Lesson 9 – 2 Peter Chapter 3:1-9
With our final chapter in 2 Peter, we could give it the title “The end of the world as we know it.”
2 Peter 3:1:
“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,”
Peter begins the chapter by calling his readers “beloved.” Peter will use the word beloved four times in chapter 3, which reveals the passion he has in his heart for his disciples. Jesus told Peter just before He ascended into heaven, that if he loved Him, he was to take care of His sheep. Peter has done just that; he is a loving pastor.
s I pointed out when we first started getting into Peter’s letters, he is the apostle who gives us great reminders, and he’s stating that right up front here… I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder.
Peter reminds us of the things that are vital to our spiritual growth, that we might be able to escape from the corruption that is in the world through its sinful lusts. We saw the evidence that supported this, as he zeroed in on false teachers, reveling their true character, methods, and motives.
2 Peter 3:2:
“That you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.”
This takes us back to chapter 1, verse 12, Peter says… “Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you.”
Peter wants us to remember the Scriptures, how God has revealed His plans through the holy prophets, and by using His apostles through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Peter is coming to the end of his race, and he has seen how God has been using him to further the kingdom of God. Peter has full confidence that the Holy Spirit is in him, and is speaking through him. One of the great joys in life is to be in service to the Lord, and then to see evidence to the fact. Peter knows God is using him.
2 Peter 3:3:
“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,”
In the last days… here, Peter is talking about the entire time between Jesus’ first and second coming, and being in the last days, this obviously means that we’re under the New Covenant. Included in this time frame is the church age, after Jesus’ ascension, and the coming of the helper… the Holy Spirit.
Then we see in Jude 18, Peter and Jude are still lined up together:
“That they [meaning apostles] were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.”
One commentator says, “If Peter sat down and copied Jude, what Peter wrote was not inspired, but copied. And if Jude sat down and wrote after the pattern of Peter, copied him, and worked over his testimony, then Jude is not inspired. But both Peter and Jude were inspired, and therefore wrote independent of each other, the Holy Spirit guiding their respective pens, in giving the same testimony of warning” (Arno C. Gaebelein, 9:96-97).
We know from 2 Timothy 3:16, that all Scripture is inspired by God. My thought is, being that false teachers were so rampant at the time, God used two disciples to spread the warnings about them.
Peter has thoroughly briefed us on the character of these “pigs and dogs,” that it is no surprise that their goal here is to chip away at the church’s confidence in the return of Jesus Christ.
Peter says, mockers will come, it’s in the future tense, meaning that the mockers’ actions will come in some far-off future day, but also it means in the immediate future.
Isaiah 5:18-20:
“What sorrow for those who drag their sins behind them with ropes made of lies, who drag wickedness behind them like a cart! They even mock God and say, “Hurry up and do something! We want to see what you can do. Let the Holy One of Israel carry out His plan, for we want to know what it is.” What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that dark is light and light is dark, that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.” (NLT)
Isaiah reminds us of the state we’re living in today, the mockers are all around, and the evil mind-set that exists declares that evil is good and good is evil. Today, Christians are ridiculed because they believe Jesus is coming back. Whether we’ve experienced it or not, the Christian world view has taken a back seat, and now is evolving into second-class citizens.
An article From Premier Christianity:
“Now we find ourselves in a society where not only fewer people are confessing Christ as Lord, but more people are beginning to grow hostile toward Him, and His people. In that context, no impressive smoke machine or entertainment is going to keep people coming to a gathering which seems not just out of touch, but outdated and foolish. The Church has been removed from its place of cultural and political power and is being pushed further and further toward the margins. Yet the Church thrives on the margins. That’s why our cultural moment doesn’t need to be viewed as depressing but exciting.”
We can be excited even though darkness is seen as light and light is dark, because we have God’s promises to stand on.
Joshua 1:9:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Mockers, scoffers, and false teachers will come, following after their own lusts…
These poor excuses for human beings come rushing in, following after their own lusts, and at the core of this is immorality. Following after, literally means “travel or go.”
