This book combats the heresy that the Torah is no longer valid. It has a companion book called Jude. Peter warns us that men will promise “liberty” but turn from the “holy commandment delivered to them ” (2 Pet 2.18-21), turning the grace (chessed) of God into a license to sin. In short, this book deals with false teachers and doctrine. This is an important book for us today because there are many who believe and teach that the Torah has been “done away with” and they actually believe that to follow it is sin and you have fallen from grace. They believe that “freedom” means that they do not follow the Torah anymore. These topics will be dealt with in this book and that is why it is important for us to understand it. The book was written to Jewish believers in the diaspora, as was First Peter, Hebrews and James.
v 1…Simon (uses his original name because he was an eyewitness) Peter, a bond-servant (a bond servant is one who has been set free, but chooses to stay in the house of his master) and apostle (Hebrew “shaliach” which means a “sent one”) of Yeshua Ha Mashiach, to those who have received a faith (faith to believe comes from the Lord) of the same kind as ours (not everyone who says they have “faith” has the same kind of faith as Peter-Matt 7.21-23), by the righteousness (tzedakim) of our God and Saviour (clear evidence that Peter considered Yeshua God. Many Messianic believers do not believe this, along with many prominent teachers), Yeshua Ha Mashiach.
v 2…Grace (Hebrew “chessed” meaning kindness, one of the attributes of God in Exo 34.6) and peace (Hebrew “shalom”) be multiplied to you in the knowledge (Hebrew “da’at”-the only thing we can “boast” about-Jer 9.23-24) of God and of Yeshua our Lord;
v 3… seeing that his divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us (elected us) by his own glory (Hebrew “kivod” meaning radiance, abundance, honor) and excellence.
v 4…For by these he has granted to us his precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature (being born again, and the Shekinah placed within us), having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust (Israel is geographically between Babylon, the seat of idolatry, and Egypt, is another seat of idolatry. Abraham was called to the land of Israel, but “descended” into Egypt but came “out.” Jacob went to Babylon but came back after 20 years (2000 years). Spiritually speaking, we are “in the middle of the “seat of idolatry and need to “stay in the land of Israel” or we will be influenced by the lust of the “world.”).
v 5… Now for this very reason also (staying in the “land”), applying all diligence, in your faith (Hebrew “emunah” meaning confidence, action, which consists of love of the Lord, knowledge of the Lord and obeying the commandments of the Lord) supplying moral excellence, and in moral excellence, knowledge (“da’at or knowledge of the Lord),
v 6…and in knowledge (da’at), self-control, and in self-control, perseverance, and in perseverance, godliness,
v 7… and in godliness, brotherly kindness, and in brotherly kindness, love (ahav).
v 8… For if these are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Yeshua Ha Mashiach.
v 9… For he who lacks these is blind and short-sighted (has no understanding), having forgotten his purification from his former sins (he does not consider that he was a sinner in Adam, conceived and shaped in sin. He didn’t think he needed to be purged).
v 10… Therefore (as a result), brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about his calling (make sure you are in the faith) and choosing (election-Eph 1.4) you; for as long as you practice these things you will never stumble;
v 11… for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Yeshua Ha Mashiach will be abundantly supplied to you (his grace and strength will be supplied to us through life),
v 12… Therefore, I shall always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know.
v 13… And I consider it right, as long as I am in this world dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,
v 14… knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling (sukkah=tabernacle) is imminent (death), as also our Lord has made clear to me (in John 21.18).
v 15… And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure (exodus, death) you may be able to call these things to mind.
v 16…For we do not follow cleverly devised tales (of the Jews in Matt 28.11-15; Titus 1.14; 1Tim 1.4, or any Gentile mythology of any kind) when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Yeshua Ha Mashiach, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty (at the Transfiguration-Matt 17; Mark 9; Luke 9).
v 17… For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance (Hebrew “bat kol” or “daughter of the voice”) as this was made to him by the Majestic Glory (the Father-Exo 40.35), “This is my beloved son with whom I am well-pleased” (Matt 17.5; Mark 9.7; Luke 9.35)
v 18… and we ourselves (Peter, James and John) heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain (it was “kodesh” or “holy” because his presence was there, set aside for God’s service with a kedusha because Yeshua was transfigured there).
v 19… And so we have the prophetic word made more sure (than cleverly devised tales found in the Rabbinic midrashim or man-made traditions), to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the daystar (the “sun”, which is an idiom for the Messiah-Psa 19.4-5; Psa 30.26) arises in your hearts (light and understanding comes).
v 20… But know this first of all, that no prophecy (declaring the truth in what God said) of Scripture is of one’s own interpretation (God has truth to tell, and the foundation for all truth is the Tanak-Psa 40.7; John 5.39-47; Luke 24.27; Isa 8.20; it is not going to a bible study and everyone gets to say what the scripture “means to me”; anyone can tell me what God said, but not everyone can tell me what he means),
v 21… for no prophecy (truth in God’s word) was ever made by an act of the human will (man-made; it comes out of a person’s heart or imagination, like nearly all of the so-called “teachings” around today), but men moved by the Holy Spirit (the Ruach Ha Kodesh) spoke from God.
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