October 2, 2016 – Teachings from the Rock – Blasphemy and Gentle Instruction

Blasphemy and Gentle Instruction

Numbers 22:21-33 – New International Version (NIV)

²¹ Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. ²² But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.

²⁴ Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. ²⁵ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.

²⁶ Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. ²⁸ Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

²⁹ Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”

³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”

“No,” he said.

³¹ Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

³² The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me. ³³ The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”

When did Balaam saddle his donkey and go with Moabite officials (verse 21)?

How did God feel about Balaam’s going (verse 22)?

Why did the donkey turn off the road and into the field (verse 23)?

Who stood in the harrow path with walls on both sides (verse 24)?

Why did the donkey crush Balaam’s foot against the wall (verse 25)?

Where did the angel stand next (verse 26)?

In your opinion, why did Balaam beat the donkey when he laid down (verse 27)?

What did the donkey say to Balaam (verse 28)?

Why would Balaam have killed the donkey if he had a sword in his hand (verse 29)?

Had the donkey made a habit of laying down while Balaam was riding him (verse 30)?

When did Balaam see the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn (verse 31)?

What question did the angel ask Balaam (verse 32)?

What would the angel have done if the donkey had not turned away three time (verse 33)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

John 9:24-34 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁴ A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

²⁵ He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

²⁶ Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

²⁷ He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

²⁸ Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

³⁰ The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. ³² Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

³⁴ To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

What happened a second time to the “man who had been blind” (verse 24)?

How was he to give glory to God (verse 24)?

What did the man know (verse 25)?

In your opinion, why did they say “What did he do to you?  How did he open your eyes?” (verse 26)?

Who did they claim to be disciples of (verse 28)?

What did they know (verse 29)?

In your opinion, why did the man who had been blind think it was remarkable that they did not know where Jesus came from (verse 30)?

Who does God listen to (verse 31)?

What has no one ever heard of (verse 32)?

What did the man say that Jesus could have done if he were not from God (verse 33)?

How did they treat the man who had been blind (verse 34)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what do the people attacking the man who had been blind in John 9:24-34 have in common with Balaam in Numbers 22:21-33?

2 Timothy 2:14-26 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁴ Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. ¹⁵ Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. ¹⁶ Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. ¹⁷ Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, ¹⁸ who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. ¹⁹ Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”

²⁰ In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for special purposes and some for common use. ²¹ Those who cleanse themselves from the latter will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.

²² Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. ²³ Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. ²⁵ Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, ²⁶ and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

What is Timothy to remind the people of (verse 14)?

How is Timothy to do his best to present himself to God (verse 15)?

Why is Timothy to avoid “godless chatter” (verse 16)?

What will spread like gangrene (verse 17)?

How do Hymenaeus and Philetus destroy the faith of some (verse 18)?

How is God’s solid foundation sealed (verse 19)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that some articles are for special purposes and some are for common use (verse 20)?

Who will be “useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work” (verse 21)?

What is Timothy (and us) to pursue (verse 22)?

What do foolish and stupid arguments produce (verse 23)?

Who must be “kind to everyone” (verse 24)?

How should opponents be instructed (verse 25)?

Why has the devil taken “them captive” (verse 26)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does the arguments of the Pharisees in John 9:24-34 illustrate the truth that Paul shares with Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:14-26 that those who engage in godless chatter will “become more and more ungodly”?

In your opinion, how is the donkey and the angel confronting Balaam in Numbers 22:21-33 an example of God gently instructing Balaam so that he would “escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will” as Paul describes the fallen to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:14-26?

2 Peter 2:10-16 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; ¹¹ yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. ¹² But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.

¹³ 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. ¹⁴ With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! ¹⁵ They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. ¹⁶ But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

What are those “who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise author” not afraid to do (verse 10)?

What do angels not do “when bringing judgment on them from the Lord” (verse 11)?

Who is “like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed” (verse 12)?

In your opinion, why is “their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight” (verse 13)?

What do they never stop doing (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what does Peter mean when he says they wandered of the “follow the way of Balaam” (verse 15)?

Who rebuked Balaam (verse 16)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is the gentle instruction that Paul instructs Timothy to use to help people escape the trap of the devil in 2 Timothy 2:14-26 similar to the donkey who “spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness” as described by Peter in 2 Peter 2:10-16?

In your opinion, how are the words and actions of the Pharisees in rejecting the testimony of the man who was blind in John 9:24-34 an example of the people that Peter talks about in 2 Peter 2:10-16 who are like unreasoning animals who blaspheme in matters that they don’t understand?

In your opinion, how does Balaam, who beat the donkey who was saving his life in Numbers 22:21-33, help us to understand those who Peter says in 2 Peter 2:10-16 “follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority” and are bold and arrogant and not “afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings”?

In your opinion, what do these passages from Numbers, John, 2 Timothy, and 2 Peter help us to understand about those who are trapped by the devil and how to respond to them?

In your opinion, what do these passages show us about ourselves today?

