But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.
Those who depart from the faith and resist and pervert the truth shall proceed no further and shall not prevail indefinitely, for their folly shall be made plain and clear to everyone, as was the folly of Jannes and Jambres who opposed Moses. Their exposure shows that God will vindicate His Word and fulfill His purpose, so that truth will triumph in the end and error will be brought down and what is hidden will be revealed. God's people are therefore charged to preach Scripture faithfully and make the truth clear, and to maintain order by faithful watchfulness that calls sin by its right name and reproves, rebukes and exhorts with all longsuffering and doctrine so deceivers may be sound in the faith. Against merely human teaching stands Christ's teaching with authority exclusively His own, simple enough for a child yet full of grand saving truth that restores God's moral image and gives assurance of hope, while assertion without truth and human wisdom disconnected from God cannot save souls and will be exposed. This word applies at the present time to every minister and to all the churches, calling them to wake out of slumber and let their light shine in clear rays to a world in darkness, assured that they can endure opposition with calm patience and trust.
Deceivers Limited and Exposed
Those who depart from the faith, resist the truth with corrupt minds, and pervert it — unruly vain talkers and deceivers, evil workers who profess to know God but in works deny Him, and human instruction opposed to God's truth — shall proceed no further and will not prevail or advance indefinitely. Their deceptive work will not continue without limit, for their folly shall be made plain and clear to everyone. The phrase as theirs also was refers to Jannes and Jambres, the earlier deceivers who opposed Moses, whose folly was likewise exposed and became clear to all. Just as the folly of those opponents before them was laid bare, so the advance of present opponents will be stopped and their folly exposed to everyone.
Their exposure means that God will vindicate His Word and fulfill His purpose. Dishonest opposers of truth cannot prosper, for truth will triumph in the end and error will be brought down. What is hidden will be revealed, and God will honor those who honor Him. Those who despise God's teachings, despise reproof, and resist God's Spirit keep on in that course, in contrast with the chain of truth from the Scriptures, until they are left in total darkness and their folly is made manifest to all.
France's rejection of the living God illustrates the folly of perverting truth becoming manifest to all. Its public worship of Reason, or the Goddess of Reason, followed by the burning of Bibles, shows this exposure made clear to everyone. Those who pervert the truth will not continue unchecked, and France's course stands as the declared instance of that limit.
The verse also describes persons who accept error, including the practice of one mind exercising complete control over another mind. In that control one person acts out the will of another and becomes a machine in his hands, and God forbids any such control. Though innocent in appearance, this mind-cure in its development brings destruction, not restoration. It is one of Satan's greatest sciences, which must have no standing-room in the work of a Christian physician or in health institutions.
Faithful Church Response Required
The chapter surrounding the verse charges God's people to preach Scripture faithfully and to use its instruction for resisting false theories and plans. Empty, distracting talk is to be avoided, and the truth is to be made clear rather than presented obscurely. The reason given is that the folly of false teachers will not advance indefinitely but will be stopped and become plain to everyone, as the folly of Jannes and Jambres was.
Order must therefore be maintained in the church by faithful sentinels. Sin is not to be passed off as righteousness, and evil workers who profess to know God but in works deny Him are not to be left to deceive through false statements. Instead sin is to be called by its right name, plain facts are to be stated, and reproof, rebuke and exhortation are to be given with all longsuffering and doctrine, with sharp rebuke that deceivers may be sound in the faith.
Against merely human teaching stands Christ's teaching with an authority exclusively His own. Every sentence from Him was from God, spirit and life, simple enough for a child as in the sermon on the mount yet standing on high elevation and full of grand, ennobling, saving truth. What the Father and Son deemed essential for salvation was defined from eternity and revealed for instruction in righteousness to make the man of God perfect. That revelation restores the moral image of God in fallen humanity, severs men from Satan, and brings definite assurance of hope by Christ's own righteousness. By contrast assertion without truth, uncertain human greatness, tradition with only a semblance of truth, infidel literature, and human science disconnected from the source of all wisdom cannot save souls, and human instruction opposed to God's truth shall proceed no further but have its folly made manifest unto all men.
The verse and every word of its chapter applies at the present time to every minister and to all the churches throughout the world. It calls brethren to wake out of lethargic slumber, to trim their lamps with grace and let them shine in clear, bright rays to a world in darkness. It summons them to the great work of bearing the message that fits up a people to stand in the day of the Lord, coming up to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Because those who oppose God's truth will not prevail indefinitely but will have their folly made clear to everyone as did those who opposed Moses, God's faithful people can endure opposition with calm patience and trust, knowing what is hidden will be revealed and God will honor those who honor Him.
Those who depart from the faith and resist and pervert the truth shall proceed no further and shall not prevail indefinitely, for their folly shall be made plain and clear to everyone, as was the folly of Jannes and Jambres who opposed Moses. Their exposure shows that God will vindicate His Word and fulfill His purpose, so that truth will triumph in the end and error will be brought down and what is hidden will be revealed. God's people are therefore charged to preach Scripture faithfully and make the truth clear, and to maintain order by faithful watchfulness that calls sin by its right name and reproves, rebukes and exhorts with all longsuffering and doctrine so deceivers may be sound in the faith. Against merely human teaching stands Christ's teaching with authority exclusively His own, simple enough for a child yet full of grand saving truth that restores God's moral image and gives assurance of hope, while assertion without truth and human wisdom disconnected from God cannot save souls and will be exposed. This word applies at the present time to every minister and to all the churches, calling them to wake out of slumber and let their light shine in clear rays to a world in darkness, assured that they can endure opposition with calm patience and trust.
Deceivers Limited and Exposed
Those who depart from the faith, resist the truth with corrupt minds, and pervert it — unruly vain talkers and deceivers, evil workers who profess to know God but in works deny Him, and human instruction opposed to God's truth — shall proceed no further and will not prevail or advance indefinitely. Their deceptive work will not continue without limit, for their folly shall be made plain and clear to everyone. The phrase as theirs also was refers to Jannes and Jambres, the earlier deceivers who opposed Moses, whose folly was likewise exposed and became clear to all. Just as the folly of those opponents before them was laid bare, so the advance of present opponents will be stopped and their folly exposed to everyone.
Their exposure means that God will vindicate His Word and fulfill His purpose. Dishonest opposers of truth cannot prosper, for truth will triumph in the end and error will be brought down. What is hidden will be revealed, and God will honor those who honor Him. Those who despise God's teachings, despise reproof, and resist God's Spirit keep on in that course, in contrast with the chain of truth from the Scriptures, until they are left in total darkness and their folly is made manifest to all.
France's rejection of the living God illustrates the folly of perverting truth becoming manifest to all. Its public worship of Reason, or the Goddess of Reason, followed by the burning of Bibles, shows this exposure made clear to everyone. Those who pervert the truth will not continue unchecked, and France's course stands as the declared instance of that limit.
The verse also describes persons who accept error, including the practice of one mind exercising complete control over another mind. In that control one person acts out the will of another and becomes a machine in his hands, and God forbids any such control. Though innocent in appearance, this mind-cure in its development brings destruction, not restoration. It is one of Satan's greatest sciences, which must have no standing-room in the work of a Christian physician or in health institutions.
Faithful Church Response Required
The chapter surrounding the verse charges God's people to preach Scripture faithfully and to use its instruction for resisting false theories and plans. Empty, distracting talk is to be avoided, and the truth is to be made clear rather than presented obscurely. The reason given is that the folly of false teachers will not advance indefinitely but will be stopped and become plain to everyone, as the folly of Jannes and Jambres was.
Order must therefore be maintained in the church by faithful sentinels. Sin is not to be passed off as righteousness, and evil workers who profess to know God but in works deny Him are not to be left to deceive through false statements. Instead sin is to be called by its right name, plain facts are to be stated, and reproof, rebuke and exhortation are to be given with all longsuffering and doctrine, with sharp rebuke that deceivers may be sound in the faith.
Against merely human teaching stands Christ's teaching with an authority exclusively His own. Every sentence from Him was from God, spirit and life, simple enough for a child as in the sermon on the mount yet standing on high elevation and full of grand, ennobling, saving truth. What the Father and Son deemed essential for salvation was defined from eternity and revealed for instruction in righteousness to make the man of God perfect. That revelation restores the moral image of God in fallen humanity, severs men from Satan, and brings definite assurance of hope by Christ's own righteousness. By contrast assertion without truth, uncertain human greatness, tradition with only a semblance of truth, infidel literature, and human science disconnected from the source of all wisdom cannot save souls, and human instruction opposed to God's truth shall proceed no further but have its folly made manifest unto all men.
The verse and every word of its chapter applies at the present time to every minister and to all the churches throughout the world. It calls brethren to wake out of lethargic slumber, to trim their lamps with grace and let them shine in clear, bright rays to a world in darkness. It summons them to the great work of bearing the message that fits up a people to stand in the day of the Lord, coming up to the help of the Lord against the mighty. Because those who oppose God's truth will not prevail indefinitely but will have their folly made clear to everyone as did those who opposed Moses, God's faithful people can endure opposition with calm patience and trust, knowing what is hidden will be revealed and God will honor those who honor Him.