New Testament Commentary - 2 Peter 3

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 3 Latter-day scoffers deny the Second Coming—Elements to melt at the coming of the Lord.
1 This second epistle, beloved, I now ^awrite unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of ^bremembrance: 2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy ^aprophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
3 ^aKnowing this first, that there shall come in the ^blast days scoffers, walking after their own ^clusts^a, 4 And saying, ^aWhere is the ^bpromise of his ^ccoming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.	3^a there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts We must be in the last days for certainly there are those who walk after their own lusts and sinful practice who are disobeying the commandments of God even to the point that there are laws allowing same sex marriage, and all manner of evil to go on in the world. And they even preach it while falsely claiming their devotion to God. But as Christ said, even the spirit of the devil did bear witness of him, but they were not for him but against him though they knew who he was.
5 For this they willingly are ^aignorant of, that by the ^bword of God the heavens were of old, and the ^cearth standing out of the water and in the water: 6 Whereby the world that then was, being ^aoverflowed with ^bwater, perished^a: They Willingly Are Ignorant For all the learning that man professes, it is somewhat of a mystery to me that the most anciently derived records of the word of God are so 'Willingly Ignored'. Despite that fact that many of the wisdom of men's conclusions do parallel conclusions already given in the pages of such scriptures, 'they willingly are ignorant' of the truths contained therein. How much faster would man's knowledge and understanding proceed if man would use the scriptures are the model for what is, and then seek to solidify such fantasied theories of their own to how they much fit the facts of the matter as set out in the scriptures. Men's theories are contrived out of men's imaginations. And thus what they thing to be a correct assumption, conclusion or dissection is obviously lacking in the further knowledge of what is not being considered which does bring all truth together and resolves just theorizing according to one's own precepts, to comforming with the already given solid facts of God's truth which he so freely gives to us. If a 'fact' of science does differ from the truth of scripture, rest assured that it is man's conclusions which are lacking in considering all effects upon a matter. Such is a number of men's contrived methods of determining age and setting time to earth's events. Carbon dating and like methods do not occur in a vacumm tube of a science labortory in which they are studied. They occur in the numerous elements and according to the countless effects of nature in the real world. How else can one mamoth body be so disparingly dated depending upon which part of the body is dated, the more exposed or the more highly concelled? Man with his limited models which do not give a correct accounting to all such relivant effects, many still remaining unknown and not in the least understood, but attempts to dissect the earth and its universe through a pin hole of man made interpretation and comprehension.	6^a being overflowed with water, perished The Universal Flood of Noah did occur. Conferred here by God's own Prophet leader of the early Chruch of Jesus Christ, Peter clearly states that the world was overflowed and all that in it perished, execpt of course those of the Ark of Noah. Men do ignore the Scriptural trues. Even those who profess to be Christians, do turn their backs on the facts the scriptures so plainly state. And the make of the flood of Noah some localized flood which covers but some small region of the earth, thinking that the earth has always been of the land and water compositions like unto today. Their finite limited conception just cannot preceive of planetary formation guided by the intelligent forces of God. Rather they conceive of ions of utter chaos which our of the realm of impossible probability just happen to stumble upon such complex matters of the extremely complex and enormously highly organized and overwhelmingly expansive human DNA structure which controls life out of order not chaos. Of this thing they merely are scratching the surface and are held back by their own false assumptive conclusions which thwart their efforts in advancing faster and further given the guidance and understanding of God.
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto ^afire against the day of judgment^a and ^bperdition of ungodly men. 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand ^ayears, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is ^alongsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should ^bperish, but that all should come to ^crepentance.	7^a reserved unto fire against the day of judgement The earth, as LDS doctrine does teach, will and has experienced it own batism by water and of the spirit. Like unto the proper mode of baptism, the earth's baptism was a total immersion, a universal flood which covered the whole of the face of the earth for at about one earth year's time. The waters did gradually receed from off the face of the lands of the earth. And by the days of Peleg, the earth was further divided and has evolved into the continental and island arrangement we see today. Just as the earth was baptized with water, it will also undergo the purification of its baptism of the spirit which is signified both figuratively and literally by the day of fire and judgement which is yet to come. In that day, again the wicked will be consumed from off the face of the earth. And the earth will be made 'new' cleased from the evil of Satan as Satan will be bound and the iniquity of man. Then only the righteous will stand to inhabit the earth during the Millenial Reign of Jehovah, even Jesus Christ.
10 But the ^aday of the Lord will ^bcome as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall ^cpass away with a great noise, and the ^delements shall melt with fervent heat, the ^eearth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what ^amanner of persons ought ye to be in all holy ^aconversation and godliness, 12 ^aLooking for and ^bhasting unto the ^ccoming of the ^dday of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new ^aheavens and a ^bnew ^cearth, wherein dwelleth ^drighteousness. 14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be ^adiligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without ^bspot, and blameless.
15 And ^aaccount that the ^blongsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable ^awrest, as they do also the other ^bscriptures, unto their own destruction.
17 Ye therefore, beloved, ^aseeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being ^bled away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own ^cstedfastness. 18 But grow in ^agrace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.