The Second

Epistle of Peter
A devotional commentary

By Raymond McGough

http://www.discipleofjesussite.com

Disciples of Jesus Ministry © 2009

Date and Author

The apostle Peter is coming to the close of his life

and in this letter he provides instructions and exhortations to the
rest of the believers. (1:1, 12-15).
Early church history and tradition hold the belief
that the apostle Peter was martyred in Rome while under the rule
of the Emperor Nero. Many may dispute this view my answer to
that is why not? As far as I am concerned the apostolic Fathers
have got it right. That being the case Peter died before A.D.68
because that was when Nero died
Many New Testament scholars disagree that this letter comes
from the pen of the apostle Peter because the grammar and style
of the letter is quite different from the first letter but the
conservative scholars are agreed that it does come from the apostle
Peter and they point to the first verse of chapter one the fact that
Simon Peter introduces himself by name and I agree with this
view.
Other conclusive facts are as follows the author asserts that he
was with Jesus on the mount of the transfiguration. ( 1:16-18);He
had written an earlier letter to these saints to whom this second
letter is addressed too.(3:1 ): The author uses many words, clauses,
and phrases similar to the First Epistle of Peter and genuinely
illustrates this to be the work of the apostle Simon Peter.

Background:

The first letter of Peter encourages believers against

the hostility and opposition of the world but the second gives a real
grim warning of apostasy within the fellowship false teaching and
false teachers.The kind who would lead many a stray
To remain true to the apostolic teaching was the main
concern of absolute importance. (Specifically 1:12-16:
3:1,2,15,16). Teachers of heresy will come to the fore and they are
already here. (2:12-22) they are headed for destruction and they do
not believe in the Lord’s return and ridicule such an idea. These
type of ideas are well suited to the heresy of Gnosticism that at a
later date would be more fully developed the root began in the first
century A.D. and became fully blown in the second century A.D.
Peter had a specific number of believers in mind.( 3:15),
if this is the same believers to whom the apostle wrote too in his
first epistle.(3:1) from this I can see that it was intended for the
believers somewhere in Asia Minor.

Content

To combat any errors is to grow in the knowledge of the

Lord. The key to this I believe is to grow in Christian spiritual
maturity. I have to learn to trust in God obey His word the subject
that the author begins his epistle with and ends.( 1:2-11; 3:14-18).
Knowledge is more than academic brilliance that the world
recognizes the Biblical meaning is to know God. An on going
experience with God and Christ our risen Lord that transforms us
into moral excellence on a continuing basis (1:2,3;2:20). To know
God enables us to overcome the heresy of Gnosticism. The means
whereby we obtain such knowledge of God is to be found in the
Scriptures designated as the prophetic word( 1:19-21) and the
teaching of the apostles.( 3:1,2,15,16) All of chapter 2 covers a
detailed description of false teachings and those who instruct such
and warnings against them.
Included a serious warning of sliding into apostasy because
they once had knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
(2:20).
The final chapter stresses the Second Coming chapter 3 and
is attacked by those who scoff and ridicule such an event which is
still to come. This is an event that should motivate us all too godly
living.
Personal Application

The concerns of the apostle are still here in the earthly

church of today and the future. the visible and invisible church of
our Lord Jesus Christ. Worldliness and human philosophy, false
teachers who teach half truths in regard to the Christian faith and
these are his answers in and through the Holy Spirit to overcome
the difficulties that present them now.

The Deity of Christ Revealed...

We see the deity of the Son of God Jesus
Christ intertwined with God his Father. (1:1, 2) God the Father
knows Christ He is His Son. (1:17) the divine purpose and activity
of God the Father is made visible to us in and through His Son
Jesus Christ. We see this in the blessings we receive from God
through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. The blessings of grace
unmerited favours and the power of the Holy Spirit.
( cf.1:2,3,8;2:9.20;3:18).You and I have to look for his coming
along with all of the saints of God.( 1:16) The visible arriving of
Christ’s eternal kingdom how great and exciting that will be to see
a tremendous vision of glory, majesty and greatness of God our
King and all of the saints of God will share in the Kingdom as we
are already part of that eternal kingdom on earth that is still to be
fulfilled but that day is coming praise the Lord. (1:11)
The Word of God we know as the Bible, and the Holy Spirit
assures us that we have a destiny with our risen Lord, the King of
glory. Jesus Christ. (1:16-21; see also 3:1, 2).
The work of the Holy Spirit

There is only one direct reference to the work of God the

Holy Spirit and we find it in 1:21, there we are told He moved
human authors to write what He led them to write, ruling out any
exclusive interpretation that would be different to everything else.
All understand the same meaning and it is plain to all. One
meaning only, not a hundred different meanings. That being the
case the Holy Spirit is indirectly there because He breathes life into
the written word of God and without Him how could we
understand the Holy Scriptures?
He is spoken of by the apostle in an indirect
manner. He is the divine power that helps you and I to grow in the
grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord.

The outline of the contents of the second epistle of the apostle

Peter

I Greeting 1:1, 2,
II True versus false teaching 1:3-2:3
A Pursuit of moral graces 1:3-11
B Peter’s testament 1:12-15
C Prophetic Scriptures versus
False teachers 1:16-23.

III Exposure and doom

Of false teachers 2:4-22
A Destruction of
The false teachers 2:4-10
B Description of the
False teachers 2:10-22
IV Warning against end time
Deceivers 3:1-18
A Scoffers in the last days 3:1-7
B Believers and the day
Of the Lord. 3:8-18.

