Verses 1-2 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: 2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
The Apostle Paul’s letters usually indicated to whom they were written: the church at Philipi or at Colosse or at Galatia. But these two letters were written to people scattered throughout a large geographical area. The Apostle Peter is clarifying the purpose of this second epistle/letter to Christian believers but no specific church is identified. Why? This writer can only surmise that it was because Peter is believed to have stayed close to the church at Jerusalem, whereas Paul traveled constantly and established churches wherever he went. According to Matthew 8:14 Peter was married as Jesus healed his mother-in-law, so he had family ties to a local community. Not enough information is available to really know what the ministry of the Apostle Peter was like, and the small amount of information in the Gospel books and the book of Acts does not clarify the Apostle Peter’s life and work.
Verses 3-4 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
It was important to the Apostle Peter to remind these Christian believers of what they had already been taught and of what they already knew, as he was very aware that false doctrine, pastors and teachers would come and try to pervert the truth of the Gospel message. A scoffer is someone who mocks, who teases or laughs in a contemptuous manner to try and make something seem laughable or untrue and/or to embarrass. When an unbeliever confronts a believer with something like, “You don’t really believe God created the world, do you? Don’t you understand science? What’s wrong with you?” they are scoffing at the believer, and in this case, at God. The example the Apostle Peter uses is in regards to the second and final return of the LORD Jesus Christ to this Earth to end time, to pronounce judgement, and to usher in eternity. The scoffers were denying this promise of Jesus’ return because since Abraham, Issac and Jacob, according to them, nothing had changed since the beginning of time. They willingly ignored history and facts.
Verses 5-6 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
Some of the historical facts these scoffers of the Gospel omitted were the Egyptian captivity of the Hebrew people for 430 year, the miracles that God did that resulted in the destruction of the nation, Egypt, and the freedom of the Hebrews, the Babylonian exile, the destruction of the Temple, and the factual details of the resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ. But the example that the Apostle Peter uses is the destruction of the world by water during the days of Noah which definitely was not indicative of these scoffer’s claim that “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation”!
Application: So called scientist and educators have promoted the “THEORY” of evolution for so many years that people today believe this fiction to be true and do not believe the Bible’s historical record of Noah and the ark that he built in obedience to God. Many evangelical mainstream denominations promote a form of evolution and disregard the Word of God. They claim the Earth is millions of years old when the Bible says it is around six thousand years old. This is because their theories fall apart unless there are millions of years for things to happen as described in their fictional models. But true science actually proves there was a worldwide flood. The eruption of Mount St. Helens in the State of Washington in 1980 disproved many evolutionist theories by proving that specific layers of rock could be laid down in a matter of hours or days and not over millions of years. In fact, the runoff at the base of the volcano was basically a miniature of the Grand Canyon in its rock formation, scientists claiming that the Grand Canyon formed over millions of years by water erosion. God revealed the error of science by displaying His power for all to see, yet people today still believe the misinformation and error of the evolution theory. The Apostle Peter verified the destruction of the original created heavens and Earth during Noah’s Flood in the verses above, yet scoffers continue today to discredit the faith of Christian believers, the accuracy of the Word of God, and scientifically proven historical facts.
Verse 7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
Application: And because most people believe the lies they have been told, they will not accept what the Apostle Peter writes in the verse above. Their attitude is, “God, if He exists, would never burn up the world and everything in it because all things continue as they were and they will not change. The sun shines in the morning and the moon at night. So don’t preach to me about a coming Jesus and the end of things as we know it by the judgement of fire.”
