While exalting the "sure word of prophecy" as a safe guide in times of peril, the apostle solemnly warned the church against the torch of false prophecy, which would be uplifted by "false teachers," who would privily bring in "damnable heresies, even denying the Lord." These false teachers, arising in the church and accounted true by many of their brethren in the faith, the apostle compared to "wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever." "The latter end is worse with them," he declared, "than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them."

Mens apostlen priste det "sikre profetiske ord" som en tryg vejleder i farefulde tider, advarede han alvorligt menigheden mod de falske profetiers fakkel, som "falske lærere" ville løfte, når de ville liste "fordærvelige vranglærdomme ind, idet de endog fornægter den Herre, som købte dem." Disse falske lærere, som opstår indenfor menigheden og af mange af deres brødre i troen regnes for at være sandfærdige, bliver af apostlen sammenlignet med "vandløse kilder og tåger, som driver for stormen; dem venter mørke og mulm." "Det sidste er blevet værre med dem end det første" erklærede han. "Thi det havde været bedre for dem ikke at lære retfærdighedens vej at kende frem for efter at have erkendt den da at vende sig bort fra det hellige bud, som blev dem overgivet."