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| 1 This is now, beloved, the second epistle that I write unto you; and in both of them I stir up your sincere mind by putting you in remembrance; |
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| 2 that ye should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles: |
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| 3 knowing this first, that in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after 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 presence? for, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were 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 they wilfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth held together out of water and amidst water vapors, by the word of God; |
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| 6 by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: |
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| 7 but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against a day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. |
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| 8 But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. |
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| 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. |
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| 10 But the day of the Lord will have come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be exposed. |
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| 11 Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, |
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| 12 looking for and hastening the presence of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? |
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| 13 But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. |
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| 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give diligence that ye may be found in peace, without spot and blameless in his sight. |
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| 15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote unto you; |
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| 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; wherein are some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and unstedfast wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. |
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| 17 Ye therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware lest, being carried away with the error of the wicked, ye fall from your own stedfastness. |
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| 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and unto the day of eternity. Amen. |
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