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DECEMBER 2
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3 For there those who carried us away ed with water. But the heavens and the earth
captive asked of us a song, which are now preserved by the same word,
And those who plundered us requested are reserved for fire until the day of judgment
mirth, and perdition of ungodly men.
Saying, “Sing us one of the songs 8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing,
of Zion!” that with the Lord one day is as a thousand
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How shall we sing the LORD’s song
4 years, and a thousand years as one day. The
In a foreign land? Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
5 some count slackness, but is longsuffering
Let my right hand forget its skill! toward us, not willing that any should perish
6 If I do not remember you, but that all should come to repentance.
Let my tongue cling to the roof of my 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief
mouth— in the night, in which the heavens will pass
If I do not exalt Jerusalem away with a great noise, and the elements will
Above my chief joy. melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the
works that are in it will be burned up. There-
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Proverbs 29:14 fore, since all these things will be dissolved,
14 The king who judges the poor with what manner of persons ought you to be in holy
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truth, conduct and godliness, looking for and has-
His throne will be established tening the coming of the day of God, because
forever. of which the heavens will be dissolved, being
on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent
2 Peter 3:1–18 heat? Nevertheless we, according to His
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Beloved, I now write to you this second promise, look for new heavens and a new earth
3 epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to
minds by way of reminder), that you may be
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mindful of the words which were spoken these things, be diligent to be found by Him in
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before by the holy prophets, and of the com- peace, without spot and blameless; and con-
mandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and sider that the longsuffering of our Lord is sal-
Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will vation—as also our beloved brother Paul,
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come in the last days, walking according to according to the wisdom given to him, has
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their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the written to you, as also in all his epistles,
promise of His coming? For since the fathers speaking in them of these things, in which are
fell asleep, all things continue as they were some things hard to understand, which
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from the beginning of creation.” For this they untaught and unstable people twist to their
willfully forget: that by the word of God the own destruction, as they do also the rest of the
heavens were of old, and the earth standing Scriptures.
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out of water and in the water, by which the
world that then existed perished, being flood-
3:16 hard to understand. Since Paul had (by
the time Peter wrote) written all his letters and
3:3 knowing this first. “First” here means the died, the readers of 2 Peter would have already
preeminent matter,not the first in a list.Peter’s received letters about future events from Paul.
priority in this section of his letter is to warn Some of Paul’s explanations were difficult (not
Christians about how the false teachers would impossible) to interpret. Nevertheless, Peter
try to deny this judgment and steal the hope uses Paul as a support for his teaching.
of believers.scoffers will come. False teachers
argue against the Second Coming of Christ or
any teaching of Scripture through ridicule (Is. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know
5:19; Jude 18). in the last days. This phrase
refers to that entire period of time from the this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from
arrival of the Messiah to His return (Acts 2:17; your own steadfastness, being led away with
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Gal. 4:4; 2 Tim. 3:1; Heb. 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:20; 1 John the error of the wicked; but grow in the
2:18,19;James 5:3;Jude 18).The entire age will grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Je-
be marked by saboteurs of the Christian truth sus Christ.
and especially the hope of Christ’s return. To Him be the glory both now and forever.
Amen.
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