BBB Bible Series: The Second Book of Peter Quiz

Answer: they are spiritually blind and have forgotten they had been purged from sin

"But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." - 2 Peter 1:9
(King James Version)

Peter is speaking of spiritual blindness, not the physical inability to see. He also seems to be saying that a person who does not practice the disciplines mentioned are incapable of even understanding the redemptive power of Christ.

Answer: by speaking as an eyewitness to events during Jesus' earth walk

Peter, as any eyewitness to many of the miracles that Jesus had performed, and as any eyewitness to the events on the Mount of Transfiguration along with John and James, was testifying of the evidence that he himself had seen and heard.

Answer: prophecy of the scripture

Peter in this passage states that..."we have a more sure word of prophecy;... knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." (King James Version)

Answer: they will deny the Lord that bought them

"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."

It is important to remember that Peter was addressing problems WITHIN the early church, not problems that were external to it. The false prophets of the Old Testament are comparable to the false teachers of the New Testament, and, by extension, may even be seen as similar to false teachers in today's society.

Answer: placed them in chains

"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;"...
(2nd Peter 2:4 King James Version)

These angels, who were cast out of heaven with Lucifer, apparently did something so heinous that God did not allow them to be as relatively free as the other demons (fallen angels), but instead put them away in chains until the day of judgment.

Answer: unclean, presumptuous and self-willed

"But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities."

These people of whom Peter is speaking are referred to in verse 14 as "cursed children", due to the very nature of their rebellion and their unspeakable sins against God.

Answer: their latter end is worse than their beginning

"For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them." (King James Version)

Some Christians feel that this is an indicator of losing one's salvation, while others believe that such a person was never saved in the first place. Regardless of one's viewpoint, Christians generally agree that this dire warning should be heeded, as it renounces all those who are guilty of false teachings, false doctrines and of fostering a false sense of security in others.

Primarily, it seems to be addressing those who have known Christ and Christianity, and yet still manage to turn their back to it.

Answer: scoffers

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying '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.' (King James Version)

This text states plainly that not all professed Christians will believe that Christ will return in glory and honor, but will instead continue pursuing their own sinful lusts, without even a hint of shame or repentance.

Answer: repent of their sins

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (King James Version)

If anyone has ever wondered about the Christian answer to the question of why God has not already put an end to all the suffering, misery, pain and such that mankind endures in this life, perhaps the answer may be found in this verse. According to Peter, He desires to give all men the opportunity to repent and return to Him, serving Him willingly as their Lord and their Master. Since God never rudely forces anyone to do anything against their will, He instead gently intreats them. This, as anyone with children can attest, is the mark of a patient, loving parent, and it takes time to convince the errant of their poor behavior. His desire, says Peter, is to have man voluntarily worship Him; not to be robotic and coerced into submission.

Answer: by flood and by fire

In the passage of 2nd Peter 2:5, he says in part, "... bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly", while 2nd Peter 3:12 says in part, "...wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat"

This cataclysmic prediction seems to be evidenced in other books of the Bible as well. We see it in Isaiah 24:19; Isaiah 34:4; Isaiah 64:1-2; Micah 1:4; along with a previous reference in 2nd Peter 3:10.