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2 Peter Chapter 3

Peter having concluded his description of the coming judgement of those that tempt away the elect of God from within the fellowship, has by this second epistle and the first made the believers mindful of their duty to keep the faith delivered by Christ true and pure in the gospel. (v1) So that the words of the coming of God through His increasing perfection towards His people might be widely known amongst them. (Which things the angels - (the brethren of apostles) have looked into.) (v1,v2)

Peter makes known to them that in the last days men will seize upon the elect from without as well as from within, saying the Lord delays His coming, mocking God and His faithful. These false teachers from without are identified as walking after their own lusts - being unbelievers. (v3,v4)

In saying that the creation continues just as it has from its very beginning, (which they can not explain as inferred here, as "creation") they show themselves willingly ignorant of the method by which God framed the heavens. (See the "Creationism" section for more detail)

For from the beginning, The earth was conceived of God as partly made to stand in the wastewater, (the uncreated apparent past) and partly in the open firmament of the present heavens. (v5) Thereby the world that was enclosed within the uncreated apparent 'wasted' past perished, not being made, but was formed as if it had stood upon that apparently created past as resting contingent upon it and, being overflowed was waste itself. (v6)

The present time, in the open arch of the created heaven that is the actually truly existent creation of God is reserved likewise to perish after the manner of God's own will, as it was formed and reserved to this purpose by its creator. (v7)

So although the end is coming, and soon, Peter encourages the believers with the mystery of God; For Christ's coming at the last day will show all His people spotless before Him. Those that have part in the first resurrection to life in Christ (that are alive and remain) will become in a single day in stature as if they were dwelling with God a thousand years, and those that dwell with God for one day as if they had dwelt under grace a thousand years. God is indeed patient (longsuffering).

Neither is God slack to fulfill His promise to edify the believers in all truth through the ministration of the Holy Spirit with His patience to make this second coming an easy yoke and a light burden: because He wills that all men can be saved by this ministry to repentance. (v9)

Addendum: The Lord is not "slack" in that within the New Testament timeline two thousand years may appear slack to those without predestination; rather God is patient with individuals on an individual basis to their redemption - so that when the constant standard of patience with the individual fails to reap fruit in the gospel, then the external two thousand years or more of time is not slackness but fruitful until the age becomes so evil and this generation of brethren saved in the gospel passes away.

The coming of Jesus Christ will come upon all those who are unprepared to meet His coming as a "thief in the night" who steals and takes away the whole creation (not as over a period of a literal thousand years) from the unjust in a single day, preserving the elected by grace in His patience (longsuffering) as above. (v10) The unjust are resurrected unto their judgement at the end of this last day, so that from the disobedient at His coming, Christ takes away the whole creation in one single day.

Peter encourages us to show diligence in repenting to the end of complete obedience toward God (v11) Being mindful of the surety of His arrival despite the scoffing of the ungodly - because the world will pass away from all those who are disobedient at the end. (v12)

As believers, we hope for a new creation after, for eternal life as promised by Christ's testament of the new covenant where only the righteousness of Christ will be present in every believer (v13) Peter therefore exhorts the believer to show that righteousness of Christ's example by keeping the faith and showing action to repentance. (Paul wrote of "racing" the predestination of the Holy Spirit to obedience, to show fervour for the commandment of God.) (v14)

To account (justify) that the patience of God is truly their salvation, (So they do not fall away as reprobate not to be grafted back in to Israel a second time.) To the end of which Paul has written to them at great length on both the grace (v15) of God and with commandments in His epistles. (v16) Some of which are a little hard to read and understand, and those that have no knowledge of God's words have tried to wrestle meaning to suit themselves - and are made content with the end of their own false doctrine they themselves have generated. (Their end will be their destruction.)

Peter lastly commends the believers that they know these things from Paul beforehand - before the coming of Christ so that they should not be carried away with the wicked upon His return, whether by false teaching from within or from those without (Errors of so called "science") and taken from their due inheritance. (v17) Peter blesses them to grow in grace (be further edified and repentant) in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ - To whom Peter gives glory closing the epistle. (v18)


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