Intro to Second Peter 1,2:​ Don’t Look Back

The What:
- “The Farewell Letter” - believed to have been written on Peter’s behalf.
- References to Paul’s letters and Jude date this as one of the later NT books

The Who:
- From Simeon-Peter - “The Rock” and apostle from the gospels.
- To a group of known gentile converts that aren’t new to the faith

Themes to look for:

1. Use of time to communicate absolute urgency
2. Written for a targeted audience of believers he already knew
3. The relation between “knowing”, “forgetting” and “doing.”

Why it matters:
- Peter knows his death is approaching and worries that his message will die with
him and the other apostles. (End of the “Apostalic Age”)
- Guide on how to avoid having to avoid things - (getting out of your own way.)
- Explains the danger of being “saved.” (Reverting is a conscious rejection of God)
- see also Hebrews 5,6 and Luke 11:24-26

Key Terms and Figures:

- Licentious: ​lacking legal or moral restraints​: disregarding sexual restraints.

- Exploit​: ​to treat one unfairly in order to benefit from their work or resources.
- Deceive​: to ​cause to believe something that is not true, typically to gain an
advantage.
- Balaam​: (son of Bosor/Beor*) “Seer of the gods” (magician/psychic). He is
mentioned a lot in the OT but the reference here is to Num 22:21-35. An “angel
of the Lord” appears ready to cut Balaam down but the donkey he is riding
moves out of the way. Not seeing the angel, he strikes his donkey. This happens
3 times. God then gives the donkey the gift of speech so that it can tell him about
the angel. The angel is then revealed - proving that Balaam was foolish.

*Jewish prophet spoken about in the Talmud and other recorded oral traditions.
 Intro to Second Thessalonians 1, 2:​ The Great Lie

The What:

The Who:

Why it matters:

Key Terms and Figures: