PETER
CHAPTER 3
Latter-day scoffers deny the Second Coming—Elements to melt at the coming of the Lord.
1 THIS second epistle, [ When we are reading any of the epistles of Peter we need to remember that we are reading the words of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ. ] beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, [ And what shall they scoff? That the son of man will return again. ] walking after their own lusts, [ Scientists and false ministers who pusue and try to convince man the way that they think or want things to be - their own opinion for what ever reason. so they can continue to do things as they want not be subject to Gos and his command. ]
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? [ This is what they are scoffing about. ] for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. [ “But Peter, whose views came not from reason but by revelation, replies: in essence is it harder for the Lord return than it was for him to create the earth? ]
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: [ Or was it harder for God to flood the earth with water than it is for Christ to return again? ]
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, [ What is this one thing of which he speaks? If we go to JST 2 Peter 3:8 we can see that it is "concerning the coming of our Lord" or the second coming. ] that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. [ 7 days of man, each day is a thousand years. So if we break that up. 4 days (4 thousand years) until the Messiah comes the first time, 2 days (2,000 years) to the times of tribulation, 1 day (1 thousand years) for the millennial rein. Was peter reminding the saints of the signifigance of the year 2,000 A.D. and predicting "scoffers" in our day? ]
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; [ Or God is not slacking but rather he is giving men a chance to repent. ] but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord [ Or his second coming. ] will come as a thief in the night [ The phrase, thief in the night, is a Hebrew idiom, and refers to the practice mentioned in Leviticus 6:8-13 which stated that the priest who was in charge must wear linen clothing and must keep the fires of the altar burning: “The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, . . . The fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.”
The priests were assigned to constantly watch over the altar fire and over the Menorah and were never to fall asleep during their night of service. In order to insure that the priest(s) stayed awake, the High Priest (or the Captain Of The Guards) would walk around the Temple looking for the priest(s). If a priest was found sleeping during a surprise visit, the High Priest (or Captain) would take hot coals from the altar fire, place some of the hot coals in a fire pan and take them over to the sleeping priest. He would then gently place the pan and hot coals under the sleeping priest’s clothing.
The priest’s linen clothing would soon be ignited in flames – clothing in those days did not have flame retardant chemicals imbedded into the cloth as do modern clothes. The guilty priest would have no choice but to leave his burning clothes and run burnt, naked, and ashamed back home. Quite a lesson not to fall asleep on the job or to be un-alert! It was this practice of surprise visits that according to Jewish tradition got the High Priest (or the Captain) nicknamed the “Thief In The Night”!
This provides a symbolic teaching for us that we like the priest's of old are not to fall asleep while we are waiting for the Lord to return as the Lord taught in Matthew 24:42-44. ] ; in the which the heavens shall pass away [ The earth will be taken from the orbit that it is currently in.] with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works [ The corrupt works of the wicked. ] that are therein shall be burned up. [ Or all who live and seek after wickedness will be removed and will not be moved into the new orbit of the earth where the earth will change its own character. ]
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day 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 heavens and a new earth, [“Let us not misunderstand this expression. The new heaven and new earth will be the same heaven and the same earth on which we now sojourn, for this earth is to receive the resurrection after this day of mortality and be the abode of the righteous in eternity. Without the revelations of the Lord given to men, this truth would not be made known. Neither would we have knowledge of the final glory to which this earth will be assigned. Even now, where men are without the divine guidance and revelation, this truth would not be known.” (Smith, Seek Ye Earnestly . . . , p. 262.)] wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 And account that the longsuffering 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 wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.