The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God

Peters Purpose for this Letter

with Exhortation to Steadfastness 

 

2Peter 3:1-18 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That you 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 our Savior: Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. 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: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved to fire against the day of judgment and perdition (destruction) of ungodly men.

But, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promises, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord (not the same as the day of Christ) will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, (this is revealed in the following passages Ps. 46:6, 97:5, Amos 9:5, 13, Nahum 1:5) the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 

Then all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation (Living) and godliness, looking for and hasting to the coming of the day of God (God's wrath on all disobedience and unbelief), wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that we look for such things, be diligent that we may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless. On account that the longsuffering of our Lord is to our salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given to him has written to you; 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 (to twist the language to unholy end and purposes), as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, seeing you know (understand) these things before, beware lest you also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in Grace, and the Knowledge of our Lord, our Savior Christ Jesus. To Him is glory both now and for ever. Amen.

In order to keep with scripture, that being from the mouth of two or three let all prophesy be firm I will also include another witness to what has been revealed already.

Hear the warnings taken from history to the Ungodly

Jude 1:4-5, 6-7, 8-13, 14-16, 17-23, 24-25 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the Grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord, Christ Jesus. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that did not believe.

The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness to the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 

Likewise also these are filthy dreamers defiling the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke you. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit wither, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

And Enoch (Gen. 5:18, 24, 1Chron. 1:1-3, Heb. 11:5-6, there is a small book now available which had been in our Bibles but was removed eons ago because of what it contained and spoke of, it is simply titled, Enoch) also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaks great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.