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| 1 This, a second letter, beloved, I already write to you, in both which I stir up, in the way of putting you in remembrance, your pure mind, |
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| 2 to be mindful of the words spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of the Lord and Saviour by your apostles; |
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| 3 knowing this first, that there shall come at the close of the days mockers with mocking, walking according to their own lusts, |
In the last days – The Day of the Lord, the overlapping period between the Gospel and Millennial Ages, the time of our Lords second presence, before the mediatorial phase of the Kingdom.
Scoffers – Mockers. Those who claim to know the word of God but still mock at the promises associated with the second advent of Christ.
Walking after their own lusts – Here the Apostle Peter is clearly identifying the problem. These are relying upon their own desires and their own understanding instead of relying upon the Lord and His Holy Spirit. |
| 4 and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for from the time the fathers fell asleep all things remain thus from the beginning of the creation. |
Saying – Here Peter even gives their exact argument.
Where is the promise of his presence? – What is the promise of His presence? - Please see Acts 3:19-21.
All things continue as they were – We see no change. There is no evidence to our worldly eyes that we can identify as being associated with this promise of His return, i.e., we see no evidence of Restitution.
Consider the following explanation of these verses from the Dawn publication "The Book of Books." Peter indicates that even after the Lord’s return some of these false teachers would continue to misrepresent the truth. In this connection he calls them scoffers, who would be saying, “Where is the promise [Greek, ‘evidence’] of his coming [Greek, ‘presence’], for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” ( II Pet. 3:4) It was Peter, who, in Acts 3:19-21, declared that all God’s holy prophets had foretold “times of restitution of all things.” This testimony of the prophets had been given to the fathers of Israel, but Peter implies that the scoffers would say that there is no evidence of Jesus’ presence, that all things continue as they were. |
| 5 For this is hidden from them through their own wilfulness, that heavens were of old, and an earth, having its subsistence out of water and in water, by the word of God, |
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| 6 through which waters the then world, deluged with water, perished. |
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| 7 But the present heavens and the earth by his word are laid up in store, kept for fire unto a day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. |
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| 8 But let not this one thing be hidden from you, beloved, that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. |
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| 9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some account of delay, but is longsuffering towards you, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. |
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| 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements, burning with heat, shall be dissolved, and the earth and the works in it shall be burnt up. |
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| 11 All these things then being to be dissolved, what ought ye to be in holy conversation and godliness, |
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| 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements, burning with heat, shall melt? |
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| 13 But, according to his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. |
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| 14 Wherefore, beloved, as ye wait for these things, be diligent to be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless; |
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| 15 and account the longsuffering of our Lord to be salvation; according as our beloved brother Paul also has written to you according to the wisdom given to him, |
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| 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; among which some things are hard to be understood, which the untaught and ill-established wrest, as also the other scriptures, to their own destruction. |
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| 17 *Ye* therefore, beloved, knowing these things before, take care lest, being led away along with the error of the wicked, ye should fall from your own stedfastness: |
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| 18 but grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. |
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