False Prophets and Lust

False Prophets and Lust

 But there were also false prophets among the people, 

even as there will be false teachers among you, 

who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, 

even denying the Lord who bought them, 

and bring on themselves swift destruction. 

And many will follow their destructive ways, 

because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. 

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. 

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; 

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; 

and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, 

condemned them to destruction, 

making them an example to those 

who afterward would live ungodly; 

and delivered righteous Lot, 

who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 

(for that righteous man, dwelling among them, 

tormented his righteous soul from day to day 

by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)-

- then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly 

out of temptations and to reserve the unjust 

under punishment for the day of judgment, 

and especially those who walk according to the flesh 

in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. 

They are presumptuous, self-willed. 

They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, 

whereas angels, 

who are greater in power and might, 

do not bring a reviling accusation 

against them before the Lord. 

But these, like natural brute beasts 

made to be caught and destroyed, 

speak evil of the things they do not understand, 

and will utterly perish in their own corruption, 

and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, 

as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. 

They are spots and blemishes, 

carousing in their own deceptions 

while they feast with you, 

having eyes full of adultery 

and that cannot cease from sin, 

enticing unstable souls. 

They have a heart trained in covetous practices, 

and are accursed children. 

They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, 

following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, 

who loved the wages of unrighteousness; 

but he was rebuked for his iniquity: 

a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice 

restrained the madness of the prophet. 

These are wells without water, 

clouds carried by a tempest, 

for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. 

For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, 

they allure through the lusts of the flesh, 

through lewdness, 

the ones who have actually escaped 

from those who live in error. 

While they promise them liberty, 

they themselves are slaves of corruption; 

for by whom a person is overcome, 

by him also he is brought into bondage. 

For if, after they have escaped 

the pollutions of the world 

through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, 

they are again entangled in them and overcome, 

the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 

For it would have been better for them 

not to have known the way of righteousness, 

than having known it, 

to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. 

But it has happened to them 

according to the true proverb: 

"A dog returns to his own vomit," and, 

"a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire." 

2 Peter 2:1-22 

 Do not love the world 

or the things in the world. 

If anyone loves the world, 

the love of the Father is not in him. 

  For all that is in the world-

-the lust of the flesh, 

the lust of the eyes, 

and the pride of life-

-is not of the Father but is of the world. 

  And the world is passing away, 

and the lust of it; 

but he who does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:15-17 

GOD'S commandment is to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves.

The world's law is to love yourself and covet and lust after material things that are temporal. Such are also the deceptive false teachings of the end times.

L O V E - the focus is on Others

L I K E - the focus is on I, that is, myself.

L U S T - the focus is on Unnecessary 
                  and Unedifying things of the world.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you
in the knowledge of God
 and of Jesus our Lord,
as His divine power has given to us all things
that pertain to life and godliness,
through the knowledge of Him
who called us by glory and virtue,
by which have been given to us
exceedingly great and precious promises,
that through these you may be partakers
of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust.
2 Peter 1:2-4