2 Peter 3

1Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.

Peter refers to this as the second letter he has written to help remind and stimulate them as Christians.

2I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

When he speaks of the “holy prophets”, Peter is referring to the Old Testament prophets. He places the New Testament apostles on equal footing with those Old Testament prophets. Both are vehicles of God’s truth. Peter can speak with knowledge and authority since he is one of the apostles.

3First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.

“First of all” (or “above all”) is a phrase used in the Greek to call attention to matters of great importance.
“Last days” refers to the period between Christ’s first and second coming. These are the last days in comparison with the Old Testament days. The “last days” indicates the time of the beginnings of prophetic fulfillment.

Jesus said things which might have been construed to imply His return would be in that generation (Matthew 16:28 and 24:34). Also, the apostles used expressions which indicated “His near appearance” as in Romans 13:12; Hebrews 10:25; James 5:8; and Revelation 1:3. Yet Jesus hinted that His return might be “after a long time” in Matthew 25:19 and suggested that it would be wise to prepare for a delay in Matthew 25:4. Paul expressly stated that it would not be until after the apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:2-3).

“Scoffers will come” may possibly be referring to those same false teachers he spoke of in the previous chapter. These “scoffers” are now doubting the second coming.

4They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

“Fathers” may indicate the early Christian leaders, or may refer to the Old Testament patriarchs, but their point is that “everything is going on as it always has”. Their argument is that since Jesus has not yet returned, He probably never will. There are those that still feel this way today.

5But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.

“Deliberately forget”: These people haven’t really forgotten the flood, but they deliberately ignore it so they don’t have to face up to the fallacy of their argument.
“God’s word” here means “His command” such as “Let there be light.”
“Earth was formed out of water and by water”: the waters on earth were separated from the atmospheric waters of the heavens (rain) and the mountains appeared, causing the earthly waters to be gathered into oceans.

6By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.

Peter is pointing out that the scoffers’ argument is faulty because the flood is proof that there has been divine intervention on earth since creation.
One point I found interesting in one book I've read is that the waters of the flood may not have been universal. It may simply have extended to all the INHABITED areas of the earth. (This is not really an important point, merely food for thought.)

7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Just as God commanded the earth into being and commanded the watery destruction of the earth, He will also speak fiery destruction on the wicked in the last days.

8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.

God does not view time as we do. He stands above time, observing an entire age or decade as no longer than one short day when compared to eternity. Time is purely relative as he waits patiently while we stew in our impatience. God will keep His promise, but in His own time.

9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

God is not delaying his return due to indifference, but is being patient as He awaits all who will come to repentance.
We cannot abandon hope simply because the event has not yet occurred. After all, His coming is 2000 years nearer than it was when the apostles lived.

10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

The second coming of the Lord will be sudden and unexpected. Here it appears that Peter is describing the destruction of the world by fire. Remember, however, that he has a limited understanding of our present day world. He may not have understood completely what the Holy Spirit was revealing to him. He would not know how to describe an atomic blast, for example. We must recognize this as an attempt by Peter to describe the indescribable. There will be some type of change in the atmospheric heavens.
The “elements” refers either to heavenly bodies or to the physical elements such as earth, air, fire, and water. Either the earth and its contents will disappear, or the earth and all man’s works will appear before God’s judgment seat. We do know that there will be a day of destruction for the ungodly as in the days of Noah, but next time it will be by fire. Whether by explosion, by collision with some other heavenly body, we don’t know.
What we do know is that God’s people will be delivered to a new heaven and new earth.

11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives

Since the earth will be destroyed, we shouldn’t be placing our future hopes in this world. This truth should convince us to change our priorities and make a difference in our system of values. Our goal should be to live our lives separated from sin and devoted to worshipping and serving God.

12as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

“Speed its coming” The day of the Lord may be hastened by God’s people if they work to accomplish His purposes. Since He is patiently waiting for all who will come to repentance, the sooner believers bring others to Christ, the sooner that day will come. Prayer will also serve to hasten the day.

We should always be ready to meet Christ at any time, yet plan your course of service as though He may not return for many years.

13But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

God promised a new heaven and new earth in Isaiah 65:17 & 66:22. This promise is also confirmed in Revelation 21:1. Righteousness will dwell there as a permanent resident.
God’s purpose for man is not destruction, but re-creation. We can joyously look forward to the restoration of God’s good world when He purifies the heavens and earth with fire and creates them anew.

14So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

Peter used these same two words “spotless and blameless” to describe Christ in 1 Peter 1:19. Believers are to strive to be Christ-like so they may have peace with God as a result of being justified by their faith. Whatever you would want to be doing when Christ returns is how you should be living your life, in expectation of that glorious day.

15Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.

Peter expresses warmth when he refers to Paul. These two men were united in their teaching and their purpose. This is attested to in Paul’s letters and the book of Acts and is confirmed here by Peter. Peter may be referring to Paul’s letter known as the book of Romans, which was sent to the churches as a circular letter approximately 5 years prior to Peter's writing and already had a widespread reputation.

16He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Paul wrote his letters with the wisdom given to him by God. “Ignorant and unstable people” refer to those who had not been taught basic apostolic teaching and could easily be led astray. Peter suggests that Paul’s letters have the same level of authority as the God-breathed writings of the Old Testament scripture.

Peter and Paul had very different backgrounds and personalities, and they preached from different viewpoints. Paul emphasized salvation by grace, while Peter preferred to talk about Christian life and service. However, they never contradicted each other and held each other in high esteem.

17Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.

Now Peter goes back to his original intent of this letter, which was to warn them of false teachers.

18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

He finishes by reminding them that knowledge is power. If they grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus, they will not fall prey to the false teachings. No matter where we are in our spiritual journey, no matter how mature we are in our faith, the sinful world will always challenge our faith.

We must hold fast to the Word of God--Thus the reason for Bible studies.

This ends our study of 1 & 2 Peter.

If you have enjoyed this study of the letters of Peter, please let me know. If there is enough interest, I will choose another book of the New Testament for another study. I am considering a study of Colossians next, but am open to suggestions.