2 Peter 3

2 Peter 3:1

Jesus will return An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Peter’s second letter www.easyenglish.info Hilda Bright and Helen Pocock This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 3 Jesus will return and God’s judgement will happen v1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. Both letters are to remind you to think pure thoughts. v2 Remember what the holy *prophets wrote in the past. Remember also the commands that our *Lord and *Saviour gave by the *apostles.

Verse 1

Peter tells his ‘dear friends’ that this is his second letter. Peter probably did not know all the people who would read his letter. But he considered that they were his Christian friends. The first letter is probably 1 Peter. The false teachers had minds that were not morally pure. In contrast, Peter believed that the Christians had pure minds. Peter continued from what he had written in chapter 1.

Verse 2

Peter wanted the Christians to remember God’s true words (1:15). God’s words would keep their minds pure. Then the Christians would not believe the false teachers. The *prophets in the *Old Testament spoke God’s words (1:20-21). The *apostles had been with Jesus, so they knew his commands. In the first 4 books of the *New Testament, we can read what Jesus taught them.

v3 First, I want to remind you what will happen in the last days. People will laugh at you. And they will live by their own evil desires. v4 They will say, ‘Jesus promised to come again. Where is he? Our fathers have died. But everything continues in the same way.

God created the world at the beginning. But everything is still the same as it was.’ v5 But these people do not want to remember what happened long ago. God spoke a command. His word created the sky and everything in the sky. His word made the earth. He separated the earth from the water.

He formed the earth by means of water. v6 Then God flooded the world with water. He destroyed the world. v7 The sky and the earth still remain. But one day, by God’s word, fire will destroy both the sky and the earth. God will *judge the people who are against him. And he will destroy them too.

Verse 3

Jesus came to this world for the first time about 2000 years ago. One day he will return to this world. The ‘last days’ is the time between these two events. Many people do not believe that Jesus will return. They think that Christians are silly.

Verse 4

‘Fathers’ probably refers to the holy leaders in *Old Testament times. The false teachers claimed that nothing had changed since God created the world. Therefore, nothing would change in the future. They did not believe that Jesus had spoken the truth. But Peter answered them in 4 ways:

 God’s word (verses 5-7)

 God’s time (verse 8)

 God’s patience (verse 9)

 Peter warned them (verse 10)

Verse 5

The false teachers refused to remember that God *judged the world. God’s word created the sky. He commanded the earth to appear out of the water (Genesis 1:9-10). Every plant and animal needs water to keep it alive (Genesis 2:5-6).

Verse 6

However, people in the world were wicked. So God *judged the world. He caused the water to flood the earth. Noah, his family and the animals were safe in the big boat (Genesis 6-8). But everyone else who lived in the world died.

Verse 7

The world does not seem to change. And God will *judge wicked people again as he *judged them in the time of Noah. In those days, he sent a flood of water. In the future God will send fire. Peter was probably remembering some of the *Old Testament *prophecies. They describe God’s judgement as a fire. One of these *prophecies described ‘signs in the heavens and on the earth. There will be blood and fire and clouds of smoke’ Joel (2:30-31). God is keeping the sky and the earth safe until the day of his judgement. Then he will destroy wicked people. Peter therefore emphasised that things can change. God is in control of history. He will do what he has decided to do. He punished the wicked people in the past. He will punish wicked people in the future. God is patient v8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends. To the *Lord, one day is like 1000 years. And 1000 years are like one day. v9 God will do what he has promised to do. God is not slow to carry out his promises. However, some people think that he is slow. Instead, God is patient. He wants all people to give up their evil ways. God does not want to destroy anyone. v10 But Jesus will certainly return one day. That day will come suddenly, like a thief that nobody expects. There will be a loud roar. The sky and everything in the sky will disappear. A fierce fire will destroy everything. It will burn the earth and everything that is in it.

Verse 8

In verse 5, the false teachers did not remember what God had done in the past. But in verse 8, Peter did not want his ‘dear friends’ to forget what God had done. The *Lord’s time is not the same as time in this world. To the *Lord, 1000 years in this world may be like a day (Psalms 90:4). This is often hard for people to understand. But God is the ruler of time. A person may think that a period is a very long time. But it may be a very short time to God. People like things to happen quickly. But sometimes nothing seems to happen. This does not mean that God has forgotten.

Verse 9

God will always keep his promises. Many people thought that Jesus should have returned already. But Peter explained that God is willing to wait. He is not slow, as people may think. But he is patient. God loves everyone. He sent Jesus to free people from their *sins (John 3:16). God is waiting because he does not want anyone to die. He ‘desires that all people… will come to know the truth about Jesus’ (1 Timothy 2:4). God wants all people to turn back from their wrong ways. He wants to give people more time to obey him.

