2 Peter 3
Wholesome thinking
During the season of Advent we concentrate our thoughts on the coming of the Messiah. There are two “comings” to consider:
-`his First Coming, 2000 years ago, as a baby in Bethlehem.
- his Second Coming, at the end of the world, as Judge of both the living and dead.
The topic of the Second Coming, or Day of the Lord, is a very important one. If you read all the sayings of Jesus in the Gospels you will find that he refers to this topic more than any other. Indeed, it is had to find one page of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke which does not refer to the coming Kingdom, the Day of Judgement or the return of the Lord.
Many other passages in the New Testament speak of this great event and some Biblical scholars have attempted to build up a picture of the sequence of events leading to the Day of Judgement. There are many ways of interpreting what we read in the New Testament and many differences of opinion among commentators.
I’m not going into all that today. Instead, let’s just see what Peter says in his Second Epistle. He speaks of the Day of the Lord and what should be our response to it. He tells his readers that he wants to stimulate “wholesome thinking” in them:
I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Saviour through your apostles. (2 Peter 3:2).
That is: the teaching of both Old and New Testaments. We depend on the whole Bible for our understanding of God’s working in his world. What then does Peter tell us? Four things:
1) There will be scoffers
First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation. (2 Peter 3:3-4)
people will come along and mock at the whole idea of the Second Coming and the Day of Judgement. “Where’s the evidence?” they say. “You don’t think God is really going to intervene in the world in that way, do you? Ridiculous! He’s in heaven. He’s a million miles away. He’s not interested in what happens here. Everything in the world will go on as it always has. Why be a prophet of doom and gloom?”
This is the sort of thing they were saying in the days of Peter and that is exactly the sort of thing they say today. Many of them deny the very existence of a God who will judge the world. Either they don’t believe in God at all or they think he is going to save everyone anyway, so there will be no judgement.
But Peter reminds us:
They deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:5-7)
They “deliberately forget”, Peter says, that God has intervened before. In fact he has judged the wold before, as we read in the Book of Genesis about Noah’s Flood. And there will come a time when he will judge the world again. The Lord will return to wind all things up. It will be a day if destruction for all that is evil.
2) God’s patience
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9).
Peter is writing these words towards the end of his life. The generation of people who had actually met Jesus were passing away. It had been generally assumed that the Lord would return during the lifetime of his disciple but this had not happened. Now only a few were left. What then could you say to the scoffers? Perhaps the Christians had got it all wrong and the Lord would never come.
Well, if that was the situation in those days, it’s even more true for us today. We live two thousand years further down the line. I’m sure even Peter himself would have been astonished to be told that the Lord would delay for more than two thousand years before returning!
And yet, in the light of what Peter says here, what is two thousand years? A mere two days! A thousand years is like a day and a day is like a thousand years to the Lord. He does not dwell within the constraints of space and time as we do. He dwells in the eternal present. In the divine order of things the centuries and millennia are nothing.
“Lord?” a man once prayed.
“Yes?” came the reply.
“Lord, can I ask a question?”
“Go right ahead.”
“O, Lord my God, what is a million years to you?”
“Only a second.”
“And, what is a million pounds worth to you?”
“I count it as a penny.”
“Lord, can I have a penny?”
“Sure! … just a second.”
Things will happen in God’s own time. And there is a reason for the delay, Peter says. The Lord is patient and merciful, “not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
The delay is a sign of God’s mercy and love. He is going to give a chance to people. before his return. Jesus said he would return when the Good News had been peached in every nation (Matthew 24:14).
(God doesn’t want anyone to perish but on the other hand he cannot force people to accept him. In the end there will be those who have rejected him, and they will suffer his judgement.)
But look how merciful he is! He has already delayed two thousand years!
3) Destruction of the material universe
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare…… That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. (2 Peter 3:10,12b,13 )
Now, it’s had for us to grasp exactly what Peter means here. How can the “elements” melt or disappear? I suppose a physicist could answer that in terms of modern science. He could say that atoms can be smashed to subatomic particles. And these can be be further broken down to elementary particles and those broken down further until you have nothing but energy. In fact they anticipate the disappearance of the universe as we know it in the distant future.
But what the scientists anticipate does not seem to be quite what Peter is referring to. He is speaking of a cataclysmic and sudden destruction of all things. Some would see this in terms of a nuclear holocaust destroying the earth. I have my doubts about that. I see it rather as a divine event. God will destroy the universe and then remake it. There will be a new heaven and a new earth in which will dwell righteousness.
The Apostle Paul also refers to the Day of Resurrection in which the dead in Christ shall rise with spiritual bodies in the perfect new word God will create. A world without sorrow or sin of any kind. A world in which death is no more. This is our heavenly hope. It’s not going to be the coming of Christ’s Kingdom to this world under its present conditions. Nor will it be some vague shadowy afterlife as a disembodied spirit. It will be a bright and vibrant new world.
4) So, in the light of this, how should be live?
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. (2 Peter 3:11,12a)
In our daily lives we should do and say the things that please God. We should love our neighbours, we should share the good news of Jesus, we should feed upon God’s word and pray to him. in doing these things we are actually in some way hastening the return of the Lord.
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. (2 Peter 3:14)
We should aim to be at peace with God, trusting in Jesus and knowing our sins are forgiven. Knowing peace with God and peace within.
And a final word from the Apostle:
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)
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