicted in the Bible. Imagine tourists arriving in those cities, only to be subjected to the desires of every man, woman, and child. The sheer variety of perversions is sickening.

Even heretics do not engage in such acts. I have not witnessed such behavior even among Muslims, Taoists, or Buddhists. Instead, I observe these things occurring in places disconnected from faith.

Abraham exemplified faith in action, not merely seeing fertile land but envisioning God's blessing. Lot seized the fertile land, chasing wealth in Sodom, consumed by greed. Peter, was he addled? He disrupted the church, meddling in those established by Paul. Why? To solicit offerings for his livelihood, becoming a freelance preacher.

From where did Peter derive his conclusions? Did Lot preach the gospel in Sodom? Where does it say he grieved over the wicked deeds of these people? I find no such indication in Genesis. If you discern Peter's interpretation, enlighten me, and I will humbly learn. Lot was hardly a righteous man. The original text states that God rescued Lot for Abraham's sake, not because of Lot's righteousness. What righteousness did he possess?

Lot alone felt self-satisfied: "See how well I raised my daughters, virgins in such a depraved place." He considered himself remarkable. If he deemed the place so depraved, why did he go there? Moreover, he integrated himself, even managing the city gates. This utterly confounds Peter's theological framework. Lot was Abraham's nephew, not a righteous man, but one who forfeited his Mingding Doctrine. Abraham possessed a Mingding Doctrine, a clear purpose for his life. Lot, however, lived solely for money.

How is Slandering Authority Related to Heresy?

"These people are audacious and arrogant, not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when they bring a charge against them before the Lord. But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish. They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!" (2 Peter 2:10-14)

Even among today's heretics, I do not see the slandering of authority. Too many are confused by such talk. I realized that many read the Bible haphazardly, then gather to pray, uttering phrases derived from Peter's legacy of bad habits. Grand, ornate terms are used in prayer, merely competing for eloquence, serving no purpose. Praying for an hour without repetition—impressive, isn't it? You have surely witnessed it.

Are Angels More Powerful and Almighty?

Peter's mind is fixated on a logical system where angels are superior. On Earth, only humans are created in God's image; other beings are modeled after angels—celestial dogs, cats, horses. Many earthly things are modeled after celestial counterparts. For example, there are dung beetles on Earth and in the spiritual realm. There are weasels on Earth and weasel spirits in the heavens. Humans are created in God's image, while other earthly animals are modeled after celestial animals, after celestial angels.

I ask you, who is more honorable, humans or animals? Humans are, for they bear God's image. What do angels possess? The likeness of animals. Why, then, are angels considered more powerful and almighty? Are humans or angels superior? Angels are ministering spirits, according to Paul's theology. Paul believed angels are at our service, performing tasks. Peter's entire theological system is utterly confused. He believes that even though angels are more powerful and almighty, they do not bring slanderous accusations before the Lord. What is he talking about?

Did he witness this? No. Someone once preached in church, saying, "Nine hundred ninety-nine out of a thousand go to hell; only one goes to heaven." I asked, "Did you see this?" He said, "No." If you haven't seen it, why speak nonsense? Like Peter's pronouncements. If I were present when Peter wrote 2 Peter, I would ask, "Peter, have you seen this? How do you know?" Peter might reply, "Actually, I don't know." Then why write it? What is your intention? To create such heresy? I particularly dislike speaking without knowledge.

Know that among those I pastor, some exhibit a distinct Peter-like character, prone to speaking without knowing what they are saying. People like me do not speak without knowledge.

So, whether male or female, if you possess Peter's bad habits, correct them. Understand what you are learning, for Peter, lacking study, speaks without knowledge. What does "more powerful" mean? Today, through Jesus Christ, we receive the power of His resurrection. Because of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Who is greater? The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God.

Is Balaam Related to Heresy?

