2 Pet 3.1-18 gives us a reminder about the coming Day of the Lord and another reminder about the major theme of the letter, the coming Yom Ha Din or the “day of judgment” to come.
v 1…This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you (this letter, along with First Peter, was written to Jews who were “scattered abroad” in what was called the “Diaspora”-1 Pet 1.1. The Diaspora consisted of Jews who lived outside the land of Israel since the Babylonian Captivity) in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder (Hebrew “zekor”)
v 2…that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets (the “Nevi’im” portion of the Tanach) and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour by us your apostles (“Hebrew “shaliachim”=sent ones; here Peter equates the words of Yeshua as having the same authority as the prophets; Chapter 2 was about the secret adversaries and false teachers, now he is going to deal with the “open” adversaries).
v 3…Know this first of all, that in the last days (the “last days” should be understood in their Jewish context, the last days of the Olam Ha Zeh. We know that there is a 7000 year plan of God. Yeshua came in year 4000, so “four eschatological days” had passed, leaving 2 days until the Messianic Kingdom. It is these two days he is referring to as “the last days.” These days are referred to in Hos 6.1-3) mockers (a mocker is one who calls “good bad” but a flatterer calls “bad good”) will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts
v 4…and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming (the coming of Yeshua)? For since the fathers (Adam, Abel, Seth and all the patriarchs) fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation (not really… there has been many judgments of God in the past, like the fall of man, Noah’s flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt and the Exodus, the fall of Jerusalem and the caprivity, and other things that happened changed things quite a bit).”
v 5… For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the Word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
v 6…through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded (Greek “katakluzo=cataclysm) with water.
v 7… But the present heavens and earth by his word are being reserved for fire (fire is the judgment of God, as seen in the Birth-pains of the Messiah which involves volcanoes, subterranean fires that will break forth, burning comets and nuclear war as seen in Revelation) kept for the day of judgment (Yom Ha Din) and destruction of ungodly men.
v 8…But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day (alluding to the 7000 year plan of God and biblical eschatology-Psa 90.4).
v 9…The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward us, not wishing for any to perish (whom he has chosen in him-Jer 1.12) but for all to come to repentance.
v 10…But the day of the Lord (the last one thousand year period called “the Lord’s day” and “the Sabbath of God” also called the “Atid Lavo” or future coming; can also mean when God reveals his power to overthrow his enemies and defend his kingdom) will come like a thief (upon those who are asleep-1 Thes 5.1-5) in which the heavens will pass away (from one condition to another) with a roar (swiftly, suddenly it will “flee away”-Rev 20.11) and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat (this is Hebraic figurative language, as in Exo 15.15; Zech 14.12; Psa 75.3; 1 John 2.17; Isa 24.1-23), and the earth and its works (the works of man, like governments, towns, things used by man, false religions, traditions, customs, the elementary things of this world-Gal 4.3) will be burned up.
v 11…Since all these things are to be destroyed (pass away-1 John 2.17-dissolved as we know them, changed, like the destructive effects of the flood on nature) in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
v 12… looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God (starting with the Birth-pains, the same thing as the Day of the Lord, the Sabbath of God, the last thousand years of the 7000 year plan called the “Atid Lavo” or “future coming; also alluding to the Olam Haba) on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning (judgment), and the elements will melt with intense heat (used figuratively…see verse 10 comments).
v 13…But according to his promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth (this may be the fourth of five since creation, which is the constructive effects of the Day of the Lord; the fifth one will occur as the Messianic Kingdom passes into the Olam Haba), in which righteousness dwells (as defined by the Torah).
v 14… Therefore (as a result), beloved, since you look for these things (it would not overtake them like a thief in the night), be diligent to be found by him in peace, spotless and blameless (we can’t do this in and of ourselves, this comes as we are born again),
v 15…and regard the patience of our Lord is salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you (Paul also wrote a letter to them, possibly the Book of Hebrews),
v 16…as in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught (in the Torah) and unstable distort, as also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction (this error is committed by those who teach that the Torah has been done away with, and they are called “lawless” in the Scriptures. Lawless is “anomos” in Greek and it means “no Torah” or “Torah-less.” People who teach that the Torah has been done away with and “the Torah does not apply to me because I am a Christian” fall under this description-Matt 7.21-23; 1 John 2.1-4).
v 17… You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled (Greek “athesmos” meaning “one who breaks through the restraints of law” or “Torah”) men, you fall from your own steadfastness,
v 18… but grow in the grace (Hebrew “chessed”=kindness) and knowledge (Hebrew “da’at”) of our Lord and Saviour Yeshua Ha Mashiach (this knowledge, or “da’at” is seen in the passage in Hos 4.6 where it says literally in Hebrew, “My people are destroyed for lack of the knowledge (“ha da’at”-has the definite article “the” in Hebrew, which means a specific kind of knowledge). Because you have rejected the knowledge (“ha da’at”-again the definite article “the” in Hebrew), I also will reject you from being my priest, since (or “because) you have forgotten the Torah of your God (this defines what “the knowledge” is), I also will forget your children.”) To him be the glory (kivod), both now and to the day of eternity (which is the period after the Atid Lavo, or Day of the Lord or Millenium, called the “Olam Haba”). Amen (this word has the same Hebrew root as the word for faith “emunah” and is also connected to the word for truth or “emet”).
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