(Chapter 3)
In this last chapter, Peter shows that the government of God will bring everything in Christendom and the world to its proper end. In the Day of the Lord, every evil will be judged, and all in the heavens and the earth will be re-arranged according to the will of God, for the glory of God and for man’s eternal blessing.
The Importance of Having the Word of God Always in Remembrance
Vss. 1-2—Having, in chapter 2, set forth the character of evil that would come into the Christian testimony through false teaching, in this 3rd chapter, Peter mentions another thing that would mark Christendom in the last days—unbelief. With this in view, Peter undertakes to prepare the saints for the dark times ahead. He says: “This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour.” Every believer, through new birth, has a “pure” mind, but God would have us to be exercised about keeping our minds pure in a practical sense. This is a considerable challenge indeed, and especially so for those who live in the last days when corruption will be escalated on every side. Peter indicates here, that this is done on the principle of displacement. We are to have our minds filled with the truth that God has given—both in the writings of “the holy prophets” (the Old Testament) and “the commandment of us the apostles” (the New Testament). When our hearts and minds are full of the Word of God, there is no room for the corruption to get in. This means that we need to be occupied with what is positive and up-lifting, not with what is negative and defiling. And where else can we go for this but to the Holy Scriptures? There is nothing so sanctifying to the soul of the believer than to have his mind saturated with the Word of God (John 17:17).
Peter doesn’t tell us to look for some new revelation of truth, but to be more intimately acquainted with the truth that God has given in both Testaments. We are to keep it “in remembrance” by going over it again and again because we forget so easily. This shows that there is value in repetition. Being equipped with such knowledge, we will be able to discern the false teachings of men. Thus, the way to meet the dangers of the day is by knowing and walking in the truth; it is our greatest defense against the errors of Christendom.
Vss. 3-4—Peter then explains why it is important to have the truth always in remembrance—there would be an attack on it by those who profess to be Christian! Peter gives us an example: “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” Thus, the false teaching in Christendom will produce a generation of merely professing believers who will openly deny and scoff at the truth—especially the truth of the coming of Christ.
It seems hard to believe that those who profess to be Christian would oppose the plain statements of Scripture concerning the second coming of Christ. But living in “the last days,” as we are in today, we can see in retrospect how this has come to be. A large sector of the Christian profession (Neo-orthodox Protestantism, Unitarianism, etc.) has given itself over to so-called “Higher Criticism,” which has led scholars to conclude that many parts of the Bible are not divinely inspired—such as the first ten chapters of Genesis, Jonah, etc. This has weakened the confidence of the masses in Christendom as to the reliability of Scripture, and there has come out of this infidelity those who mock God’s Word. Peter says that the reason they scoff at the thought of the Lord’s coming is because (they say) “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”
Three Catastrophic Interventions of Judgment
Vss. 5-7—Peter exposes the folly of their reasoning by stating that all things haven’t continued from the beginning without divine interventions of judgment. He points to two such catastrophic judgments in history and tells us that there is a third judgment coming that will far exceed the proportions of the other two. He says: “For this they are willingly ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing [having its subsistence] out of the water and in [through] the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are now [present], by the same Word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
Verse 5, is a reference to a primeval intervention of judgment, by God, that left the earth in the chaotic state of “having its subsistence out of water and in water.” This lacustrine scene is described in Genesis 1:2. Some think that this 5th verse is referring to the flood in Noah’s day, but if that were the case, it would contradict the Genesis account of the flood. Genesis 7:19-20, states that the waters of the flood completely covered the earth; there were no pieces of land “standing out of the water and in the water,” as verse 5 states. This verse, therefore, must be referring to something other than the flood. Since Peter speaks of it before he describes the flood, in verse 6, he must be speaking of something that happened before the flood. What else could it be but Genesis 1:2? Many Bible teachers correlate it with Genesis 1.
The description of the earth, in verse 5, may not look like the description given in Genesis 1:2 when compared, but there is really no difficulty in reconciling the two passages when we remember that the Bible is a progressive revelation of truth. That is, what is given in the Old Testament is often expanded upon in the New, wherein more detail is given. This, we believe, is the case with 2 Peter 3:5. From reading Genesis 1:2, we might have thought that the waters covered the earth, but taking a closer look at the passage, we see that it doesn’t say that. It may be argued that it wasn’t until the 3rd day that the land emerged from the waters. Again, Scripture doesn’t say that; it says that the earth became “dry” on the 3rd day. (The word “land” in Genesis 1:9-10 is in italics, indicating that it is not in the Hebrew text.) Putting the two passages together, we gather that the earth’s condition when it was “waste and empty” was a partially submerged wasteland.