Greetings 1:1, 2

(1) The writer introduces himself by using his first name Simon
addressing the believers to whom he writes, so they know of him
and may have met him, some of them at least.
They could have been those whom he addressed at Pentecost
when the Spirit of the living God was poured out on all flesh see
Acts.2. Whatever; there seems to be a special bond between this
great apostle and those to whom he write - the love of Jesus Christ
our Lord - this is what brings my brothers and sisters close to me
and me to them.
We ought to have dedication to the cause of Christ’s church on
earth, as we can see here in the life of Simon Peter. He goes on to
say that he is a bondservant of our Lord Jesus Christ. A remarkable
transformation of the Peter we find in the narratives of the gospel
of Jesus Christ. In those narratives he is always pursuing fame for
himself and to lord it over his brethren thinking that he was better
than them I have been there. and I am sure we all have. But here
we see a different Simon Peter.
A bondservant in the time of Simon Peter’s life had no rights,
the owner could do whatever he liked with the slave because that is
precisely what bondservant meant in those days. He or she was the
property of the owner and could be killed or tortured depending on
the mood of the owner and nothing would be done against the man.
Unless you were very rich and powerful,l life was cheap and
because of the apostle’s stand declaring that Jesus Christ was the
only God, his life would be in constant danger. As far as The
Roman Emperor Nero was concerned he was the only God and if
he caught Simon Peter he would have him put to death, which he
did.
He had put his life completely at the disposal of his Lord and it
would end in a bloody physical execution as it did. Many of us will
pass from this life to go to be with our Lord without martyrdom
but there will be many who will face it and God’s Holy Spirit will
equip and enable us to face this. showing the love of God to our
enemies in and through Christ Jesus who dwells within us, bodily
along with the rest of the Godhead. It is not something we should
desire. But we should always show a desire to serve our Saviour
the Lord Jesus Christ who took the death penalty for you and I and
looks for the same dedication towards Him, as we see here in the
life of the apostle Simon Peter.
Not only a bondservant he is also an apostle of Jesus Christ
one who was chosen by Jesus to represent him in the world who
saw him visibly Peter comes under this description he was one of
the very first three of the disciples who saw Jesus and was
commanded to follow him. (Jn.1:42) He had to have seen the
resurrected Christ. (Jn.21:15)Planting churches and perform signs
wonders and miracles - the apostle done all of these things during
his life time.
A true and an authentic genuine follower of our Saviour and
Lord Jesus Christ so much so that God Himself invested the divine
authority upon his apostolic office, His Son picking Simon Peter to
be one of his apostles because of his obedience later on of which
first and second Peter is very much proof of obedience, that led
him to his execution and being taken home to be with his Lord. A
tremendous challenge for you and me, but remember no matter
who you are in the Kingdom of God; it is the Holy Spirit who
speaks encouraging words to us, equipping and enabling us to
please God in living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord, and
overcoming the difficulties of this present life He and only He will
help us to show the love of God to others. We have a great God in
the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is always good despite
what the enemy says and brings against us, because our Father
will give us the victory over these things in and through His Son
Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us believe this and claim it for ourselves
in the name of the Lord.
Other manuscripts read ‘received faith’ of the same value
therefore the apostle is writing to those believers who have
received the same kind of faith as that of himself. They know Jesus
Christ just as he does - the Holy Spirit has imparted belief to them
as He had done for Peter. They know Christ as their Saviour and
Lord just like you and I. What follows in the rest of the epistle
shows us how easy and perilous it is to fall from the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
As well as being an apostle Simon Peter was called to be an
evangelist to go forth and preach the good news the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ not all of us are called to preach but we are
called to speak to those whom the Holy Spirit leads us to about the
gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Called to lead righteous lives because of the righteousness
of Christ who dwells within you and I. It is never about you and
me. The apostle Peter writes to remind the believers of this
pertinent fact. We see this in the next part of the sentence. “….by
the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:” We never
obtained the righteousness we have through anything we have
done, by good works or of any merit in ourselves, the
righteousness we have is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, who
Himself gives it to us as a free gift because of his life on earth his
public ministry, crucifixion, death, and resurrection followed by
his ascension into heaven and because of our belief and obedience
his righteousness is imputed to us.
A reminder that our faith at all times is rooted and
grounded in the Person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ who
intercedes on our behalf as that of our great High Priest until the
Day of the Lord. We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism.
(Eph.4.5)
(2) Grace is that which I am undeserving of, the unmerited favours
of God towards a sinner through the gift of his Son Jesus Christ
given to me as a free gift. (2 Cor.12:9).
Peace is the result of the reconciliation I have with God the
Father brought about by the free gift of His Son to me, Jesus Christ
my Lord. Peace signifies the harmonious relationship between God
and men; more specifically the relationship brought about for those
who call upon the Prince of peace for salvation - Jesus Christ
spoken of in the New Testament. (Lk.1:79) This is the knowledge
that is imparted to us through God the Holy Spirit to those of us
who have been born again and have been baptized in the Spirit of
the living God who know Jesus Christ as Lord and God as our
heavenly Father. The beginnings of the knowledge of God and
there is much, much more to come for the apostle speaks of it
being multiplied to us. This is knowledge that can only come from
God and His Son Jesus Christ our Lord as revealed to us through
God the Holy Spirit.
To know God is to trust Him and for me to be able to grow as
a believer I need the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ his Son
my Lord so that I can be used by Him for the furtherance of the
Kingdom of God. This can only come by listening to the Holy
Spirit and my obedience. The same applies to all of God’s people
everywhere and this is exactly what the instructions imply to the
believers that the apostle writes too.

II Trust versus false teaching 1:3-2:3

A Pursuit of moral graces 1:3-11.

(3) The key to being able to please God is to rely on his divine
power without it this is impossible. A dynamic power and force
that was to be found in my risen Lord while He walked upon the
earth that brought transformations to those people He touched
including the whole of creation, bringing about his Kingdom upon
the earth that is still to be realised
Kingdom living should be a normality for the spirit filled
believers and spirit filled church and this is what we are to pursue.
Asking God about the plans for His church through Jesus Christ
our Lord and the part He wants us to play in that and being ready
to hear what He says is how to please Him.
When you and I accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour
He installed the means by which we can live our lives in a godly
manner. Once again, it is by knowing God as a person you cannot
get round this in any other fashion, this is exactly what the apostle
is meaning here. “……through the knowledge of Him who called
us….” Knowledge of Him points to a person not something that is
impersonal. To know Christ as Lord, as God, and man I believe
that is what is being said here not some invisible force.
You and I are called to walk in lives that are worthy to God and
not for any selfish purposes to glorify Him here on earth. (I
Thess.2:12). The glory that is mentioned here is that of our Lord, it
is because of his glory that we have been called and chosen by
Him and for no other reason. Jesus made visible his glory in his
first miracle in Cana and because of that the disciples believed in
Him. I have to get this into my heart and my spirit, the fact that it is
not about me. It is all about my Saviour and Lord the risen
glorified Christ, my life must be centred in Him.( Jn.2:11). The
idea of what is meant by New Testament Doxa is the glory that is
centred in and on the person of Jesus Christ the radiance,
splendour, and majesty centred in our risen glorified Lord. The
essence of His glory is the absolute majestic perfection that dwells
within Him evidenced by the miracles that he performed while on
earth as a man, but as God the Son He has always been gloriously
perfect through out all eternity. The virtue that Simon Peter speaks
of here is that of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ the intrinsic
moral excellence that radiated from Him while here on earth busy
doing the will of God His Father in heaven.( I Pet.2:9).It also
includes individuals.( Phil.4:8).
 In this Epistle or letter this is what the apostle Paul said,
(Phil.4:8. “ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever
things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are
pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good
report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-
meditate on these things.” )
(4)Because of His majestic glory and virtue that shines and
radiates from His glorious Person as the perfect man and the Son
of God Jesus Christ our risen Lord has given to us exceedingly
great and precious promises that are true for all of his people.
On this very point the apostle Paul corroborates and agrees
with Simon Peter the promises of God in Christ Jesus towards us
are yes and amen. Let it be so that we will glorify God through our
own personnel life when we allow Him to control what we do and
say. (II.Cor.1:20). I note that I must allow God to control me for
what His will and purpose is for my destiny never about me always
about Him my Lord and my God Jesus Christ and the furtherance
of His Kingdom visible and invisible upon the earth until the Day
of His second coming then all will see His Kingdom. (II Cor.7:1).
The end result of all this is so that I will be like my Saviour and
God in His divine nature not that I have attained that because I will
not be like Him until I meet Him and that will only be after He has
called me home. But this is not only for me it is for all of my
brothers and sisters the divine nature is what they must seek after
too. This is what is meant by the word partakers. We partake of
something in this case the divine nature of our risen and glorified
Lord. It has only occurred because of the great and precious
promises that we have received from Jesus Christ our Lord and
that only because of His grace towards us
The apostle Paul describes this in a superb fashion a man full
of God the Holy Spirit
( 2,Cor.3:18 “ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a
mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same
image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord”).
 Peter the apostle reminds them in the next part of the verse of
his letter what they have escaped from the corruption of the world
through lust and nothing is more evident than that of to-day’s so
called modern society men and women furthering their own nests
at the cost of others and sadly that includes a number of our
Christian Brethren whoever they may be? The very same thing
was happening to the believers to whom the apostle writes but in
their case it was worldly wisdom philosophy a doctrine called
Gnosticism a special knowledge that in their eyes was meant for
only a select few and there are those who still think in that manner
to-day. Not the teaching of Gnosticism but because of the gifts that
are provided to them from the Lord they think they are a cut above
their brothers and sisters an erroneous idea that comes straight
from the enemy be warned because God will judge with his
righteousness all that do these things until they repent of their
actions because God hates sin. When a brother and sister do wrong
against another brother and sister sometimes after you have
forgiven them to leave it to the Righteous Judge to deal with who
is our God and He will deal with them as He does with all of us.
The gifts whatever they may be are not for our own use they are
to be used to edify the body of Christ bring His church into one
body unite each believer as members of that body together as one
in and through the love of God the Father and His Christ our Lord
forgiving one another as He forgives us in order to give praise,
thanks gratitude, adoration, and worship from grateful hearts that
should merge into one as a body of the church of our Lord Jesus
Christ without this, corporate worship and prayer is meaningless
It only needs one believer or saint who is a member of the body
of Christ to be in a bad relationship with another member to stop
corporate worship and prayer from being as successful as it would
have been. However; this is the perfection we must aim for.
(5) Again the apostle underlines the fact that you and I must add
virtue to our holy faith a subject that has already been discussed
but we must attach great importance to this as our Lord desires this
to be in our character. Peter uses the fashion of being repetitive to
drive a point home because it is crucially important for us to
pursue godly living and again we have that word knowledge to
know God is to have knowledge of Him not about Him He is
indeed the greatest Person that you and I will ever know because
He is God. The one triune God Father, Son. And Holy Spirit. I ask
myself can I really grasp this. Only as much as my earthly intellect
will allow and my spirit only as much as God will allow of
Himself to be revealed because there will always be a section of
His character that will be shrouded in mystery and it is not for the
creativity of His hands to know which is you and I. who
Are being transformed into the likeness of His Son Jesus Christ.
Let us marvel that the great God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ through His mercy and compassion towards us wants us to
know Him by knowing His Son Jesus Christ because of His love
and the love of His Son towards us we who are his church. To
want and be like Jesus Christ and desire Him is to seek after
knowledge the true knowledge of God. These are wonderful words
laid upon my heart by the Spirit of the living God infact they take
my breath away as a human being how do I react only to love Him
and be obedient to his voice what else can I say I am totally
speechless. The secret to study diligently the Word of God and ask
the Holy Spirit to come along side you and interpret the meaning
of to your spirit and paradise will be opened up to you especially
those who obey Him from the heart.
We do this by listening to the Spirit of God. God the Holy
Spirit is present in the physical body of every born again believer
you and I must learn to trust Him and open our hearts and our spirit
to Him this is the essence and secret of being able to do the work
of God. What I mean by work is allowing God to change our
character into his instead of Raymond McGough being like
Raymond McGough self serving doing what my free will tells me I
have to crucify the free will continually. A battle of the will the
effort must come from me to say yes to God the Holy Spirit and do
whatever He instructs me to do only by this method will I be
changed from my old self to the image and likeness of my Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. An on going process on a daily basis.
We are all instructed to do this with hearing by faith. Faith simply
means trust God who uses the Holy Spirit to talk to us and being
obedient to whatever He has to say. He who gave us the Holy
Spirit Jesus Christ our Lord and God used another title for Him
calling Him the Comforter because that is just one of the many
works that He accomplishes for you and I on our Lord’s behalf and
ours.
The great apostle Paul spoke of it in the following manner,
“Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles
among you does He do it by works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith?”(Gal.3:5). (6) When I allow this to happen to me as I have
just said surrendering my free will to God the Holy Spirit H e will
control my feelings and emotions thereby through Him His
knowledge I will be able to exhibit self control which leads to
patience and patience to godliness. But not only for me are how all
the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ are to function. The principle
of laying down our own free will to that of our Lord. We cannot do
the work of the Lord any other way He has to come first only He
can change you and me. (7) When you and I do this we are able to
show brotherly kindness which leads to brotherly love the
substance of the fruit of the Spirit and can only be achieved
through God the Holy Spirit operating in and through us
individually and collectively.( Heb.13:1). The love of Christ
operating in and through our lives to one another and our sisters
because He is our perfect brother being the perfect man he is the
first fruit and we are the fruits of his fruit...
(8) The word if presupposes that for some this is not the case
and they are devoid of the character of Christ. And none of the
fruit of the Spirit can be seen in them. I have to check my
motivation for what I do is it about me or for my Lord whom I
serve? Spiritual pride is a terrible thing and it brings enmity from
God towards us because we are busy feathering our own nests at
the expensive cost of the damage we do to our brothers and sisters
specifically their spiritual growth as members of the body of Christ
our Lord and it does occur that is why the apostle writes of this
painful subject and experience it is for our benefit because it will
continue on earth until He comes or we are called home before this
event. Note that the words seem to just jump off the page barren
and unfruitful. The Apostle Peter’s real life experience. He is one
of the many authors of the New Testament. He is writing of his
experience while being guided through life enabled through and by
God the Holy Spirit. There is no written manual of the New
Covenant he is the proof of that covenant for others while he lives.
Proof too for those who would follow on the church of Christ of
which we are members of the body and He is the Head.
Again Peter reiterates the point over and over in the knowledge
of our Lord Jesus Christ. “…in the knowledge of….” Not my
knowledge not your knowledge the knowledge that Jesus Christ
our Lord imparts to us of Himself through the working of the Holy
Spirit in us to show the life of Christ to others.
(9) A very clear indication of what is implied here we can all
fall into the sin of apostasy. When you and I lack the knowledge of
knowing exactly who Christ is in our inner man then we are all in
great danger of the peril of going to a lost eternity. “..forgotten that
he was cleansed from his old sins..” Is that possible? Peter clearly
thought so or he would not have implied it here as he does.
Remember all of the authors of the Old Testament and the New
Testament were guided and influenced by the Holy Spirit what
they should write for our benefit in order to grow in the Lord as
they had done.
(11) The antidote against this has already been mentioned in
verses 5 to 8 the moral code we are to follow to enable us to show
the love of Christ to others. Any one who does not grow in these
virtues and falls into their old sins will pay the penalty of such
actions unless true repentance is shown. When we do these things
our election will be sure I am not advocating a life of good works
but it is the evidence of Christ our Lord working in and through
you and me his love being made visible from me to you and the
world of the lost.
 The verse contains a great promise to all of us and you can see
that when you read it through. “…For so an entrance will be
supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

B Peter’s Testament.1.12-15.
(12) When going through very difficult times as the apostle was
here he reminds them to continue to grasp hold of the very things
they have been taught which have been spoken of in the
paragraphs above. I will not neglect my duty and love for my risen
Lord to exhort you to pursue further your obedience and love
towards your Lord and my Lord.
My belief is that this was the thought that ran through the
mind of the apostle. He knew them and their weaknesses. The fact
that he had to keep on reminding them of what he had said to them
in the above paragraphs of the need to know God. To know Him as
I know my wife and she knows me not on a sexual level but on a
personal level. Not knowledge of the mind which is simply
information that leads to corruption, egotism, and tyranny over
others the type of intellect that the world looks for.
No wonder the Holy Spirit led the apostle Paul to write in one
of his many letters that the wisdom of the world is foolishness in
the sight of God. Exactly what Peter is combating here. The
apostle lets them understand that he knows that they know this
which raises the question why does he have to keep reminding
them of this when they know. I believe in the next part of the verse
we find the answer. “…and are established in the present truth.”
For the present they know this but will they know it after the
apostle is called home to be with his Lord. The question that is
uppermost in Simon’s mind. He has already spoken to them of who
to rely on to enable them to pursue a life of godliness the source
behind this man’s Christ like life none other than the Holy Spirit
Himself.
 (13)As long as he remains in his physical body Peter calls it a
tent he will continue to stir up the Holy Spirit that dwells within
them by the same Holy Spirit that resides in Him
To be able to grow into true spiritual people of God we must
always recognize the crucial importance of the work of the Holy
Spirit in you and me. Not the man and woman of God but the
source behind them many believers follow great godly leaders and
that is total folly because you and I have the same source dwelling
within our hearts and our spirit to enable us to overcome all that
the enemy would bring against us namely the Holy Spirit exactly
what the Holy Spirit is doing in the apostle Simon Peter as he
writes to the believers in Asia Minor the Spirit would stir up the
Holy Spirit in them..
You and I have to lean on the Holy Spirit to enable us to live
lives that please God there is no other route that we can take. When
we are on our own there is no minister or pastor to help us but like
Peter the Holy Spirit dwells within them bodily so they too can live
lives that please God. The crux of the matter develop a relationship
with God the Holy Spirit and He only reveals what God the Father
and Jesus Christ His Son our risen Lord wants us to know and
through Him we are able to do all things that please God and that
should be the target of our God given lives on earth. Hallelujah!!

