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Teaching Notes Book of 2 Peter Chapter 2 and 3
Hugh
Wood, Atlanta, Georgia
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The first
Quarantine in the USA since 1918 continues. It is Day 42.
I cannot
get used to ZOOM Court, yet. Did Zoom at Toastmasters. Buckhead Toastmasters. Best Evaluator, but I don't know how that can be with only a 2" x 2" broadcast.
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"The
grass withers and the flower [fades], but the word of [the Lord] endures
forever." Isaiah 40:8; 1 Peter 1:24-25.
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Book of 2
Peter.
Papyrus
72 (Papyrus Bodmer VII-VIII) is the designation used by textual critics of the
New Testament to describe portions of the so-called Bodmer Miscellaneous codex,
namely the letters of Jude, 1 Peter, and 2 Peter. These books seem to have been
copied by the same scribe, and the handwriting has been paleographically
assigned to the 3rd or 4th century. Although the letters of Jude (P.Bodmer VII)
and 1-2 Peter (P.Bodmer VIII) in this codex do not form a single continuous
text, scholars still tend to refer to these three texts as a single early New
Testament papyrus.
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II PETER
This
seems like a reference to What Jesus had told him some
37
years before, John 21:18,19. Or, it may be that Jesus had
ecently
appeared to him, 14; possibly the Quo Vadis appearance.
Peter
had a premonition that Martyrdom was at hand, 14. Reminds
us
of Paul's dying shout of Triumph, II Tim 4:6-8. “The Putting Off
of
my Tabernacle", 14, is a Beautiful Scripture name for Death.
Chapter
1:16-21. Gospel ‘Testimony Sure
It
seems that, in Peter's day, there were precursors of our
modern
critics, who were calling the Story of Jesus and His
Mighty
Works а set of Cunningly Devised Fables, 16. But Peter
had
Seen With His Own Eyes, and he KNEW that what he told
about
Jesus was TRUE. Over a period of three years he had seen
Jesus,
with a word, Heal Multitudes of Sick People. He had seen
Him
Walk on Water, and with a word Still the Storm. He had
seen
Him Transfigured. Three times he saw Him Raise the Dead.
He
Saw Jesus Alive after Crucifixion. And, after Pentecost, Peter
himself,
In Jesus’ Name, did multitudes of Mighty Miracles, Acts
5:15,
and even Raised Dorcas from the Dead, Acts 9:40.
All
this, confirmed in marvelous detail in Old Testament
prophecies
of the Coming Messiah, 1:19-21, see also pages 306-319,
gave
Peter Full Assurance, and Made him Ready for approaching
‘Martyrdom.
He Knew that, for him, the Door Of Glory was about
to
open into the immediate presence of his Beloved Lord, never
more
to leave.
Chapter
2. Church Apostasy
The
Coming of False Teachers is spoken of again and again
in
the New Testament. Jesus warned of Ravening Wolves who
Would
come to the Church in Sheep’s Clothing, Matt 7:15, and
Lead
Many Astray, Matt 24:11. Paul warned of Grievous Wolves
who
would arise in the Church, Speaking Perverse Things, Acts
20:29.30.
Again Paul Predicted that, before the Second Coming of
the
Lord, there would be, in the Church, a Falling Away of
Appalling
Magnitude and Satanic Nature, II Thes 2:1-12. Again
Paul
Foretold the rise to Church Leadership of Ungodly Men,
Traitors
and Hypocrites, who, with a Form of Godliness, would
fill
the Church With Doctrines oi Devils, I Tim 4:1-3; II Tim 321-9.
Jude
seems to have been written mainly to Warn of an Ominous
and
Deadly Trend toward Apostasy which, in his own day, he
saw
rising in the Church, Jude 4-19. And, in Rev. 17, John gives
a
detailed description of the Full-Grown Harlot Church.
Peter,
in his First Epistle, wrote to encourage the Church to
bear
up under Persecution from Without. Here, in this Second
Epistle,
it is to Caution the Church to Guard against Corruption
from
Within.
He
warns of Coming Apostasy, when Leaders in the Church, for
money
considerations, would permit Licentiousness and general
Wrong-Doing.
He speaks of it as being in the future, 2:1. Yet
some
of the language implies that False Teachers were already at
work
within the Church.
He
speaks of their Destructive Heresies, 1: their Pernicious Ways,
2;
their Covetousness, 3; their Walking in Lust, 10; Brute Beasts,
12;
Eyes full of Adultery, 14; Servants of Corruption, 19.
Note:
these expressions are used as referring, not to the World,
but
to Leaders Within the Church.
It
is a sorry picture. Even within the Apostolic generation the
World
and the Devil had succeeded in making heavy onslaughts
on—the
Purity of the Church. And, even now, in our own en
lightened
age, the Gospel of Christ, in its original beauty and
simplicity
and Purity, in many sections of the Church, still is
buried
and hid from view by the rubbish of forms and doctrines
heaped
upon the Church, through the ages, by the World and
the
Devil.
It is
a terrible Sin to Corrupt the Church. All the Ungodly shall
be
Destroyed. This is an unceasing note of Scripture. But One of
the
worst of Sins is, in the Name of Christ, to Foist Lies upon
the
Church in substitution for Christian Truth. Let those who do
it
take warning from what happened to the Fallen Angels, 4, and
to
the world of Noah’s time, 5, and to Sodom and Gomorrah, 6.
