2 PETER – Chapter Three

Part FIVE

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

 

CHAPTER 3 – Be diligent and ready for Christ’s return

 

In the third chapter of 2 Peter we see the Apostle continue to remind the followers of Christ to whom he is writing to remember the teaching of the Old Testament prophets as well as the words of Jesus Christ and also the instructions of the Apostles that Jesus had appointed (3:2). He reminds them to remember the promise of Jesus, that He would return one day and that they should always look ahead for this glorious return of their Savior (3:10-13). He again reminds these Christians that as they seek to live godly lives obedient to the scriptures and patiently wait for Christ’s return, that disbelieving mockers would arise to discourage and distract them from their holy calling (3:3). He reminds them that when the scoffers deny such a future for the world that they are to be established in the fact that just as God destroyed the earth through a flood, He will in the future destroy it again with fire (3:5-7). He instructs them that there is a reason for God’s patience in waiting for the judgment of the world and the return of His Son. It is His holy patience and mercy (3:8-9). He encourages them to remain committed to their Savior and Lord and remember that the Lord is faithful to His promises and will deliver them. He also shares that their Savior will come unexpectedly so to always be ready (3:10). Peter informs them that there will be a new heavens and a new earth where righteousness will dwell. He also instructs them to remember the things the apostle Paul wrote to them and that they should grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in order to be ready for the return of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Peter states that this readiness for the return of Christ is reflected in their being steadfast in the knowledge of the scriptures while they live blameless and spotless lives.

 

After blasting the false teachers and their sinful lifestyle in chapter two, Peter now in chapter three calms down and begins the last part of his letter to followers of Christ. He shares his reasons for writing this second letter. It is to remind followers of what they already know. Often we need to be reminded of concepts, truths and precepts that we have already been taught. This is not because we have forgotten them, more often it is because we have not put what we know into practice. This is Peter’s reminder and encouragement; to both remember and live out the gospel truths.

 

As we travel through this chapter Warren Wiersbe states that there are four “beloved” statements contained in it that summarize what Peter wanted to get across as he brought his second letter to a close.

 

First in verses 1-2 “Beloved…be mindful.”

 

Secondly in verse 8 “Beloved…be not ignorant.

 

Thirdly in verse 14 “Beloved…be diligent.

 

Fourthly in verse 17 “Beloved beware!”

 

“1 This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.”

 

Here we see Peter address his fellow Christians as “beloved.” The Greek word here for beloved is a form of the word “agape” and is the highest form of love. It is the love God had for His Son, Jesus Christ and the love He has for those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This godly love stands in sharp contrast to the self-serving sinful attention the false teachers had expressed towards people they were attempting to lead astray from the Truth of God. Peter will use this word “beloved” three more times in this chapter (3:8, 14, 17) very likely to stress his fond affection for his fellow Christians.

 

Peter also in this verse verifies that this is the second letter he has written to these believers. We find in the New Testament that several apostles who wrote letters to followers of Christ; wrote multiple ones to follow up with additional thoughts, concepts and encouragements that the Holy Spirit wished to convey to Christians through them. This is also internal evidence that this letter was written by Peter.

 

Peter states that he wishes to “stir up” their sincere minds by causing them to remember godly truths from three sources. These three sources are;

 

First from the Old Testament Holy prophets.

 

Secondly from the teachings of Jesus Christ Himself.

 

Thirdly from the teachings communicated through the anointed apostles Christ had chosen.

 

All of these writings and teachings were communicated through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).

 

Peter had encouraged Christians in 2 Peter 1:19-21 to “pay attention” to the prophetic Word. The prophetic Word always pointed towards Christ, Jesus verified this Himself (John 5:39). The books of the Old Testament written by Moses, King David and prophets all point to Jesus Christ (Luke 24:27, John 1:45, Acts 28:23, Romans 1:1-4, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We also know that Jesus Himself taught and gave commands that related to godly living and having a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Just read the gospels and you will see a plethora of such examples for holy living and communicating with God intimately. We also know the teachings of the Apostles formed the foundation of the church of which Christ is the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).