(14) Now we come to the urgency of the apostle’s appeal he knows

that his departure from earth is eminent the death he is about to
face is brutal and bloody but he is resolute in his faith and no
matter the type of death he will go through he is going home to be
with his glorified Lord and Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. A
resolute faith in the face of overwhelming odds but he has the
victory in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Of special note he does not think of himself he is thinking of
those he is leaving behind to face the world that they still have to
live in.
Speaking of his death I believe what the apostle is saying to
them is that my time has come to die and leave this earthly life
behind. He could say with his friend and brother in Christ Jesus
and fellow apostle Paul, (2.Tim.4:6) “For I am already being
poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at
hand.” Tremendous heroes of the faith they join the great heroes of
faith that is to be found in that glorious passage of Hebrews in
chapter11 that gives an account of all of God’s heroes up until the
present and also in the future from the first book of the Bible
Genesis to the last book of the New Testament Revelation. What a
privilege and great honour it will be to stand fast in our one
common faith in and through our glorious risen Lord the King of
glory Jesus Christ and be ranked in that chapter with all these great
godly men and women.
I personally believe that this is the goal the apostle is setting
before the believers that he is writing too not only them for all of
the church of Christ our Lord until He comes.
Interestingly he speaks of the manner of his death by only
alluding to what our Lord had said to him in regard to this.
An interesting suggestion perhaps in the heart and mind of
Simon Peter is that the only death worth mentioning is our Lord’s
because of what it accomplished for the sinner the free gift of
himself that enabled the sinner to repent and receive mercy and
grace where there was no grace because of the mercy of God.
Perhaps he remembered what Jesus had said publicly to him in
front of the rest of the apostles (Jn.21:18.) “Most assuredly, I say
to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked
were you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your
hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not
wish.”
But I am grateful to say that it was not the end of the matter in
the following verse we are told this would be the death in which he
would glorify God a rebuke tinged with mercy and compassion and
a great promise to Simon Peter at the end of it. He would indeed
glorify the Lord but not in the way he had thought of in his
younger days. (Jn.21:19).
 (15) The author speaks of a reminder who will remind them of the
things that had been taught after he has departed from the world.
He obviously cannot do it now he is no longer there what I
believe can be the only solution is a indirect mention of God the
Holy Spirit who brings all things to mind pertaining to godliness
and the fruit of holiness.

C Prophetic Scriptures versus false teachers. 1:16-23

(16) A fable is a half truth not the whole truth and the world is a
wash with distortions of the truth of the gospel built on folklore
myths and legends We did not follow these things the apostle
asserts using the plural we obviously there were other apostles who
were being accused of this on false premises. I believe Peter was
including the apostle Paul because he met with him in the account
of the Acts of the Apostles while Paul preached to the Gentiles
Peter preached to the Jews.
Once he had established the church at Corinth Paul had many
things to say to them and on the same subject Peter is speaking of
here.
Mere words do not save anyone they are empty and lifeless
when knowledge of the Bible is attained and knowing how to
speak Greek and Hebrew alone with long sounding words that
nobody has a clue about only sends them to sleep and possibly
bores them to death even when it is translated into English
Many Bible college graduates and even those who have
graduated from university have this false notion I was one of them
that had graduated from Bible College, from evangelical colleges
and universities, born again but relying on their own intellect and
wisdom. The only thing that they would accomplish is failure. Paul
the apostle speaks of the remedy against this occurring to preach
the gospel but not with the wisdom of words these in themselves
affect nothing they would make the cross of Christ ineffective. At
the beginning of the verse of which I am speaking of we find the
key Christ sent Him so all he needs is to be found in Christ who
would enable him to speak in power there is nothing wrong with
Greek and Hebrew but the driving power of the Holy Spirit must
come with it or it is of no effect. (I.Cor.1:17).
The word power is used by Peter in this particular text. He
reports this to the Christians to whom he writes We saw as Peter
had with two of the other apostles the power of our Lord Jesus
Christ as he came to meet them after the mount of transfiguration
where at the pinnacle of this event He shone with glory a brilliant
white that they had seen when they had been with Him. It would be
an experience they would not forget. “But were eyewitnesses of his
majesty.” There were those apostles who would corroborate with
Peter what he had seen because they had seen it too. A telling
remark is the phrase when we made known to you they already
knew.
These Christians had never seen Jesus Christ in the flesh and
seeing only produces belief even although they had been touched
by the Holy Spirit but at this time they were ready to believe
anything that was taught to them. The reason why the presence of
God is evident in some churches and in others He is not. Evident in
some of the saints and not as much in others I believe you call it
the fruit of the Spirit.
The Apostle describes our Lord as His Majesty his surpassing
greatness nothing in the world can match that which includes
sublime grandeur glory magnificence and splendour who is superb.
Attributes belonging to our Saviour and Lord that are unsurpassed
and never will be the glory and pomp of this world will eventually
fade and die unlike our Lord. Majesty, glory, and honour that is
eternal belongs to God and with Jesus Christ as the Son of God He
is the second person of the trinity H e shares in this with His Father
and God the Holy Spirit but here in this passage we see the
Shekinah glory of his own person that is exclusively his for all
eternity. Hallelujah and praise His wonderful name
But even far more superior than that is the fact that although the
Father and the Son are one they are two distinct individual persons
and God as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ as His own glorious
attributes Peter describes Him as the excellent glory which will
always be his as God the Father of our Lord and because He is the
Father and because of that reason only it will be superior to His
Son.
You and I can never imagine what Jesus felt when He received
honour and glory from his Father when He spoke to Him in an
audible voice from heaven so that those apostles who were with
Him would hear it: “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased”. However; Jesus who knows all things as the Son of God
knew that it was not for His benefit alone it was for those He had
gathered about Him for that time now we can see the fruits of the
Spirit of that encounter in the life of Simon Peter. They had
received the word of God from God in the flesh Jesus the man saw
Him in bodily form such as they were touched Him saw Him eat
food and drink wine.
Unlike those to whom they were listening too they had never
see Jesus Christ in the flesh and it was to those who were among
them who decided to follow these cunningly devised fables not to
follow them.
(18) Again the apostle reminds them of the authenticity and
authority of his apostolic calling of God to be an Apostle of God.
He and only he had been invested with the divine authority of the
risen Christ to be his apostle to the nations.
Only he and two other apostles who had been on the
mountain with him heard the voice from heaven speak to Jesus. It
is on those very important testimonies that they have to listen
I can imagine the apostle thinking to himself as he writes
this letter how Lord can I bring them back to you those who have
strayed Jesus would have answered remind them of the authority I
have placed upon you and that you were on the mountain top with
me when a voice spoke
( 19) The Transfiguration that Peter was a witness to along
with James and John is very important for all of us to understand
correctly how God would want us to know it in these days and
always because like then there will always be false teachers
 God the Holy Spirit is the only source of true
understanding He gives the correct understanding to all of us
including Holy Scripture the same applied to the apostles they
were no different to us in that sense
The Transfiguration of our risen Lord had been prophesied of
in what the apostle calls the prophetic word we know it as of the
Old Testament. To find it we look to Deuteronomy at
chapter.18:15; 19. This prophecy is realised or finds its fulfillment
in the Gospel of Matthew. (Mtt.17.1ff.)Through out the Old
Testament Christ and His coming kingdom had been prophesied of
the apostle Peter with James and John had witnessed the coming of
that on the Mount of Transfiguration of our risen Lord.
Confirmed. It was now a reality Christ’s Kingdom had come
despite false teachers denying this very fact as many do until the
Day of the Lord when He will come and everyone will see Him.
A very stern and serious warning comes from the heart and
the mind of the apostle a challenge to change their course of action
to take heed of what he is saying to them because at the moment
they are in deep darkness. The light still continues to shine in the
darkness it has not completely went out there is still hope being
held out to them but it is their responsibility to gravitate to the light
which is of course Jesus Christ our Lord If you once knew Jesus
Christ as your Lord and for whatever reason you decided to go on
your own path He is still there for you all you have to do is ask for
forgiveness and repent from your actions and He will show you
mercy as He does to all of His people exactly what the apostle is
saying to the false teachers.
“…..until the day dawns and the morning star rises…” This
could be the star which is spoken of in the book of Numbers which
I believe the apostle eludes too. (Num.24:17) The star who will
come out of the house of Jacob I believe as Peter believes here that
this is none other than Jesus Christ who is also the morning star
and the Lord.
At the end of the verse Peter talks to them about the day that
will dawn and the Morning Star will rise in their hearts. The day
will come when Christ will return that day will dawn and He will
rise in our hearts the visibility of Him to those who are His saints
will be complete. What a great day that will be for those who love
the Lord and have given our hearts and lives to Him. Not only His
people but all the nations of the world.
No one better than Paul the apostle in regard to his Lord and
ours could have coined it better. I.Cor.12:13. “For now we see in a
mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I
shall know just as I am also known...”
(20) I have already spoken of the fact that the prophetic Scriptures
and the interpretation or understanding of is not private and for the
exclusive use for any individual The Holy Spirit gives the same
interpretation to all of God’s people who read His Word.
The apostle hits this one right on the head and stops it there
and then although many will try and say that they do have this
exclusive right which runs contrary to the fact.
(21) Not my understanding or interpretation but the
understanding the Holy Spirit has laid upon my spirit the same
understanding He gives to all my brothers and sisters in Christ... I
will end this section by reading this verse by the great apostle
Peter. “For prophecy never came by the will of men,but holy men
of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit
The next three verses I have decided to treat separately
although coming under the same section as above because they are
crucially important for the time we live in

Doctrinal Error that Leads to Destruction 2:1-3

(1) The author brings a very grim warning that we must be ever
vigilant concerning our walk with God and to be careful to what
we listen too.
Look at the tone and severity of the opening of this verse the
apostle writes, “But there were false prophets among the people,”
Not there will be they were already there.
 Our risen glorified Lord warned that this would happen after He
had ascended to heaven. ( Mtt.24:24.) “For false christs and false
prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if
possible, even the elect.” Adding already to this horrendous
inclusion there will be false teachers. Of these people the apostle
Paul had this to say in his first letter to Timothy. ( I.Timothy.4:2,)
“….speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared
with a hot iron,” Not my words the words of the apostle Paul as he
was led by the Holy Spirit. A further damming indictment is
brought against them about their actions from the pen of Peter. “
…who will secretly bring in destructive heresies..”
The word heresies come from the Greek terminology haireseis
and it is very important we understand this for the up building of
our common faith. What it means is to choose.Orignally it meant
not only to choose but have an opinion too.
This would continue to having a preference because of an
opinion and a sentiment
It slipped into the mode of self will causing disunity choosing sides
picking what you believe and that in turn causes dissension where
have we heard this before rings a familiar bell but Peter is spot on
the nose. To correct this from happening we all must submit
ourselves to reading the truth of God’s Word being submissive to
the voice of the Holy Spirit as He speaks to us. The alternative is
too unbearable to think of.
The apostle goes on to accuse them of denying the Lord. I
wonder what the apostle is reaching for when he writes about
denial. To deny the Lord is a very grave matter and it concerns all
who belong to Christ’s church.
We turn to Jude for an explanation and at verse 4 “ For certain
men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for
this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God
into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
It is very interesting how the English language came into being
not a pure language because it borrowed words from different
cultures and different nations and used them to mean something
entirely different from its original sense. The reason why I speak of
this at this point is that the word Lord in Greek is despos from
which the English language gets its word despot and all the bad
connotations that comes with that from the English language.
Despos in the Greek sense as in how God would want us to
understand is that He is Lord and we must totally submit ourselves
to Him to His will over our lives not out of fear and terror because
He is not that kind of God but with gladness and rejoicing.
Submissiveness to the will of God is the key to grow in truth and
knowledge of God by this method we are able to please Him.
“….the Lord who bought them…” So they had known the Lord
and had tasted of heaven the Kingdom of God. They knew and had
known Him. It is because of that fact that they bring upon
themselves swift destruction.. The decision to go the opposite way
is theirs not of God.
What are we to look for in regard to these false prophets to
stop us from being led from the truth of the gospel of Christ
because in these last days this will increase as it has done.
When a prophet or prophetess brings a false word from God
it will lead us away from Him ending up in spiritual decline and
the fall of moral behaviour. The prophet Jeremiah received a word
from the Lord warning him that this would happen. ( Jer.23:32.)
“Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams,” says the
Lord, “ and tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies and
their recklessness. Yet I did not send them, or command them;
therefore they shall not profit this people at all,” says the Lord.
To determine what is true and false there are things that God
has put in place for our guidance
It must strengthen the Word of God which will in turn guide
me to Christ as Lord and give me a love for the people of God the
church of Christ. Furthermore meet the criteria of the teaching of
the Bible. Make my trust in God strong that which we call faith in
return gives me an honourable pursuit in life. Stop me from doing
that which I know to be wrong and encourage purity and
righteousness in my life. Finding confirmation and affirmation of
my faith by godly men and women. Building up the faith of others
by allowing the Holy Spirit to use me by strengthening them by
whatever He would say to them through me and vice versa.
(2)Unfortunately there will be many who will not subscribe or
conform to the path the Lord wants them to take. There is no way
back for those who blaspheme the work of the Holy Spirit
(3) Covetousness and deception work hand in hand in this case
deceptive words saying one thing and meaning another jealous of
the gifts of the Holy Spirit that can be seen in you and me the fruit
of the Spirit that everyone can see not realising that they are for the
mutual benefit of us all including the gifts they possess the up
building and the edification of the body of Christ the church of
which we are members.

