Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 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 and Savior,... (II Peter 3:1-2)
Peter summarizes the purpose of writing his two letters, that they are to serve as reminders. That's the purpose of the scriptures, to remind us what God has said, by the holy prophets, and the apostles of the Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. Remember, we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until
the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. (II Peter 1:19-21)
The entirety of Your word is truth,... (Psalm 119:60) Your word is truth. (John 17:17) The entire Word of God is Truth! We must believe ALL of it, even if we don't understand all of it. Whatever we don't understand, or even have a hard time believing, we must do as the man who prayed to Jesus for help, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) Through His Holy Spirit in us, He will help our unbelief and help us to understand.
We have to be sure that we believe and know the Word of God, no matter what people may say. ...knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to 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 creation.” For
this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of
old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water [Genesis 1; Psalm 33; Hebrews 11:3], by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. [Genesis 7] But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (II Peter 3:3-7)
The earth will experience three ages. The first was before the flood, ...when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. (I Peter 3:20) The second earth age is since the flood to the present, and will last until Christ Jesus returns and pronounces His final judgements on mankind. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who
sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And
there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,... Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. (Revelations 20:11-15)
This second earth age has lasted longer than most people thought it would, because since the time Jesus taught, "...in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. ... But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Mark 13:24-32)
Then at His ascension, He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority." ... Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:7-11)
From that day to this, scoffers have said, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (II Peter 3:8-9)
We better be thankful that God desires ALL men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (I Timothy 2:4) Because truth be told, many of us know we would be cast into the lake of fire, had God not shown us much grace and mercy and allowed us time to repent and turn to Him. But, for those who have not accepted God's free gift of salvation yet, don't assume you will have time to do so! Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (II Corinthians 6:2) Do it now, before Christ returns, because "of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ... Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Matthew 24:36-44)
But
the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the
heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt
with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be
burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking
for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the
heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt
with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (II Peter 3:10-13)
The first earth age ended with a flood. This second earth age will end with fire. And then Christ Jesus will usher in the third and eternal earth age. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more
death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the
former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Revelations 21:1-5)
Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, 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 understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. (II Peter 3:14-16)
We can believe ALL the scriptures, as recorded in the books of the old and the new testament, because we have the prophetic word confirmed. Everything the prophets wrote and the apostles wrote has been confirmed. Nearly 2500 prophecies are recorded in the Bible, "about 2000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter—no errors." (read "Reasons to Believe") Why would we start believing scoffers and doubting now before God fulfills the remaining 500? You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. (II Peter 3:17-18)
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