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2 peter 3
Haystack bible commentary"Stacks and stacks of commentary...."
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==2 peter 3:1-7:
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:
3 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.
5 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:
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.
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:
3 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.
5 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:
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.
==2 peter 3:8-9:
8 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.
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.
==2 peter 3:10:
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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.
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The apostle Peter speaks about the Day of the Lord, which will come unexpectedly like a thief in the night. On that day, the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be destroyed by fire. This verse emphasizes the final judgment and the total transformation of the world as we know it, urging believers to live in holiness and godliness as they await God's new creation. It highlights the certainty of God's promises and the need to be prepared for His return. -Dean Butler
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==2 peter 3:11-12:
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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? |
Peter picks up the language of both Jesus and Paul, likening the return of Christ to the coming of a thief (cf. Matt. 24:42-44; 1 Thess. 5:2). And he goes further, revealing the work of Jesus to purge our fallen world of sin and its stain, and to create new heavens and a new earth. A thief depends on surprise, hoping to escape undetected with his loot in tow. In contrast, while the Lord’s coming is sudden, every eye will see him and every person will bear witness of his work to set things right (Rev. 1:7).
When Christ returns, Peter notes three significant events: (1) “the heavens will pass away with a loud noise;” (2) “the elements will burn and be dissolved;” and (3) “the earth and the works on it will be disclosed” (v. 10). We should note that the apostle is describing cataclysmic acts of judgment on the physical world similar to God’s judgment through a universal flood in the days of Noah. In the case of the second coming, however, God’s instrument is fire, not water. And the result is not a fresh start with still-fallen creatures, but a renovation of the material order that purges the world of sin and its curse and populates this new world with redeemed people who are fully conformed to the image of Christ (2 Cor. 5:17; 1 John 3:2). -Rob Phillips; The Return of Jesus |
==2 peter 3:13:
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Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
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 CS Lewis Files
“The Christian says, 'Creatures are not born with desires unless satisfaction for those desires exists. A baby feels hunger: well, there is such a thing as food. A duckling wants to swim: well, there is such a thing as water. Men feel sexual desire: well, there is such a thing as sex. If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. If that is so, I must take care, on the one hand, never to despise, or to be unthankful for, these earthly blessings, and on the other, never to mistake them for the something else of which they are only a kind of copy, or echo, or mirage. I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that country and to help others to do the same.” - C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
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==2 peter 3:14:
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Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
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2 Peter 3:14 – Peter teaches that God has His one sense of timing and doesn’t move in our timing when we persistently seek Him asking “when, God, when?’ Learning to trust God’s timing in chaos without being weary, worried, and wilted in our work and witness for Him. We must be willing to say, I Will Stand for Jesus, while remembering He said to expect these things and be found by Him without blemish or spot…and at peace…with confidence, ‘free from fear and agitating passions and moral conflicts’! We must take the challenge to stand up for God…trusting Him through all things. Here our cries of repentance Lord; let freedom, love, peace, and joy for Jesus ring! - Becky Spell Vann Spell
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==2 peter 3:15-17:
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.
17 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.
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.
17 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.
==2 peter 3:18:
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Do not be led away with the error of the wicked but "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
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Light is the chariot which carries the influence of the sun. So the knowledge of Christ brings with it the influences of His grace into the heart. And how did Peter expect people to grow in the knowledge of Christ unless they read Scripture, the only book where it can be found? How wrong for teachers to want the people to learn this knowledge solely from their preaching, and not from the Bible! How can a congregation be sure they are hearing truth unless they have Scripture, the only touchstone to try the purity of the doctrine? God Himself directs His Word not to any one honored group—not to a select few—but to every man (Romans 1:7; 2 Corinthians 1:1). Why are laws made if they cannot be declared? And why was Scripture ever written if not to be read and known of all men? By the same authority with which the apostle wrote his epistles, he commanded them to be read in the church. Did ministers of the early church hide God's Word from the people instead of encouraging them to hide it in their heart?
It is true that some men do wrest Scripture to their own destruction, just as occasionally somebody chokes on a piece of bread if he is not careful when he eats. But must everyone starve for fear of getting choked? Some hurt themselves with sharp weapons; must the whole army then be disarmed, and only a few officers be allowed to wear the sword? If this argument were enough to seal up the Bible, we must deny it to intellectuals as well as to common men; for it is a known fact that the grossest heresies have bred in the finest minds. Whenever proud men insist on being wiser than God, their foolish minds get darker and darker until they become so accustomed to the blackness that they can no longer see His sovereignty. — William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armor |