 

Despite this huge body of evidence available Christians still in the first century were being led astray by false teachers and their own doubts. Peter does not wish to take any chances and wants to make sure that he stimulates the Christians to put on their thinking caps and to continually remember the doctrines, commands and beliefs that are so necessary to right-thinking and godly behavior. He also very likely knew that even thought the facts were in their heads, the 18 inches from their heads to their hearts can be a very long distance when it comes to living according to a godly lifestyle. He knew that Christians must keep on their alert in order to avoid being misled and the best way to do this was for them to continually review and live out the teachings of the Christian faith.

 

Peter now briefly mentions some individuals that the followers of Christ will have to deal with; they are the mockers and scoffers. These people may be the false teachers who are teaching false doctrine, but they could also be people of no faith at all. Such individuals, disbelieve there is any God or any supreme being who will hold mankind accountable for sin. Whatever the case, these individuals spread doubt that God will ever judge people for their sin.

 

“3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”

 

One of the first things Peter wishes to remind Christians of is that in the “last days” mockers will follow after their own lustful desires, justifying their behavior by their belief that Jesus was not the Son of God. They instead thought that He was simply a man that was crucified for His strange beliefs. Jude also wrote of such rebellious people in his letter to Christians; Jude 17-19, “But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.”

 

These scoffers look at what appears to them to be the stable and consistent way history marches on with no cataclysmic events that might portray the judgment of God. They use their meager short earthly existence to justify their unbelief in God, substantiate their sinful life and verify that there is no God who will hold anyone accountable for the way they live. You might ask how can such people be so short-sighted, but all you have to do is look at our world today. Modern day “enlightened” and “intelligent” people do not believe that the universe was created by a Supreme Being. They instead believe in evolution; a theory which cannot be proven by the scientific method of evaluation and experimentation. What drives the man-made so-called truth and sinful morals of our day is the mocking and scoffing of the Truth of God’s Word. Mankind has not changed one bit, no matter how much intellectual knowledge we gain or how great our technological advancements. The basic belief of our day is the same as in the first centuries, “uniformitarianism.” This is the belief that there is a continual unbroken cause and effect in history and this will continue forever into the future. Linked to this short-sighted non-spiritual concept is the belief in what is called “materialism.” This is the belief that the physical universe is all that truly exists. There is no spiritual realm where angels dwell. There is no God who loves people and judges those who disobey His commands. Of course this leads to a third belief, that of “antisupernaturalism.” This is the belief that there is no God, no Heaven or Hell, because there are no supernatural beings and there are no supernatural interventions of a supreme being in the lives of human beings. These beliefs give birth ultimately to “atheism.” All these man-made philosophies give rise to a man-made philosophical universe where there is no accountability, no ultimate meaning in life. When this worldly perspective is boiled down to practical living it leads to a meaningless existence; for after you die there is nothing. Such concepts come not only from the rebellious heart of sinful man, but from the mouth of Satan himself.

 

Peter’s Argument Against False Teachings Part One – 2 Peter 3:5-7 He Argues from History

 

Peter shows in the next few verses that because the Word of God is true, all these false beliefs are part of an expression of sin which started with the sin of Adam and Eve and which led to the judgment of God upon the earth with the great flood in Noah’s day.

 

“5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.”

 

Peter in this verse uses a very interesting phrase to describe the delusion of scoffers and mockers of the truth of the great flood of Noah’s day. When he states “it escapes their notice” he is actually saying, “they willingly and deliberately wish to remain ignorant.” In other words, they choose to disbelieve in the facts that are presented because they don’t wish to believe. They have in a sense pushed the truth aside and say to themselves, “out of sight, out of mind.” They live in a dangerous state of denial, unwilling to face the truth that God exists, that He provides a way of salvation for their sins and that those who do not choose the path to salvation will receive judgment. We know that the Bible states that because mankind became so wicked and sinful God chose to judge through the use of a devastating world-wide flood. No one survived this judgment except for Noah and his family members; an example that God spares the righteous while judging the sinful unrighteous.

