The Beacon
July 2025
“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.” (II Peter 3:10)
Peter probably wrote II Peter from Rome, not too long before his martyrdom (64-67 A.D.). He wrote during a time of persecution (possibly during the time of Nero, who died in 68 A.D.). Peter was in a Roman prison awaiting imminent execution.
In his letter, Peter taught that the grace of God in Christ truly transforms and empowers Christians to live righteously, even in the face of opposition. Would his readers live by God’s grace in a way that would please the Lord? Could they overcome the false teachers who were apparently exerting pressure on the churches to depart from the true knowledge of Christ?
Some of Peter’s concern looked like this:
”But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (II Peter 2:1-3)
False teachers would one day pay for their sin, and Peter wanted believers to be protected from them. How should they be living as true followers in Jesus…especially in light of the corruption that surrounded them?
They were to live “waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God…” And then Peter challenged them to live “without spot or blemish.” At the end of his letter, Peter again warned against “being carried away with the error of lawless people.” He didn’t want them to lose their stability.
Peter closed with what would be great on a “refrigerator magnet” when he challenged with, “But grow in the grace and knowledge or our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (II Peter 3:18)
Some people have taken seriously the emphasis on Christian discipleship. June and July sermons come from the book of James. Study books are available to use alone or with someone else. Maybe you are pursuing growth through God’s Word in James or another Bible study. May this be a time of GROWTH IN THE GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE OF JESUS CHRIST. As we wait…to Him be the glory!