In verse 6, Peter speaks of a second intervention of divine judgment which is, unquestionably, the deluge in Noah’s day. W. Kelly remarked, “The passage before us [vss. 5-6] is by some applied only to the earth’s primeval constitution, by others to the deluge. It is plain enough that the Apostle looks successively at each.” (The Second Epistle of Peter, p. 165) Since “Higher Criticism” denies the divine inspiration of the first ten chapters of Genesis, we can see why these so-called scholars would say that nothing has changed from the beginning of the creation; the two judgments that Peter cites, in verses 5-6, are both recorded in those early chapters of Genesis, which they don’t accept!
In verse 7, Peter points to a third intervention of judgment that is yet to come. He tells us that the instrument that God will use in this coming judgment will not be water, as in the flood, but “fire.” Moreover, this judgment will touch everything in “the heavens and the earth,” unlike the flood which affected the earth only. Thus, everything that we lay our eyes upon in this creation is “reserved unto fire.” This third judgment will not occur at the second coming of Christ; nevertheless, the coming of Christ, which these men deny, is as sure as the Word of God itself. In fact, Christ’s coming is stated in 23 of the 27 books of the New Testament!—Galatians, Philemon, 2 John, and 3 John are the exceptions. Denying that Christ will come again, as the scoffers do, is a clear proof of the rank infidelity that exists in these last days.
Vss. 8-9—As to the time when Christ will come, Peter explains that God doesn’t count time as men do. He says: “Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (See also Psalm 90:4.) Thus, while the infidels of this world are “willingly ignorant” (vs. 5), let not the saints be “ignorant” concerning these things (vs. 8). In God’s reckoning, the time of Christ’s absence from this world has really only been about two days, which is not long at all! Peter tells us that the reason for the short delay is that God is merciful! It is clear from Scripture that when Christ does come (His Appearing), it will be to execute judgment upon the ungodly sinners of this world (Jude 14-15)—for God will not allow things to go on in their present state indefinitely. He says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Thus, the lapse of time in regard to Christ’s coming is a proof of God’s longsuffering mercy, not His inability to bring it to pass. If the ungodly sinners of this world were in their right mind, and understood this, they would be thanking God that Christ’s coming has been delayed.
The Day of the Lord
Vs. 10—Let us be assured, Christ will come again, and judgment will be executed in the Day of the Lord. In that day, there will be a closing up of everything connected with this present creation and the beginning of a new order of things in a new heavens and earth. Peter says: “The Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” In this statement, he speaks of two future events happening in “the Day of the Lord”—the Lord’s coming as “a thief in the night,” which is His Appearing (Matt. 24:43-44; Luke 12:39-40; 1 Thess. 5:2; Rev. 3:5; 16:15), and the dissolving of “the elements” of the material creation, which will happen in man’s reckoning of time, a thousand years later (Rev. 20:4–21:8). Thus, Peter shows us that “the Day of the Lord” is not a 24-hour day, but a period of one thousand years when Christ will exercise His Lordship authority over the world. This, as he has explained in verse 8, is just “one day” with the Lord. He does not speak of the Millennium here, which comes between these two events, but skips over it to focus on the moment when God will fulfil His Word in the dissolution of all things. Hence, Christ will appear at the beginning of the Day of the Lord, and at the end of that day He will effect a dissolution of everything in the material creation (Matt. 24:35; Heb. 1:11-12; 2 Peter 3:7, 10-12; Rev. 20:11b; 21:1).
The Practical Effect These Things Should Have on Us
Vss. 11-16—Having informed us of the things that are coming, in the latter part of the chapter, Peter turns to speak of the practical effect that those things should have upon our lives, and exhorts us to that end. Thus, his purpose in bringing up future events is intensely practical.
