Follow Him: A Come, Follow Me Podcast - 1 & 2 Peter Part 2 • Dr. Andrew C. Skinner • Nov 20 - Nov 26

Episode Date: November 15, 2023

Dr. Andrew Skinner examines the stepladder of faith, virtue, temperance, and charity through 2 Peter and the transformative power in living the teachings of Jesus Christ.Show Notes (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese): https://followhim.co/new-testament-episodes-41-52/YouTube: https://youtu.be/q0Z4J4BDDXQFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/followhimpodcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/followhimpodcastSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15G9TTz8yLp0dQyEcBQ8BYPlease rate and review the podcast!00:00 Part II– Dr. Andrew Skinner00:07 Peter reminds of rewards for faithful living01:18 Peter’s crucifixion04:08 2 Peter introduction05:15 Harold B. Lee and two missionaries07:38 A stepladder of faith, virtue, temperance, and charity10:26 Charity is at the top of the ladder13:45 Exaltation16:46 Calling and election made sure21:17 Ancient Saints and promised blessings24:18 Jesus’s life and works are not fables27:28 Mount of Transfiguration30:15 The one verse with the word “embark”31:33 Rebuking of false teachers37:31 Satan’s false promises to Cain38:56 The Second Coming of Jesus43:18 What manner of men and women ought we to be?45:23 Endure to the end in joy48:18 End of Part II– Dr. Andrew SkinnerThanks to the followHIM team:Shannon Sorensen: Cofounder, Executive Producer, SponsorDavid & Verla Sorensen: SponsorsDr. Hank Smith: Co-hostJohn Bytheway: Co-hostDavid Perry: ProducerKyle Nelson: Marketing, SponsorLisa Spice: Client Relations, Editor, Show NotesJamie Neilson: Social Media, Graphic DesignAnnabelle Sorensen: Creative Project ManagerWill Stoughton: Video EditorKrystal Roberts: Translation Team, English & French Transcripts, WebsiteAriel Cuadra: Spanish Transcripts"Let Zion in Her Beauty Rise" by Marshall McDonaldhttps://www.marshallmcdonaldmusic.com

The second epistle in my mind is a description of the capstone reward for living in a faithful way in the midst of trials and tribulations. What is in store for the faithful? If you live the way that the Lord wants you to, there is an exceeding great reward, and that's the second epistle of Peter, along with Peter's discussion of false teachers in chapter 2, and then chapter 3 is a brief discussion of the Lord's glorious return in the second coming. This is apparently written by Peter also from Rome as death approaches.

He mentions in second Peter chapter 1 verse 14, quote, knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has showed me." But you get the impression that Peter knows that the end is approaching, and maybe even has the inkling that it's approaching because of the persecutions enacted by Emperor Nero. We know, for example, that Peter is with Paul in Rome as the end occurs. And we know that Peter asks to die in the same way that his Lord and Savior died, except in a much more humiliated way. And I'll just read the two passages from the church historian Eusebius, Bishop of Cesaria, who is really our best secular source, not a scripture source, but our secular source of the

history of the early church. In fact, some people would say, well, he's really the only source, but this is his comment in his history of the church. Qu quote, study records, there you will find that Nero emperor was the first to persecute this teaching, meaning the first to persecute Christianity, when after subjugating the entire East in Rome, especially he treated everyone with savagery. That such a man was author of our chastisement fills us with pride. For anyone who knows Nero can understand that anything not supremely good would never have been condemned by Nero. So it came to about that this man, the first to be heralded as a conspicuous fighter against God, was led on to murder the apostles. It is recorded that in his reign, Paul was beheaded in Rome

itself, and that Peter likewise was crucified, just a couple of pages later in his history, UCBS says, quote, finally he came to Rome where he was crucified head downwards at his own request. For all of his preaching and encouragement, Peter still has to suffer more trial and more tribulation at the hands of this wicked man, Nero. Historians in recent times have made an attempt to rehabilitate the memory of Emperor Nero, but I'm one of those that thinks that we can trust UCBus and that these two great apostles, one to the Gentiles, his primary mission to the Gentiles, that was Paul, and then Peter, the President of the Church, who sort of took the Jewish arm of the church under his wing, are both executed in Rome because of this Naronian persecutions.

