2 Pet 1:16-18 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

Peter starts these verses, as we saw in the previous meditation, by denying that the Gospel accounts are made up stories and declaring that he had been an eyewitness to all that had gone on. We observed how the apostles John and Paul had similarly had this outlook, and noted that Christianity is based in history.

The apostle Paul when he was testifying to the Gospel record did it with some detail: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” (1 Cor 15:3-8) That was an information packed paragraph.

Peter simply contents himself with one simple reference to what he had seen and heard: “the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.”

Now this testimony leaves no room for speculation. There had been a voice from heaven when Jesus was baptized: “And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Mt 3:17) On one other occasion there had also been a voice from heaven: “Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again." The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, "This voice was for your benefit, not mine.” (Jn 12:28-30) But neither of those were the time that Peter refers to, for he speaks of the time “on the sacred mountain.” This was obviously the time of Jesus' transfiguration.

Referring to the mountain incident, we find this account in each of the Synoptic Gospels (John tended not to repeat what was clearly in the Synoptic Gospels): “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (Mt 17:5)

Now why was Peter referring to this incident? Well remember what he has just said: “we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father.” Basically Peter is saying, we didn't make up all that we have said of Jesus, for we saw all that happened and we are of no doubt that he is THE Son of God, because we heard God the Father say so!

Now this is in fact an incredible testimony and must surely be one that sceptics and doubters struggle with. I have heard of people (rarely though) whose integrity I trust who have heard a real voice coming out of thin air from God but it does challenge those materialists who deny a spirit world. Three times this is recorded as happening in Jesus ministry and this particular one had so impacted Peter that he never forgot it.

Up on the mountain it had been Peter who had spoken out suggesting they build shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, and the voice that had come had come almost as a challenge to Peter (and James and John) that this was God's one and only Son they were with and as such he didn't need any man looking after him and providing a shelter! That had clearly stayed with Peter and he's reminded of it now. It is a supremely defining point for him, which established Jesus' Sonship. As Peter looked back over the years to those three incredible years with Jesus, that was one particular moment that seemed to stand out above everything else to define who Jesus was. Oh no, this was no made-up story!

I think the apostle John had similar memories when, in old age as an aged leader probably in Ephesus, he reflected back on those years and with the clarity of memory that sometimes comes in old age (especially provoked by the Holy Spirit) he ‘saw' things that stood out in his memory that the three writers of the Synoptic Gospels had passed by in those earlier years of recalling the things that had happened. That had prompted John to write his Gospel and that is why it is so different to the other three. Similarly now, Peter considering he has little time left, and with a desire to reiterate the truths they had received that needed to be passed on to the next generation, picks out that one amazing incident that had been unique to he, James and John, and which had stood out so clearly. Jesus was and is the Son of God because God the Father had said so! End of story!

2 Pet 1:19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

There is, behind this verse and the previous ones, a reminder of the sureness of our beliefs. Before this verse Peter had basically been saying, we are sure of our beliefs because we were there and we saw it all. I have often thought how powerful personal testimony is. My favourite one is that of the blind man in Jn 9: “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” (Jn 9:25) You can't beat that! That's what testimony does for you: I can't explain it all but I know what happened. All over the world millions of Christians live to challenge the beliefs of atheists, men and women who may not be able to explain it all, but whose lives have been transformed. Peter, John, Paul and many more encountered Jesus and were never the same again. You can say, “I don't believe it!” as many times as you like, but you fly in the face of the evidence that says, “I was there and I know what happened!” It's that simple.

But Peter doesn't stop there. He may have started out as a humble fisherman, and we don't know what teaching he might have received as a child in the local synagogue, but now he's a man who stands on the basis of the Scriptures. He knows that back in what we call the Old Testament, men who became known as prophets spoke words from God and in the midst of those words came references to one who would yet come and deliver the people of Israel – except it wasn't that simple for sometimes it seemed that he would come to save the whole world. No, the prophetic words had not always been simple and straight forward. Sometimes they seemed to refer to a conquering king, and other times to an abused servant. The scribes and teachers really scratched their heads at how these two views could be reconciled.

