". . . damnable heresies" (II Peter 2:1).
Peter uses some fairly strong language to confront the false teachers who were "among" the church body—not in the enemy camp. Their awful sin of "denying the Lord" would not only bring "swift destruction" on the teachers, but "many" would also follow their "heresies" and produce "evil" talk against the truth. Pretty bad!
". . . oppositions of science falsely so called" (I Timothy 6:20).
Paul warns Timothy to avoid the "antithesis" of "knowledge"—a stream of "foul" and "empty noise"—which will cause those who embrace that false "promise" to "turn aside" from their faith. Pretty disastrous!
". . . they willingly are ignorant" (II Peter 3:5).
The "scoffers" Peter refers to are worse yet. They know the evidence for God's omnipotent creation, but flaunt their rebellion in spite of their knowledge of the truth. They reject, ultimately, all miraculous evidence and stubbornly hold (willingly ignorant) to a naturalistic story that excludes God. They reject the fiat creation, the vastly different first age, and the destruction of that kosmos by the Flood's judgment. Pretty arrogant!
Wherefore BelovedThese false choices, anti-knowledge, and willing rejection of God's clear message in the creation (Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1_3) are the core of the Enemy's lie, and thus, they should be the focus of our efforts to fight against everything that exalts "itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Cor-inthians 10:5). The enemies are bold, the warnings are severe, and the battle is raging.
