Springs Without Water and Mists Driven by a Storm

       This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. 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. With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—a beast without speech—who spoke with a man’s voice and restrained the prophet’s madness. These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.  Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.” (II Peter 2:10-22) 

            Today's passage is a long one. I don't want to spend any more time thinking about these people than I have to, which should be just enough to do two things: 1) Give you the clues you need to recognize one when you see one, and 2) make you not want to be one.  I love the description: "These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm." There are many false prophets out there, promising wealth, health, power and heaven on earth. These are people who preach the modified gospels: prosperity, liberation, emergent.... These are people who lead socialistic movements demanding the "social justice" of power for their flock, or followers or members of their special interest group. They promise a Utopia in which no one will ever deny them their "rights." These people are all about lust, and lust is a spring without water and mist driven by a storm. It does not produce what it promises. Instead, it produces addiction.

           Those who are Christians, who then become entangled in these lies, do not lose their salvation, but they cling to something other than Christ or in addition to Christ that cannot satisfy while all the while having access to what does. They cannot claim ignorance. They cannot claim entrapment because they have the key to knowledge and freedom in their hands, but they choose not to use Him. They are willing victims. 

           Those who teach these things may not realize how much damage they're doing. How frustrating and painful it must be to actually believe one's own lies and over and over again not see your sincere promise not fulfilled. Some, of course, know that their promises are lies, and they don't care because it feeds the lust in them. Either way, they are addicted - diseased and only capable of spreading the disease.