untitled

SECOND PETER

2 PETER 1:1-4

1 Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,

3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Peter identifies himself as an apostle and servant of Jesus, being careful to show everyone that even though he is well-known as an apostle, he is a servant of Jesus just as much as anyone else and is no better in God's sight than anyone else.

He also carefully frames his greeting so as to include Gentile believers as well, saying "to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:"

Peter's commission from Jesus was to preach the Gospel to the Jews, just as Paul was commissioned to preach to the Gentiles. After his conversion, Paul had gone to see the apostles and elders of the church in Jerusalem to be sure that he was preaching the Gospel accurately. Peter (Cephas), James and John saw nothing wrong with his teaching, and as Paul said;

GALATIANS 2:6-10

6 But from those who seemed to be something--whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man--for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.

7 But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter

8 (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles),

9 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.

10 They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.

Note here that Peter and the other Apostles' mission was to the Jews, while Paul's mission was to the Gentiles. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Peter was the head of the early church when actually it was James, Jesus' physical brother who was the actual head of the Church, as I have proven in the study on the book of Acts.

2 PETER 1:5-11

5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,

6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Peter is saying that faith in Jesus must be accompanied by works demonstrating that faith. We cannot say we have faith while still displaying the fruits of sin (hatred, jealousy, greed, lust, covetousness, profanity, etc.) Instead we need to be displaying the fruits of the Spirit which are;

GALATIANS 5:22-23

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

2 PETER 1:12-15

12 For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, though you know and are established in the present truth.

13 Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you,

14 knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.

15 Moreover I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease.

We need to be faithful and diligent to the very end as Peter is stressing here, knowing that his death will be coming shortly. We also need to frequently remind each other to watch our behavior, for the world is watching us constantly. The Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus' time always watched Him closely trying to find reasons to accuse Him of sin or wrongdoing. Satan is VERY legalistic and will use the slightest hint of wrongdoing or sin on our part to accuse us before God's throne.

2 PETER 1:16-21

16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.

17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;

20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,

21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

In the Law of Moses every fact had to be confirmed by two or three witnesses which is why Jesus took Peter, James and John with Him up on the Mount of Transfiguration. There Jesus shone like the sun while both Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the Prophets) appeared to them. They also heard God the Father state that Jesus was His Son, confirming what Jesus had been claiming.

Peter is also saying that no prophecy of Scripture was created by Man but was created by the Holy Spirit and therefore the interpretation is not of any man’s inspiration but is revealed by God.

Peter is also confirming that what has been written and taught about Jesus is true, and that he was an eyewitness to all that was written and told.

2 PETER 2:1-3

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.

3 By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

This is a warning far too often ignored by churches today. We must constantly be diligent to watch for poisonous doctrines seeking to corrupt the church, and Satan has been far too successful in his endeavors. Don't believe me? Try reading Hank Haanegraff's eye-opening "Counterfeit Revival" book. In it, he talks about churches where people are jumping like frogs, rolling on the floors and even barking and growling like dogs!! And even worse, they attribute these behaviors to the Holy Spirit, blaspheming the Spirit, the only sin that Jesus says will never be forgiven!

MATTHEW 12:31

31 "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

2 PETER 2:4-11

4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to Hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;

5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;

6 and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;

7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked

8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)--

9 then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,

11 whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.

In verse 4, Peter speaks of fallen angels whom God imprisoned in Hell because they sinned. Some people believe that Satan is king over Hell and that he and his demons torment the dead sinners there. This is NOT the case! Satan is frightened of Hell and most certainly does not want to go there!!

The book of Revelation says that when Jesus returns Satan will be chained and thrown into Hell to be tormented for 1,000 years while Jesus rules the Earth;

REVELATION 20:1-3

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.

Peter in verse 4 above states that angels are chained in Hell, and Jude, Jesus' physical brother speaks further about this when he said;

JUDE 1:6

6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;

The 'abode' and 'domain' that Jude refers to is their spiritual state (domain) and that the Second Heaven (abode) is where Satan's kingdom is. This is also where the Bottomless Pit (Hell) is. So these fallen angels took on physical form, and left their rightful place. Hold that thought for a moment.

In Genesis it is written;

GENESIS 6:1-4

1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,

2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

3 And the Lord said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."

4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Angels in the Book of Job are referred to as 'the sons of God', therefore the 'sons of God' in the passages above refer to fallen angels (demons). So these demons left their abode in the Second Heaven, took on human form, married pre-Flood women and somehow had children with them.

As a result, God imprisoned these angels in Hell for leaving their spiritual state and posing as human. The descendants of their children were destroyed during the Flood.

And much like today, Peter speaks of people who are self-willed, following their own lusts, devoid of self-control. They speak with what I call 'the authority of ignorance', professing themselves to be wise even as they shout their ignorance for all to see and hear, and their consciences are so calloused that they feel no shame when refuted by the truth, but instead shout down anyone who differs with them.

Even though history and the Bible are full of examples of God's wrath against such people, they still blaspheme Him without thought, considering the Bible to be a bunch of 'fairy tales' and fantasies even when presented with proof of the Bible being true. Therefore they eagerly follow sinful practices and have no fear of God or of punishment, especially eternal punishment.

2 PETER 2:12-17

12 But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption,

13 and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you,

14 having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.

15 They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

16 but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man's voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

We're seeing a lot of this today. The Arab terrorist group ISIS is a good example; wicked, ignorant, brutal men openly indulging their brutal nature under the guise of religion. Where law and order break down, evil men arise to terrorize others and seek power for themselves.

Nazi Germany of World War II was a classic case. Under the guise of "racial purity" the Nazis destroyed laws restraining their wickedness and passed new laws giving themselves unlimited power.

