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CHAPTER 61 – 2 Peter: Approx. 66 A.D.

The Second Epistle of Peter is the sixty-first book of the Bible. The title of the book in Greek is Petrou B meaning “of Peter 2.” The title in English Bibles is “The Second Epistle of Peter.”

Authorship

Peter, a disciple of Jesus Christ, whom Christ chose as an apostle, is the author of the book, The Second Epistle of Peter. It was probably written about 66 A.D.

Summary and Analysis

The book of 2 Peter is actually a letter (epistle) that was written by the Peter to Christians everywhere and was probably written from the city of Rome in Italy shortly before Peter’s death.

The book opens with a greeting to true Christians. Peter then says that God has given His divine power to true Christians (not to those who are Christians in name only) and God has called the true Christian to glory and virtue. And this divine power, in accordance with God’s exceeding great and precious promises, has made the true Christian a partaker of the divine nature, so that they have escaped the corruption that is in the world because of lust.

Peter then describes a spiritual ladder with eight rungs that the Christian who has genuine faith in Christ must climb, namely, the rungs of virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, love (charity). And the mature Christian, having acquired these character traits, will be fruitful in making disciples of Christ, will never fall away from God, and will, in the end, be welcomed in God’s everlasting kingdom.

Next, Peter says that while he is alive he wishes to remind the Christians of God’s truth for the present time. For, Peter states, Jesus Christ has revealed to me that I must shortly die. Therefore, Peter says he will ensure that, after his death, Christians may always have a reminder of present truth. For we, the apostles of Christ, Peter says, have not followed cunningly devised fables, but some of us were eyewitnesses, through a vision from God, of the power and majesty of the future second coming of Christ to the earth. Moreover, Peter says, we are sure that the prophecies of the past have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and that these prophecies give spiritual light in the darkness of the world. Further, these prophecies were given through the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

After this, Peter says to the Christians, just as there were false prophets before, there will be false teachers among you who will secretly teach spiritually ruinous things, even denying Jesus Christ, thereby bringing upon themselves swift destruction from God. And many shall follow their destructive ways and cause evil to be spoken of God’s truth. For these false teachers through their covetousness and deceitful words shall exploit you, Peter says, whose annihilation by God will not be delayed.

For God did not spare the angels that sinned, but cast them out of heaven awaiting God’s Judgment Day. Neither did God spare the old world which God destroyed by a flood, but saved only eight persons, including Noah. Nor did God spare the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, but brought them to ashes, saving only righteous Lot. Thus, God knows how to deliver the godly from temptations and to reserve the wicked for punishment on His coming Judgment Day.

Next, Peter says that the false teachers are lascivious (sensual), despise authorities, presumptuous, self-willed, and are not afraid to speak irreverently of God and the holy angels. Whereas the holy angels, who are greater in power, do not bring reviling accusations against them to God. But these false teachers, like brute beasts, speak evil of things they do not understand and shall, therefore, be annihilated by God. For they take pleasure in lewd deeds in broad daylight and are spots and blemishes on the Christian church, in that, they are adulterous and cannot stop sinning.

The false teachers, Peter says, entice unstable persons by their covetous practices and like Balaam they love the wages of unrighteousness. They are wells without water and clouds driven by a storm, for whom God has reserved the blackest darkness. And with great pompous words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the lower nature of human beings and through much wantonness, those who had indeed escaped from them who live in error. And while they promise freedom to those enticed, they themselves are slaves to Satan because of their sensual vice.

Therefore, Peter says to the Christians, if having escaped the pollutions of the world through a knowledge of Jesus Christ, they are again entangled and overcome by these sinful pollutions, their end is worse than their beginning. For it would have been better if they had not known righteousness than having known it, to turn away from it.

Peter then says that this second letter is to remind Christians of the words of the holy prophets and the apostles. For there will be mockers of Jesus Christ’s promised return to the earth in the end time of earth as we now know it, saying that nothing has changed on earth since its creation. And they are willingly ignorant of the fact that the world was destroyed by a global flood and that the present heavens and earth are reserved by God for the fire of God’s Judgment Day which will destroy the ungodly.

Do not be ignorant, Peter says, that to God a thousand years is as if it was a day and that God will fulfil His promise. And God is long-suffering, not willing to annihilate any human being but desires that all should repent. For God’s Judgment Day will come unexpectedly and seeing that all these things on earth shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought they to be in holy conversation and godliness? Nevertheless, we look for new heavens and a new earth where righteousness reigns. Ensure then, Peter says, that you are found in peace by God on God’s Judgment Day and without spot, being blameless.

So, Peter says, God’s longsuffering is for their salvation just as our beloved apostle Paul has written in all his letters, in which there are some things that are hard to understand. These letters of Paul the unlearned and unstable twist, just as they do the others Scriptures unto their own destruction (annihilation) by God. Therefore, beware and avoid being led away from God by the error of the wicked. But instead grow in Christian maturity by God’s grace, for to God be glory both now and forever.

Themes

• Guidance from a Christian leader who is soon to die.
• How Christians escape the corruption in the world.
• False teachers in the Christian church.
• God’s Judgment Day certain to come.
• Mockers and unbelievers in God’s coming Judgment Day.

God as Revealed in the Book

• God who gives the gift of His divine power to the true Christian.
• God who gave a vision of Christ’s return to the earth.
• God who will destroy false teachers in the church.
• God whose long-suffering delays His Judgment Day.
• God whose past judgments are a warning to the world.

Connections with the Rest of the Bible

Just as Peter warned the church against false teachers, the apostle Paul warned the Galatian churches against the same thing. Paul wrote, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed [cursed]. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed [cursed].” Galatians 1:6-9.

Spiritual Applications

Pray to God sincerely and ask God to help you to do His will, believing that God will help you, and thus you will be enabled to make the spiritual applications noted below:

• Acquire the eight character traits in Peter’s spiritual ladder.
• Beware of false teachers in the Christian church.
• Do not be led away from God by lusts of the lower nature and wantonness.
• Do not mock nor have unbelief regarding God’s Judgment Day.
• Be godly and ensure your speech is holy.
• Pray and seek to understand all of the apostle Paul’s writings.

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