Chapter
3. Delay of ¡he Lord's Coming
Jesus
had said things which might have been construed to
imply
His Return in that generation, Matt
16:28; 24:34. The
Apostles
used expressions which indicated His Near Appearance,
Rom 13:12; Heb 10:25; Jas 5:8; Rev 1:3.
Yet
Jesus hinted that His Return might be After a Long Time.
Matt
25:19; and suggested that it would be Wise to prepare for
3
Delay, Matt 25:4. Paul expressly stated<that it would not be
Thes
2:2-3. Peter in the present.
Until
After the Apostasy
This
chapter, hints that it might, in human expectation, be in the
thousand years to a day, 8. God does not count
proportion of time
as
man does. With God a thousand years are as yesterday,
Psa
90:4. He will keep His promise according to His Own chron
ology.
These passages put together seem to
indicate that God
designed
that each successive generation should live in constant
expectation
of the Lord’s Coming.
What
bearing should all this, after 2000 years of Delay. have
on
our thought about the Lord’s Coming? Should we abandon
hope?
NEVER. At least, His Coming is 2000 years nearer than it
was.
The night is far spent. Day may be nearer than we think.
Who
knows but what the Lord’s Train, at long last, may, even
now,
be whistling for the Grand Central Station, with Angels
ready
to shout, All Aboard? Or airplaines? maybe.
One
of the subjects ridiculed by False Teachers mentioned in
Chapter
2 is the Lord’s Second Coming, 323,4. But the Lord Will
Come,
3:10. And it will be a day of Destruction for the Ungodly,
3:7,
like the Flood in the days of Noah. Next time it will be by
Fire.
This is very plainly stated, 3:10. Whether by Explosion, or by
Collision
with some other heavenly body, we do not know. Both
of
these things, astronomers tell us, do happen. There are such
as “Novae",
new stars, which appear suddenly,
grow
things
rapidly brighter, then slowly wane, then disappear. The Earth
is
now one of these, or rather a fragment of one, once thrown.“
off
from the sun a burning mass. When God’s plans are ready,
it
may, by explosion from within, or by collision with some other
heavenly
body, again flare into a seething mass of flame.
But,
from it all, God’s People will be delivered, and for them
there
will be a New Heavens and New Earth, 313,14.
In
closing, Peter mentions Epistles of Paul, 15, and classes
them
as Scripture, 16. And, as in his First Epistle Peter spoke of
the
Word of God as being the Source of Birth, I Pet 1:23, and the
Means
of Growth, I Pet 2:2, for the Christian, so, in this Epistle
foretelling
Apostasy in the Church, Peter insists that Knowledge
of
Christ through His Word will help us make our calling .and
election
Sure. 1:2,4,10; and that the way for the Church to combat
Apostasy,
and Keep itself Pure and Free from Worldly
Corruption,
is to Hold Fast to the Word of God as given by the
Prophets
and Apostles, 1:19; 3:2.
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2 Peter
The Bible Project
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2
Peter 2 New International Version (NIV)
False
Teachers and Their Destruction
2
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be
false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies,
even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on
themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of
truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with
fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and
their destruction has not been sleeping.
4
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell,[a]
putting them in chains of darkness[b] to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not
spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but
protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6 if he
condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made
them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued
Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless
8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in
his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9 if this is so,
then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the
unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. 10 This is especially true
of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh[c] and despise authority.
Bold
and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 11 yet
even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on
such beings when bringing judgment on them from[d] the Lord. 12 But these
people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning
animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like
animals they too will perish.
13
They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of
pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes,
reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.[e] 14 With eyes full of
adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts
in greed—an accursed brood! 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off
to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer,[f] who loved the wages of wickedness.
16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without
speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
17
These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest
darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by
appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just
escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they
themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has
mastered them.” 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome,
they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have
been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have
known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on
to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”[g]
and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”
Footnotes:
2
Peter 2:4 Greek Tartarus
2
Peter 2:4 Some manuscripts in gloomy dungeons
2
Peter 2:10 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the
sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit;
also in verse 18.
2
Peter 2:11 Many manuscripts beings in the presence of
2
Peter 2:13 Some manuscripts in their love feasts
2
Peter 2:15 Greek Bosor
2
Peter 2:22 Prov. 26:11
2
Peter 3 New International Version (NIV)
The
Day of the Lord
3
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them
as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the
words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord
and Savior through your apostles.
3
Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come,
scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this
‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it
has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long
ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of
water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged
and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved
for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a
thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with
a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything
done in it will be laid bare.[a]
11
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you
to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day
of God and speed its coming.[b] That day will bring about the destruction of
the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
14
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort
to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our
Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you
with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his
letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things
that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as
they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17
Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so
that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your
secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
Footnotes:
2
Peter 3:10 Some manuscripts be burned up
2
Peter 3:12 Or as you wait eagerly for the day of God to come
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New
International Version (NIV)
Holy
Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by
Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Some
content adapted from Halley, Henry H., Bible Handbook, Grayson Publishing,
Minneapolis, MN. © 1927 - 1959, 1964
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Hugh C.
Wood, Atlanta, Georgia
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