III Exposure and doom of False Teachers

2:4-22

A Destruction of the false teachers

2:4-10

(4) God hates wickedness He through the angels who had rebelled
against Him into hell because they had vaunted themselves against
Him. They were not spared meaning they were totally lost forever
Vaunted meaning they thought of themselves as better than God
nobody is. At this moment God has got them chained in darkness. I
am not talking metaphorically darkness and hell is as real as
heaven and earth. To wait there until the Day of Judgment
Sin is a serious complaint against God unrepentant sin a sin we
keep repeating in life the same sin all of the time whatever it is.
The Lord totally abhors sin He is a consuming fire that will
completely destroy sin whatever it is. You and I will not go to
heaven if we live like the world because God sees and hears
everything. He must come first and that means the fruits of the
Spirit must be seen in us if it is not there then we must question
ourselves as to why not and seek the remedy before our Lord.
(5) The apostle then goes on to speak about what happens to
ungodly people God did not spare the ancient world but killed all
the ungodly with drowning
He saved Noah and eight others a preacher of righteousness.
Had they listened to Noah they would have been saved but they did
not. The message Noah preached was one of righteousness there
are many Christians who are uncomfortable with the preaching of
the word even when it is evident they do not have this particular
gift but they do not want the gifted men of God to do this even
although it is a command of the Lord for evangelists to preach the
word in mercy and truth no matter the opposition that comes
against them. Brothers and Sisters in Christ who have this view
must ask themselves does what I think align itself with the word of
God and what He thinks or is it me and does it come from the
enemy.
Without evangelists we would have no New Testament John
Peter and Paul of the most notable look were they did their
preaching in the market places amongst the lost and the ungodly.
Our Lord Himself is the mark of what we are meant to do it was on
His express command that the apostles went forth and preached the
word just as our Lord did and so did righteous Noah among the
ungodly so they could have knowledge of the truth. (6) I like
to reiterate what the apostle Peter spoke of in the first verse of
chapter two, “Even denying the Lord who bought them.” So
they knew the Lord just like those who know Him today can you
fall from grace from this statement belonging to Peter the answer is
yes. They are in a worse condition than those who never knew
Christ the Lord.
The question you and I must ask ourselves does Jesus Christ have
his rule over our hearts, our spirit, and our lives? Jesus Christ is
interested in me how I live my life before Him. This is gauged by
whether the body of Christ our brothers and sisters can see Christ
in us and us Christ in them. Let us get rid of this false notion that it
is about the church office we hold and any ministry we head up
nothing could be further from the truth
These things if they are allowed too could lead us further from
the truth into the tyrannical obsession of being a leader and ruling
over others in tyranny and not in love and mercy believing you are
always right without asking God for guidance in these areas.
This is not living a godly life as the Bible defines it
The reason why the apostle is speaking to these believers in Asia
Minor is to see the judgment of God on those who live ungodly
lives in tongue and action look at the words at the end of the verse,
“...making them an example to those who afterward would live
ungodly;…”. God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of
their ungodliness. What kind of lives are we living can they be
named among the ungodly or do we possess the fruit of the Spirit
that everyone else can see or do we use the gifts of the Spirit for
our own selfish purposes the end being ungodliness and
destruction. Remember God knows the heart there is nothing He
does not know. Precisely what Peter means here.
(7) But if you are living godly righteous lives among the ungodly
God Himself will rescue and deliver you from that situation and
move you on.
As we can see from Lot’s example the apostle describes him as
being righteous and because of God’s righteousness that dwelt
within his heart he was tormented day and night because of their
lawless acts. (8)
He had a dread and horror towards sin within his spirit because
like his God our God He hated sin his spirit would shrink back
from it as ours should.
(9) In this verse we have a great promise followed by a very
serious warning “...Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly
out of temptations...” Those whom God rescues must have godly
characters the fruit of the Spirit must be evident in their lives not
those who seek to promote self and we are all guilty of that one
from time to time. Christ must come first what do I mean by that
only that we do what pleases Him. What pleases you and I may not
always please our Lord, what we say and do towards others is very
much on His Mind. The challenge is with us everyday to do what
pleases God because the choice is always there to do what we think
is right without consulting Him. Rebellion!! Continue to please
your self has only one horrendous conclusion when you leave this
life to be cut off from God forever we can see this in the rest of the
verse. “….and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the Day
of Judgment” What they have done in this life they may get away
with but certainly not the next because unless they change
judgment waits for them.
(10) I look at what has been said by the apostle Peter and my spirit
shrinks back in recoil to the absolute darkness mentioned in this
passage demonic in its origin brought to the light by God Himself
through the author the apostle Simon Peter a servant and a son of
God.
This verse stands out even more starkly than the rest which I
thought was not possible but it does. “Those who walk according
to the flesh….” Greek word for flesh is the expression sarx it
means our physical body the composites that our human frames are
made up of.
But in a moral and spiritual sense sarx is the lowest of the natural
mind of a man or a woman the seat and thrust from which evil
desires come from
Before his crucifixion Jesus spoke to his apostles on this issue.
(Matt.26:41). “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The
spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak”. The flesh the
same flesh the apostle speaks of here... We all need to pray that the
Holy Spirit will indeed strengthen the spirit in you and me the only
course against selfish living
The author speaks out against a false life style rather than
teaching Lust can be a good thing and a bad thing. However; Peter
qualifies it for uncleanness. A craving for evil desires such as to
gratify sensual longings, crave for that which is forbidden to us,
actually longing for evil, wanting something that belongs to
someone else, trying to get things men and women experiences
that are contrary to the will of God over our lives.
Despise authority and are very presumptuous stubborn and self
willed. Do not conform to the Lord’s criteria of a godly character.
These characteristics are not of the fruits of the Spirit but of the
carnal Christian and worse than those who have never known
Christ. Some even speak evil of glorious ones obviously those who
glorified God

B Description of the false teachers

2:10-22

(11) Their rebellious sin is so terrible and dreadful that the angels
who are mightier than them do not bring a reviling accusation
against them before the Lord. (Acts.4:33). “And with great power
the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And
great grace was upon them all.” The accusation will be brought
against them by the Judge who is righteous who judges all
righteously the Lord Jesus Christ.
The whole thing is absolutely dreadful because these are
those who had once known Christ as their Lord and Saviour (12)
Peter uses the word natural they have gone back to their old ways
because the natural man does not understand the spiritual man.
Brute beasts are how our writer describes them. They are worse off
than the natural man because they had already known Jesus Christ
as Lord now their peril had become a reality. The beasts in the
field did not have the understanding of the natural man but they
knew how to look after themselves not so these beasts described as
being brutes. They had turned on their Lord and their own
corruption will destroy them they now know of no other path. (13)
Absolutely horrifying is that these people will eat with us and we
may not know what their character is like to the outside world The
whole thing smacks of self ,self centeredness, self importance,
revelling in themselves. They have no interest in anything but
them and because of that they deceive themselves. But all of them
will receive the wages of unrighteousness.
(14) Now we come to a crucial point of this passage and one of the
many reasons as to why the apostle wrote this letter. “..Enticing
unstable souls,” Of these so called teachers the author delivers a
damming indictment they are likened to an adulteress who cannot
stop sinning. They want what is not theirs and belongs to someone
else but they cannot stop wanting it, the desires and the craving of
their hearts. Because they do not do the things of God they have
been accursed. (Deut.27:16-26).)
(15) There is a right way and there is a wrong one. Speaking of
the false teachers the apostle writes of the fact that they had
forsaken it - The way of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now they were following the wrong way the way of Balaam
the prophet. He was ready to curse God’s people for profit. To
curse a brother and sister is to gossip about their weaknesses to all
and sundry and benefit from it for your own interests. Character
assassination comes into mind this comes from the enemy and it is
not of God.
Personal gain is not always monetary it could be anything that
a brother and sister will use to obstruct the will of God putting
their own self interests as a priority whatever those interests may
be but be warned God in due time will remove you unless genuine
repentance is seen towards Him. These are the wages of
unrighteousness (16) He was rebuked for his iniquity. The Lord is
not slow to rebuke and chastise his people in whatever shape and
form it comes in. You turn from God at your own peril. The
decision to turn from God is not His it is always yours.
(17)Wells without water they are of no use to anyone because
they themselves are dead always seeking what they can devour and
whom they devour become likewise. A well in a desert if it has no
water and it is the only one for hundreds of miles the person who
comes to it in need of water dies because of the lack of water in the
well. The same principle applies to our walk with God unless I
communicate with God and listen to what He has to say to me and
be obedient to his voice I will go in the opposite direction and do
the things that I want and only living for me.

For such people who not only do this but actively instruct others
to do this reserved for them is the blackness of darkness
I know this to be a reality from the personal experience of a
brother in Christ. Who had been stung by a poisonous specimen of
marine life while he was swimming in the sea in the tropics, while
in the ambulance he was dying and cried out to the Lord to be
saved. He remembered his mother was a Christian who taught him
how to pray. God showed him a vision of hell, and then heaven in
hell it was pitch black and cold and he could see no light but then
he saw a great light that was heaven and was miraculously saved
physically and then spiritually.