Back to chapter 2 verse 10:
“God is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling.” (NLT)
These mockers show an arrogant display of snobbery and disdain as to the idea of a coming judgment, which led to their sexual perversions. Thus they deny any pronouncements of Christ’s return, because they hate the very thought of divine retribution.
Romans 1:18:
“But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”
Once again, we’re seeing man-centered, pleasure-seeking, low life people, who mock God’s standards. This creates a division between the saved and the lost. I think one of the reasons they reject God and His return is that He will reveal all the secret things a person hides in their heart.
1 Cor. 4:5:
“Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”
The time is coming when each one of us will have to give an account of ourselves before Christ… one unto rewards, and the other unto judgment.
The mockers cry out…
2 Peter 3:4:
“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.”
They ask the taunting question, Where is the promise of His coming?
This reminds me of the story of Elijah and King Ahab with the dueling sacrifices, but in this instance we have Elijah doing the mocking.
1 Kings 18:27:
“About noontime Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “For surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!” (NLT)
What Elijah said was pretty funny, but here we have the false teachers mocking God, and God will not be mocked. Perhaps in a whining voice they said, “Where is the promise of His coming?” This is an attack against Christian doctrine. An immature believer could fall prey to this line of thinking, that’s why continuing growth in the faith is essential for everyone. “The day of the Lord” wasn’t invented by the Apostles… the prophets proclaimed it, as did Jesus.
There will be a time when God’s wrath will be poured out on all the nations, and also a time when satan will be free to roam the earth to give vent to his anger and malice. The climax to all this will come with the return of Jesus, with power and great glory.
This is a good time for us to distinguish the various “days” mentioned in the Bible.
• “The Day of the Lord” is that day of judgment that climaxes with the return of Christ to the earth.
• “The Day of God” which is in verse 12, is the period when God’s people enjoy the new heavens and new earth, when all evil has been judged (1 Cor. 15:28).
• “The Day of Christ” relates to the coming of Christ for His church (1 Cor. 1:7-9).
Bible students seem to fall into three different categories:
1. Those who believe the church will be raptured (or caught up together) before the Day of the Lord.
2. Those who see this event taking place in the middle of the Day of the Lord, so that the church experiences the first half of the Tribulation.
3. Those who believe the church will be Raptured when the Lord returns at the end of the Tribulation.
There are good and godly people in each of these groups and our differences of interpretation must not create problems in fellowship or in us sharing Christian love with each other. We are free in Christ.
Our job is to be on the lookout for the mockers of Christ, knowing that these people will always be around. Remember, a scoffer or mocker is someone who treats lightly that which should be taken seriously. As we covered before, the people of Noah’s day mocked and ridiculed him as he built the ark, and denied the possibility of judgment.
One pastor writes, “Things are going on just as they always have,” the skeptics say. “We’ve heard the prophecy update tapes. We’ve read The Late Great Planet Earth. But where is this Second Coming everyone keeps talking about?” Little do they know, their very scoffing fulfills Bible prophecy.”
For ever since the fathers fell asleep…
The phrase The fathers, is probably a reference to the Old Testament patriarchs. Fell asleep is a New Testament synonym for death.
All continues just as it was from the beginning of creation…
A simplistic meaning here would be that the universe is divinely created but closed, a naturalistic system. There’s one word that covers it… uniformitarianism… it is the doctrine that earth’s geologic processes have remained constant and uniform throughout world history. It categorically denies divine intervention throughout its history, most notably opposing both a six-day creation and the global flood.
The ‘Talking Heads’ had a song “Same as it Ever Was,” it was a reflection on the monotony and repetitiveness of modern life, with the famous refrain “same as it ever was” serving as a powerful and ironic commentary.
This isn’t much different from what the scoffers were saying. To paraphrase, “everything is the same, and nothing is going to change, so where is your Jesus?”
They deny the promises of Scripture, including Jesus’ return, all based on a satanically devised worldview.
2 Peter 3:5:
“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,”
“They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of His command, and He brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water.” (NLT)
When the false teachers maintained their uniformitarian view of history, they proudly ignored historical facts. We see this very thing today, there is no using logic or historical facts when coming up against godless 21st century individuals, they would rather shout you down and call you names, mainly because they can’t defend their position.
It escapes their notice… to get a better translation of this we see in the King James version, “they willingly are ignorant of,” pointing out that they purposefully shut their eyes to the truth, just like a little child sticking their fingers in their ears saying, “I can’t hear you,” making it unmistakable that they love their sin, and want to do just as they please, consequences be damned.
Numbers 15:31:
“Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt will be on him.”
Gal. 6:8:
“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
That by the word of God the heavens existed long ago…
These misguided, self-inflicted, blind individuals, are discounting the very power of God.
Gen. 1:1-2:
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”
Although God has no beginning or end, creation marked the very beginning of the universe in time and space. In a sense, the marking of time is unconnected to God because He transcends time.
Existed long ago… this phrase shouldn’t be taken to mean that the earth is billions and billions of years old. Modern day scientists have analyzed the earth’s crust, rocks, and meteorites and have concluded that the earth is around 4.54 billion years old, with a margin of error of about 1%. This is laughable considering Scripture supports the earth is several thousand years old. At the most, the earth is around ten thousand years old… if I was on YouTube I would be blocked right about now.
Psalm 33:8-9:
“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.”
John 1:3:
“All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”
Peter’s argument is obvious – the same God who created the world by His Word can also intervene in His world and do whatever He wishes to do! It is His Word that made it and He holds it together, and His Word is all powerful.
The earth was formed out of water and by water…
Gen. 1:9-10:
“Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so. God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.”
God shaped the earth between two areas of watery mass. On the second day of creation, He called the upper waters into something like a vapor canopy around the entire earth, and the lower waters into underground reservoirs, rivers, lakes, and seas. Then on the third day, He separated the land from the water, allowing dry earth to appear.
Peter reminds us of all God has done in the past, and He can surely do it in the time to come.
2 Peter 3:6:
“Through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.”
There was a time back in human history when foolish men scoffed as they do today. Day after day, decade after decade as Noah labored not in vain, but according to God’s directions. Noah could hear the laughter and snide remarks coming from his friends and neighbors, all the while, using his saw and hammer. Then one day came the collapse of the water canopy, and the underground eruptions of lakes, rivers, and seas, along with torrential rains that had never been seen before. All resulting in a world-wide flood, as evidenced still today, not only by geological data, but by its appearance in written and spoken history throughout all generations.
The false teachers of Peter’s time refused to view world history properly. Due to their self-centered, pleasure-seeking attitudes, they provide for us a classic example of willful disobedience.
One commentator writes, “Like today’s revisionist historians, the false teachers deliberately denied both the creation story and the flood… the two catastrophic events that easily disprove their secular world views.”
2 Peter 3:7:
“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.”
Verses 7, 10, and 12 are the only places where the New Testament depicts the future destruction of the world by fire.
When I was a young boy, I learned about the great flood that took place, and how when we saw a rainbow, it was a sign and promise that God would never destroy the earth again with a flood, but with fire.
I must admit, learning that the world would be destroyed by fire didn’t give me any comfort whatsoever! I know better now. Even when I hear about the threats of world-wide nuclear destruction, my spirit it calm, but it can be very unsettling for those who don’t belong to Christ.
Job 21:30:
“For the wicked is reserved for the day of calamity; They will be led forth at the day of fury.”
Matthew 13:40-42:
“So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
While learning that the “pre-flood” world system was decimated by water, our present world system will be consumed by flames. Peter’s warning is clear; God has kept the universe for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men…
The word kept means to reserve, to undergo something.
Just like what we saw in Noah’s day with the flood, a final day of judgment is reserved for ungodly men.
Matthew 25:41:
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;”
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As this day approaches, the Lord will deliver His children out of the world before He unleashes His final wrath.
Mal. 3:16-18:
“Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In His presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared Him and always thought about the honor of His name. “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child. Then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.” (NLT)
2 Peter 3:8:
“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.”
Most Christians are familiar with this passage, it tells us that God is outside the time and space continuum. While the Bible does not use the phrase “outside of time” explicitly, there are passages that suggest that God transcends time. For example…
Psalm 90:2:
“Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”
And then in verse 4 Moses declares:
“For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night.”
Peter seems to imply that not only has God existed for so long that a thousand years feels like nothing to Him, but He also has such a unique relationship to time that a day can be like a thousand years. God can somehow experience one of our days in much greater depth than we do.
One thing to remember, that just because God is outside our time restraints, doesn’t mean He is unfeeling toward us, especially when we’re experiencing pain or sorrow, He is there for us.
Now these bonehead scoffers were not only ignorant as to what God had done in the past, but they were also ignorant of what God was like. The concept that God is eternal was totally foreign to them.
God had no beginning, and He has no end, He is from everlasting to everlasting. God dwells in eternity. On the flipside, man has a beginning, but he also has no end. Once we are born, we become eternal beings… many non-believers have a problem with that.
The way God sees things, the universe is only a couple of days old! He is not limited to time the way we are, nor does He measure time the same way we do. There’s an interesting thing to point out, God is never in a hurry, and He is never late… He’s always right on time. When you think about it, God could have created the earth and the universe in an instant, but He chose to do it in six days.
Other things to contemplate are; God could have rescued Israel out of the hands of Pharoh in a moment, but He decided to train Moses for eighty years instead. The Father also could have sent Jesus to this earth much sooner than He did, but Jesus came to us at the exact perfect time.
Gal. 4:4:
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
Thinking about time and God can make your head hurt, but when we do, it shows us how truly awesome He really is. We can say this about God, He waits to work, but once He begins to work, He get things done in a magnificent way!
Concerning the coming of Christ, Jesus will return at the exact moment determined by God from eternity past… it won’t be too soon, nor too late… Jesus will be right on time.
2 Peter 3:9:
“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.”
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness… some translations use the word slack instead of slow, they both mean the same thing.
Now that we’ve learned about God and time, this statement from Peter almost seems redundant, but it’s not Peter saying God is slow, but those who challenge God’s sovereign authority.
How many times do we pray, “Come soon Lord Jesus?” (maranatha) Maranatha is an Aramaic word that means “the Lord is coming” or “come, O Lord.” And we are certainly allowed to pray that. I find we most often pray this when times are tough or stressful.
Phil. 4:6-7:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Psalm 141:1-2:
“O Lord, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You! May my prayer be counted as incense before You; The lifting up of my hands as the evening offering.”
I think when we pray for Jesus to come for His church, God hears every one of our prayers and holds on to them. We know that one day God will answer our prayers, His Scriptures tell us so.
God’s delay in the return of Jesus is actually an indication that He has a plan for this world and that He is working His plan. We want God’s timing and not our own, because if we were in charge of this world, we would surely mess things up in an instant.
But is patient toward you… or is longsuffering toward us… and then the King James says, “us-ward.” One commentator says, “It would appear that God is longsuffering to His own people!”
God is patient toward lost sinners because some of them will believe and become a part of God’s elect people. We don’t know who will be saved and who will not among the people of the world, nor are we supposed to know. Remember, God has a plan and He’s always working His plan.
Not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance…
Not wishing, not wanting anyone to perish. God doesn’t create a person to perish… meaning being “utterly destroyed” in eternal hell. By Peter saying, Not wishing, or not wanting anyone to perish should not be taken as a decree, as if God has willed everyone to be saved.
We might ask, “Why doesn’t God save everyone?” God will not save a single soul against their will, and will not violate the will He has given them.
Ezek. 18:32:
“For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.”
C. S. Lewis has famously stated, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end, ‘Thy will be done.’”
All that are in Hell, choose to go there. Without self-choice there could be no Hell… even satan and his demons made a choice. No person who seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek, find. Those who knock, it is opened”
We’ll close with a statement from Warren Wiersbe:
“As you review Peter’s arguments, you can see that his evidence is irrefutable. He pointed out that the scoffers willfully rejected evidence in order that they might continue in their sins and scoffing. He proved from the Scriptures that God has intervened in past history, and that He has the power to do it today. He showed that the scoffers had a very low view of God’s character because they thought He delayed in keeping His promises just as men do. Finally, he explained that God does not live in the realm of human time, and that His so-called “delay” only gives more opportunity for lost sinners to repent and be saved.”