And if I heard that right, they're saying, look, how true and good our cause is because look who hates it. Exactly. And because Christianity is so good, then he's going to use his best efforts to try to destroy it. Again, Peter starts out with a salutation and introduction, Simon, Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. What he is really saying is that I'm writing to those who, through righteousness righteousness have strengthened their faith that is become as strong as our faith. So Peter is paying them a supreme complement. And then of course, verse two, grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ our Lord. I just need to stop here, and this is a brocketed comment, how many times have we read in these epistles

that God who is the father of our Lord Jesus Christ are treated as two separate and distinct beings? Over and over and over. And over again, in the Paulina pistols and the general pistols. And those that say, well, that's not what the New Testament teaches. Don't even realize at this point that they're interpreting or they're reading the New Testament through the lens of the church councils, the first seven councils of the Christian church, ultimately the Council of Nicaea, where they craft this definition of the Godhead, and don't realize that that's not what the New Testament is saying. And I mentioned that because had an interesting exchange with someone a well-back who says Paul talks of himself as an apostle, but is there any record of his ordination as an apostle? but there is that amazing story from the writings of President

Harold B. Lee who says two missionaries came to him with a perplexing problem. They had encountered a Christian minister. The missionaries had said the true Church of Jesus Christ is founded on apostles and prophets and we have them in the church today and the minister laughed at them and said if you only understood what the requirements were to be an apostle back in Acts chapter 1, it has to be somebody who accompanied with us throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ. It was a personal eyewitness

and if you understood that, you would see how ridiculous your statement is. So they wanted President Lee's view on how they might approach that. And President Lee says, well, go back to your minister and ask him two questions. Does he believe that Paul wasn't a apostle? Because it says that in the New Testament. And if he says, yes, then he asked him, how did Paul gain the knowledge and experience that he needed to be an apostle? And the second question is, how does this minister know that the apostles today don't also have that same witness that qualifies them to be apostolic servants of the Lord Jesus Christ? I just love that. All right, we've now dived into second Peter. In verse three, he begins to build a step ladder where you build on faith and these other attributes of virtue and temperance until you reach the ultimate goal. The reason for it

is stated in verse four, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises 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. What Peter is going to present then is building to the point where we are sufficiently righteous that we can actually protect in the divine nature, said bluntly, we can become exactly like our heavenly parents. We can become like the Lord Jesus Christ or use a phrase that some people don't like, we can become as the gods to use a phrase from section 132 of the doctrine of covenants. But I really think that that's what Peter is talking about. You can become exactly like your heavenly parents. You can become like Jesus Christ. In so doing, You can become like Jesus Christ. In so doing, you inherit or you are able to possess all that the Father has.

Section 84. And I think that the word all means exactly what it says. It's a pretty high percentage word. You are blessed with all that the Father has, all that He is, if you'll follow Peter's counsel here. In verse 5, giving all diligence, or maybe we would say, making every effort to add to your faith, virtue. And virtue is one of those loaded words that means many things. It can mean goodness, but it can also mean power. You remember the episode where the woman touched the hem of his garment and he says, virtue

went out of him. Well, in that case, the Latin word we're to means power. I think this is what Peter is getting at. You add to your faith power and power comes by righteous living. To virtue you add knowledge into knowledge, temperance or self-control and to self-control patience or in this case the Greek indicates perseverance and to perseverance godliness and to godliness brotherly, and to brotherly kindness, charity. Now notice charity is the apex. It's the ultimate attribute of these virtues that we are trying to cultivate. One is reminded of the writings of Elder Holland

where he says in his view, true charity, pure charity has only been manifest one time in the history of the world, and that's the atonement of Jesus Christ. And you think, well, that doesn't sound very good, but then you think about, well, what is charity? Charity is the pure love of Christ. There's really only one person that has pure 110% love, and that's Jesus Christ. The Lord says, strive for that, the ultimate attribute, I should say. Verse 8, for if these things be in you and abound, or maybe a better phrase, would be increase in measure, they make you that ye shall be neither barren nor unfruitful, or in other words, ye will be neither unprofitable nor unproductive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacks these things is blind and is nearsight. He can't see a far off. And

heath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins or his old ways. And then the kicker, verse 10, Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence or make every effort to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, ye shall never fall." The question then becomes, what is calling an election made sure? This is the prophet Joseph Smith's definition, quote, "...after a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins, and receives the Holy Ghost by the laying

on of hands, which is the first comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say to him, Son thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him and finds that the man, or we could say, woman, is determined to serve him, the Lord, at all hazards, then the man, or the woman, will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other comforter, which the Lord hath promised the

saints, as is recorded in the testimony of Saint John in the 14th chapter from the 12th to the 27th verses. Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more, nor less, than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. And this is the sum and substance of the whole matter, that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him or to appear into him from time to time, and even he will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be open unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God.