Vs. 11—He asks rhetorically, “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation [manner of life] and godliness?” The very first effect that these things should have on us is to produce an exercise to live godly lives in the little while that we have left. Thus, the knowledge of prophecy has been given to us not merely to build a calendar of future events in our minds, but also to build solid Christian character in our lives.
The Day of God
Vss. 12-13—Peter continues: “Looking [waiting] for and hasting unto the coming of the Day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look [wait] for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” Knowing that these things are coming should not produce laxity in us, but an earnest expectation of those things. His logic is simple and poignant; if there is going to be a dissolution of everything that is material, then we ought to be living for spiritual things which are eternal, rather than for present things that are going to pass away.
“The Day of God” is the Eternal State, which follows the Millennium. There are only three places in Scripture where the Eternal State is described—1 Corinthians 15:24-28; 2 Peter 3:12-13; Rev. 21:1-8. Besides being called the Day of God, it is also called “the Day of Eternity” (vs. 18) and “the Ages of Ages” (Gal. 1:5; Eph. 3:21; Phil. 4:20; 1 Tim. 1:17; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 1:8; 13:21; 1 Peter 4:11; 5:11; Rev. 1:6, 18; 4:9-10; 5:13; 7:12; 10:6; 11:15; 15:7; 19:3; 20:10; 22:5). This eternal day is one of three future things we are to be “looking” for:
• The “blessed hope”—the Rapture (Titus 2:13a).
• The “glorious Appearing” of Christ (Titus 2:13b).
• The “Day of God” (2 Peter 3:12).
Peter says that we should not only be “waiting” for that eternal day with earnest expectation, but that we should also be “hastening” it! What does this mean? In what way can we hasten the coming of that day? Reformed (Covenant) Theologians tell us that it means that we need to get busy in evangelistic work and convert the world to God, for the Lord will not come until this is done. In being so engaged, we “speed” (NIV) up His coming and the accomplishment of His purposes. But this is not true; the time of its arrival is set in God’s perfect timetable, we can’t hurry it up. Furthermore, verses 12-13 are not speaking of the promise of the Lord’s coming as these theologians imagine, but of “the promise” of the coming of the Day of God—the Eternal State. It is not that we can make its time arrive more quickly than God has ordained, but if we would live morally and spiritually as though we were in that day now, as to our experience, we bring it closer to us personally.
The phrase, “a new heavens and a new earth,” is borrowed from Isaiah 65:17; 66:23; but there, it is referring to the millennial kingdom of Christ. This can be seen in the fact that sin and death are seen in those passages as still being present. In Isaiah, the expression is used figuratively to describe the new moral order of life that will be enforced through righteousness reigning in that day (Isa. 32:1; 61:11). The Lord referred to it as “the regeneration” (Matt. 19:28). Here, in 2 Peter 3, the term involves not only a new moral order (which should be exhibited by Christians now – Titus 3:5), but also a new physical creation of the heavens and earth.
Peter adds, “Wherein dwelleth righteousness.” Today, in the time of Christ’s absence, righteousness suffers because sin is abounding on every hand. Grace reigns through righteousness in the believer’s heart (Rom. 5:21), but publicly, in every aspect of life in the world, righteousness suffers. But when Christ appears and judges this world in righteousness (Acts 17:31), He will set up His millennial kingdom wherein righteousness will reign (Isa. 32:1). Sin will still exist in the creation, but it will be subdued. If and when it is manifested, it will be judged (Psa. 101). When the Day of God (the Eternal State) is ushered in, righteousness will dwell in perfect repose, for sin and death will be eradicated (1 Cor. 15:26; Rev. 21:4). There will be no need to enforce righteousness in that day because everything will be ordered according to the mind of God.
Vss. 14-15a—Peter then addresses our outward life before the world in view of sharing the gospel with the lost. He says, “Be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And account that the longsuffering of the Lord is [to be] salvation.” We see from this statement that it is important that our lives are ordered rightly before the world if we expect to have them receive what we say in regard to being saved. Gospel work without a life that backs up what we say will lack power and sincerity. We must, therefore, first live in “peace” with our fellow man (without compromising Christian principles) and be “without spot and blameless” before them. When that is the case, we can use our time profitably in sharing the gospel, and it might result in their “salvation.” Thus, the delay of the coming of the Lord and the coming of the Day of God, if rightly understood, does not make believers careless, but motivates them to godly living (vs. 11), earnest expectation (vss. 12-13), and diligent service (vss. 14-15a).