But, says Peter now, “we have the word of the prophets made more certain,” or perhaps, “We know the Old Testament prophecies were sure because we saw them being fulfilled.” That basically is what Peter is saying here. God spoke about Jesus throughout the Old Testament and now those prophecies have been fulfilled, over three hundred of them. On the road to Emmaus, Jesus challenged the two unhappy disciples: “He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” (Lk 24:25-27)

On the day of Pentecost, while preaching, to confirm what he was saying, Peter found himself referring to the prophetic Scriptures surrounding David (Acts 2:25-36). Shortly afterwards, preaching after healing the man at the Gate Beautiful, he declared, “this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets , saying that his Christ would suffer.” (Acts 3:18) and then, “He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy proph ets. For Moses said, `The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.' "Indeed, all the prophets from Samuel on, as many as have spoken, have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers.” (Acts 3:21-25) While preaching to Cornelius and his family and friends, Peter had found himself declaring, “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." (Acts 10:43).

The point is made quite clearly, the fact that the Old Testament referred again and again to the coming Messiah, was obviously well known by the disciples and this was a foundation stone of their teaching. Presumably Jesus, up in Galilee in the period between his resurrection and ascension, taught them all the same things he had said to the two on the road to Emmaus. The past and the present have now come together. The Old Testament scriptures declared it, and now Peter and the others have seen it all fulfilled.

Very well, Peter continues, “you will do well to pay attention to it,” to what we have been saying about God's word spoken through the prophets, for it is like “ a light shining in a dark place, until the day.” The day? The day whenever any prophetic word is fulfilled! Any prophecy is like that. It is the light of God, revelation from heaven, and once it has been spoken it, it just waits until the day when God fulfils it. We've seen it fulfilled, says Peter, but (implied) it is an ongoing word that will be fulfilled and fulfilled throughout Church History until the great day when God winds up all things. In the meantime it is simply revelation for those who have eyes to see. If the things of God are unclear to you, ask Him to open your eyes that you may see and understand: “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Eph 1:17-19)

2 Pet 2:1 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

Throughout the early centuries of the Church there were a number of battles going on, as the enemy sought to bring down that which Jesus had created. One of those battles which reigned then was over what we would today call heresy. The big problem for the early church was that there was no established body of truth. It was there but not yet agreed and written down. The Gospels were primarily written to establish this initial body of truth, starting with the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul wrote numerous letters to the churches he had been involved with, and even with one he yet hoped to go to (Romans) and within these letters the body of truth grew. The apostles Peter and John also wrote, even more it would seem with an eye on the heretics of the day. More than any other body of people in the world, the Christian Church relies upon a body of truth and without it they are nothing. That is why Peter has been writing as he has.

As he came to the end of what we now call chapter one of this letter, he had been referring to the past and to the times of the prophets of Israel and it is to that time that he first refers now when he says, “But there were also false prophets…” Yes, there had been genuine prophets but wherever the genuine exists the enemy will always raise up counterfeits. The classic example of the false prophets in the Old Testament, were the prophets of Baal, those who apparently prophesied but worshipped idols.

At first sight we may think it amazing that worshippers of wood, stone or metal could appear to prophesy, but today we have mediums who claim to foretell the future and they are exactly the same. With the rise of the Charismatic movement and the almost excessive use of ‘prophecy' one has to wonder how much of what is spoken out in churches does actually come from God. Sadly, I believe, so much so-called prophecy is spoken to replace direct teaching about discipleship. Our starting point for truth must always be with the established written word of God. Are we teaching and obeying what is there in the pages of Scripture. If we are not, all the fine sounding prophetic words that ‘God loves you and has a plan for you life', are meaningless.

Peter was aware in his day of the teachers who went around who were not preaching the truth and in so doing denied Jesus who came with very specific calls to repentance and submission to God so lives would be changed. We have to ask today, are our churches filled with people whose lives are radically different from their unbelieving neighbours, lives that are filled with faith and goodness, lives which impart the love of Jesus in word, or prayer or action whenever there is the opportunity? Are these lives filled with a hunger for the Lord and for His word?

