Introduction

Good morning, everyone. Today, we will be reading 2 Peter, chapter 2. If you are familiar with our method of Bible study, such as identifying the theme, you will find that Peter's writings are particularly difficult to pin down. You are often unsure of his main point, as he seems to wander from topic to topic, uttering a series of beautiful phrases that do not seem to relate to a central theme.

Today, I have discerned that Peter intends to warn us about false prophets and false teachers. However, if this is his thesis, his arguments are quite muddled. Reading through it can be perplexing. Someone even typed, "Pastor, is Peter warning us about himself?" Indeed, we must be cautious of Peter, mustn't we?

Beware of False Prophets and False Teachers

Peter aims to caution the brothers and sisters against false prophets, false teachers, and heresies. But who is qualified to warn us? Only someone who is certain of their own orthodoxy and possesses the truth. Following this line of reasoning, you will realize that Peter genuinely believes himself to be orthodox. He never doubts his own correctness and assumes he is qualified to tell you what constitutes heresy and what to be wary of in false prophets and teachers. This logic is inherently flawed, as it begins by assuming one's own non-heretical status and orthodoxy. Isn't this dangerous?

Despite Peter's repentance and willingness to be martyred for the Lord, he may not have fully understood his own errors until his death. This is why we feel confused after reading his words. I will now break it down point by point, and you will see the truth of it. I do not want you to think that I possess the truth, nor do I believe I do. Some may ask, "If you don't believe you have the truth, why should we listen to you?" Please, do not listen to me. I believe it is not right to simply listen to me. Instead, let us explore and build a system of faith together, isn't it?

From Genesis to the Pentateuch, to the books of the prophets, the Gospels, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the writings of Peter and Paul, if you carefully examine and understand them, you will build a coherent system. This is why we diligently study the Bible and the Word of God, to construct such a system.

What happens when heresy comes and disturbs us? It is not merely a matter of caution, but of whether our understanding is clear. Peter tells us to be careful, but how? The best way to be careful is to explore, continuously learn, and know God. If you know God, who can deceive you? No one can. Knowing me is useless; what good is it? My face does not represent the truth. Spend your time reading the Bible and building your entire system of faith.

I will point out the problems with Peter's words, which is to avoid blindly believing. People often say to me, "It's in the Bible, are you sure you're right?" I am not right. But one thing is certain: do we understand it or not? Many people read 1 Peter and 2 Peter and think they understand, but when you ask them, they do not. If I don't understand, I will honestly say so. Do you understand now? Peter wants to warn us, but his warnings are muddled.

What is heresy? Peter's understanding of heresy is too superficial. If you put a real banknote and a counterfeit one together, the naked eye cannot tell the difference. If you draw a hundred-dollar bill with an oil pen and put it next to a real one, is that a counterfeit? No, it is not. What is a counterfeit? It is something that looks exactly like the real thing. If you try to deposit a bill drawn with an oil pen into an ATM, the bank teller will immediately reject it, right?

Is Following Lewd Conduct Heresy?

Are Sodom and Gomorrah heretical? There is no standard there; you don't need to discern or be careful. The people of Sodom and Gomorrah wanted to drag out the two angels for lewd purposes. The lewdness was so extreme that there was no need for heresy. There was no standard; it was not within the realm of standards. These people seem to lack spirituality, born as mere animals, with eyes full of lust. If you come to church with eyes full of lust, can't you tell? If someone is giving you the eye, can't you tell? You know without even looking, right? Is this heresy? It is not within the standard. Peter's teaching is confusing, and you will certainly not understand it.

And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. (2 Peter 2:2)

Within the broader Christian environment, many heresies are labeled. Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses are often called heresies. However, when I interact with Mormons, I find that they have a strong faith and vibrant lives. I don't see any lewdness or suggestive glances in them; they are all upright individuals. When I watch testimonies from the Church of Almighty God online, I don't see any lewdness either. I have never seen them engage in anything perverse. On the contrary, many outside the church commit lewd acts, but they are not related to us. Do you understand? So, 2 Peter is a mess.