And this is the state and place the ancient saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions. Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, Saint Paul in the three heavens, and all the saints who held communion with the General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn, what Peter is encouraging the ancient saints, as well as the modern saints, is to cultivate all of those attributes that the Savior Himself has to demonstrate that His faith is genuine to use the language of the new international version, and to serve the Lord at all hazards that no matter what comes his or her way, they were made true and faithful to the Lord. It's the guarantee of exaltation. It is like having the day of judgment advanced so that you know here in mortality or even in the next life that you are

in air of exaltation. That is an amazing promise. Section 50 verse 5, whether in life or in death, the promise of exaltation is ours. The Prophet Joseph Smith mentioned the Church of the Firstborn, and that's an interesting phrase that we don't hear talked about much. It's mentioned in the Doctrine and Covenants. The Church of the Firstborn is parallel to the Church of Jesus Christ in mortality. So the Lord's Church in mortality is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Entrance into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is through the ordinance of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Church of the Firstborn is the Lord's Church, the Savior's Church, in the eternities. Yet, some membership is composed only of those who are exalted beings, and the ordinances that are required for entrance into the Church of the first born, or, of course, those ordinances that we partake of in the temple of the Lord. We have one who knows where of he speaks is encouraging the saints to

follow through on those principles and those doctrines that he's articulated in the first epistle, and if they do that, then their exaltation will be made sure. I have thought about why we don't speak more of the doctrine of making your calling in lecture and sure. And I, maybe it's a matter of producing in mortals an unhealthy zeal, an attempt to be righter than right and truer than true, rather than just continue to do the right thing for the right reason, paying your tithing, attending church, serving others, trying your best to be the kind of a person the Lord wants, rather than becoming so zealous that, yeah, you miss the mark.

And we do see that, I think, in the church on occasion. And that may be the reason why we don't talk about it as much as the ancients talked about it. And I think as much as the Prophet Joseph Smith talked about it, is we live in kind of a different age and different psychological and emotional pressures on people, cause them to possess excessive zeal. Yeah, you don't hear that as much as you would have in the 1830 church.

Peter goes on to say that the teachings that he has given to the saints, the gospel of Jesus Christ, is not fairy tales when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. That's the role of an apostolic witness, is to testify from their own knowledge that Jesus is the Messiah, that Jesus lives, that Jesus is with the Father, these are flesh and bone beings, and that he witnessed the glorious nature of our father in heaven. So the voice of God the Father said to all of those on the Mount of Transfiguration, this is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." Those on the mount of transfiguration heard that for themselves. They were eyewitnesses of the saviors being transfigured. They were eyewitnesses of Moses

and Elijah, who as translated beings, came administered to the transfigured beings on the mount of transfiguration. In other words, he's saying, we witnessed this ourselves and this voice which came from heaven, we heard when we were with these beings on the holy mount, the holy mount being the mount of transfiguration. And then he makes this interesting statement in verse 19, which is another way of saying, calling an election made sure, quote, we have also a more sure word of prophecy, where unto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineeth in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arising your hearts.

To understand what that phrase, more sure word of prophecy means in this context, we need to go to section 131 of the doctrine and covenants. Verse 5 says that the more sure word of prophecy is the revelation that comes to a person whereby they know that they will receive exaltation. Another aspect of the doctrine of calling election made sure is the ordinance that's associated with calling an election. My understanding is it comes only through calling an election. My understanding is it comes only through leaders of the church, apostles and prophets, and that component could be administered in this life, or even in the life to come, or at least in the millennial reign of Christ. The upshot of all of this is that Peter is saying, if you'll be faithful in the midst of your trials, which he talked

about in his first epistle, and you'll continue to grow your faith and add to your faith different attributes that God Himself possesses, the ultimate one being charity, which is the pure love of Christ, that the day will come when the Lord will say you will be exalted. The primortal election that we all experienced to eternal life will be made sure and certain. I can imagine the great happiness that was felt by the ancient saints to know that their perseverance in the face of tremendous persecution would have the ultimate happy ending. They would be guaranteed life with our Father in heaven. All that that entails, including the continuation of the family unit.

