Second Peter 3:1-18

Peter continues by referring to his first letter, generally known today as First Peter, and he again addresses the holy-people as loved¹ (refer to I or II Peter chapter 1 for an explanation of “love¹”).

II Peter 3:1-4:

^3:1Already I write to you, loved-people¹, this second letter, in which (letters) I throughly-raise-up your genuine mind-process in remembrance, ^.2(for you) to be caused-to-remember the spoken-matters having been said-beforehand² by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior (by) your apostles;

^.3firstly knowing this that deriders will come on (the) last days in derision journeying according to their own intense-yearnings ^.4and saying, “Where is the promise of his presence, for from which the fathers were caused-to-sleep thus all-things throughly-remain from (the) beginning of creation?”

By this time I am writing this second letter to you, loved-people¹ (beloved, truly you are loved by God and by myself with God’s kind of love)…

in which letters (both of them) I throughly raise up (I fully or thoroughly arouse, cause to be active)
- your genuine mind-process (your meditation, the conscious thinking-through and reflecting on the perception in your mind, which is genuine as though being examined in the bright sunlight and found to be sincere)
  - in remembrance (within the sphere of action of a reminding, giving you a reminder),
for you to be caused to remember (to recollect, call to your minds, be reminded of)
- the spoken-matters (the sayings or portions of the whole of God’s Word containing the specific discourses) which were foretold to you and they have not changed (they were definitely communicated previously with words to you)
  - by the holy prophets (by/under the power, hand, or agency of the sanctified prophets, those who spoke words from God to others regarding the past, present and/or future, and much of these words were then written down)
- and the commandment (that-which is enjoined or commanded) of, from or pertaining-to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
  - by your apostles (people sent-forth by God and/or by the Lord Jesus Christ on a mission or specific assignment to you);
firstly knowing this (in the first place personally knowing, having a truly active and relative knowing, being personally knowledgeable of this fact) that
- deriders (people who play-with, mock like a child, toy-with other people)
- will come on the last days (during the final or extreme days, the more remote, uttermost span of time in which we all live currently as we await the Lord’s presence)
  - within the sphere of action of carrying-out their derision
- journeying according to their own intense-yearnings (passing or traveling through their everyday living in accordance, conformity, proportion to/with their own lusts, here used in the bad sense, strong desires attached or fixed upon certain objects other-than God and the things of God)
- and saying,
  - “Where is the promise of his presence (at the present time where is the proclamation or declaration of the message of God’s intention pertaining to the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ’s coming and then being present, his arrival – it hasn’t happened yet so where is the fulfillment of this promise),
  - in fact, from/since the time that the promise was made by God, the fathers were caused to sleep (they have already died)
  - in this manner all-things throughly remain (continue to remain thoroughly, stay through and through, they permanently and fully continue unchanged)
  - from/since the beginning of creation (the start of the created-thing, that-which was brought into being, established, and is still in progress at the present time)?”

[Reference: Genesis 3:15; Acts 2:17, 3:21, 13:36 and 47; I Corinthians 14:37, 15:23; Ephesians 2:20, 3:5; II Timothy 3:1; Hebrews 11:39 and 40; James 5:3; I Peter 1:4, 2:11, 4:12; II Peter 1:13, 16, 20 and 21, 2:10, 20 and 21; Jude 1:17 and 18. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (²) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]

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