Balaam has no connection to heresy. He was a fortune teller, not a proclaimer of God's word. He was a prophet, and God used him to speak prophetic words, but that has nothing to do with heresy. God merely used his mouth to speak God's words. The Holy Spirit even descended upon Saul, causing him to prophesy. Does that relate to heresy? No. I tell you, churches often revere those who can prophesy, but that is merely God speaking through you; it does not make you great, but merely a vessel.

So, Balaam is unrelated to heresy. He was merely a vessel, uttering prophecies, not because of his greatness, but because of his wretchedness. Today, brothers and sisters, do not pursue such things, thinking you are great for uttering prophecies. Is that the case? No. Many churches revere prophecy and visions, but I am not impressed. Instead of uttering prophecies, go home and read the Bible more. That is my attitude. You will find that I do not encourage you to be prophets, but to prophesy by preaching God's word, not by fortune-telling.

If you do not study the Bible diligently and merely speak prophecies off the top of your head, what do you think? I am not impressed. I am not fond of such things. Someone might ask, "Teacher, I have three job offers; which should I choose?" I will not close my eyes, clasp my hands, and say, "Choose this one! I see a vision." I do not engage in such practices.

Brothers and sisters, deal with your bad habits, shape yourselves, and resemble God. Coming here for fortune-telling? Might as well get a full astrological reading. AI fortune-telling is quite accurate; I have tried it. But what is the use? Can it help you live out God's likeness? No.

In Peter's mind, Balaam was a great prophet. Is that the case? He was a wretched prophet. He was a true prophet, not a false one. He truly spoke what God told him, but it was meaningless. If you pursue such things, I will not stop you, but what good does it do? I would rather share God's words with you, enabling you to see through matters of life and death and walk in Abraham's faith.

So, Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a theology of great understanding. Many churches pursue spiritual gifts, but their endings are often poor, so I am cautious. I diligently study God's word, constructing a theological system that aligns with the Bible. I analyze and find that Peter's teachings are outside the biblical theological system. Jesus did not teach these things; Peter invented them. If there is heresy, I suspect Peter of it.

"It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them." (2 Peter 2:21)

If they knew the way of righteousness, would they not follow it? They do not know it. If you truly knew that a path could lead you to live out God's glory, would you not take it? It would be advantageous. A path promises great wealth, but you are deceived. Why? Because you did not know it was a deception. You do not know the abundant glory in Jesus Christ.

If all of us knew the abundant glory and grace in Jesus Christ, the benefits in Jesus Christ, and that our benefits are not outside of Jesus Christ, would you forsake God for petty gains? It is because you do not know. But Peter believes they know.

I have spoken at length, and if you read this passage, you will find that Peter's words are well-arranged with parallelism, but the content is lacking.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Peter's theology is confused. Do not be swayed by his grand, ornate words, for the theme and content are disjointed. That is the problem.

If I were to warn you to beware of false prophets, false teachers, and heresy, I would tell you that these false prophets will surely tell you to be good people, and false teachers will surely tell you to avoid sexual immorality. But what is the difference between the true and the false? The difference lies in the effectiveness of what they say. Today, the gospel we believe is that through faith in Jesus Christ, we receive the promised Holy Spirit, and through the Holy Spirit, we put to death the deeds of the flesh and live out God's image.

We must gradually enter into the gospel of Christ. The gospel is not merely about going to heaven after death, but about living out God's image while alive. Brothers and sisters, begin to understand that Mingding Doctrine can sift out what Peter and James taught. It is a remarkable theological system. What is most lacking today is a complete theological system. If one can establish a complete theological system, you will not think that Peter's and James' words are so great, for you have not truly understood them. I now understand, not what Peter said, but what Peter did not make clear.

From now on, be careful, and beware of seemingly great and ornate words. Let us return to the foundation of Jesus Christ and rebuild a theological system that aligns with the Bible. We must know why we live, what we believe, and what abundant grace we receive through Jesus Christ.

May God bless you all!

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