Chapter 1 ends with Peter saying something about the nature of prophecy and prophets. Knowing this first that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation, where a prophecy is given, a prophet has to be there to give us the meaning of that prophecy. Or certainly the Holy Ghost has to operate in a person's life in order for a true understanding of prophecy to register. And then he talks about how prophecy operated ancient times, not by the will of man, but holy man of God, as we could even say, holy women of God, because we know there were prophetesses in the old and New Testament times. Spake as they were

moved upon by the Holy Ghost, I like the summary statement of what Paul is saying, that revelation comes through holiness and through closeness to the Holy Ghost. The pencil of revelation cannot write on a disobedient mind with consistency. We have evidence of that. That's the ultimate goal that Peter wants people to understand for their faithfulness. They receive a guarantee of exaltation. And that's true for us today. And when you think about how many members of the church there are in the world today, they can't get around to every member of the church who's worthy of that blessing.

But you can have the spirit with you. It's like earnest money. You know that this is in your future because the Holy Ghost will testify to you that that is so. The actual ordinance section 50 says, you know, it doesn't matter whether it's in this life or in the life to come. This guarantee of the exultation will be yours, but we can feel the Holy Ghost, the harbinger of exultation saying, you're doing what the Lord wants you to do,

the path that you're pursuing is pleasing unto the Lord. This will be your eventual reward. My understanding is that the only thing that can prevent that from happening is for a person that from happening is for a person to once having been enlightened and to having known the goodness of the Lord and the Spirit of the Lord to then turn away completely from that. And that's coming up. Yeah. Second Peter 221. It is. I love that Peter starts this that summary at the end of chapter 1 with that phrase, we have not followed cunningly devised, but we were there, we were eyewitnesses. And I have a really beautiful statement of Elder Jeffrey Arholen taking off on this verse. I wish I could read it with his power and passion, but this is what Elder Hallen said, I want you to know that I have not given my life to a fairy tale.

This work is not a joke we are trying to play on someone. As the Apostle Peter said, for we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you, the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but where eyewitnesses of his majesty. This gospel is not cunningly devised fable as some accusative being. That idea offends me.

It is an insult to me. I was not born yesterday. During the course of my life, I have read several books. I have been to two or three good schools. I've even had the privilege of presiding over a good school. Along the way, I have met kings and queens, princes and prime ministers.

So this is not my first rodeo, as they say. I'm not foolish enough to go off on some wild goose chase. Rather than racing around the world at my age, I could be home, doing whatever it is that people do when they are octogenarians. So why am I not home? It is because this is the very church and kingdom of God on earth. I will say that until I have no breath left in my lungs or words upon my lips to say it. This is not a cunningly devised fable. It is God's very truth. I am not deluded and neither are you. Now you may not be as strong in the faith as you need to be, but you can become stronger. The truth has a way to make you strong, and this is God's truth. That is a very powerful statement. That's from his most recent book, isn't it, on the

New Testament? Yeah. The way that verse 19 ends is until the day dawn and the day star arising your hearts. And this book is called, day star rising elder Holland over the years has made so many comments on New Testament texts and stories that they just kind of put them all in a whole new book. These apostles that are not released until they actually die. Wow, what a service. Maybe not even then, right? Yeah. And then he knows what's next. Well, here's Peter coming towards the end of his life, right? Yeah, and then he knows what's next. Well, here's Peter coming towards the end of his life,

knowing that shortly I must put off this My Tabernacle, knowing that maybe things are about to end. He's like, listen, this isn't fiction. I was there. Yeah. You can't take that from me. Yeah, some of you might hear these stories and think, oh, there's no way that's true.

And he's saying, I was there. I watched the whole thing play out. And then Andy, it's fascinating. The one thing he decides to focus in on is the amount of transfiguration. There's so many other things he could say. I saw him resurrected. I saw him walk on water. I saw him feed 5,000, just a little bit of food.