Next, back to 2 Peter 2:17 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

September 25, 2016 – Teachings from the Rock – Judgment and Rescue

Judgment and Rescue

Genesis 19:15-26 – New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ With the coming of dawn, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away when the city is punished.”

¹⁶ When he hesitated, the men grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them. ¹⁷ As soon as they had brought them out, one of them said, “Flee for your lives! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!”

¹⁸ But Lot said to them, “No, my lords, please! ¹⁹ Your servant has found favor in your eyes, and you have shown great kindness to me in sparing my life. But I can’t flee to the mountains; this disaster will overtake me, and I’ll die. ²⁰ Look, here is a town near enough to run to, and it is small. Let me flee to it—it is very small, isn’t it? Then my life will be spared.”

²¹ He said to him, “Very well, I will grant this request too; I will not overthrow the town you speak of. ²² But flee there quickly, because I cannot do anything until you reach it.” (That is why the town was called Zoar.)

²³ By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land. ²⁴ Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. ²⁵ Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. ²⁶ But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

When did the angels urge Lot to take his wife and two daughters away (verse 15)?

What did the angels do when Lot hesitated (verse 16)?

Where were Lot, his wife and daughters to flee to (verse 17)?

How did Lot respond (verse 18)?

What did Lot think would overtake him in the mountains (verse 19)?

In your opinion, why did Lot think that a very small town would be safer (verse 20)?

How did the angel respond to Lot’s request (verse 21)?

Why was Lot supposed to flee there quickly (verse 22)?

Where was the sun when Lot reached Zoar (verse 23)?

What rained down on Sodom and Gomorrah (verse 24)?

What was destroyed (verse 25)?

When did Lot’s wife become a pillar of salt (verse 26)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Luke 17:26-37 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. ²⁷ People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸ “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. ²⁹ But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

³⁰ “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. ³¹ On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. ³² Remember Lot’s wife! ³³ Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. ³⁴ I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. ³⁵ Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

³⁷ “Where, Lord?” they asked.

He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

What will it be like in the “days of the Son of Man” (verse 26)?

How long did people eat, drink and marry (verse 27)?

How was it in the days of Lot (verse 28)?

When did fire and sulfur rain down from heaven and destroy Sodom (verse 29)?

What will it be like on the day the Son of Man is revealed (verse 30)?

In your opinion, why should no one “who is on the housetop, with possessions inside” go down to get them (verses 31 and 32)?

Who will lose their life (verse 33)?

In your opinion, why will “whoever loses their life” preserve it (verse 33)?

What will happen to the two people in one bed (verse 34)?

What will happen to the two women grinding grain together (verse 35)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean when He says “where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather” (verse 37)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, will the ones that are taken, as foretold by Jesus in Luke 17:26-37, be taken by the hands as Lot and his wife and daughters were in Genesis 19:15-26?

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²² reject every kind of evil.

²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

In your opinion, what does it mean to rejoice always (verse 16)?

What does Paul instruct us to do “continually” (verse 17)?

How should we react “in all circumstances” (verse 18)?

In your opinion, what does it mean that we should “not quench the Spirit” (verse 19)?

How should prophecies not be treated (verse 20)?

What should be tested (verse 21)?

How should evil be treated (verse 22)?

What does Paul pray for the “God of peace” to do (verse 23)?

What does Paul pray for “your whole spirit, soul and body” (verse 23)?

How does Paul describe “the one who calls you” (verse 24)?

What will “the one who calls you” do (verse 24)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, why does Paul pray for the God of peace to “sanctify you through and through” in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 while the world eats and drinks, buys and sells, plants and builds as Jesus warns in Luke 17:26-37?

In your opinion, what does Lot’s wife looking back in Genesis 19:15-26 show about her testing and holding on to the good and rejecting the evil as instructed by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24?

2 Peter 2:4-9 – New International Version (NIV)

⁴ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; ⁵ if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; ⁶ if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; ⁷ and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless ⁸ (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— ⁹ if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.

How did God treat the angels when they sinned (verse 4)?

Who did God bring the flood on (verse 5)?

Who did God protect when He brought the flood (verse 5)?

What are the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah an example of (verse 6)?

Who did God rescue from Sodom and Gomorrah (verse 7)?

What does God know how to do for the godly (verse 9)?

What does God know how to do for the unrighteous (verse 9)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how do the instructions that Paul gives in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 help us to understand what it means when Peter says the Lord knows how to “rescue the godly from trials” in 2 Peter 2:4-9?

In your opinion, how is knowing that Jesus, who said in Luke 17:26-37 that one would be taken and the other would be left, is also the Lord who “knows how to rescue the godly from trials” according to 2 Peter 2:4-9 is a comfort?

In your opinion, what can we learn from the fact that Lot, when commanded to leave by the angels in Genesis 19:15-26, hesitated but was rescued anyway by the One who Peter says in 2 Peter 2:4-9 did not spare the angels or the ancient world or the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah?

In your opinion, how do these passages from Genesis, Luke, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Peter help us to prepare for the day of judgment?

In your opinion, what do these passages show us about ourselves today?

Next, back to 2 Peter 2:10 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

September 18, 2016 – Teachings from the Rock – False Teachers and the True Savior

False Teachers and the True Savior

Jeremiah 23:25-32 – New International Version (NIV)

²⁵ “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in my name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ ²⁶ How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds? ²⁷ They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their ancestors forgot my name through Baal worship. ²⁸ Let the prophet who has a dream recount the dream, but let the one who has my word speak it faithfully. For what has straw to do with grain?” declares the Lord. ²⁹ “Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

³⁰ “Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. ³¹ Yes,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares.’ ³² Indeed, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” declares the Lord. “They tell them and lead my people astray with their reckless lies, yet I did not send or appoint them. They do not benefit these people in the least,” declares the Lord.

Who did the Lord hear say “I had a dream!  I had a dream!” (verse 26)?

What do the lying prophets prophesy (verse 27)?

In your opinion, why would the lying prophets think that “the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name” (verse 27)?

Who is to speak God’s word faithfully (verse 28)?

What is God’s word like (verse 29)?

Who is the Lord against (verse 30)?

In your opinion, why would the Lord be against “prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares’” (verse 31)?

What do people who prophesy false dreams do with “their reckless lies” (verse 32)?

How much do they benefit the people (verse 32)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Matthew 24:22-28 - New International Version (NIV)

²² “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. ²³ At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you ahead of time.

²⁶ “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸ Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

Who would have survived if the days had not been cut short (verse 22)?

Why will the days be shortened (verse 22)?

How should we react to those who say “Look, here is the Messiah” (verse 23)?

What will false messiahs and false prophets do (verse 24)?

In your opinion, why will the false messiahs and false prophets not deceive the elect (verse 24)?

What has Jesus done “ahead of time” (verse 25)?

What should our response be if someone tells us “there he is, out in the wilderness” (verse 26)?

What will the coming of the Son of Man be like (verse 27)?

In your opinion, what does Jesus mean when He says “wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather” (verse 28)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, why do the false prophets of Jeremiah 23:25-32 and the false messiahs and false prophets of Matthew 24:22-28 all rely on deception?

Colossians 2:1-10 - New International Version (NIV)

¹ I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally. ² My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ⁴ I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. ⁵ For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

In your opinion, what does Paul mean when he says he is “contending for you and for those at Laodicea” (verse 1)?

What is Paul’s goal (verse 2)?

What is the “mystery of God” (verse 2)?

Where are the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (verse 3)?

Why does Paul want them to have complete understanding and know Christ (verse 4)?

How is Paul present with them (verse 5)?

How should they continue to live their lives (verse 6)?

What three things should they do to continue to live their lives in Jesus (verse 7)?

What does hollow and deceptive philosophy depend on (verse 8)?

Where does “all the fullness of the Deity” live in bodily form (verse 9)?

How are we “brought to fullness” (verse 10)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does Paul’s instruction to know Christ and live our lives in Him in Colossians 2:1-10 help us to understand how it will be possible for the elect that Jesus talks about in Matthew 24:22-28 to avoid being deceived by the false messiahs and false prophets who appear and perform great signs and wonders?

In your opinion, how does being “encouraged in heart and united in love” and knowing ‘the mystery of God, namely, Christ” as instructed by Paul in Colossians 2:1-10 help us to avoid falling for the “lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their own minds” that the Lord was against in Jeremiah 23:25-32?

2 Peter 2:1-3 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. ² Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. ³ In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

Who were “among the people” (verse 1)?

What will there be “among you” (verse 1)?

Who will the destructive heresies deny (verse 1)?

In your opinion, how will the many who “follow their depraved conduct” bring “the way of truth into disrepute” (verse 2)?

What will the false teachers use to exploit (verse 3)?

What is hanging over the false teachers (verse 3)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how does living rooted in Christ, strengthened in faith in Him, and overflowing with thankfulness to Him as instructed by Paul in Colossians 2:1-10 prepare us to avoid the destructive heresies that even deny “the sovereign Lord” that Peter warns us about in 2 Peter 2:1-3?

In your opinion, how does Peter in 2 Peter 2:1-3 identify at least one motivation of those false messiahs and false prophets that Jesus warned in Matthew 24:22-28 would appear?

In your opinion, how does Peter in understanding that the false teachers have their condemnation hanging over them in 2 Peter 2:1-3 make clear what happens when God is against them as Jeremiah reports in Jeremiah 23:25-32?

In your opinion, how do these passages from Jeremiah, Matthew, Colossians, and 2 Peter help us to understand about false prophets and false messiahs and how to respond to them?

In your opinion, what do these passages show us about ourselves today?

Next, back to 2 Peter 2:4 – (sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)