Three Heavens and the Earth
In review, Peter has spoken of three different “heavens and the earth” in this chapter:
• The heavens and the earth that were “of old” (vs. 5). This is the original creation that passed into chaos through a judgment of God (Gen. 1:1-2).
• The heavens and the earth that “are now,” which is the reconstructed earth and heavens described in Genesis 1:3–2:3. This is presently waiting to be dissolved with fire at the end of time (vss. 6-7).
• A “new” heavens and earth in the Eternal State that is yet to be created (vs. 13: Rev. 21:1-8).
The Importance of Paul’s Epistles
Vss. 15b-16—In drawing the epistle to a close, Peter takes the opportunity to endorse Paul’s epistles and to encourage the saints to receive them. He says, “Even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given to him hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned [untaught] and unstable [ill-established] wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction.” It is sweet to see Peter affectionately calling Paul “beloved.” After Paul’s public rebuke of Peter at Antioch (Gal. 2:11-21), Peter could well have harboured feelings of resentment toward him, but this shows that that was not the case. Peter then tells the saints that the things which he had taught them were “also” taught by Paul in “his epistles.” This shows that their ministry is complementary. Thus, the things that Peter had penned in his epistles were not some private opinion of his own.
Peter also makes reference to Paul having “written” an epistle to the Jewish saints. Most, if not all, reliable Bible teachers say that this is an allusion to the epistle to the Hebrews. It may be asked that if Paul is the writer of that epistle, why didn’t he introduce himself in his normal fashion as an apostle, as he does in his other epistles? There are at least three reasons why he didn’t: Firstly, because Paul’s apostleship was exclusively for his work among the Gentiles (Rom. 11:13; 15:16; Gal. 2:8). He had no authority to address his fellow countrymen as an apostle. This does not mean that Paul couldn’t address his Jewish brethren; it is just that he couldn’t do it with apostolic authority; hence, his apostleship is not mentioned. A second reason why he did not mention his apostleship was because the burden of the Spirit of God, in Hebrews, is to present Christ as the great “Apostle” of our confession (Heb. 3:1). For Paul to have brought in his apostleship there might have distracted from this truth. He wanted his readers to understand that the message in the epistle was coming from One who was a far greater Apostle than himself (chaps. 1:2; 12:24-25). Paul, therefore, happily remains in the background in order to bring Christ to the forefront in a more pronounced way. A third reason is that if the epistle, which was written to believing Jews, fell into the hands of unbelieving Jews, and they knew that its author was Paul, they would never have received it. They would have dismissed the whole thing immediately because they saw him as a renegade from Judaism.
Peter recognized that for a person coming from a Jewish background, Paul’s doctrine (especially his dispensational teaching) would be “hard to be understood”—not in the sense of intellectually grasping what he taught, but in accepting that it was truly from God. The truth concerning God’s temporary setting aside of Israel on account of the Jews’ rejection of the Messiah (Mic. 5:1-3, etc.) and a consequent outreach toward the Gentiles through the gospel to bring them into greater blessing in the Church than was ever offered to Israel (Acts 15:14, etc.) was a hard thing for them to believe. Peter also recognized that there was a present attack upon Paul’s doctrine by men who were “unlearned [untaught] and unstable [ill-established].” This attack has only intensified in our day.
In speaking of this, Peter placed Paul’s epistles among “the other Scriptures.” This means that he saw them as being divinely inspired, and endorsed them as such. Being Scripture, the saints should receive Paul’s doctrine in the same fashion as the Bereans—“with all readiness of mind” (Acts 17:10-12).
Two Final Admonitions
Vss. 17-18—Closing the epistle, Peter gives two final admonitions: One is a warning against becoming affected by the apostasy that would characterize the last days. He says: “Beware lest ye also, being led away [along with – JND] the error of the wicked [unprincipled men – NASB], fall from your own stedfastness.” It is not that real believers can apostatize (abandon the Christian faith), but that they can be swept “along with” the current of apostasy and give up certain Scriptural principles and practices that they once held. This was Peter’s concern. The other is a word of encouragement to continue in the truth, and thus, to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” He deserves all the glory and praise, “both now and to the day of eternity.”