But he says, I remember the voice of God on that mountain. I think the reason that he emphasizes the amount of transfiguration is because he was a protector of this whole idea of being told that you'll be exalted because of your faithfulness. As Elder Maconkey and his father, Lord Joseph Philems Smith said, this was a place of endowment, but it was also the place where they heard the voice of the father, and they knew that they would be exalted. That's fresh in his memory. As it would be, I think, for anybody if you had encountered the mighty Elohim

along with his son, Jesus, and he had been transfigured along with Peter, James, and John, and knew that because of your faithfulness and your sacrifices, you were going to be with the Lord forever in the highest kingdom, the highest degree of the celestial kingdom, you could not but help write about that as you're encouraging the saints to acquire those attributes. The other thing that occurs to me too is that these attributes which go together, the cultivation of these characteristics that the Lord Himself possesses, are Restated to us in section four of the doctrine covenants in slightly different order but section four seems to have specific application to full-time missionaries to full-time disciples those that are

fully converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ so that through a modern prophet Joseph Smith we have the recounting of the same attributes that go into this and it's open to everybody. Anybody who wants to become a true disciple and will cultivate those attributes will receive the same reward as the ancients. I love the fact that section four is particularly addressed to full-time missionaries

so that they can get started on the right path. They can be fully engaged, fully immersed the minute they hit the mission field because that's really what the Lord needs them to do in these latter days. And I'm happy to report that we have missionaries like that, some powerful, powerful missionaries. You can tell they were taught from their mother's knee at a very young age to be the kind of disciples that the Lord needs to have in the world to counter the increasing wickedness, Satan is ramping up his program, but as President Benson taught, the Lord is increasing the power and the strength of his kingdom as well. And it's through these wonderful missionaries. I'm tickled to be associated with them.

I like how you said that to have them fully engaged. There's, there's, this is a little trivia for you, but there's one word that appears only in section four out of the entire standard works. It's only in section four and the word is embark. Oh, you that embark in the service of God. That was a youth theme a few years ago so I did some research on it. When I looked it up it says to board a ship or an aircraft for a journey and it made me laugh

because I thought you can't sort of get on an airplane. Right. You have to fully get on the airplane. If you sort of get on an airplane. Right. You have to fully get on the airplane. If you sort of get on and the airplane leaves, it causes some great physical discomfort. You have to fully get on board. And when you use the word fully engaged, these missionaries, I thought, yeah, if you're going to embark, then embark, get both feet in. That's the invitation and the promise that it comes from section four. If you're going to embark, get both feet in and let's the invitation and the promise that it comes from section 4.

If you're going to embark, get both feet in and let's go. That's right. Jump in with both feet. That's the phrase that we here repeated again and again and again. Peter is, I think, aware that in the midst of trials, and tribulations, and persecutions, saints of the ancient days are going to encounter teachers, even prophets that don't have heavenly fathers, children's best interests in mind. Yeah, this is kind of a rebuking chapter of false teachers. It sounds a little like Paul to exactly, exactly starts out in verse 1 by saying false teachers introduce

heresies. Those heresies even deny the teachings of the Lord in subtle ways. You need to be watching out for that that they don't harm your testimony of sacred things and then eventually deteriorate to the point where verse 21 You once knew things of righteousness, but you followed the false teachers and you're now Delivered to the adversary verse two false teachers have many followers. They speak evil of the truth You can tell a false teacher by how they speak of the truth. That reminds us, doesn't it, of priest craft. False teachers engage in priest craft by using pleasing or flattering or made-up words, making merchandise of you. Making merchandise of you, exploiting you for their own selfish purposes? It's like we learned about

Cherim and why his way of teaching was so out of harmony with the Lord is because he used flattery, he used pleasing words but to manipulate people for his own ends. Implied in this is that false teachers are interested in getting gain. He says they're arrogant, self-willed, not afraid to speak evil. He calls them wells without water. Yeah, he calls them things that I can't even say. A donkey speaking with a man's voice. How true, how true. Verse 10, false teachers walk after the flesh, or in other words, they have corrupted desires. They despise government, or better said, they despised constituted authority. And I've noticed that about some enemies of the church, and they I've noticed that about some enemies of the church and they pursue their agenda in very subtle ways.

