2 Peter 3

2 Peter 3:1-18 . SURENESS OF CHRIST'S COMING, AND ITS ACCOMPANIMENTS, DECLARED IN OPPOSITION TO SCOFFERS ABOUT TO ARISE. GOD'S LONG SUFFERING A MOTIVE TO REPENTANCE, AS PAUL'S EPISTLES SET FORTH; CONCLUDING EXHORTATION TO GROWTH IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST.

1. now--"This now a second Epistle I write." Therefore he had lately written the former Epistle. The seven Catholic Epistles were written by James, John, and Jude, shortly before their deaths; previously, while having the prospect of being still for some time alive, they felt it less necessary to write [BENGEL].
unto you--The Second Epistle, though more general in its address, yet included especially the same persons as the First Epistle was particularly addressed to.
pure--literally, "pure when examined by sunlight"; "sincere." Adulterated with no error. Opposite to "having the understanding darkened." ALFORD explains, The mind, will, and affection, in relation to the outer world, being turned to God [the Sun of the soul], and not obscured by fleshly and selfish regards.
by way of--Greek, "in," "in putting you in remembrance" ( 2 Peter 1:12 2 Peter 1:13 ). Ye already know ( 2 Peter 3:3 ); it is only needed that I remind you ( Jude 1:5 ).

2. prophets--of the Old Testament.
of us--The oldest manuscripts and Vulgate read, "And of the commandment of the Lord and Saviour (declared) by YOUR apostles" (so "apostle of the Gentiles," Romans 11:13 )--the apostles who live among you in the present time, in contrast to the Old Testament "prophets."

3. Knowing this first--from the word of the apostles.
shall come--Their very scoffing shall confirm the truth of the prediction.
scoffers--The oldest manuscripts and Vulgate add, "(scoffers) in (that is, 'with') scoffing." As Revelation 14:2 , "harping with harps."
walking after their own lusts--( 2 Peter 2:10 , Jude 1:16 Jude 1:18 ). Their own pleasure is their sole law, unrestrained by reverence for God.

4. (Compare Psalms 10:11 , 73:11 .) Presumptuous skepticism and lawless lust, setting nature and its so-called laws above the God of nature and revelation, and arguing from the past continuity of nature's phenomena that there can be no future interruption to them, was the sin of the antediluvians, and shall be that of the scoffers in the last days.
Where--implying that it ought to have taken place before this, if ever it was to take place, but that it never will.
the promise--which you, believers, are so continually looking for the fulfilment of ( 2 Peter 3:13 ). What becomes of the promise which you talk so much of?
his--Christ's; the subject of prophecy from the earliest days.
the fathers--to whom the promise was made, and who rested all their hopes on it.
all things--in the natural world; skeptics look not beyond this.
as they were--continue as they do; as we see them to continue. From the time of the promise of Christ's coming as Saviour and King being given to the fathers, down to the present time, all things continue, and have continued, as they now are, from "the beginning of creation." The "scoffers" here are not necessarily atheists, nor do they maintain that the world existed from eternity. They are willing to recognize a God, but not the God of revelation. They reason from seeming delay against the fulfilment of God's word at all.