 

Peter now shares that just as there was a worldwide judgment using water, the current world is being reserved for another judgment using different means, that of fire.

 

“7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”

 

We see that through the power of God’s word the “present heavens and earth” are being reserved and kept for one more judgment which will involve the destruction of all people who do not choose to accept His Son Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Just as you make a reservation for a motel room you will stay in the future or a table at a restaurant you wish to eat at later in the day, God has made a reservation for the judgment and destruction of ungodly men and women. You can cancel your reservation for a motel room or restaurant if you wish, but God will not cancel this reservation for the earth’s destruction or the final judgment of mankind. While it may appear He has forgotten about His reservation for judgment for mankind because it has been so long; we have no true understanding of God and His timing. Peter mentions this in the next verse.

 

Peter’s Argument Against False Teachings Part Two – 2 Peter 3:8 He Argues from Scripture

 

“8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.”

 

Peter shares here that God’s existence is not the same as ours. God is not bound by time. He never ages. He has always existed and always will. While He works in and through history; time has no constraints on Him. John Phillips in his commentary on 2 Peter states;

 

“Time flows to us out of the future. It touches our lives for an instant in the flickering moment of the present. It flows on into the past, where it holds its record of thoughts indulged, desires quickened, words said, and deeds done, unalterable against the Day of Judgment. We can experience life only a moment at a time. We can anticipate the future, and we can remember the past, but we are locked into time, a moment at a time, in the fleeting present. God by contrast, gathers all of time, past and future, into an eternal present sense. He is the I AM. He can thus experience a thousand years as though it were a single day. He can savor a day as though it were a thousand years. God is not locked into a time sequence as we are. He can summon all of time before Him – past, present, and future – a moment at a time or all of the moments at once. We look at our calendars and accuse God of being too slow. God looks at His calendar and sees that He is right one time…God is by no means locked into our own small measure of time and that, even when He does use our calendar, He is not obliged to use it the same way we do.”

 

Peter’s Argument Against False Teachings Part Three – 2 Peter 3:9 He Argues from the Character of God

 

“9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

 

He will bring about His holy will, both the rewarding of those who believed in His Son and those who choose to disbelieve and rebel. His patience and mercy in delaying His judgment is meant to enable as many as possible to come to faith in His Son.

 

Statistics from usprayercenter.org state that in Africa alone, conservative Christian converts increase by 16,173 per day. Can you believe that? Every day that Jesus Christ waits to return, over 16,000 people come to faith in Him in Africa.

 

I can’t blame Jesus Christ for waiting. But there will come a day, when no one else will choose to come to Him in repentance. The last person will have fallen on his or her knees and ask forgiveness of their sins. That is the day that will prompt Jesus Christ’s return in the air for His followers on the Day of Christ. After this will come the beginning of the Tribulation. At the end of the Tribulation will come the Day of the Lord when Jesus Christ returns in judgment with His followers and the earth will be destroyed. Peter covers this event briefly in the next verse.

 

Peter’s Argument Against False Teachings Part Four – 2 Peter 3:10 He Argues from the Promise of Christ

 

“10a But the day of the Lord will come like a thief…”

 

Currently we are living in what might be called “man’s day,” when we are allowed to make judgments on our own. It is also the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2) when people are given the chance to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.

 

Next will come the Day of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:8; 2 Corinthians 1:14; Philippians 1:6; 2:16). The Day of Christ refers to the day when the church will be “raptured” or caught up into the air to be with Jesus in Heaven.

 

Next comes the Day of the Lord which is first expressed in Isaiah 2:12 and is mentioned a total of twenty times in the Old Testament. It is also mentioned in Isaiah 13:9-10,13, Joel 2:1-2, 30-31, Zephaniah 1:14-18, as well as the books of Ezekiel, Amos, Obadiah, and Malachi. In the New Testament it is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2, 2 Peter 3:10 and Revelation 1:10. Sometimes the Day of the Lord is called the Day of Wrath and the Day of Vengeance. The Day of the Lord will also coincide with the beginning of the Millennial Reign of Christ on earth. The Millennium Reign of Christ on earth begins with a battle and ends with a battle (Revelation 16:12-21, 19:11-21; 20:7-10). Peter tells us that the Day of the Lord will come suddenly and surprisingly to everyone. There will be no warning because enough warning has already been given for centuries. A description is given in Isaiah 13:6-16 of the events that take place on such a judgment day. 2 Thessalonians also gives very detailed and vivid descriptions of the events leading up to the Day of the Lord and during the Tribulation. In addition 1 Thessalonians also gives us additional information as to what takes place on the Day of the Lord with encouragements to be ready for the Lord’s return.

 

1 Thessalonians 5:2-11

“For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3 While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 7 For those who sleep do their sleeping at night, and those who get drunk get drunk at night. 8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.”

 

In the passage above Paul reminds the Thessalonian Believers that they have already been made aware of the fact that the “Day of the Lord” will come suddenly, without warning and he again stresses with detailed illustrations how surprising this day will be. It is comforting to we who are followers of Christ that the “Day of Christ,” the “Rapture of Christians” from the earth, will have already taken place before the “Day of the Lord.” While the “Day of the Lord” will come suddenly there will be warning signs that will take place before it occurs. Acts 1:7 also confirms that while we may know some details as to the “Day of Christ” and “Day of the Lord” we will not know specifically when either of them will take place. When the “Day of Christ” takes place and Christians are taken away from the earth, their godly influence will no longer remain on the earth. Those who rejected Christ’s sacrifice on the cross will now claim a new world has been born and that “peace and safety” will finally be achieved. During the seven years of the “Great Tribulation” sin and evil will reign and the anti-Christ will then come on the scene to rule over the entire world. Finally the culmination will be the coming of the “Day of the Lord” when Christ will pour judgment upon the earth. He also will battle for His Kingdom with His saints and eventually to set up His Millennium Reign on the earth. For further information about the “Day of Christ,” “Day of the Lord,” and the “Great Tribulation refer to the book; “Charting the End Times” by Tim Lahaye, Harvest House Publishers.

 

Peter has told us that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief, unannounced and without any warning. Now he gives us in the remainder of verse 10 some curious descriptions of what will take place when the Day of the Lord occurs after the millennial reign of Christ. Peter shares three aspects of Creation that will be affected.

 

First Concerning the Heavens

 

“10b… in which the heavens will pass away with a roar…”

 

Second Concerning the Elements

 

“… and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat,”

 

Third Concerning the Earth

 

“and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

 

The heavens include not only the earth’s atmosphere, but also outer space. Both will pass away. There will be a tremendous roar as the basic elements that make up all matter in the universe are destroyed with intense heat. The Greek word for “roar” here is “rhoizedon” and it refers to the whizzing of an arrow rushing to its target. According to W. E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of the New Testament Words, the word also signifies “with rushing sound as of roaring flames.” Because of this atomic event, the earth and everything upon it will be burned up. The Greek word for “intense heat” is “kausoo” and is a medical word denoting a fever. When you consider what takes place when an atom or hydrogen bomb explodes you begin to understand the power that will be released in this judgment of God. The Greek word for “destroyed” is “luo” which can also mean “dissolved,” “untie” or “loosen” as well as “to break up,” or “melt.” As a word it conveys the thought of setting free something that has before been bound. Very possibly when the heavens pass away Christ will no longer hold the universe together with His power and the components of the very atoms themselves (electrons, protons and neutrons) will fly apart destroying all matter. Colossians 1:15-17 tells us some interesting things about the world and universe we live in as it relates to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

“15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

 

It is very interesting that Peter who lived thousands of years ago is able to describe in 21st century details how the atoms of matter which are held together by Jesus Christ are untied or unloosed by His will, which results in the rushing, horrific, fiery destruction of the entire universe.

 

In our next and final segment of this commentary series we finish chapter 3 of 2 Peter. In it, Peter challenges us with how we are to live as followers of Christ if we are aware of what is to take place in the future.