Peter believes that his martyrdom is very near.  So he follows up his earlier letter which was addressed to God’s people in various provinces which are now in Turkey.  But the two letters, like all letters in the Bible, are intended for all God’s people at any place and at any time, and therefore for us today.

The Roman Emperor at that time (about 67 or 68 AD), who was Nero, wanted a new and modern city of Rome.  To achieve this, he secretly set fire to the old city.  Unfortunately he was suspected of causing the fire.  He had to blame someone.  So he blamed the despised and persecuted group of people who were called Christians, who were perhaps an easy target.

Thousands were martyred, and Peter and Paul were among them.  Paul, as a Roman citizen, could be given the death penalty only by being beheaded.  But for Peter it meant crucifixion.  There is a story that when Peter was about to be nailed to a cross, he realized that he was going to die in the same way that Jesus died.  Peter said to the executioner “I am not worthy for this honour.  Pease make my death in some way different.”  So the soldiers granted his request by crucifying him upside down.

This final chapter in Peter's second letter falls into four sections, each of them beginning with the words ‘Dear Friends’ (NIV)*; these are found in verses 1, 8, 14 & 17 of chapter 3.  He writes about being reminded (v.1), not forgetting (v.8), making every effort (v.14) and being on our guard (v.18).

1)       (v.1)  Being reminded of what?  That in the last days there will be many scoffers ridiculing the Word of God.  Of course there always have been such people, but this sort of activity will intensify in the ‘last days’.  Are we in them now?  Possibly.  Certainly hatred of the Christian gospel is increasing in many parts of the world.

Scoffers don’t want to know about God and His Word.  They deliberately ignore the creation story, and assume that nothing can change.

They also ignore the event of the Great Flood.  There is plenty of proof.  There was not only continuous rain for forty days, but also the ‘springs of the great deep’ burst forth (Genesis ch.7 v11).  Some believe that at that time the earth tipped on its axis, thus causing the seasons as we have them now.  Only eight people were saved – Noah and his family in the Ark.

And God could deal with the world again, but not by flood (the rainbow symbolizes God’s promise in that respect) but by fire as part of the coming judgement on the ungodly.

2)       (v.8)  But there are things that we should not forget.  God’s time scale is not ours, and judgement is His ‘strange work’.  He holds back so that people may repent.  He is not willing that any should perish.  The same thought comes in Ezekiel’s prophecies and also in 1 Timothy ch.2.

But the future is in God’s hands.  Man will not be allowed to destroy the world completely.  God will ‘push the button’ of nuclear forces in His time, ushering in a new heaven and a new earth.  (Before that happens all true believers will be in Heaven, and the God-rejecters will be at the Great White Throne, leading them into an eternity without God and without Christ, as explained in Revelation ch.20).  These facts concerning the future should have a challenging and healthy effect on our lives as Christians.  We look forward to the new Heaven and earth.  Remember – eternity is real.  Where will you spend it?

3)       (v.14)  But we each have responsibilities now.  Let us be blameless and at peace with Jesus constantly.  Although our citizenship is in Heaven (Phil ch.3 v.20, 21), we have much to do.  We are not to be ‘so Heavenly minded that we are no earthly use’ (to borrow a phrase from the 19^th century evangelist D.L. Moody).  Perhaps we have a little time.  But for how long?  Jonah told the people of Nineveh that they had forty days before the city would be wiped out.  But the king and people repented, thus postponing the destruction of the city by about 150 years.

God’s patience is amazing.  Paul confirms Peter's words in his own letters.  Parts of Paul's letters may be hard to understand, but some people twist their obvious meanings.  Note that Peter calls Paul's writings ‘Scripture’, thus confirming that God had inspired those writings.

4)       (v.18)  Let us be on our guard.  Watch out for errors and cults, and don’t be carried away by them.  We must grow in grace and knowledge.  Grace is for Christian living as well as for salvation.  GRACE can be God’s resources at Christ's expense and therefore we should use them.  Keep close to Him.  See Proverbs ch.3 v.5-6.  And we need knowledge too.  But it is knowledge with grace.  Otherwise the knowledge can be in the head only and not in the heart.

So be reminded, don’t forget, make every effort and be on your guard.

Malcolm L Green
 

P.S.      Read also the Letter of Jude,   which is the next book in the New Testament.  It has only one chapter, and it gives truths similar to those in 2 Peter.

* New International Version  (Bible)

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