Peter's complaint was against those heretics who taught things directly contrary to the truth as brought by the apostles, but it might be fair to ask, is any ‘teaching' or church lifestyle that is less than the radical demand to follow him in all areas of life, any the less wrong? If your church life is simply to maintain meetings that perform religious ritual, with little signs of changes in the lives of the religious individuals and, even more, little or no changes in the surrounding society that has been impacted by the salt and light lives of believers in it, then we must be falling far short of the teachings of Jesus.

One of the ways that we fail to live by the truth, and the teaching that is imparted in the church is inadequate, is by failure to DO the things that Jesus taught. His parable of the house on the sand (Mt 7:24 -27) corresponds with his ‘Great Commission' which includes “teaching them to obey” all he had taught them.

We haven't actually used the words ‘discerning the truth' but this is what this is all about, and it goes much further that rejecting teaching that is diametrically opposed to Jesus teaching and the teaching of the apostles; it should also hold to account teaching that does not rise up to the level of the radical challenges of their teaching. A teaching that preaches peace at all costs, for example, is not the teaching of the New Testament. Teaching that says tolerate sexually lax morals similarly falls short. In many areas of church life around the world today, we may not see direct heresy, but we do see teaching that falls far short of Jesus' desire for his people? May we be truly discerning! May we truly be a ‘doing' people, doing the works of Jesus at his leading!

2 Pet 2:2,3 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

I think it was C.S,Lewis who said that if people give up believing in God, they will end up believing in anything. So much of what we have been reading in Peter's second letter so far has been about the truth – the truth of the prophecies of the Old Testament, and then the truth of the testimony of the apostles who were witnesses to all that had happened with Jesus and what followed with the Holy Spirit. As we said, the Christian Church is a unique body in that it has a unique body of truth, the Bible, that explains its existence. There is no other document like it in the world and the more you read it, the more you realise that. Let's reiterate that statement because it does stand up under intelligent and honest scrutiny: there is no other document like it in the world and the more you read it, the more you realise that.

But Peter doesn't live in an ivory tower or hasn't been shut away like a hermit; he has lived in the world and he knows what is going on and he knows what will come in the days ahead. In the opening verse of this new chapter he had said, “there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies.” There could almost be a link inserted between verses 1 and 2 – “And so…” and our verse now continues, “Many will follow their shameful ways.” but what was even more worrying it will appear that these teachers and these people departing from the truth will appear to be Christians and that will “bring the way of truth into disrepute.”

This has been, is now and always will be a problem – people who appear to be Christians but by their words or their lifestyles portray something else to the world, who often then criticise Christianity because of them. The fact that Christianity does not have a single ruling body means that all over the world individual Christians or individual groups are left to follow their own ‘brand' of Christianity which may have wrong elements in it. Even the Roman Catholic wing of the Christian Church is not immune from this as the whole shameful episode of the revealing of paedophile priests shows. We, the Christian Church, have given the likes of Richard Dawkins, and other crusading atheists, large amounts of ammunition with which to criticise the Church (but NOT the Faith) and more often than not, the criticism is just. In terms of daily practical righteousness, many of us have a long way to go.

It sound incredible what Peter says: “In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.” Regrettably TV programmes have shown that even today such things happen. Even today apparent religious leaders dupe the flock with deception, with means and techniques that seek to get the flock to believe a lie – and then give their money! This is the side of religious life we would rather avoid or forget – Christians are still human beings and some of them go off the rails and their moral integrity slips. Wrong things ARE done sometimes by those who purport to be Christians and, even worse, Christian leaders.

When Peter says, “their condemnation has long been hanging over them,” the first thing that strikes me is the word ‘long'. Unfortunately these things often go on for a long while. How can that be? I believe there are three answers.

First, people are gullible and so many simple-minded people who have not been well-taught believe such men, and flock to these people. Second, because of their apparent popularity and success, others of us hold back on criticizing what is patently obviously wrong. Third, because I believe the Lord holds back because He is waiting for His people to take action themselves. He would prefer that His own people grew up and disciplined those who have gone off the rails, rather than move in and deal with it Himself.

