2 Peter 1:11-15

 

2 Pet 1:11 (KJB)

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

 

Entrance - Entering or access

Ministered - Furnished, provided, or supplied

Abundantly - Richly

 

Peter continues his line of thinking from verse 10. If a believer does a self-examination and finds they are truly saved and that they possess all the moral characteristics that Peter pointed out which shows evidence of the transformed life, then an entrance or access shall be furnished unto the believer and that entrance will be abundant or rich. What will that entrance be unto? This verse is speaking of the abundant entrance into heaven which every true believer will be granted because of the riches of the grace of Christ in buying our salvation on the cross at Calvary. Peter has in view here those Christians who bore much fruit and continued to grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ each day of their life. This does not mean there is a tier system in heaven whereby some believers will be elevated to higher positions but it does mean there may be responsibilities doled out according to the life lived on earth. This may be deduced by the following parable:

 

(Luke 19:12-19 KJV) He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. {13} And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. {14} But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. {15} And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. {16} Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. {17} And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. {18} And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. {19} And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.

 

None of us know what the Lord has in store for His children in Heaven but this parable seems to indicate there will be some type of responsibilities given to His children and it seems that while all will have salvation and none will be lost, it does show that based upon the faithfulness of this life, there will be some that will have more responsibility in heaven than others. Now I must honestly say I do not know where to factor in those who God has saved on their deathbed or those whom He has saved that were physically incapable of doing anything in the kingdom, be it mental or physical. As I previously said that all God’s children will have eternal salvation but as for responsibility in Heaven, maybe we better leave that in the hands of the Lord and not speculate. Yet, we are told in our verse that those who are faithful to the Lord in this world will experience the abundant entrance into Heaven. So the best course that any Christian can take on earth would be to live a fruitful life and not one of the indolent.

 

2 Pet 1:12 (KJB)

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.

 

Wherefore - Because of this

Negligent - Neglect or disregard

Remembrance - Put in mind, remind of, or suggest

Know - Know fully, understand or recognize

Established - Fix, set firmly, or strengthen (having been established)

Present - To be near or at hand

 

Peter continues speaking concerning the abundant entrance into heaven and he states here that because of God giving His children an abundant entrance into Heaven, Peter would not neglect to keep reminding these believers of these things. They were facing horrible persecution and Peter wanted to keep reminding them of these truths, which, he states, they already understand but he reminds them that they have been established in these truths, that is, the truths which they have received. This verse is a good reminder to those who bring Gospel messages that it never hurts to keep reminding Christians of the infallible truths of Scripture. As these Christians that Peter was speaking to, even though he was fully convinced that they knew these truths, yet, with impending persecution, there could be a possibility that some may be drawn away from them. Peter knew the truth of God is the only thing to stand on when facing persecution.

 

2 Pet 1:13 (KJB)

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

 

Meet - Proper or suitable

Tabernacle - Tent, lodging, or dwelling place

To stir up - Wake up thoroughly, arouse, or excite

 

Peter did not think it improper that while he was yet in his earthly body to stir up the Christians which he was speaking to. This is a good reminder to those who teach the Scriptures that the only time we have available to us for sending forth the Gospel is the time we have now because we never know when our last hour will be. We must, to the best of our ability, get Christians excited about the Lord and ministry so we can make an impact in the world by reaching all the Elect which God named before the foundation of the world. Better yet, the Lord will take care of the whole world, let us evangelize the world around us and eventually the whole world would hear.

 

2 Pet 1:14 (KJB)

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

 

Shortly - Soon

Put off - putting away or removal

Showed - Revealed or brought to light

 

Peter knew that very soon he was to put away his present earthly body, that is, he knew that his time on earth was drawing to a close. The Lord Jesus Christ had showed him, when he was younger, the manner of death that he was to face. (John 21:18 KJV) Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. It seemed the Lord was speaking of the fact that Peter was to face crucifixion. No matter how Peter died, he had first gotten his priorities in order by making sure he aroused the Christians to their sense of duty. This is another good lesson for today’s Christian who thinks that Christianity is just jumping up and down in the pews or seeking riches or speaking in tongues. Our days are severely numbered and when we allow each day to pass by without us at least doing one thing for the kingdom of God, we lose that precious time and can never again regain it. We must be as Peter in that we know that we too will soon put off our tabernacles. Don’t think you have so much time left that you can afford to squander it. I am writing this at the age of 54. I became saved at 27 and the last 27 years are a blur, in that they have gone by so fast. Let us not be lethargic in our Christian walk and get busy for the Lord, for soon the end will be here, be it by our home going or the return of the Lord, and then what will you have to give to the Lord on that day. (Luke 16:9 KJV) And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. If you can’t go, at least send!

 

2 Pet 1:15 (KJB)

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

 

I will endeavour - I will be diligent

 

Here Peter is speaking of making sure that these Christians will have an account of these biblical truths after he is gone. Peter, after all, was an eyewitness to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, that is, he saw Christ after He arose from the dead. This is also another lesson for the Christian’s legacy. What will you leave the future generations? Will they thank the Lord you were alive or will they ask, “who was he or she?” Have you lived your Christian life to the fullest that you reached as many as you could for the Gospel and helped as many Christians as you could grow in the faith? Or was your life only church on Sunday morning and then a dead zone till the following Sunday morning? Peter is not only desiring these Christians to have an account of the Lord’s life and teachings, he is also leaving this principle for us to carry on. It is the responsibility of every Christian generation to feed and help grow the next generation so when we become feeble or the Lord takes us home, then we know that our job was done to the fullest that we could. (Prov 22:6 KJV) Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Many people look at this verse and interpret it solely to mean a physical child, however, this verse holds a wonderful spiritual principle for us. Whenever we help mature a new believer, we are taking that spiritual child and we are training them and if we train them correctly, then, when they get older they will not depart from the truth. When one generation properly trains a subsequent generation, these biblical truths will always come to remembrance, no matter how many false teachers and false gospels will exist at that time. Magna Est Veritas Et Praevalebit (Truth is mighty and will prevail)

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