2 Peter 3 - Every Day the Lord Does Not Return Is Another Day to Reach Someone For Christ!

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3 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

Peter confirms that he wrote both 1 Peter and 2 Peter. He equates the words of the prophets with the words of the apostles. Peter is likely referring to himself, as Jesus commissioned him to be an apostle. It also assumes that they would have known the words spoken to them by the prophets of old like Jeremiah or Isaiah, which indicates he is writing to Jewish believers. 

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Be relying on the inspired words of the apostles and prophets, they would be able to spot the false teachers. There were apparently Jewish scoffers who reasoned that since Jesus hadn't come back yet, they might as well indulge in their sinful nature. 

Peter reminded them that God's Word never changes. Delay doesn't mean God changed his mind. By God's Word, God formed the earth and separated the waters .By that same Word, he used these waters to flood and destroy the earth. In the same way by God's Word judgment will come and destroy the world by fire not by water. 

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.[a] to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

God's time is not our time. We see time from our limited persective, but God's perspective sees all of time at one moment. He lives in the eternal now. There is no past, present, and future with God. God has a good reason for not coming back to judge the living and the dead. He wanted to give every person every possible chance to repent and turn back to him and believe in His Son. 

This is why when people say, "I wish the Lord would return soon", I don't agree with them. Yes, I might want the Lord to return for me, but what about those who have not yet come to know Him, especially our family and friends. Every day the Lord does not return, is a chance to lead more people to him. 

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

Since we don't know the day or time of the Lord's return, we need to be ready at any time. This is why it is so dangerous to think I can do this or that and clean up my act before the Lord returns. I would not want to play that game. Why would you not be ready on any day? That way you can always live in peace and hope and assurance that you will be ready whenever Jesus decides to return. 

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[b] That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

The best way to be ready is to live the life we are called to live as Christians. We ought to live holy and godly lives. We have been set apart as God's children to be in the world, but not of the world. Paul tells us not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Romans 12:2 Peter even seems to indicate this will speed its coming. The opposite might be true as well. The closer we get to Christ, the more we become like him and are ready to meet him. 

All of this is prelude to the promise of a new heaven and a new earth. This will be the place where righteousness dwells. It will be a restoration of Eden. People will live righteously and there will true justice for all. Everyone will be living according to God's perfect will (Passion Translation)

14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

Once again Peter enjoins them to be found spotless and blameless, as they await Jesus' return when they will come into His presence. Peter reiterates that God's patience means salvation for those who have not yet come to know him. He then references Paul's letters to the church. Peter references Paul's distinct way of writing. Paul was highly educated, whereas Peter was a fisherman. This is why Peter might infer that Paul's letter might be difficult to interpret, but it clearly shows Paul's letters were in circulation. 

Like any letters in the bible, people try to distort and change the plain meaning of the scriptures to satisfy their own desires. They do this to their destruction. Peter makes it very clear that to distort God's Word and lead other people to do this as well will have severe reprecussions on the day of judgment. 

In another verse Jesus says, "It would be a better for a millstone to be thrown around your neck and be thrown into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble." Luke 17:12

17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Verse 18 is one of my favorite verses in the bible. It is a great admonition for all of us. We have all received grace as a free gift, which led us into a personal relationship with Christ. But we are not meant to just languish or be stuck in grace. We need to grow in BOTH grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

How do you grow in grace? As we are saturated in God's grace, we become more empowered to be the type of people who do and say what Jesus would do and say if he were us. And as we do this, we grow in grace AND knowledge in Jesus. The word "knowledge" is not as much an intellectual word as it is a relational term. We might say we grow in "intimacy" with Jesus, as we continue to rely on His amazing grace.

We begin our Christian life with God's grace in Jesus, and this same grace will lead us home.