When Peter says, “and their destruction has not been sleeping,” he is saying that the destruction that is due to these people, has not gone to sleep; it is just waiting in God's hands. He will reveal the truth and modern history shows many men who have been revealed as charlatans or liars or cheats, and destruction (of their ministries and their lives) has come and some have even been imprisoned. It may take time, while God waits for His church to move, but history shows that again and again, when His church fails to move, He will and the individual's sin is revealed to the world.

This is the dark side of the human race and of Christianity but we shouldn't shy from it. Instead we should learn to be people who are discerning, who question and challenge that which is dubious, who aren't afraid to challenge the freaky and weird. We will only be able to do that when we ourselves are well founded in the truth of God's word and are living in the power of His Spirit. May that be so!

2 Pet 2:5-9 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; 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; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment

  So we took the hard side of these verses in the previous meditation. He had cited two specific historical catastrophes that we find in the early part of the Bible – the Flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah . Previously we consider the validity of God's judgments but now we find something else.

We find two other examples, examples of God saving men from those catastrophes. First there was Noah who was saved from the Flood and then there was lot who was saved from Sodom. Prior to the Flood we read, “The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” (Gen 6:6) This was the Lord anguishing over His world which was on a runaway course with Sin. But then we read, “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” (Gen 6:9) That explains why the Lord saved him, but when we come to Lot I find Peter's description of him very gracious.

When you read the accounts of Abram and Lot, we find Lot choosing what, at first sight, seems the best part of the land, when they divided it up, and we read, “Abram lived in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain and pitched his tents near Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked and were sinning greatly against the LORD.” (Gen 13:12,13) Clearly Sodom had a reputation and yet Lot still went and lived near there. Not long later we find he is living actually in Sodom (Gen 14:12 ). By the time God's angels go to Sodom we find, “Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city.” (Gen 19:2). Now the gateway was the place that the elders of the city sat to preside over the affairs of the city – that was the extent to which Lot had now gone. I always feel, therefore that Lot doesn't show up very well thus far. He certainly does take care of the two angels and protects them from the crowd, even been willing to sacrifice the purity of his two daughters to do it.

But it is to Peter that we turn for a fuller picture: “a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard).” Peter portrays a man who has got himself to a place that he regrets, where the society is godless and unrighteous and this tormented him. Well that is good news. That paints a better picture of Lot.

So the Lord saved these two men (and their families) from the destruction that He was bringing because they were righteous. But Peter hasn't finished. in fact he is about to bring us to the climax of his argument for all that we have considered so far is the basis for a logical conclusion to follow. See his “If… then…” argument. “if this is so, then.” If God rescued those two men from the judgments He was brining in their days, then we may conclude something else. What is that? It is twofold. First, “the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials.” Even when the rest of the world is going bad, the Lord will save His righteous children from the midst of the judgment that He is bringing. That is the first part. The second part is, “to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.” The unrighteous may appear to be getting away with their unrighteousness but God is just waiting for the appropriate time to bring it to an end by bringing His judgment. The wicked will not get away with it!

These are the two crucial points that Peter has been working towards in this chapter. There has been a clear train of thought that started from, “I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.” ( 1:14,15) He then emphasized that the gospel wasn't made up and he knew that because they had been eye-witnesses to all that had gone on. More than that, it all conformed to the prophetic Scriptures which had come through prophets inspired by God.

Then, as a continuation from all that, it's as if he says, “But be careful because not all prophets are good prophets and there will be those who will teach wrong things and seek to lead you astray – and you will see much of that in the world – but hold onto this truth: while the world is going astray, as long as you remain faithful, God will keep you and save you and bring you through whatever days of judgment He brings, and don't worry about the unrighteous, God will eventually deal with them. Their time WILL come. Understanding all this – be at peace!” That is the gist of what he has said so far.

2 Pet 2:10-12 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.

Peter has just said, “the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.” Thus when he continues, “This is especially true of those…” he is expanding his previous description of ‘the unrighteous'. Although we didn't pick it up previously, he seems to indicate two sorts of God's dealings with the unrighteous. The ultimate one is His judging them on the final day of judgment when they stand before him and will be condemned to hell. However there was also the reference at the end of that previous sentence: “while continuing their punishment.” This suggests that God does punish the ungodly and the unrighteous here and now.

The apostle Paul would agree with this way of thinking in his descriptions of God's activity in Romans 1: “Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.” (Rom 1:24) and “God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another.” (Rom 1:26,27) and “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.” (Rom 1:28). In other words all of these increasing levels of sin are God's punishment!!!!!

This increasing licentiousness is in fact bringing bad into the lives of these people and it is a direct outworking of God lifting off His hand of restraint. Now the more you turn from God the more this works, for this is God's way of trying to show foolish men and women the error of their ways so that they may, perhaps, come to their senses and turn back to Him.

This is especially so, says Peter, of those who follow their corrupt sinful desires, are arrogant and despise authority, say stupid things about angels and heaven's activities. Now this isn't a particularly easy passage to understand. When he talks about these people slandering celestial beings, we might say they are slandering all that goes on in heaven. Now if we put it in such general terms as that, we immediately see that this is exactly what the crusading atheists of today are doing. Without naming any well known and obvious names, sometimes the boldness and arrogance that is seen in their writings and their pronouncements on TV or in the press, are breathtaking.

Some of these men seek to convey a respectability, and one well-known American atheistic writer started his last book off with the tone of an elderly sage who was graciously tolerating these religious children who he hoped would one day grow up and abandon their silly ideas. However as the book developed the underlying harsh, arrogant, spiteful and hateful attitude in this writer became more and more obvious. These men are writing out of self-centred, godless arrogance and Peter says they are like animals in that they are operating purely on instincts and, by implication, not rationally and reasonably thinking through the issues. Although the media currently give these men credibility, one day we may look back on them and see them for what they are and will wonder how anyone ever believed what they said. It is interesting to note that one of these well known crusaders is particularly good at throwing up ‘possibilities' and making them sound ‘probabilities' if not facts! Yet I observe that other credible scientists now casually say, “Of course the idea of …. has now been generally discounted,” so that within a few years of them being put up even these ‘possibilities' are seen for what they are – hot air!

Whenever we teach on cults, we always say, don't only look at their teachings but also look at the people who started them off, see their lifestyle, see their character, and then judge. Look at the spite and venom that comes out of these people, these crusaders, and think again.

The reason these people that Peter is talking about, are doomed to destruction, is not so much the silly things they say or do, but the attitude that is fixed and unmovable and not open to correction. These are the people who will be condemned in the long ruin for these people will not come to repentance and will thus not be saved. (Please understand that we are not saying that individuals cannot be saved, but that if you absolutely refuse to ever think openly, refusing God until the end means you have no hope for eternity.) Shocking words, but the truth!

2 Pet 2:13 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.

I have recently been reading an account of how the West was won, and of the people who trekked the thousands of miles across the States to find gold or even just somewhere new to settle. One particularly memorable bit was how they came down one particular pass only to find they were into a desert that stretched sixty five miles infront of them. I'm afraid I feel this a bit about this part of Peter's second letter, that appears like a desert in the midst of a green and pleasant land! He is warning his Christian readers against a group of people who appear at times to have a spirituality and yet are very far from spiritual.

We don't know if Peter has any one people group in mind when he writes these words because he doesn't say, but obviously he has in his mind clearly a group of people who have really got under his skin. He is really outspoken about them. Already in verses 10 and 12 we have seen him describe them: “Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings… They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish.” Strong language!

Let's note first of all the things he says they have done, “the harm they have done” (v.13a). They “carouse in broad daylight” (v.13b), “With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed,"  (v.14) “They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son,” (v.15) “they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error,” (v.18) “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity--for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him .” (v.18)

How do we summarise all that? They teach a licentious freedom that brings destruction and they live it out! Listen to how he describes them: “They are blots and blemishes,” (v.13b) “an accursed brood,” (v.14) “springs without water and mists driven by a storm,” (v.17) But will they get away with it? No! “They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done,” (v.13) “Blackest darkness is reserved for them,” (v.17).

