What do you say when you are leaving? Maybe it will be a while before you see someone again or you may never see them again. What words or concepts are most important to share?
Paul had a similar encounter with the elders of Ephesus, when he called them down to Miletus to meet him. Paul told them that they “would no longer see his face” (Acts 20:25). He validated that the message he had given them had been the truth (Acts 20:20, 26-27). He encouraged them to be on guard for the “church over which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers” (Acts 20:28), that they should be on the alert for “savage wolves” that would come into the flock (Acts 20:29-30). He then used himself as an example of one that would labor in the congregation. He also reminded them of the servant example of Christ, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
Peter understood that his departure was at hand, “knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me” (2 Pet. 1:14). He was “diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind” (2 Pet. 1:15). There were things that he wanted the church to be able to remember, which is important because they didn’t have copies of the Bible in their homes or on their phones. The teachings they had access to were from the copies the church had of letters, those that had spiritual gifts in the first century, and what they remembered from the teachings they heard. For this reason, he speaks about the validity of his message. He didn’t use “cleverly devised tales,” but he was “an eyewitness of His majesty” (2 Pet. 1:16). He reminded them that he heard the voice of God on the mount of transfiguration (2 Pet. 1:17-18). He taught them about the nature of inspiration, the operation and origin of the message. Mankind is not the origin of the message. God is the origin of the message with the Holy Spirit as the operation, “men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet. 1:19-21). He then contrasts what they taught and how the inspired message was transmitted with false prophets and false teachers. “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves” (2 Pet. 2:1).
It is worth noting that two apostles, when given the opportunity for a last message, spoke about future dangers facing the church. We must be alert to the ravenous wolves, to false teachers, and so-called prophets that twist the truth. “Not everyone who says, ‘Lord, Lord’” is teaching truth or is known by the Lord (Matt. 7:21-23).