2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:1 The Day of the Lord Will Surely Come. Peter turns his attention to explaining the Lord’s promised return. Apparently he is responding to a disagreement in the church concerning the timing of the return. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=... [ Continue Reading ]
2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:2 REMEMBER. Peter especially has in mind the second coming. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:3 LAST DAYS. Peter and the rest of the NT authors teach that the “last days” have already arrived (see note on Acts 2:17). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:4 Scoffers (v. 2 Peter 3:3) will question the biblical PROMISE of the Lord’s COMING. FATHERS refers to the OT patriarchs. But these scoffers DELIBERATELY OVERLOOK (consciously, willfully ignore) the FACT that God intervenes in his creation whenever he desires. For example,... [ Continue Reading ]
2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:7 STORED UP FOR FIRE. The day of judgment is coming for scoffers. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:8 ANY SHOULD PERISH. See note on 1 Tim. 2:4. Christians long for Christ’s return and the defeat of all evil. Yet while the present period of history lasts, people may still turn to God in faith. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=ima... [ Continue Reading ]
2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:10 THE DAY OF THE LORD. God’s judgment will not be delayed forever. When Christ returns it will be sudden and without warning, like a THIEF. THE HEAVENS (the sky) will PASS AWAY (compare Psalms 102:25; Revelation 6:14) and THE HEAVENLY BODIES (stars, etc.) will be BURNED UP... [ Continue Reading ]
2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:12 HASTENING THE COMING OF THE DAY OF GOD suggests that, by living holy lives, Christians can actually affect the time of the Lord’s return. That does not mean, of course, that the Lord has not determined already when Jesus will return (see Matthew 24:36; Acts 17:31). But w... [ Continue Reading ]
2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:13 The hope of Christians ultimately depends on God’s PROMISE that God will bring about a NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH (see Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1). This will be the eternal home of the righteous. “New” could mean “newly created,” but it probably means “renewed, made... [ Continue Reading ]
2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:14 Concluding Encouragements. To obtain their final reward, believers must live a godly life and resist the immorality promoted by the false teachers (see 2 Peter 1:5). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:15 The delay of Christ’s return should be understood as his PATIENCE leading people to SALVATION (see v. 2 Peter 3:9; Romans 2:4). The apostle Paul ALSO WROTE TO these same readers earlier. Apparently the false teachers used a twisted version of Paul’s gospel of freedom (se... [ Continue Reading ]
2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:16 IN ALL HIS LETTERS shows awareness of some kind of collection of Paul’s letters. SOME THINGS... HARD TO UNDERSTAND. Correctly understanding some hard passages of Scripture requires much effort and God-given wisdom. THE IGNORANT AND UNSTABLE TWIST Paul’s teachings AS THEY... [ Continue Reading ]
2 PETER—NOTE ON 2 PETER 3:17 KNOWING THIS BEFOREHAND. The readers have now been informed that the false teachers were distorting Paul’s teaching. Paul advocates neither sin nor lawlessness, so they should not be carried away by the false teaching, even if it appeals to Paul as the authority. Instead... [ Continue Reading ]