But then comes the clearest condemnation: “If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.” (v.20) These were believers who have gone off the rails! Listen more to his condemnation and explanation of what they have done: “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.” (v.21) And he uses a proverb to describe their actions: “A dog returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud." (v.22)

These are people who once knew Christ, who lived the Christian life but who have now fallen prey to deception and temptation. They have been deceived by the enemy into believing lies – that as a Christian you can do anything and it will be all right. They have fallen to the temptation to live profligate lives. In every way, these people who were once clearly people of God are now clearly people of the world.

This is what this ‘desert' in Peter's letter is all about, It is a warning to avoid failing to deception and therefore, by implication, a call to hold firmly to the truth. It is a warning not to give way to temptations to live just like the world lives but, by implication, to live holy lives. Yet the bigger warning that comes with it is that if you do you will end up being destroyed by it. It is a terrible condemnation and a terrible warning.

2 Pet 3:1,2 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 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.

There are those who question whether 1 Peter is in fact Peter's first letter referred to here, but we would suggest the links are very strong. Peter says he has written them as reminders. At the beginning of this letter he stated, “I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body.” (1:12,13)

Yes, they were established Christians but he was going to keep on reminding them of the basics, which is exactly what we find in 1 Peter: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Pet 1:3-5) There were the basics – God our father, Jesus our Saviour who brought us through the new birth to be receivers of an inheritance, lived out today and reassured by his death and resurrection, and kept for eternity. They are all there.

But he's gone to some trouble in this present letter to remind us that the truth is assured because he and the other apostles were eyewitnesses of that which the prophets of old had spoken and which was now fulfilled. He had spoken of this in his previous letter: “Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.” (1 Pet 1:10,11)

In this letter he has instructed, “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure.” (1:10). In the former letter, “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.” (1 Pet 1:13,14) In both there is a call to hold on to that which we have been given. In both there is the recognition that we live in a world with opposition.

In the first letter he said, “For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do--living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you.” (1 Pet 4:3,4) referring to the past ways of the world. In this present letter he aims more specifically at those who were once believer but have now fallen into that life of licentiousness (2 Pet 2) In both cases there is a reminder to what we have been called so that we might avoid the ways of the world which are so contrary to God's ways. It is in both a calling to a holy lifestyle.

In many ways Peter's first letter had been a more practical one where he worked out specific issues for different people in living out the Christian life. Yet the same call under girds his teaching in this second lesson. We would not expect him to repeat the same things in the second letter that he had said in the first. We would expect him to have the same overview and so it does. Certainly it goes on to encourage people even more to hold to their faith, especially in the light of people questioning about Jesus coming again (which we'll see later in the letter), but it is still another letter that reminds of the basics, reminds of the origins of those basics as seen in the Lord Jesus Christ and previously spoken about by the prophets.

A firm grasp on these things should then lead us to be more secure in our daily walk with the Lord, avoiding being led away by deception or temptation. The first letter lays out details and the second letter reiterates the general thrust that we have just described. We'll see more in the next meditation of what he wants to achieve in us.

2 Pet 3:3,4 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this `coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

Have you ever noticed that you can have complete confidence in a whole range of Scriptural truths, but when there is one thing you don't understand, it nags at you and can spread doubt over everything? Peter has been reiterating the truths about prophecy and Jesus Christ as foundation stones for belief but he is aware that there is a vulnerable area of belief that will allow people to question and subsequently doubt, and that is to do with Jesus' second coming.

To the unknowing, Peter's phrase ‘the last days' might be thought to refer to the days just before Jesus returns again, but actually on the day of Pentecost, inspired by the Spirit, Peter referred to Old Testament prophecy (Joel 2:28-32) which declared, “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people,” (Acts 2:17) and clearly meant that it was then being fulfilled. The ‘last days' are indeed those before Jesus returns but that may be a very long time. References to “the end times”, indeed, do refer to those days immediately before he comes.

