The Skeptics Annotated Bible (984 page)

14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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.
—
2 Peter 3.4

Although this epistle claims to have been written by Peter, he was almost certainly not its author. It was written around 90-100 CE, long after Peter’s death. The late date (probably the last of the New Testament books to be written) is suspected because: verses 3.3-4 make excuses for the failure of the expected second coming of Christ; the author refers to “all of the letters of Paul” in a way that indicates that Paul’s epistles were already considered equal to “the other scriptures;” and the epistle depends upon the letter of Jude, which is thought to have been written around 80-100 CE.

There’s some embarrassing stuff in Second Peter. Noah is a “preacher of righteousness” (2.5), Lot is “a just and righteous man” (
2.7-8
), God plans to burn up the entire earth (3.10), and believers were already making excuses for Jesus’ non-return 1900 years ago (
3.4-8
).

Here are the highlights.

• “No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” That’s just your interpretation.
  1.20
  
• “There shall be false teachers among you, who … shall bring in damnable heresies … and bring upon themselves swift destruction … Their damnation slumbereth not.”
  2.1-3
  
• “God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness.”
  2.4
  
• “Noah … a preacher of righteousness.” God drowned everyone on earth except for Noah [the first drunken “preacher of righteousness” (see Gen 9.20)] and his family.
  2.5
  ,
  3.6
  
• Lot, who in Gen 19.8 offers his two virgin daughters to a crowd of angel rapers and later gets drunk and impregnates them (
  19.30-38
  ), is a “just” and “righteous man.”
  2.7-8
  
• God knows how to punish those that lust or “despise government.” (Watch out Teabaggers!)
  2.9-14
  
• The author believes the story in Numbers (
  22.28-30
  ) about the talking ass.
  2.16
  
• Those who lose their faith are like dogs that eat their own vomit.
  2.22
  
• The author of 2 Peter is aware of the failed expectations of early believers. He knows that Jesus, who was supposed to come soon, didn’t come at all. Many have begun to ask, “Where is the promise of his coming?” So he makes up the “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” Believers have been using it ever since. 3.4-8
  
• God will set the entire earth on fire so that he can burn non-believers to death.
  3.7
  
• When Jesus finally comes, the heavens will “pass away with a great noise” and the earth will “be burnt up.”
  3.10
  
• Paul’s epistles are hard to understand; those who try to understand them, as with the other scriptures, do so “unto their own destruction.”
  3.16
  

1
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:

(1.1, 3.1)
“Simon Peter”
Although this epistle claims to have been written by Peter, he was almost certainly not its author. It is thought to have been written around 90-100 CE, long after Peter’s death. The late date is suspected because: 1) verses 3:3-4 make excuses for the failure of the expected second coming of Christ, 2) the author refers to “all of the letters of Paul” in a way that indicates that Paul’s epistles were already considered equal to “the other scriptures”, and 3) the epistle depends upon the letter of Jude, which is thought to have been written around 80-100 CE.

2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.

13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;

14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.

16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

(1.20) “No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”
That’s just your interpretation.

21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

(2.1-3) The basic message of Christianity is “believe or be damned” and from this flows intolerance toward all non-Christians. But, as these verses show, Christian intolerance is often directed toward believers as well. Each group of Christians accuses the others of being “false teachers” of “damnable heresies” who will soon be damned to hell.

2
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

(2.1)
“There shall be false teachers among you, who … shall bring in damnable heresies … and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”

2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

(2.3)
“Their damnation slumbereth not.”

4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

(2.4)
“God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness.”
287 Is the devil free to roam?

5 And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;

(2.5)
“Noah … a preacher of righteousness.”
God drowned everyone on earth except for Noah [the first drunken “preacher of righteousness” (see Gen 9.20)] and his family.
35 Has there ever been a righteous man?