2 PETER 2:18-22

18 For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.

19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

20 For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.

21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.

22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."

Cult leaders throughout history have preyed on the weak-minded, gathering followers for themselves. They preach enlightenment while they themselves are filled with corruption, enslaving others through lies and deception.

Charles Manson of the murderous self-proclaimed Manson Family proclaimed himself to be immortal and David Koresh of the Branch Davidian cult proclaimed himself to be the promised Messiah. Manson died in 2017 while is serving a life sentence in prison; David Koresh committed suicide in 1993 and 88 other people were killed when the ATF agents raided the compound where the Davidians lived, searching for reported weapons and explosives.

And like Satan they use just enough truth to deceive their hearers. Hitler told his people, "Give me four years and you won't recognize your cities." And he was right. WW II really kicked into gear in 1941 and by 1945 Germany and most of Europe was a rubble-choked ruin; millions were dead and millions more were diseased and starving.

We Christians need to be especially aware of these individuals. They're usually charismatic, polished and can be quite persuasive and charming. Jesus warned that false Christs and false prophets would rise and perform wonders so as to in His words, deceive the very elect (Christians).

And Peter says it would be better to never have known Jesus and have experienced His salvation, than to know and then fall away. As the author of Hebrews wrote;

HEBREWS 10:26-31

26 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

28 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

30 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The Lord will judge His people."

31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

2 PETER 3:1-9

1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),

2 that you 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 Savior,

3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,

4 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 creation."

5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,

6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.

7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Peter, knowing his death was coming soon as he wrote in 1 Peter, warned and prophesied of perilous times to come, in which after a long period of time without Godly intervention or judgment people would become hardened in heart, denying the very existence of God.

We see this especially with atheists and evolutionists, who try to prove that Man was not divinely created but are seeking to make monkeys of all of us by trying to prove that we evolved from apes.

Note that Peter says that people willfully forget the story of Creation and the Flood, mainly because they see no direct evidence of either event. Yet more and more open-minded scientists, especially astronomers and astrophysicists, looking at the incredible order of the universe are realizing that the whole universe is finely-tuned for human life. And while not specifically acknowledging God's existence, they are admitting that the universe was created by what is called "Intelligent Design." In other words, the universe was intelligently created by Someone with an incredible grasp of physics, chemistry and mathematics.

Peter states that God does not see time as we do. To One who is eternal, a thousand years is like a day; yet He is so intimately involved in each day, from controlling the macrocosmic to the subatomic, each day is like a thousand years.

Remember, there are two purifiers in God's universe, namely water and fire. Something cleansed by water can be used again; something cleansed by hot enough fire cannot. He cleansed the world with water once during the Flood, knowing that the Earth would be used again. The next time He will permanently cleanse and destroy it with fire.

2 PETER 3:10-13

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

The destruction of the Earth by fire will happen at the end of the 1,000 year reign of Jesus here on Earth as written by John in the Book of Revelation. During this time, Satan has been chained in Hell for the thousand years of Jesus' reign.

During the 1,000 years, people will be born who have never been tempted by Satan, and God, being just, will allow them the choice of whom they will follow, Jesus or Satan. You might argue that it will be easy to choose Jesus, seeing as He will be ruling here on Earth.

While that may sound reasonable, when Moses was speaking with God on Mount Sinai and the people could see the dark cloud and fire of God at the top of the mountain, they still made and worshiped a golden calf and proclaimed it as their God! They had seen the plagues of Egypt and had seen God part the Red Sea and destroy the pursuing Egyptians and yet shortly after leaving Mount Sinai they were worshiping the demon gods of the nations around them.

John writes in Revelation ;

REVELATION 10:1-10

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison

8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.

10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

After his release from Hell Satan will roam the Earth deceiving whoever he can, He will then gather his armies to attack Jesus and the resurrected saints and God the Father Himself will strike from heaven and destroy the Earth and the heavens, after which will come the great White Throne judgment during which those who died in their sins will be resurrected and judged.

2 Peter 3:14-18

14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;

15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,

16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;

18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

It is interesting that Peter recognizes the epistles of Paul to be Scripture, not something of his own writing or imagination. And Peter accurately states that some of the writings of Paul are hard to understand, and the unlearned interpret them inaccurately, perverting his writings and causing confusion.

Peter also reminds us that just because God doesn't punish sin immediately, He is giving people space to repent before He acts. There are many examples of this in the Scriptures, where God waited sometimes hundreds of years before he punished Israel for their wickedness. We are not to despise this patience on God's part, remembering that He has also been patient with us as well.

So don't become impatient or irritated when God allows the wicked to seemingly prosper, He is giving them space to repent. If they don't then He will act. But in the meantime we are to trust God, keep ourselves pure and to wait for Him, while praying for the wicked that they repent.

Peter may not have seen what John saw in Revelation, but he knew enough to pass on the warnings that he did. And as time progresses we can see that we are indeed living in the Last Days.

Soon Satan will be cast down to Earth to make his final stand and "Hell on Earth' will take on a whole new meaning. He will be personally directing his demons and his fury will know no bounds as he knows that he has a limited time left before he is cast into Hell for 1,000 years.

We must utilize the time we have left to strengthen our faith, for Jesus Himself said that unless He had cut the days short with His return, there would be no flesh saved. The word used for "flesh" is the Greek word sarx, meaning literal flesh. In other words, He would return to a totally dead planet.

May all honor, thanks, glory and praise be given to the everlasting Father through His Son Jesus Christ for His foreknowledge and warnings so that we might be ready, and are not caught unawares!!!!!!

Questions? Comments? E-mail: watchmen_777@yahoo.com

Return to Bible Book Studies Menu

Return to Main Menu