In this episode, we dive deep into the final chapter of 2 Peter, exploring profound insights on patience, time, and God’s sovereign plan. Join us as we listen to the scripture reading and gain understanding through the reflections of personal journals spanning decades. Discover what it means to live lives of holiness and godliness while waiting for new heavens and a new earth.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
SPEAKER 03 :
Today we will finish 2 Peter. We are in the last chapter, chapter 3. Listen to the 18 verses as recorded by Faith Comes by Hearing. 2 Peter 3. 2 Peter 3.
SPEAKER 02 :
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. they will say, Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise, as some count slowness. but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn? But according to His promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. You, therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
SPEAKER 03 :
In 1990, at 35 years old, when I read 2 Peter chapter 3, I wrote, God’s coming is delayed because He wants all to repent and be saved. Earth is going to be destroyed by fire, intense heat. God is sovereign. He is on time. He has the plan of the end in motion. He has my life in his hands as well. Thank you, Jesus, for your love. In the year 2000, at 45 years old, I read 2 Peter chapter 3, and I didn’t write a note in my personal Bible reading journal. In 2010, at 55 years old, I read 2 Peter, the whole book in one day, and concerning chapter 3, I wrote, The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. And I concluded my journal with this statement concerning chapter 3, verses 13 through 14, But we wait for new heavens. and a new earth. Peter closes out his second letter by reminding people that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior. By remembering the prophets and the commandments of the Lord, we will be able to resist false teaching. He reminds us that the world was once destroyed by water, but the next time it will be destroyed by fire. And verse 8 reminds us, With the Lord one day is a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day. What’s that say to me? God is not on our time frame. He is eternal. He is the same yesterday and today and forever. And though we may read the prophets and say nothing has happened, God is not bound by our idea of time. Peter reminds us in verse 9, The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you. Praise God for his patience with us. He’s patient, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. He gives us time to find our way to salvation. He gives us time to keep ourselves out of hell. Though I may long for the second coming of Jesus, there are plenty of people I know that aren’t saved yet. So I am thankful for God’s patience. But the day will come when the heavens will pass away, the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Then Peter asked, while we wait. What sort of people ought we be? He tells us in verse 14, He instructs us more in verses 17 and 18, While we’re waiting for the second coming, that’s the kind of people we ought to be. So how do we protect ourselves from false prophets and false teachers? By growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. And how do we do that? It’s amazing, at the end of this chapter, that Peter equates the writings of Paul to Scripture. In verse 15, he says, Right there, he equates Paul’s writings, to Scripture, the New Testament, equating with the Old Testament. And by being in the Scriptures, that’s how we’re going to prevent ourselves from being swayed by false teaching. These were the last words of Peter. Remember, he wrote these from prison shortly before his death. In this short letter, he reminded us to live lives pleasing to God, to combat the false teachers who were pressuring the early church by remembering the prophets and the words and the commandments of Jesus. Peter’s last words should echo in our hearts today, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. Thus ends 2 Peter. Friends, thank you for listening to AdBible. I hope you are growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by listening to these recordings. Please visit EzraProject.net to see how you can support the continuing recordings of AdBible audio daily devotions from the Ezra Project. And may God bless you as you do. Continue listening. I look forward to our next time together in another book of the Bible. God’s richest blessings. Amen. According to a recent Barna research study entitled Bible Reading, A New Year’s Resolution, most Americans are not satisfied with their current level of Scripture reading. A majority express a desire to read the Bible more than they currently do. Born-again and practicing Christians are the most likely to desire more Bible reading in their day-to-day lives. It should not come as a surprise that the majority of Americans wish they read Scripture more than they do, says Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief of Barna Group. After all, two-thirds of Americans agree that the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life. Why wouldn’t you want to read such a book more often? The study continues. However, like other New Year’s resolutions, such as exercising more and eating healthier, Scripture reading is often an aspirational goal. It’s the goal that for most people probably doesn’t feel necessary to survive and so can easily get swamped by the day-to-day demands of a busy life. Scripture reading takes time and focus, two things that feel like scarcities in today’s fast-paced and on-demand culture. Like exercise, like dieting, regular Bible reading does not offer instant payoff. It’s a discipline whose rewards are reaped over the long haul. And the study continues, when people go from feeling they should read the Bible more to needing to read the Bible more, they find the time. Access to the Bible is not the issue in the USA, is it? We all have Bibles. According to another study done a few years ago, 88% of Americans own a Bible. We have 3.5 Bibles in our homes. And this is amazing. 59% of people who have no faith or are atheists even own a Bible, probably just in case. So if you have a smartphone, you have access to the Word of God. My Gideon Bible app has over 2,100 languages. Access to the Bible is not the issue. The issue is changing our beliefs about the Bible to behavior with the Bible. So where are Christians with the Bible today? Christians are well-intentioned when it comes to the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe, we just don’t behave. Our belief in the Bible and our behavior with the Bible are inconsistent. The middle ground related to the Bible seems to be disappearing. The decrease of Bible-neutral and Bible-friendly people and the increase of Bible antagonists suggests that more people are picking a side. Which side are you on? Are you a Bible antagonist questioning the Bible? Are you Bible-neutral? I just don’t know. Or are you Bible-friendly? I love the Bible. Wherever you are, pick a side. Because of our neglect of God’s Word, we are becoming biblically illiterate. For example, in a private religious elementary school, kids were asked about the Old and New Testaments. Here are some funny things that they had to say. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat that apple. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day but a ball of fire by night. What kind of man was Boaz before he married? So, if we think about Bible literacy or illiteracy, we think about it this way. If God decided to come down from his throne in heaven, become an author here on earth, you’d think his book would be on the bestseller list. And the fact is, the Bible is the number one bestselling book of all time. 2.5 to 5 billion, according to research. It’s also the most read book of all time. Praise the Lord, that alone might be evidence that the Bible, not any other so-called writing, is God’s Word. According to a weekly World News report, here are a few other Bible facts. About 50 Bibles are sold every minute. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. It’s also the world’s most shoplifted book. That’s interesting. And that doesn’t even count all the Gideon Bibles stolen out of those hotels. So I encourage you to enjoy a portion of God’s Word every day. Make it a daily spiritual habit. And so until next time, I’m Alan J. Huth, and this program is sponsored by The Ezra Project, with support from listeners like you. Visit EzraProject.net to keep AdBible, connecting God’s people to God’s Word, on the air. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. If you’re worried about the moral decline, let not your heart be troubled. Remember when God unleashed ten plagues on Egypt? None of them affected the Israelites. No flies, no bloody water, no hail, no death angel. Though they lived in Egypt, they lived under God’s protection in Goshen. As you consume the news of our day to day, you may become hopeless. So visit EzraProject.net and read Living in Goshen. It will brighten your countenance and renew your trust in God. Even as plagues rain down all around us, you can live in Goshen and not be affected. Visit EzraProject.net and read Living in Goshen today. I know you’re going to enjoy it and want to share it with others.
