Peter’s Epistles of Hope

The commission God has given to His Church in this age may even be beyond what our human minds can fully comprehend at this time! The mystery of God has to be declared today. But this work is also to teach all humanity that the mystery must be dispensed, or declared, to every person ever created. They must be taught not just the mystery, but taught to teach it. Why? Is it possible God will keep expanding His Family throughout the universe forever?

The Apostle Peter was crucified around a.d. 67–68—some two or three years before the a.d. 70 holocaust in Jerusalem. That disaster was only a type of the coming Great Tribulation, about to explode on the world scene today. Peter knew that he was going to be crucified shortly after his epistles were written. Paul had been killed about a year or two before Peter’s death. Other apostles had also been killed. There was a storm of persecution. As Peter wrote his book they were entering into the darkest of times. Still, it was only a type of the worst time of suffering ever on Earth, which is descending upon us today. In spite of all this bad news, Peter had a message filled with hope. He wanted God’s people to be in an attitude of hope so they could continue to grow spiritually. The last verse of Peter’s epistles (2 Peter 3:18) emphasized that crucial issue. We have no future if we aren’t growing spiritually.