Verses 8-9 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Because God is a spirit manifesting Himself in three ways, Father God, Jesus, and the Comforter or Holy Ghost, he transcends time as it is known on Earth. He created time as recorded in the book of Genesis with the creation of light and the absence of light or darkness which gave mankind the 24 hour day. So years are a concept for mankind. What the Apostle Peter is saying is that God is not bound by time and by mankind’s time lines. What seems like a long time to an individual is not a long time to the LORD who dwells in eternity. The numbers 1 and 1,000 cover the number system used in Biblical times and therefore represent the entire range of their mathematical system. Today there are millions, billions and trillions, but there was no need to exceed 1,000 when the Apostle Peter was writing this epistle. So even though both the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul thought the LORD Jesus Christ would return soon to Earth to establish His Kingdom and to end this sinful world, when it did not happen, people scoffed. Today, when over 2,000 years have gone by, people are still scoffing at the idea that Jesus will return. But the Apostle Peter stated that, because the LORD is a loving God and does not want to return until all who will be converted to Christianity have the opportunity to do so, He is delaying His return.
Application: The corrupt and misleading end-time doctrine that was created by Cyrus I. Scofield and that has permeated the Christian Church has contributed to believers thinking that Jesus will not return yet, as the specific events outlined in the Scofield doctrine have not all come to pass. They have not come to pass because they are false. Jesus is not waiting to return to this Earth because of Scofield’s doctrine that does not agree with Scripture. He is not waiting for an “antichrist” to take world power or for a quiet “rapture” and so forth. No Bible prophecy needs to be fulfilled before His return as it has all come to pass with the exception of the prophetic description of the very end of time which will then come to pass with the return of the LORD Jesus Christ. If a prophetic Bible passage seems to have not occurred, it is because it is being interpreted inaccurately. If there was any Old Testament prophecy not fulfilled, the Apostles or writers of the New Testament books would have mentioned it. They did not and they were looking for His return during their lifetimes. The only Scriptural answer to why He has not come is right here in the verse above. He could have come back at any time during the last 2000 years and can come back anytime from this day forward. But he wants as many people as possible to follow Him and to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.
Verse 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
A word study on “the day of the LORD” cannot be done here and would take many pages to list all the verses in Scripture that teach about it. In brief, this is that last day of this present age when the LORD Jesus Christ will return from Heaven and judge this fallen world. Time will end and Christian believers will be safe with Jesus and unbelievers will be judged and be separated from God’s presence for all of eternity. “Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.” Isaiah 13:6 This is what the Apostle Peter wrote about in verse 7 above. “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.” Isaiah 13:9,13 “Alas for the day: for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.” Joel 1:15 “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” Joel 2:31 “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” Joel 3:14 “Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it? Amos 5:20
To “come as a thief in the night” simply means to come unannounced. Thieves do not let people know they are going to be robbed in advance. No one knows when this “day of the LORD” will be. When it happens, the heavens which comprise the sky above with the sun, the moon, and the stars will be destroyed with a very loud noise that will be heard in every nation by every one living at the time. The heavenly bodies will burn up and melt along with the Earth and everything and everyone in it. There will be cleansing by fire of all sin and all sinful mankind. This is not a pleasant thought for the unrepentant people who refuse the lordship of Jesus Christ. But because God cannot lie and because He directed the Apostle Peter to write these prophetic words, it will happen.
Application: This writer does not have scripture to support the following idea, but since it is an interesting thought, will include it here. Perhaps the world on fire will be the lake of fire spoken about in the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. It seems that, when righteous people die they go to Heaven and when unrighteous people die they go to Hell. But after the great judgement of the living and the dead by Jesus at His return it seems that the lake of fire comes into play. See what you think. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:10,14, and 15
Please note that the day of the LORD when Jesus returns destroys the Earth, therefore, the fictional doctrine by C. I. Scofield that teaches that Jesus will set up a kingdom on Earth that will last for 1,000 years cannot happen as there will be no place for an earthly kingdom to exist. Furthermore, Jesus said very clearly as recorded in John 18:36 “. . . My kingdom is not of this world. . .” This writer has to wonder why modern evangelical churches cannot understand these words of Jesus.
Verses 11-12 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
The Apostle Peter is pointing out that since everything people know is going to be burned up, how are Christian believers behaving. Are they behaving like there will always be a tomorrow and that the coming of Jesus would be an inconvenience in their Earthly lives? Or are they careful not to be attached to the things of this world which are temporary and are they behaving like they cannot wait for the LORD to return? Are they living a godly, righteous life every hour of the day or are they counting on be able to sin and then repent later? How about you? “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20
Verse 13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
The Christian believer has a bright and brilliant future. Take a minute to think about how it will be to live in a place that never deteriorates or needs fixing, where there are no weeds to pull, where there is just peace and beauty, where there are no hospitals or doctors, police or fire departments, courts or jails, city halls, man-made regulations, taxes, banks, traffic, shopping malls, schools and colleges, foul weather, sickness and infirmity and death, old age, computers, smart phones and tracking devices, poverty, and wars. Just the presence of the LORD and “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding. . .” Philippians 4:7
Verse 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
Application: The Christian believer is to live as if there is no tomorrow in terms of their spiritual walk with the LORD. This does not mean that the believer should not plan for and care about material things and about those things that are involved with living in a physical body. Work, family, housing, food, clothing, transportation, finances, etc. all need to be dealt with in a Biblical manner. But awareness that all the things of this world could be gone at any time should make the Christian believer hold on to their stuff lightly and to not covet it. It should also make the Christian believer willing and anxious to share the saving message of the Gospel to the unsaved people in their lives. Furthermore, it should make the Christian believer examine their manner of living to be sure they are living a righteous, holy, Christ-centered life. To do otherwise could cause the believer to miss eternal life in Heaven when the end of time comes suddenly and unexpectedly. The Christian believer cannot be like my Catholic friends who live like a devil during the week and then go to confession expecting their sins to be forgiven so that they can go back to the things of this world the next day. Salvation does not work that way.
Verses 15-16 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
The Greek word translated as “longsuffering” is “makrothumia” and it means patience, endurance, forbearance, or a slowness in avenging wrongs. The Apostle Peter makes the connection between God’s patience and slowness in avenging the sin in this fallen world and salvation, the Greek word being “soteria” which means deliverance, preservation, and safety. As he has stated earlier in this chapter, God is putting up with all the depravity and sin of mankind to give everyone a chance to repent and become His spiritual child.
Application: Verse 16 above states that those people who do not understand Scripture and its teachings often “wrest” or pervert the Word of God and twist the truth into a lie. Doing this will lead to these people’s “destruction” or ruin that consists of eternal misery in Hell. Today there are many demonic teachings in the religious world, one being that the Apostle Paul is the only New Testament writer to which the Christian believer is to turn when learning how to live a Christian walk, and that all the other writers are not credible. But the Apostle Peter refers to Paul in the verses above as a “beloved brother”. They had both seen Jesus, they were in the same ministry together, they knew each other well, and according to what Peter wrote above, Paul was teaching the very things that the Apostle Peter was teaching. Since the Apostle Paul was teaching what the Apostle Peter was teaching in this chapter and epistle, then the writings of Peter are of God and not to be cast out. And since the Apostle Peter was writing under the inspiration of the LORD, then it can be safely accepted that the other New Testament writers are correct in their teachings and doctrine and that the Old Testament writers are also to be read and studied. God miraculously put together the 66 books that comprise today’s modern Bible and it is not of man to determine which writers and which books to read and study and live by and which to ignore and cast aside. This leads to the next verses which are a stern warning to all Christian believers.
Verses 17-18 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (2 Peter 3)
The Christian walk is continual from the time of conversion to physical death. The Apostle Peter is saying stay away from error and don’t mess up. Plain and simple. This writer is saying, get rid of your fake Bibles and use the KJV, don’t pay much attention to televangelists, and check your pastor’s or study leader’s teachings against those of the Bible. Read the verses as they were written and not from a doctrinal perspective you have been taught in the past. God will tell you the meaning of His words, and then you cannot be led astray by the doctrines of man and of devils.