2 Peter 3: The Day of the Lord
Resources:
Summary:
- 2 Peter 3 focuses on dismantling the arguments of the false teachers. Peter’s purpose is urging Christians not to waver in their beliefs, but to continue to live out what they know to be true.
- 2 Peter 3 is a crucial chapter in Peter’s second letter, addressing a critical issue that threatens the early church: the denial of Christ’s second coming. This denial isn’t just a theological disagreement; it has profound implications for how believers live.
- Key Points:
- Scoffers and Their Doubts (verses 1-4): Peter warns that in the last days, scoffers will emerge, ridiculing the idea of Christ’s return. They’ll argue that “everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation,” dismissing any notion of divine intervention or judgment.
- God’s Past Actions as a Warning (verses 5-7): Peter reminds his readers of God’s past judgments: the creation of the world by His word and the flood that destroyed the ungodly. These historical events serve as a powerful reminder that God’s promises and warnings are not empty words. Just as He acted in the past, He will act again in judgment.
- God’s Patience and the Delay of Christ’s Return (verses 8-9): Peter addresses the apparent delay of Christ’s return, explaining that it’s not due to God’s forgetfulness or inability, but rather His patience and mercy. God desires that all people repent and come to salvation, and His seeming delay is an act of grace, giving more time for repentance.
- The Day of the Lord and the Destruction of the Universe (verses 10-13): Peter vividly describes the Day of the Lord, a cataclysmic event when the heavens will pass away with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be 1 laid bare. This dramatic depiction underscores the certainty and radical nature of God’s future intervention. In contrast to this destruction, Peter speaks of a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells.
- Exhortation to Holy Living (verses 14-18): In light of the coming judgment and the promise of a new creation, Peter urges believers to live holy and godly lives. He calls them to be “spotless, blameless and at peace with him,” emphasizing the importance of moral purity and spiritual growth. He also warns against the dangers of false teachings and encourages them to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
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How 2 Peter 3 Supports Peter’s Main Theme:
The overarching theme of 2 Peter is the certainty of Christ’s return and the importance of living godly lives in light of that certainty. Chapter 3 directly addresses the challenge posed by those who deny the second coming, a challenge that strikes at the very heart of Peter’s message.- Reinforcing the Certainty of Christ’s Return: By reminding readers of God’s past actions and vividly describing the Day of the Lord, Peter reinforces the certainty of Christ’s return, countering the skepticism of the scoffers.
- Connecting Belief with Behavior: Peter demonstrates the direct link between belief in Christ’s return and the necessity of holy living. He argues that genuine faith in the future judgment should motivate believers to live righteous lives in the present.
- Warning Against False Teachings: By warning against those who distort Scripture, Peter protects his readers from being led astray by false teachings that undermine the call to holiness.
Notes on on the video:
- 2 Peter is about how to deal with false teachers. 2 Peter 3 is about refreshing people’s memories about what the prophets previously told them about the truth of Christ.
- v1: Peter wants a general understanding with a reminder to remember the words previously spoken by the holy prophets.
- v3-4: Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, ‘What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.’
- There is constant scoffing.
- v5-7: They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
- Marks of a false teacher:
- They ignore the truth.
- They will teach destructive heresies and deny Christ.
- They will blaspheme the truth.
- They will twist scripture.
- They are covetous – always wanting more.
- Self-willed.
- Immoral.
- Wicked.
- They abandon the straight path.
- They laugh and mock at Christ’s second coming.
- We’re going to have to contend for our faith – the battle will be within the faith (e.g. Unitarian Churches claim there are multiple ways to the Lord.)
- Marks of a false teacher:
- v8-10: But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.
- Peter us talking about the end times and the destruction of false teachers.
- The end times may seem a long way off but a thousand years is like a day to the Lord. End times will come so we need to repent and turn to Jesus before it happens.
- At some point there will be 7 years of tribulation. At 3.5 years into this tribulation the third temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem and anti-Christ will take the throne in the temple. Some churches believe there will be a rapture for believers before the tribulation begins. Some churches believe there will be a rapture for believers in the middle of the tribulation while others think it will happen after the tribulation.
- The Old Testament refers to the second coming of Christ 19 times (aka The Day of the Lord).
- Joel 2-3 in the Old Testament mentions the Day of the Lord and explains some of the imagery that will happen at that time. Also see Ezekial, Malachi, etc.
- Acts 2:20 and 1 Thessalonians also reference the Day of the Lord.
- v11-13: Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.
- The Lord wants as many people as possible to come to Christ to avoid perishing in the end times.
- v14: And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.
- The Day of the Lord will happen one day, when we least expect it. This is why we need to repent and turn to Jesus. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain from it.
- Many people don’t want to be around when the Day of the Lord happens but if we’re ready we have nothing to fear. As we wait for Jesus to return we should talk about Him to others, especially those who do not yet know Him.
- v15-16: And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him — speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.
- Peter admits he doesn’t fully understand Paul’s writings.
- v17: You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing.
- Beware of false teachers trying to lure you away from the Lord.
- Also beware of people “prepping” for end times – focus instead on your walk with the Lord.
- v18: Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen. Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.
- Focus on maturing your faith until the Day of the Lord.
Group Discussion:
- v15-16 are a bit different in KJV. The fact that Peter writes “…other parts of Scripture” implies this is all part of holy scripture. This is a pretty significant assertion by Peter.
- Uniformitarianism is the assumption that the same natural laws and processes that operate in our present-day scientific observations have always operated in the universe in the past and apply everywhere in the universe. This wasn’t a new concept but didn’t really come to fruition until Darwin wrote about his theory of evolution. It’s fascinating that Peter refers to it in his book – nothing really major has changed. The flood during the time of Noah was God’s wrath coming to earth. People like to deny that the flood occurred.
- Revelation consolidates things that had been previously discussed throughout the Bible. There really isn’t that much new in the Book of Revelations. Some people think Revelations is frightening while others think it provides clarity into the future. In chapter 2 John says reading Revelations will bless you – this means he wrote it to uplift you. If you read Revelations and come away from it feeling fearful you may be misinterpreting it. Reading Revelations should be a major motivator for us to share the gospel with non-believers.
- Christ can return at any time. Do you want to be “caught red-handed” if He returned when you were doing something sinful?
- The group exchanged praise and prayers for good times and challenges we are all facing in our lives.