The men of Gibeah insisted on dragging out the Levite's concubine for the whole city to rape. Is that heresy? No, it is not. Peter's argument is immediately confused. He takes obvious things, things that are unacceptable even outside the church, within normal moral boundaries, right? So, what is Peter arguing? What is he warning against? Can these people be false teachers? No, they cannot. Like a hundred-dollar bill drawn with an oil pen, you can immediately tell it is a fake. That is not a teacher. False prophets, false teachers, false Christs, and antichrists all have Jesus Christ, a seemingly respectable appearance. Following lewd conduct is not within the standard.

Is Being Greedy for Profit Heresy?

And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. (2 Peter 2:3)

Can that be called heresy? You will soon realize they are frauds. The so-called heresies I have seen, or even churches that consider themselves orthodox, often do more charity than we do. For example, in Taiwan, Buddhist donations to disaster relief efforts often exceed Christian donations. Is that being greedy for profit? It doesn't sound right.

Today, brothers and sisters, we must understand that things are not so obvious. Following lewd conduct is obvious, and being greedy for profit is also obvious. That is the problem. I must say in fairness that many Buddhists are quite kind-hearted. Do they have selfish desires? It is hard to deal with selfish desires, whether you are a Christian or anything else. But the way these Buddhists act, their greed for profit is not obvious, because greed for profit is not within the standard.

Did Angels Who Sinned Get Thrown into Hell?

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

This is a serious problem. Did the angels who sinned get thrown into hell, or are they rampant on earth? If they were thrown into hell and locked up, would there still be ghosts and fallen angels on earth? No.

Later, in my research, I discovered that after the angels sinned and fell, where did they reside? They reside in people's hearts, which is what we call the inner demon. So, do they reside in hell or in people's hearts? Peter's theological system is extremely confused. Peter's ideas seem to come out of nowhere. If it was tofu, I would praise him. What is the logic? What does it mean to be reserved for judgment? Does God judge angels? What would He judge them for? God judges people.

God created all things beautiful in their time, including these fallen angels. What do the fallen angels do? They are still very useful in the church today. They clean up the garbage. That is what the fallen angels do. In Peter's logical system, he thinks God will judge these things, which sounds extremely confused. These angels have no salvation; salvation is for people. Why did God create these fallen angels, and people, and all kinds of trees, and a whole bunch of things? It is to make these things work together and to select those who love God. So, the church is here to select treasures.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast 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 thinks the angels are bad.

Was There Heresy in Noah's Time?

And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; (2 Peter 2:5)

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

I ask you, what did Noah preach in that time? Did he preach righteousness? Noah and his family should have just tried to escape. I am not sure if he preached righteousness, but this argument is very strange. Even now, many people want to inherit Peter's theological system and save everyone.

If we carefully read Genesis, we do not see Noah preaching righteousness. Noah was just building the ark every day. If you wanted to come and see, you could; if not, that was fine. Noah's time had nothing to do with heresy or false prophets and teachers. It was clearly a violent time, and it had little to do with righteousness.

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

Was Noah's time a problem of heresy? Was it a problem of false prophets and teachers? It had nothing to do with it. If the college entrance exam essay topic was "Beware of False Prophets, Beware of False Teachers, Beware of Heresy," Peter's essay would definitely fail. Despite his lengthy writing, a little analysis reveals that it is all irrelevant information strung together. Sodom and Gomorrah had nothing to do with heresy. On the contrary, I think Lot had some problems. What was Peter thinking? This is called being unlearned and putting together a bunch of words. Can you teach people to be careful of heresy by teaching like this? No, you cannot.

Noah's time was not a problem of heresy, and neither was the time of Sodom and Gomorrah. Is Peter unlearned? I tell you, he is really not a cultured person, not a knowledgeable person. He likes to write a bunch of beautiful words and talk about things without a clear focus. Assuming he wants to warn the brothers and sisters to be careful of heresy, false prophets, and false teachers, the things he argues are completely off-key. Sodom and Gomorrah was a time when people wanted to drag out angels for rape, a time when homosexuality was rampant, something that even ordinary moral concepts cannot tolerate.

The current era is filled with all sorts of obscene videos, yet it cannot even surpass Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible. Imagine someone traveling to Sodom and Gomorrah, and the entire city, men, women, and children, all engage in such acts. How could one cope? The variety of practices is disgusting.

Leaving aside heresies, when have you ever seen a heresy act like Sodom and Gomorrah? Even in Islam, Taoism, or Buddhism, I have not witnessed such behavior. What have I seen? I have seen these things only in places unrelated to religion.

Abraham was a man of practical faith; he did not see fertile land with his eyes, but the blessing of God. Lot took all the fertile land and went to Sodom to make money, becoming obsessed with it. Peter, was his brain addled? He disrupted the church and went to cause trouble in the churches built by Paul. Why? To collect more offerings; otherwise, how would he survive? He became a freelance preacher.

From where did Peter draw his conclusions? That Lot went to Sodom to preach the gospel? Where did he get the idea that Lot was grieved by the wicked deeds of these people? I do not see it in Genesis. If you can read into it what Peter understood, please tell me; I am willing to humbly learn from you. Lot was hardly a righteous man. The original text of the Bible says that God rescued Lot because He remembered Abraham, not because Lot was righteous. What kind of righteous man was he?

Only Lot himself thought he was doing well: "Look how well I have educated my children; in such a licentious place, they are still virgins." He thought he was remarkable. If you think a place is licentious, why did you go there? And he mingled in it, even to the point of managing the city gates. This completely confused Peter's theological system. Lot was Abraham's nephew, not a righteous man; Lot was a man who lost his Mingding Doctrine. Abraham had a Mingding Doctrine; he knew clearly why he lived. Lot did not know why he lived; he lived for money.

How is Defaming Authority Related to Heresy?

These are especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble when they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and like unreasoning animals, they are destroyed by their own destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! (2 Peter 2:10-14)

Even in heresies today, I do not see the defaming of authority. Too many people are confused by such words. Later, I understood that many people read the Bible haphazardly, and when they gather in a circle to pray, the phrases they use are evil habits inherited from Peter. Extremely ornate and grand terms are used in prayer, just to show off who can speak the most beautifully. What is the use? It is all nonsense! Praying for an hour without repeating anything—impressive, right? You must have seen it.

Are Angels Greater in Might and Power?

I tell you, Peter's mind was always filled with a logical system that angels are powerful. On earth, only humans are made in the image of God; other things are made in the image of angels—celestial dogs, celestial cats, celestial horses. Do you understand? So many things on earth are made according to things in heaven. For example, insects; there are dung beetles on earth, and there are dung beetles in the spiritual realm. There are weasels on earth, and there are weasel spirits in heaven. Humans are made in the image of God, while other animals on earth are made according to celestial animals, celestial angels.

Then I ask you, are humans more honorable or are animals more honorable? Humans are more honorable; humans have the image of God. What do angels have? Angels have the image of animals. So why are angels greater in might and power? I ask you, are humans more powerful or are angels more powerful? Angels are ministering spirits; this is Paul's theology. Paul believes that angels are sent to serve us, to do work. So Peter's entire theological system is extremely confused. He believes that although angels are greater in might and power, they do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. What is he talking about?

Did he see it? He did not see it. Once, someone preached in church, saying, "Out of a thousand people, nine hundred and ninety go to hell, and only one goes to heaven." I said, "Did you see it?" He said, "No." If you did not see it, why are you talking nonsense? It is like Peter talking about these things. If I were beside Peter when he wrote 2 Peter, I would say, "Peter, have you seen it? How do you know?" Peter would say, "Actually, I do not know." Then why are you writing this? What are you trying to do? Are you trying to create such a heresy? I particularly dislike talking nonsense.

You must know that among the people I pastor, some clearly have Peter's personality. What does this mean? Peter's personality likes to talk nonsense and does not even know what he is saying. People like me do not talk nonsense.

So, whether you are male or female, if you have Peter's bad habits, you should correct them. You must know what you are learning, because Peter does not study, so he talks nonsense. What does it mean to be greater in power? Today, through Jesus Christ, we receive the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the dead. Because of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Who is greater? The Holy Spirit is greater, right? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God.

Is Balaam Related to Heresy?

Balaam has nothing to do with heresy. Balaam was just a fortune teller; he was not a preacher of God's word. He was a prophet, but God used him to speak prophetic words. That has nothing to do with heresy. God merely used his mouth to speak God's words. The Holy Spirit even descended upon Saul and he prophesied. Does that have anything to do with heresy? No. I tell you, churches particularly admire people who can prophesy, but that is just God speaking a few words through you. It is not because you are great; you are just a vessel.

So Balaam has nothing to do with heresy; he was just a vessel, speaking a few prophecies. It was not because Balaam was great; it was because Balaam was quite rotten. Today, brothers and sisters, do not pursue such things, thinking that you are great because you speak a few prophecies. Is that the case? No. Many churches admire prophesying and seeing visions, but I am not interested in those things. Instead of prophesying this and that, you should go home and read the Bible more. That is my attitude. So in our midst, you will find that I do not particularly like you to be prophets; I prefer you to be prophetic preachers, not prophets who tell fortunes, but who speak God's word.

If you do not study the Bible well and just slap your head and start prophesying, what do you think? I do not think much of it. I am not interested in that stuff. Someone said, "Teacher, I have received three job offers. Can you help me choose one?" Wait a moment, I will close my eyes, put my hands together, and say, "Choose this one! I saw a vision." I do not do such things.

Brothers and sisters, deal with your bad habits, shape yourselves, and grow a bit in the image of God. Coming here to have your fortune told? Why not just get your Bazi calculated? AI fortune-telling is very accurate; I have tried it. You can try it too to see if it is accurate. But what is the use? Can it help you live out the image of God? No, it cannot.

In Peter's mind, Balaam was a great prophet. Is that the case? The fact is that he was a lousy prophet. He was a true prophet, not a false prophet. Do you understand? He truly spoke what God told him; he was truly a prophet, but it was meaningless. If you pursue such things, I will not stop you, if you like to prophesy or something. What can it do? I still do not know what it can do. I would rather tell you a few words of God so that you can see through the matters of life and death and walk into the faith of Abraham.

So our Chinese Mingding Doctrine is a theology with strong understanding. Many churches pursue these spiritual gifts, but later I saw that their endings were not good, so I am very careful. I obediently read God's word clearly and construct a theological system, a theological system that is in accordance with the Bible. Then I analyze it and find that Peter's stuff is outside the theological system of the Bible. Jesus did not teach these things; they were all invented by Peter himself. So if we are talking about heresy, I think Peter is suspected of heresy.

For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. (2 Peter 2:21)

If he knew the way of righteousness, would he not walk the way of righteousness? He does not know it at all. Let me give you another example. If you really know that this path can allow you to live out the glorious image of God, would you walk it? You definitely would, right? It is very worthwhile. This path can earn a lot of money. You walk it, and as a result, you are deceived. Why? Because he does not know that it is a scam. He does not know what abundant glory there is in Jesus Christ.

If today all of us brothers and sisters knew what abundant glory there is in Jesus Christ, what abundant grace there is in Jesus Christ, and the benefits in Jesus Christ, knowing that our benefits are not outside of Jesus Christ, would you forsake God for those petty gains? It is because you do not know, right? But Peter thinks they know.

I have spoken at length, but if you read this passage, you will feel that Peter's words use parallelism very well, but the content is not good.

Summary

I want to make a summary: Peter's theology is a confused theology. Do not look at the ornate words he speaks at length, but in fact, the theme and content do not match at all. That is the problem.

If you ask me to talk about being careful of false prophets, being careful of false teachers, and being careful of heresies, then I will tell you that these false prophets will definitely tell you to be good people, and false teachers will definitely tell you to avoid sexual immorality. Do you understand? But what is the difference between the real and the fake? The difference between the real and the fake is whether what he says is effective or not. 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 body, and then we can live out the image of God.

We need to gradually enter into the gospel of Christ. The gospel is not just about going to heaven after death, but about living out the image of God while we are alive. Brothers and sisters, begin to gradually understand that Mingding Doctrine can sift out what Peter taught and what James taught. This is a remarkable theological system. What is most lacking today is a complete theological system. If a person can build a complete theological system, you will not think that what Peter said or what James said is so great, but in fact, you have not understood it. Now I understand it. I have not understood what Peter said, but I have understood what Peter did not say clearly.

From now on, be careful, be careful of those seemingly great and ornate words, and let us begin to return to the foundation of Jesus Christ and rebuild a theological system that is in accordance with the Bible. We need to know why we live, know what we believe, and know what abundant grace we have received through Jesus Christ.

May God bless everyone!

null