And one of the first things I've noticed happens is that when they start talking about church leaders, they always drop their titles. They never mention elder Bednar or President Oaks. It's always Bednar and Oaks, which is an initial way to denigrate not just the person but the office that they hold. It's really not that important. And I think that that's one of the reasons why our church leaders have trying to emphasize to the new missionaries, the elders and the sisters, that you are called of God, that you are his disciple. It's not just a position of importance, it's a position of honor.

Therefore, call each other by that honorific title, elder and sister because that's the way we refer to the apostles, to the Lord's anointed. You are the Lord's anointed. Your name is on the same name badge as Jesus Christ. It's interesting that after a while you begin to see that there are subtle ways to attack the church and the denigration of sacred things, as it says in verse 10, verse 13, false teachers possess the idea that pleasure is to corrals and broad daylight. Revealing in their pleasures, well, they feast with you. That's the NIV translation of that.

A lesson, a caution to those of us who have spent our lives in the profession of teaching, don't become a well without water, clouds that are tempest, but no good, and speak swelling words of vanity, alluring through the lusts of the flesh. Peter's ultimate warning, as you pointed out in verse 21, really reminds us of some things we've read in the book of Mormon, Alma chapter 12 and Alma chapter 24, that a person who has been enlightened and has known righteousness, known the things of God and has witnessed this for themselves, when they deny this, their end is worse than their beginning. It would be better off that they had never known these things. And you see the words of the prophets being fulfilled right before your very eyes.

If I could just take somebody and shake them by the shoulders and say, don't go down this path. And it typically starts with stopping your reading of the book of Mormon, stopping your prayers, taking off your temple garments, and sort of this situational ethics, anything goes. Everybody has their own truth. Please, please, please, listen to Peter and cultivate those attributes of Godliness so that you can be exalted, whatever the circumstances in life, mortality is fleeting, but God's promises are eternal. That's ultimately the lesson of Peter.

Second Peter 2.19, they promise freedom. Oh, yeah. That's one of the scariest parts for there's false promises. You see that in the book of Mormon all the time. Come be our partners. You will not be our slaves. You'll be our partners. I have this note in my scriptures. Beside verse 19, false teachers promise liberty or freedom from constraints, yet they

themselves are servants of corruption. They end up serving the adversary. You find out how quickly it is foolishness. Doesn't that remind you of Cain? He kills Abel and he says, I am free. I am free. And that's the last thing in the world he is. His master Satan now rules over him. He becomes Mayhan, master Mayhan. I put the word Korohor next to verse 19. He promised liberty. Oh, oh, ye that are yokes and bound and foolish. And you're doing this, Alma, so that you can take their rights and privileges. And so he had this idea. He was going to liberate them from all of these rules and commandments. And then for whom

a man has overcome of the same, he has brought into bondage. And what's the end of Korahor says, he was run upon and trodden down, and who was really in bondage there. That is a very common tactic. I need to free you. This is back in chapter 1 of 2 Peter in verse 12. Wherefore, I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things,

though he know them and be established in the present truth. In other words, I'm telling you, I'm not gonna quit reminding you of the truths of the gospel and the blessings that come because that's my duty. I'm not gonna neglect my duty. I'm gonna keep harping on these things because that's my duty. I'm not going to neglect my duty. I'm going to keep harping on these things because I care about you.

It's like when there's an electric fence sign every 10 feet, you think, well, this is getting repetitive, but actually, yeah, only if you want to keep from getting shocked. Yeah. But chapter three is Peter's discussion about events of the last days and ultimately the second coming of Jesus Christ. And Peter says in chapter three, verse three, 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 creation. Well, where have we heard that before?