Verse 10

Jesus will not continue to wait for ever. Jesus said that people would not know when would return (Luke 12:39-40). People do not expect a thief to come suddenly to their house in the middle of the night. In a similar way, Jesus will suddenly return to this world. God will not give people any more time to obey him. Instead, Jesus will come to *judge them. When Jesus comes, the sky will disappear with a fierce roar. Fire will burn up the earth and everything on it. Live in the right way v11 Everything is going to disappear. So, think about what kind of people you must be. You should be holy. You must respect and please God. v12 Jesus will return. You must expect and eagerly wait for that day. The sky and everything that is in it will burn up. The great heat will melt it. The fire will destroy everything. v13 But we are looking forward to what Jesus has promised. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. Everyone who lives there will obey God’s commands. v14 Dear friends, I know that you are waiting for these things to happen. Therefore, work very hard to live a pure life. Make sure that nobody can blame you for any *sin. Make sure that there is no trouble between you and God.

Verse 11

Since the present world will end like this, Christians must live holy lives. People who do not know God say, ‘Eat and drink. Be happy’ (Luke 12:19). They just want to enjoy themselves now. But God will punish people who do not obey him (chapter 2). So, Peter encouraged the Christians to be holy (see also 1 Peter 1:15-16). ‘Holy’ means to be separate from evil things and to belong to God. When Jesus returns he will reward Christians (2 Peter 1:10-11 and 1 Peter 1:3-5).

Verse 12

Peter did not want to frighten Christians. He repeated here what he spoke about in verse 10. Christians should eagerly expect the day when Jesus returns to this world. Then they will encourage that day to arrive. It will come as people pray ‘We want your *kingdom to come’. And it will come as Christians tell the good news about Jesus to other people (Matthew 24:14). It will come as Christians obey God.

Verse 13

Christians can expect with joy what God has promised after his judgement. Peter uses words from Isaiah 65:17 when he wrote about ‘a new heaven and a new earth’. Everyone will obey God. No wicked people will live there. The false teachers will have no place there. *Sin will never spoil anything again. It will be a wonderful place to live.

Verse 14

Peter urged his ‘dear friends’ to live pure lives without *sin. This was in contrast to the false teachers. Their lives were not pure. And they were like ‘stains’ and ‘dirty marks’ (2:13). When Christians live a pure life, it pleases God. They do not have a guilty conscience. Therefore, Christians can have a good relationship with God. And they can eagerly wait for Jesus to return. Paul’s letters v15 Remember that the *Lord is patient so that you can receive *salvation. Our dear brother Paul wrote to you about this. God has made him very wise. v16 Paul writes about this in all his letters. Some things in Paul’s letter are hard to understand. Some people have not learned very much. And they are not firm about what they believe. They change what Paul’s letters mean. They also explain the rest of the *Scriptures in a false way. They are destroying themselves by their practices.

Verse 15

In verse 9, Peter had already said that the *Lord is patient. God wants more people to trust Jesus. Peter said that Paul had also written to them about this. ‘Brother’ means that Paul was a Christian. In Romans 2:4, Paul wrote that God’s kindness leads people to change their behaviour.

Verse 16

Paul taught that Jesus will return. And Paul emphasised in his letters that Christians needed to live good lives before this event. The Christians to whom Peter was writing probably knew Paul’s letters. Peter says that God gave wisdom to Paul as he wrote the letters. Some things in Paul’s letters were hard to understand. Today, many people still think that Paul’s letters are difficult. We should pray that God will help us to understand the Bible. We must never change what it means. And we must not explain it in a false way. Instead, we should learn from good Bible teachers and mature Christians.

Many Christians considered that Paul’s letters were as valuable as the *Old Testament *Scriptures. But some people were not very mature Christians. They changed what Paul taught about God’s *grace. They made it into an excuse for wrong actions (Romans 6:1). They changed what Paul taught about Christian freedom. They said therefore that they could let their physical desires control them (Galatians 5:13). Paul said that Jesus would return soon (Romans 13:11-12). It had not happened yet. Some Christians said that it would never happen. They also explained other *Scriptures in the wrong way. They were false teachers. They chose to live in a wicked way. As a result, God would punish them. Peter’s final words v17 Dear friends, you already know these things. Therefore, guard yourselves. These wicked people teach untrue things. Do not let them tempt you away from your firm *faith. v18 Instead, receive more of God’s kindness. Learn more and more about our *Lord and *Saviour Jesus Christ. I pray that he will always have *glory now. And I pray that he will have *glory for ever. *Amen

Verse 17

The Christians knew that false teachers would come. Therefore, the Christians had to be careful. Otherwise, those wicked people would tempt them away from the truth about Jesus. If the Christians did not guard themselves, they would make their *faith weaker. There are still false teachers today. They try to lead people away from the truth about Jesus.

Verse 18

False teachers are a problem. The only answer to this problem is that Christians should become stronger Christians. They must understand how much God loves them. Also, they must grow in their relationship with their *Lord and *Saviour Jesus Christ. John 1:14 refers to the ‘*glory’ of the only Son of the Father. *Glory belongs to Jesus in this present time and for ever. The false teachers did not show the *glory of Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Instead, their lives were very wicked. And they refused to believe that Jesus would return.

At the end of this letter, Peter described Jesus as ‘*Lord’. *Lord means that Jesus rules everything. Jesus is also the ‘*Saviour’. He forgives people’s *sins. He frees them from God’s judgement. ‘Amen’ turns this into a prayer of praise. ‘Amen’ means ‘it is true’ and ‘we agree’.

© 1997-2004, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

May 2004

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