(18) I would like to remind ourselves of the fact that like us those
who had fallen away they were once like us grounded and rooted
in Christ Jesus our Lord not everyone wants to take on the humility
of our Lord.
We see that in the description the apostle gives of them of
how they speak. “…great swelling words of emptiness...” The
wisdom of this world rather than that of God about how they see
things human self sufficiency without the power of the Holy Spirit
being behind it. Again the apostle speaks against the lusts of the
flesh what other lusts is he thinking of here.
Obviously he is talking about preaching but doing it all for
the wrong reasons the wrong motivations using the gift to promote
one self above others thinking that you are more special than your
brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Spiritual pride I have been
there. But it is recognizing this fact and to keep on repenting from
it and stop yourself from doing it. Not so these false teachers. The
accusation that is brought against them from the pen of the apostle
illustrates the judgment they have brought upon themselves
because of the entrapment of others from what they preach and
teach.
 You live by what you preach and that means holy and godly
living in and through God the Holy Spirit. We are to love God the
Father Jesus Christ the Son our Lord and God the Holy Spirit.
This is a very dark passage but there is light in it too. The
light is exposing the darkness. We who are of Jesus Christ our
Lord are the light of this Dark Age and we must conform to
whatever the Holy Spirit commands us to do and we must do it
lovingly and gladly. It is by this method that we are stopped from
living in error
We are warned not to live in error and when we live in a
manner that pleases God being obedient to His voice and listening
to what He has to say to us then we will be safeguarded from error.
To have an on going experience with God a personnel
relationship spending time talking to Him and He talks to you. He
speaks to me does He speak to you but you must want and desire
this. Knowing God as a person is not knowing all of the Bible and
the great doctrines on the contents of its pages although that is very
important and helpful it is knowing God the Father and the Son
through an intimate personnel knowledge and relationship with
Him brought about by the influence and power of God the Holy
Spirit who dwells within us. The false teachers had forgotten.
(Jd.1:11). “Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain,
have run greedily in the way of Balaam for profit, and perished in
the rebellion of Korah.”
Allure to tempt others and that is actually what is happening
here through their own intellect the wisdom of the age that we live
in of the false teachers worldly wisdom is the flesh .
(19)Continuing on the subject of error the apostle speaking to
the church in Asia Minor says to them. “How can they promise
you liberty when they are slaves of corruption or depravity,”
speaking of the false teachers. Liberty and enslavement are
contrary to each other. There can only be liberty or enslavement
one cancels out the other. Whatever you and I are overcome by we
will be a slave too. I believe our Lord makes this issue quite clear.
(Jn.8:34)Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you,
whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”
(20) This is a word from the apostle we must understand and see
the importance that it brings to our belief in Jesus Christ as our
Lord and Saviour although the letter was meant for the believers in
Asia Minor it is for now and the future.
Those to whom the apostle writes had already tasted the
saving knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. They had
already known Christ as Lord. I can hear the alarm bells ringing in
me. Is it possible to fall from the grace of God the answer
according to this letter of Peter’s is yes. They had already escaped
the corruption of the world that had poisoned their spirits.
(Mtt.12:45) Jesus speaks of this particular sin. “Then he goes and
takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and
they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse
than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation” It
will be even worse for them than the beginning I have no idea what
is in store for them but I would not like to be in their shoes.
(21) These are fierce words of condemnation from God a warning
that you and I must always walk close to the Lord and to please
Him nothing else will do. It would have been better that these so
called believers had never known Jesus Christ as Lord.
To deliberately turn from God and to continue to do so leads
you back into the pit of hell a position that is more tragic than
those who do not believe.
(22) What a revolting thing to do to return to your own vomit like
a dog but a dog knows no better and so they who turn their backs
upon our Lord are worse off than the dog.
The apostle using another illustration makes the point stand
out even more a sow having being washed goes back and waddles
in the mud and the filth. So it is with those who after knowing
Jesus Christ as Lord having turned their backs against Him have
been caught by the clutches of the enemy. Again!! (Prov.26.11.)…
As a dog returns to his own vomit. So a fool repeats his folly.
IV Warning against end time deceivers
3:1-18

A. Scoffers in the last days

3:1-7

B. Believers and the day of the Lord.

3:8-18.

A. Scoffers in the last days.

3:1-7

(1) Simon Peter uses the word Beloved to describe his love
towards his brothers and sisters the love of Christ that dwells
within him for himself and for others the church of Jesus Christ.
Not the natural love that resides in us the love of Christ that
surpasses anything else
At the beginning of the sentence he uses the capital letter for
the word Beloved to show the importance Christ feels towards His
church always remember it is His church not ours.
The author had already sent them a letter he speaks of this of
being his second letter. His purpose as was in his first letter to stir
up their pure minds.
At last light after having been dragged down to what must
have been an abyss of absolute darkness and the depravity of the
human mind their souls must have recoiled in abject horror and
dread that those among them could do the things that they had
done and were still doing which continues in the present until the
great day of the Lord.
I know because as I was reading and studying the previous
chapters my spirit was recoiling all the time at the deepness of
those who once knew Christ of the darkness that they had allowed
themselves to plunge themselves down into. I could not understand
why they had allowed this to happen to them regretfully of their
own making and continues to be so.
But now the apostle writes, (“I stir up your pure minds by way
of reminder”) the answer of how to overcome the darkness the
enemy was bringing against them a pure mind.
Purity in the moral and ethical sense free from any kind of
falsehood within us including no hidden motives to promote
ourselves over and above our brothers and sisters that would cause
them to fall from the path of Christ.
Jesus spoke about this very subject. (Mk.12:30.) “…And
you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first
commandment.”
Regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in God
always knows, when we focus on this commandment, and are
obedient to it. He will help us because He loves us.
Hard as that may be that is exactly the time He wants us to
turn to Him because as well as being God He is our Father. (2)
Let’s look closely at this next verse because the apostle meant it
for us and those in the future until the Lord comes and to those to
whom he writes. To remember the words of the holy prophets who
had come before you and I were born. David takes the voice of a
prophet and speaks the word of God introducing to us a King
ruling in Justice. (2.Sam.23:2, 3.) “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by
me. And His word was on my tongue. (3) The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel said to me: He who rules over men must be
just. Ruling in the fear of God.”
This was not the case in the life of Peter or in our time. We
have no one who rules in justice and equity in the world we live.
But those who belong to Christ are in his kingdom. There is a
sense that while on earth we are on the earth but also in the
Kingdom of God.
The apostle proceeds further to remind them of a vital truth
of a commandment that comes from them but originally comes
from their Lord and Saviour his Lord and Saviour our Lord and
Saviour. To read the word of God allow the Holy Spirit to give you
the wisdom of God our Father and His Son our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ so that you and I will live lives that are totally
different to the world we live in and in actuality Christ living in
and through us because what you read of God’s word that is what
you will be. There is no short cut.
(3) Why we need to have an intimate and personal knowledge of
Jesus Christ our Lord and that means getting to know him more
and more listening to what He says to us and not what the scoffers
are saying. The closer we walk with Him the more we will
overcome. (4) The false teachers spoken of here is either speaking
about the Patriarchs of the Old Testament or first century
Christianity I believe the apostle has both in mind of who they are
speaking against. But what they do not realise is that Jesus Christ
made the creation it is through Him and the word of His power that
we exist and He will bring it to a close. (Col: 1.15). He is the
image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation Another
reason why we must look to the glorified Christ to help us to
overcome the world in these last days as the scoffers scoff at us but
they have no idea what they are talking of.
(5) Wilfully forget a deliberate choice they choose to forget God
and that is exactly what the world has done and does.
When you look around all you see and hear it speaks of God.
The sky; the sea; the earth; and the universe the whole thing speaks
of God To shut it out of your mind is a deliberate act of self will.
The author reminds the true saints of a pertinent fact that the
foolish and false prophets had deliberately forgotten. Apart from
Noah and a few others the old creation had been totally destroyed
by God and the humanity that had existed then because of their
wickedness and perversity He drowned them with a great flood I
believe it was worse than anything we have ever seen and we have
seen some terrible ones.
Note the apostle makes the point it is by the word of God that
all things happen according to His will and purpose. (Gen.1:6, 9.)
Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the
waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Then God
said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into
one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.
(7) A warning to all that although God is a loving Heavenly
Father it does not alter the fact that first and foremost He is a
righteous and Holy God. He is God and will accomplish His
purpose and will destroying those who stand against Him including
me if I foolishly decide to take that course of action and anybody
else who does so.
Let’s not pretend that we can do anything we like as Christians
even when it means hurting one another to promote our own self
interests because God can see what motivates our thinking
.Nothing escapes his gaze and scrutiny.
The whole of creativity exists because God wills it to be so not
because of anything else it is His will and purpose for the moment
that is the way it should be. By the word of His power the same
word brought creation into being
This is a frightening and awesome concept the purpose and will
of the Lord God. Not my will and purpose. Not anybodies. Here
we see the sovereign will and purpose of the Lordship of the Lord
God over His handiwork. It should drive us to our knees those of
us who know Christ as Lord and surrender our lives fully to Him.
Learn to serve Him with awe and respect as one who is God a
God who loves us He commands you and I to love Him Jesus
Christ our Lord and Saviour with joy and gladness in obedience to
His voice spoken in and through God the Holy Spirit. When we do
this we will keep ourselves right before Him.
The opposite is to dreadful an awful to think of to be
destroyed by fire a painful and very physical death slow and
excruciating agony that lingers until you expire but to be consumed
by God’s holy fire is much worse not only physically but your
spirit too.
It will be in a fiery torment until the day of judgment of
ungodly men and that day is approaching. The apostle Paul
corroborates what Peter is saying here. (II .Thess.1:8.)
“…in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know
God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ…”

B. Believers and the Day of the Lord. 3:8-18.

(8) Time is not relevant in the form we understand humans are

limited to what they can or not do. God is not He is in control of
time space and history. A very difficult idea for ordinary mortals to
grasp with their earthly intellect as much as they try they will never
succeed. A total impossibility because of the darkness of sin in the
human intellect that pursues wisdom for its own sake believing that
it will solve all the troubles of the world without God. It has not
happened and it will not
We see this in the rest of the verse in which Peter speaks of one
day as being a thousand years and a thousand years as one day in
the Lord’s presence. The time He allows is not for his sake it was
for my benefit in order for me to be saved through the saving
knowledge of Jesus Christ which was granted to me because of His
mercy and no other reason and it is available to those who will
believe.
While He is still to return men and woman including children
will have that opportunity meanwhile you and I must pursue
holiness that can only come from God dedicating our lives to His
Son our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ.
Reflecting Christ’s glory the fruit of the Spirit moral and
ethical purity godly characteristics like kindness, long suffering,
patience, mercy, and love to others.
Not the natural love but the love of Christ who dwells within
us. We will look at another passage in regard to time and how it is
not relevant to God’s Person. (Ps90:4) “For a thousand years in
your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the
night.” It is nothing to Him.
 (9) The Lord has promised His coming and as God He cannot lie
to Himself it is out of Character. But He is withholding it until as
He sees it the time is right. The prophet Habakkuk prophesied of
this while under the guidance and influence of God the Holy Spirit.
( Hab.2; 3). “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the
end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it;
because it will surely come, it will not tarry”. The key to Christ
like living when even our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus are
critical of us and openly hostile, judging us with their measuring
rule for no good reason known to God. The fruit of long suffering,
the long suffering of the Lord to us and to the lost that is why He
delays His coming for the second time He is patient and long
suffering towards us and commands the same from you and I
towards our brothers and sisters in Christ and to the lost.( Is.30 :
18). Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait on
Him.
Our God does not want anyone to perish and that means
everyone even if it means we find it hard to accept them because
they do not fit in with our social calendar how dare we think like
that towards those whom God has made!! The great apostle Paul
speaks on this very issue. (Rom.2:4)? “Or do you despise the
riches of his goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not
knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

The Day of the Lord 3:10-13.

(10) For those who will perish and be utterly destroyed this is a
terrible and dreadful prophecy. The heavens will be no more I have
no idea what that will look like, and I do not want to know. But
add fervour and passion to my heart so I can serve the Lord as I go
out to speak to the lost and stop as many as possible from suffering
the destiny that lies in front of them if they do not repent before a
Holy God.
 The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. I have no
idea when He will come but I must do what He bids me until that
day
What is waiting for the ungodly is so terrifying and dreadful
that if they had any idea they would repent immediately!! The
earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. And by the
time it comes. It will be too late for the rest of the wicked!!!
(Ps.102: 25, 26). “ Of old you laid the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the works of your hands.(26) They will perish
but you will endure; yes, they will all grow old like a garment”;
(11) A challenge to the believers in Asia Minor in how they
ought to live because of what is coming. The earth and the heavens
as we know it will be dissolved at a future date and time.
You must conduct your present lives in a manner that
pleases God pursuing holiness and godliness those things that
reflect the glory of Christ our Lord the fruit of the Spirit.
Not only for the church then it is for the church in the present
and in the future. You and I, we have to take up the challenge.
None of the saints in Christ are exempt. The Lord commands us to
live 24 hours and seven days a week for Him always pursuing His
sovereign will for how we are to live. Holiness and godliness
moral and ethical characteristics that only the Holy Spirit can
provide us with.
(12) To draw closer to God on a daily basis letting the love of
Christ shine through our lives to those whom we speak and talk too
promoting the gospel of our glorified Saviour and Lord. Our God
Jesus Christ. Looking for the day when we will go to be with Him
in glory I am looking forward to that great day.
“Because of which the heavens will be dissolved” I am
pondering over this remark of the apostle and wondering what it
means.
He is coming to take vengeance on the ungodly who have not
repented and have murdered his people persecuted them and have
thrown them in prison something that continues to happen all of
the time because the enemy will use godless people to do his work
but that time will end. (Ps.50:3) “Our God shall come, and shall
not keep silent; A fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very
tempestuous all around Him” The ungodly have had their
opportunity to repent before God and accept his mercy from His
Son Christ Jesus but they refused as they had done then and they
do now and so it will be in the future until they have drawn their
last breath. But until that time you and I have to tell them about the
Good News the gospel of Jesus Christ so they can have access to
the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and if they refuse
then that is their choice and they will be without any excuse.
However; what lies before them is far too terrible and dreadful to
contemplate and ponder over. (Mic.1:4). “The mountains will melt
under Him, and the valleys will split like wax before the fire, like
waters poured down a steep place”.
. (13) Only the people of God will be allowed into the new
heavens and earth not the ungodly that kill maim and murder
God’s people and refuse to recognize God. He alone has chosen
them. (I s.65:17). “For behold, I create new heavens and a new
earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind).
See too Isaiah 66.22.. “ For as the new heavens and the new earth
which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the Lord. “So
shall your descendants and your name remain”. The people of God
from every nation and tribe including His own chosen people the
remnant of the Jews.

Be Strong and Resolute 3:14-18.

(14) In view of the promise that has been made to us, you and I
have to be about the Lord’s work. When not actively engaged we
should focus on Him and be in constant communion with Him to
be at peace with others giving them nothing to complain of against
us the complaint having no substance. To be joyous and glad in
what we do. When we do these things He will find us at peace.
(I.Cor.1:18). “ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those
who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of
God.”
(15) Long suffering a virtue that we have all to possess to be
able to show it to others in the same manner Christ shows it to us.
We can only do this by loving the Lord Jesus as deep as we can
because of His long suffering towards us. A gift of the fruit of the
Spirit.
The author of the book of Hebrews calls it patience. (Heb.6:12).
“….that you do not become lazy, but imitate those who through
faith and patience inherit the promises”.
(16) The enemy can use Scripture to fool believers to guard
against it make sure it glorifies Christ not me or you and that it
edifies the body the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and exalts Him
in majesty and splendour.
False teachers will always do this to protect their own
interests and they are not interested in the body of Christ our Lord.
Peter writes of not understanding some of the letters of
Paul but he does not change what he has written because he knows
it has come from the Lord. Those who do this and continue to do it
are on the path to destruction.
(17) The believers to whom he writes know this they know
what to do to stop them from falling into error. You and I have to
concentrate on our personnel relationship with the Lord Jesus
Christ desiring to know more and more of Him - A personal and
intimate relationship - To keep growing in his grace, mercy, and
love by doing this we will be able to show the same mercy, love,
and kindness to others.
(18) The conclusion but not the finality that is in the Lord’s
hands. You and I are commanded to grow, the inference being is
that while we live there is always a choice.
God will not force Himself upon us. The road you and I
take is up to us right up until our last breath. After reading what
will happen to the ungodly my choice is to love Jesus Christ more
and more for He is is my Lord and God. To know Him as He
knows me or as much as possible and I pray it is the same for you.
 “To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen”
Let it be so!!!

Disciples of Jesus Ministry © 2009