knowing
that the putting off of my tent comes swiftly, even as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.
2 Peter 1:14
2 Peter 1 [10.] Therefore, brothers, be more diligent to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble. For thus you will be richly supplied with the entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1 [12.] Therefore I will not be negligent to remind you of these things, though you know them, and are established in the present truth. I think it right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you; knowing that the putting off of my tent comes swiftly, even as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me.
2 Peter 1 [15.] Yes, I will make every effort that you may always be able to remember these things even after my departure. For we did not follow cunningly devised fables, when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” We heard this voice come out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
Meaning:
Peter wrote his second letter near the end of his life. He wanted to remind believers of the truths they had received, so that they would remain firm after he was gone. In the verses before, he says that he thinks it right, “as long as I am in this tent”, to stir them up by reminding them. Here he explains why he feels this urgency.
- “The putting off of my tent comes swiftly”
Peter pictures his body as a tent, a temporary dwelling that will one day be taken down. Paul also speaks of the body as an earthly tent, to be exchanged for an eternal dwelling from God. Death is not the end of the person but the folding up of a tent, as a traveller moves on to a permanent home. Peter speaks of his coming death calmly, with the confidence of someone who knows where he is going.
- “Even as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me”
Peter remembers what Jesus told him by the Sea of Galilee after the resurrection: “when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you, and carry you where you don’t want to go.” John adds, “Now he said this, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God” (John 21:18). Years earlier Jesus had also told him, “Where I am going, you can’t follow now, but you will follow afterwards” (John 13:36). Peter had once boasted that he would die for Jesus and then denied him; now, restored and faithful, he is ready to follow his Lord even in death. Early Christian tradition records that Peter was martyred in Rome under the emperor Nero.
- Using the time that remains
Knowing that his death was near did not make Peter passive. He wanted to use the time he had to strengthen others: “I will make every effort that you may always be able to remember these things even after my departure.” He then reminds them that “we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).
The Significance of 2 Peter 1:14
- Facing death with hope
Believers can face death without fear because Jesus has gone before them. Like Paul, they can say, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
- Finishing well
Peter’s concern at the end of his life was for others to remain faithful. The best preparation for death is a life spent in faithful service, like Paul who could write, “I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:7).
Cross-References:
John 21:18: "But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you," Jesus foretells Peter’s death.
John 13:36: "Where I am going, you can’t follow now, but you will follow afterwards." Peter would follow later.
Philippians 1:21: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Hope in the face of death.
Conclusion: Peter knew that his death was near, just as the Lord Jesus had shown him by the Sea of Galilee. He spoke of it calmly as the folding up of a tent and used his remaining time to strengthen the faith of others. His example teaches believers to face death with hope and to finish their lives in faithful service.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible