2 Peter 1:14

My Notes

What Does 2 Peter 1:14 Mean?

Peter knows his death is imminent: "shortly I must put off this my tabernacle" — his body will be removed like a tent being taken down. Jesus told him this would happen (John 21:18-19 — "when thou art old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands"). Peter writes with the calm awareness that his time is nearly over.

The word "tabernacle" (skēnōma) for his body connects to 2 Corinthians 5:1-4, where Paul uses the same imagery — the body as a tent, temporary housing for the eternal soul. Peter sees his body the way a traveler sees a tent: useful, necessary, but not permanent. You fold it up when the journey ends.

"Even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me" — Peter knows when and how he'll die because Jesus told him. The death isn't a surprise. It's a scheduled departure. Peter writes his final letter with the awareness that the tent is about to be folded — and he's not panicking. He's writing.

Reflection Questions

• 1.If you knew your death was imminent, what would you spend your remaining time doing?
• 2.Does Peter's calm in the face of death challenge your own relationship with mortality?
• 3.How does seeing your body as a 'tabernacle' (temporary tent) change how you hold onto physical life?
• 4.What truth would you want to put in writing for the people you love before your tent is folded?

Devotional

Peter knows he's about to die. Jesus told him. And his response isn't panic. It's a letter.

The body is a tabernacle — a tent. Temporary. Portable. Meant for the journey, not the destination. And Peter, knowing the tent is about to be folded, writes one last letter to make sure the people he loves are taken care of after he's gone.

"Shortly I must put off this my tabernacle" — the language is matter-of-fact. Not dramatic. Not grieving. I'm taking down the tent. The journey in this body is ending. Jesus told me this would happen. And I'm using the time I have left to write.

The calm is supernatural. Peter knows he'll be crucified (tradition says upside down, at his own request). He knows it's coming soon. And he writes with the clarity of someone who has made peace with mortality because he has a residence that isn't a tent waiting on the other side.

"As our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me" — the death was prophesied personally. By Jesus. Decades earlier. Peter has been living with this knowledge for years. He's had time to prepare. And the preparation didn't produce anxiety. It produced this letter — 2 Peter — his final gift to the church.

If you knew your time was short, what would you write? Who would you make sure was taken care of? What truth would you put on paper before the tent was folded?

Peter knew. And he spent his remaining days doing the only thing that mattered: making sure the people he loved remembered the truth after he was gone.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture