We live in a time that resembles an evil that has been present in the lives of God’s people across time and covenants. Not heeding the warnings of Scripture is to be led down a path of destruction that will eventually weaken our faith and cause us to follow lies instead of the path of truth. Our choices and alignments have consequences.

As Peter addressed what was happening in the Church in his day, he reminded his readers of what happened in the past, “But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed, they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.” (II Peter 2: 1-3).

Peter described the time of Noah and the destruction of the flood. He also referenced Sodom and Gomorrah, “God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people” (vs. 6).

The Lord rescued Lot because he was “A righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day” (vs. 8). This torment extends to our day when people assume cutting off parts of their bodies or violating their God-created sexual identity and committing abhorrent sexual sin is somehow permissible before God. The Lord will judge those unrepented sexual sins, “He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority” (II Peter 2:10). 

These sins came about because people had rejected Godly authority and accepted a human reinterpretation of what is truth. As these sexual perversions tormented Lot, Peter reminded his readers that “the Lord knew how to rescue a Godly person” (vs. 9). In each descent into cultural immorality the Lord knows how to rescue His people, even in our time.

False teachers are present and active today, “These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed. They scoff at things they do not understand, and like animals, they will be destroyed. Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you” (vs. 12-13). The two words, “among you”, refer to the Church. They are a disgrace and stain among us because their disobedience challenges the authority of God and His truth.

Peter defined the fate of those who abuse God’s authority in their display of perversion, “These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to the blackest darkness. They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception. They promise freedom, but they are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you” (vs. 17-19).

Today we see similar deceptions taking place, preaching these lies from pulpits and expressing them across the platforms of social media. A dire fate awaits those who promote such sin. Even when it appears that judgment of these things is taking too much time and is long overdue, there is something most important to remember, the Lord is patient and “gives people time to be saved” (II Peter 3:15). The Lord is always at work attempting to redeem the fallen ones. He is always at work redeeming people beyond the boundary of our patience.

Even during the evil of Noah’s time and what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord made a way to rescue those who were willing to align themselves with the truth and not follow the path of a weakened faith, a false faith that would lead people to a place of destruction, not to the abundant life that God promised.