It reminds me of what I read in 3 Nephi chapter 1, the Lord delays his coming, or he's not coming at all. The most insidious aspect of this is don't worry about having to answer to the Lord because things seem to be happening as they always have and people come and go and so big deal. That's the great danger, I think, of apostasy from within. Paul says, days are coming from your own number of your own cells. Men will speak perverse things to draw away disciples after them. It reminds one of 1 Nephi, chapter 11, verse 35, which to me is one of the scariest verses in all of scripture and all of the

standard works because Nephi reminds people of these kind of scoffers that they don't come from the outside world, the greatest threats to following pure doctrine come from the House of Israel. It's the House of Israel that fights against the 12 apostles of the lamb. You can circle the wagons and you can take all of the hits and fiery darts from the adversary being shot at you from the outside, but it's when the inside starts to crumble that the church really pays a dear price for that. It's the house of Israel that lines up to fight against the 12 apostles of the Lamb. But Peter says, don't be ignorant of the things

that you've been taught. He talks a little bit about time one day with the Lord as a thousand years. But also, I think we need to keep in mind that as we're taught in the book of Mormon, time only is measured unto man. And there are different kinds of time, according to the doctrine and covenants. There's God's time, there's angels' time, there is prophets' time, and there's man's time. Time is one of those things that's kind of relative depends on the planet where you're residing. So be cognizant of that and be faithful knowing that the Lord doesn't give up on his promises.

In fact, let me read verse 9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness, but as long suffering us toward not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So I take from that the principle that we ought to be grateful that the Lord's second coming hasn't already arrived because it gives us more time to repent, more time to change our ways. It's like the probationary state, your own probation. Here's some time to repent and to prepare. Maybe this is the ultimate statement with which to draw our discussion to a conclusion is found

in verse 11 of second Peter chapter three. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought e to be in all holy conversation and godliness. Peter has already brought up this point. This is in the first Peter chapter 1 where Peter says, basically, the Lord wants you to be holy because he is holy. And that is drawing from several passages in the Old Testament, Leviticus, particularly. You be holy because I am holy. And now Peter to conclude his letter, he's saying, what kind of personachy to be?

And it's the same question that Jesus asked in 3 Nephi, what manner of men, what manner of womenachy to be? Well, even as I am, that's the very simplest way to put everything we've been talking about. The Lord simply wants us to be holy because he's holy. We need to live the way that the Lord lived. Make his example at the very core of our being. I know, I testify that if we do that, the blessings that Peter promised the ancient saints will be ours. We will receive a guarantee

of eternal life. We will have the privilege of being in contact with the sun, we will receive personal revelation that our place with our Father in heaven and His kingdom is secure. And I'm grateful that if there were ever two books that were written in ancient times, it could be applied to our modern circumstances, it surely first and second Peter. Andy, this has been just absolutely wonderful the day. Everything in this was so applicable to our day and age. This could be a book that we read over and over and read it with your kids and grandkids and there's so many one liners and then the overall message is to stay true in great difficulty, great trial, stay true in the face of false

teachers in the face of those who want to destroy your faith. Stay true and learn about the Lord and He'll come again. He will and He'll be with you even before He comes. I'm so glad that you said that because when I teach the second half of the New Testament, particularly first and second Peter, that's the way I end my class, that my vision is for the students to when they become parents to gather their children around and to teach them from first Peter principles by which they can persevere against persecution and that they can prosper spiritually in the face of great trials, because that's what he's all about.

Yeah, it's a beginning to end these two epistles. You want to join the Jesus community? You've got to stay true to the second coming, trials, difficulties and false teachers. We've heard some marvelous things taught at the Mishrae Training Center, but the one that maybe made the biggest impression on me is a comment that Elder Richard G. Scott said. He said, if he could just change one thing about the doctrine of Christ, its faith and repentance and the two baptisms by water and by fire, and then enduring to the end. He said, he'd like to add the words, endure to the end, enjoy. And that's what the gospel is all about. It brings happiness in mortality. It brings

confidence. It brings peace and security, knowing that Heavenly Father has mapped this. He knows it's the words of Mormon. He says, the Lord knows not only the beginning of the end, He knows what's going to happen in the future. And so we can have perfect confidence in Heavenly Father's plan because He's foreseen it and he crafted it in a way that we could be happy. And so I hope that we are. Thank you, Dr. Skinner. We have loved having you here.

This has been so much fun to walk through these two epistles and have them now. I mean, it's unwritten, but it is a lesson. Look what the Lord took. He took this fishermen, and you read these two epistles and realized he became a prophet, seer, revelator, theologian, and pro-powerful leader. Thank you for being with us today. Thanks for taking your time to join us. We want to thank Dr. Andrew Skinner for being with us today. We want to thank our executive producer, Shannon Swanson. We want to thank our sponsors David and Verla Swanson. And we always remember our founder Steve Swanson.

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