The trouble with the return of Jesus is that we don't know when it will be. When the disciples asked about when he would return and set up his kingdom on earth he replied, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” (Acts 1:7). We know how he will return because the disciples were told by two angels as they watched Jesus ascend, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11) but we still don't know and won't know until it happens. Jesus himself warned against imposters: “At that time if anyone says to you, `Look, here is the Christ!' or, `There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible.” (Mt 24:23,24)

Now all that we have said is very important and it becomes an issue of faith. We are told that Jesus WILL return but not when he will return and so every generation has wondered, “Will he come in my time?” When I was a young Christian I remember preachers saying he would be coming soon but forty years later he hasn't come. The best I can say today is that when I look at the prophetic things spoken of as happening in the end times in the book of Revelation, I can see that they are now easily possible – we do have the means to destroy a third or a quarter of the earth's population and we do have the means to pollute vast areas of the earth's oceans. The means are there, but whether it will be in my lifetime or in another two thousand years, only the Lord knows.

At the end of a parable Jesus laid down a simple principle for us: “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Lk 18:8) That is the crucial issue, not when the Lord will come but what he will find us doing when he comes. We may have to wait and wait but the crucial thing is that we remain faithful throughout however long a period that will turn out to be. That applies over everything we have to wait for, whether it be for the Lord's return, for healing or for the righting of injustice, will we remain faithful and true however long we have to wait?

Now that waiting will be made hard because of the scoffers around us who say, “He won't return,” or “He won't heal,” or “He is powerless to deal with evil.” No, if he's said it, he will do it. As we said earlier, this thus becomes an issue of faith. Will I believe God or will I believe the scoffers and doubters stirred on by the enemy? And even more, when it comes to a question of waiting for something will I not let that waiting cast doubts on the enormous field of sure beliefs that we do have – the beliefs that were stated in the Old Testament through the prophets, the beliefs that were brought into being when Jesus came, and which have now been passed on by the apostles who witnessed it all. Hold firm!

2 Pet 3:5-7 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Because we are going verse by verse, we perhaps need to remind ourselves who the “they” are who are referred to here by Peter. They are “scoffers” who are “following their own evil desires” (v.3). In other words he is referring to a group of people who are sceptics but they are sceptics not because they have intellectual difficulties with the Gospel but simply it is inconvenient to believe it because it runs counter to their self-centred lives based upon desire. They do what they want because they are godless and they are godless because they want to do what they want! We should remember that because often that is how it is with people. I once discussed the Gospel for five hours with someone and at the end they said, “I agree with all you have said. Intellectually I understand it and agree with it, but I like the life of sinning that I'm living and that's it,” and they got up and left. Often people will choose not to believe because it is inconvenient and goes against their self-centred desires.

Now we say all this because Peter now says “they deliberately forgot”. The truth is that there is a tremendous volume of evidence for the existence of God, the coming of Jesus and for the outworking of the Gospel, but for some people it is purely inconvenient; they really don't want to believe it because they know that if they do then there will have to be changes in their lives and they don't want to do that. Self prevails over intellect!

It is probable that these people are Jews that Peter is referring to and as such will have been taught from childhood the basics of Jewish belief in what we call the Old Testament. They would have known the Genesis account of the Creation, when God spoke words and the world came into being. They are choosing to forget that He is first and foremost the all-powerful Creator of all things. But they would also have been taught about the Flood and so they choose to forget that God is able to intervene in His world as and when He wants. But there was something else about that: there had been plenty of time of warning of the coming flood but most people chose to deride Noah when he started building the ark and when time passed and no rain appeared they mocked him. That is also there in the background which Peter is later going to refer to.

But after the Flood the Lord determined never to flood the world again, but the Old Testament prophetic teaching said that there would come a time of final judgment when the existing world would be burnt up and the unrighteous destroyed. All of that teaching they would have heard, but now they chose to forget it, because it was more convenient to do so. Forgetting all these things, they become scoffers who mock the thought of Jesus returning because years have passed and it hadn't yet happened.

But the point of Peter's three illustrations is that time does pass when God's will is involved. From outside of time, God came and created the world of time. We don't know whether it was a literal six days or six periods. It was possibly a long time. Then a long time passed and God needed to intervene in the affairs of the earth and so warned of a flood. Time passed before that eventually happened – and yes, there were scoffers in that time mocking the thought of a flood – but it came. But then God gave us a second chance through Noah but along the way warned that for those who ignored Him and turned to their own sinful, godless, unrighteous ways, they would eventually come a time of destruction. So that end time hasn't happened yet and time has passed. So what?

Peter is going on to make a point about God and time but for the moment, can we reiterate the point we made in the previous mediation? If we have to wait for the Lord's word to be fulfilled, and it seems we have to wait for a long time, and we're still waiting, can we remain faithful and true in that time of waiting? Will the Lord find us still faithful and true when he comes? That is the big issue that surrounds all of these thoughts about him coming back and about people around us being skeptical. Can we stand against the skepticism that so often surrounds us in the world, skepticism that comes through the press, through books that atheist crusaders write, through the publicity that TV gives them? Their words are hot air that will evaporate with time. God's word is true and will endure. Amen? Amen!

2 Pet 3:8,9 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. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

We're not at the climax of Peter's argument yet, but we are getting near it. Let's recap the whole picture because it is important that we hold on to it: Peter is reminding his readers again, of the basics of salvation, of the fact of it being prophesied in the Old Testament and then fulfilled in Jesus and testified to by the apostles. These basics we need to hold on to especially in the face of sceptics who, for personal rather than intellectual reasons, look at something like the second coming of Jesus and deny it and use that to undermine all of the Gospel.

So Peter has arrived at this part where he is arguing against those who might say, “Well God isn't turning up, Jesus clearly isn't coming back, so that casts doubt on all you say.” He has just pointed out that history clearly shows that God takes His time when He wants to and linked the facts of the past Flood with the end time judgment. Now he caps that with this principle laid down in these two verses, a principle which is vital for us to remember. In fact Peter starts out these verses with that exhortation: “Do not forget this one thing.” He wants us to really hang on to this particular principle. If you ever memorize Bible verses, these are two worth memorising.

Let's break these verses down. He starts with a basic fact about God: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” The Lord is outside of time and perhaps a helpful picture used by someone in the past is of him looking down on a time line from above. He does step into it when it suits Him but mostly it is like He looks down on it and so He sees it all. From His perspective a day is the same as a thousand years, He sees it all and, implied from that, He is under no pressure to act for He sees the whole picture and knows exactly what is best and how it will work out. What rather stretches our minds is that He also steps into this time line constantly and involves Himself with the affairs of mankind to bring about His purposes. He will not force the free will of human beings but He will work in and around them to help us along, even if we are being resistant and remain resistant.

But then comes a statement of understanding: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.” If we think He is slow in turning up, it simply means we don't understand Him, we haven't got the big picture and we haven't understood His purposes. Then comes the crucial climax to these two verses (not to the whole argument though): “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ”

Yes, that is the truth of it. If God wasn't patient with us, He would judge us straight away and destroy us without waiting – but He does wait. He waits to give us time to come to our senses to realise the truth and to turn to Him. That is His objective! And that is why He waits and that is why He appears to be doing nothing. Always remember what the Lord said through Ezekiel: “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (Ezek 18:23) and “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!” (Ezek 18:32) He doesn't want to kill us, He wants us to turn back to Him and live, and for that to happen, He knows that often He must give us time. So He waits, and He waits and He waits. This is not the picture of an impotent God who cannot do things on this earth, who cannot deal with the humans on it. No, this is the picture of a gracious and merciful God who wants to give as much time as possible so that human beings will come to their senses and turn to Him.

So when silly people say that Jesus second coming clearly won't happen, explain that anything that they consider a delay is simply God giving His world a chance to repent. Be under no illusions: Jesus will return and that will be a time of the judgment of all things. If God gives you another day and you are not a believer, it is an opportunity for you to reconsider and turn to Him. It may be you only have one more day, because all this applies not only to Jesus' return, but also to how many days you have on this earth, for that too is an unknown time. Don't waste it! Your time is limited!

For others of us struggling with waiting for something to happen, realise that sometimes the Lord purposely delays so that we will have a longer learning opportunity. Every time we have to wait for something is an opportunity to think and learn about God's ways and to establish our faith more deeply. So if you are feeling frustrated over something, pray, “Lord, give me the gift of perseverance, but may it also be grounded in understanding. Please find in me a teachable heart and help me to have one.”