Call to Commitment

 

2 Peter 3

 

Ungodly human shortsightedness

       1.      Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 

             2.      that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 

            3.      knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 

4.      and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation." 

5.      For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 

6.      by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 

7.      But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 

8.      But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 

9.      The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. 

It seems proper that Peter should terminate his final contribution to the canon of Scripture by writing about the things of eternity. It is consistent with the Lord’s plan that the very last chapters in the Bible should take us into the new heavens and the new earth. The inspired word gives the account of this planet and the universe around it, from its creation to its destruction. After it tells human history, up to the time that the final despot and all God’s enemies have been judged, eternity is ushered in.

 In this chapter, Peter also will write about the final destruction of the universe, before he opens a door to a new one, which reigns in righteousness. He begins in the first verse with the theme of remembrance, which, he states, has been his purpose in both, but he particularly emphasizes it throughout this second letter. He uses the reader’s memory, in order to “stir up” their “pure minds”. Warren Wiesbe makes a statement, “It is possible to have a pure and sincere mind and yet have a bad memory!”

 The apostle is not aiming at the natural, human mind; this is a letter addressed to the inner, newly-created mind that is capable of understanding sublime, heavenly thoughts. This is a mind that can be instructed in the Scriptures. It has to be awakened, because natural thoughts, aroused by the physical needs and observations, tend to give a back seat to the spiritual mind. The natural mind is impure and insincere, and is unqualified to contemplate the things of God (1).

 It should be obvious to every true Christian that the Old Testament, as well as the New, is equally the word of God. The apostle makes that point very clear in verse 2, teaching his readers to keep in mind the words of the prophets, as well as those of the apostles. How can that be possible, without a continual habit of reading through the entire Bible? I personally know of some, who discourage reading and teaching from the Old Testament and, I understand, that this bad advice is given by too many leaders in the church in this generation. This is serious error.

 Therefore, Peter did well to remind his readers, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that they need to be students of the entire canon of Scripture. I have learned, after almost 70 years of Bible study, that the Old Testament does not come to fulfillment without the reality of the New, and the New Testament cannot be rightly understood without reference to the Old. We must have the unity of the Word of God in its entirety; we must hold to the truth of the prophetic word in the Old Testament, the teaching of the Word made flesh in the Gospels, and the apostolic doctrine that follows. To deny any segment is to ruin the entire plan of God. Because Peter is emphasizing end times, I will point out that the book of Revelation, for instance, which teaches the second coming of Christ, is impossible to understand, without the teaching of the prophet Daniel (2).

 The last chapter 2 was specifically an exposé of false teachers, which the apostle assured would come into the church. He made it clear that they would be driven by fallen nature and here, again, he refers to that fact in verse 3. Among them, would be those who mock prophetic teaching. I have heard from influential personalities, as well as individuals on social media, who unknowingly quote, in essence, the arrogant, condescending arguments of verse 4. Let me offer a paraphrase of voices that I have heard: “Down through history, there have always been people, who think we are in the last days. They always find ways to interpret events that take place with the signs in the Bible. But here we are today, still on this earth!” It is easy to discern sarcasm, not only when they speak, but when they write their disdain for the prophetic word. Just as Peter states, they literally mock those, who uncover the scriptural doctrines concerning the last days.

 They willingly ignore the fact that God brought the flood upon the earth, very early in world history, to warn future generations to beware the outpouring of His wrath. Yes, Peter shows that they manifest a willful lapse of memory. Every time we see the assuring rainbow in the clouds, we should be reminded of its creation from the time that the world was covered with water. From the days of Noah, the Lord turned the status quo upside down, totally destroying the old culture that existed, from the beginning of time, until the day that He closed the door of the ark. That era of history and its weather patterns, ceased to be, when water, from above and below, wiped the face of the earth clean. Just as a reminder, we have had a small sample of the cataclysm here in Spain a short while ago, and two major hurricanes in North Carolina and Florida that caused havoc in the United States (5 and 6).

 Verse 7 tells us how we should interpret, that which the mockers point to as the relative stability in the climate in our times, when they say, “All things continue as they were…” We should see it from God’s point of view: “The heavens and the earth… are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” It is only the word of God, spoken at the appearance of the rainbow, that preserves us and delays the fiery destruction of this planet.

 

Verse 8 is an eye-opener that explains the thousands of years that have elapsed since the flood. It gives light to the fact that two thousand years have gone by, since Christ ascended into heaven and has not yet returned. In God’s chronology, those years are as two days. Peter uncovers the divine principle that “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years.” An old adage interpreted the long period, in which sinful men prospered, while their sin accumulated: “The wheels of justice turn slowly, but surely.” It is not due to slackness on the part of the Lord, as short-sighted humans would judge it.

 The great passage of time, by human calculation, is due to the longsuffering mercy of God. It is relative to the patience endurance of Christ, manifested in true Christians, as they patiently endure much hardship on the earth. We have earlier referred to John’s participation in the “patience of Jesus Christ” (Rv.1:9). It is this divine attribute of ‘longsuffering mercy’ that has withheld the hand of God until now, from pouring out His full wrath upon the earth. He patiently awaits the sinners’ repentance while, in the meantime, He endures their sin (9).   

 

A thief in the night

        10.  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass                               away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the                                               earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 

11.  Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 

12.  looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 

13.  Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.  

This world will not be destroyed by nuclear warfare from human sources. According to an interesting observation by Warren Wiersbe, it will be a manifestation of God’s atomic energy: “Many Bible students believe that Peter here described the action of atomic energy being released by God. The word translated a great noise means ‘with a hissing and a crackling sound.’ The Greek word Peter used was commonly used by the people for the whirring of a bird’s wings or the hissing of a snake.”  (The Greek adverb is rhoizos… a whir: whizzingly, that is with a crash… with a great noise.).    

 Until that happens, the Bible declares that the universe is held together by Jesus Christ: “Upholding all things by the word of His power” (He.1:3), “He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together, Col.1:17 Amp. N.T.) Let me refer to another observation of Wiersbe: “In Him all things hold together”. A guide took a group of people through an atomic laboratory and explained how all matter was composed of rapidly moving electric particles. The tourists studied models of molecules and were amazed to learn that matter is made up primarily of space. During the question period, one visitor asked, ‘If this is the way matter works, what holds it all together?’ For that, the guide had no answer. But the Christian has an answer: Jesus Christ! Because He is before all things, He can hold all things together.”  It is now held together by the Lord’s restraining hand, a mystery that scientists cannot understand. (10).

 I believe that it is was Richard Dawkins, the famous atheist, who denies vehemently God’s existence, that I heard maintain that the universe is eternal. He is certainly among the scoffers, who say “all things continue as they were,” of course, in his case, denying creation altogether and holding to the theory of evolution. But God reveals to every believer and student of His word, well beforehand, this cosmic cataclysm. They see it coming, but to the rest of the world’s inhabitants, it will come as a thief in the night, totally unexpected. The knowledge of the world’s temporal existence is a motivating force for the Christian to direct his lifestyle towards the eternal. He lives, apart from the rest of earth’s inhabitants, dedicating his conduct to pleasing God, more and more, according to the divine nature of Christ within (11).

 Notice that believers, who surrender to the lordship of Christ, are instrumental in fulfilling His purposes, and thereby are “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God”. Christians will be diligently involved in the events that will hasten the coming of the day of God, as Noah built the ark, in order to bring on the flood. Hebrews 11:7 informs that Noah, in the fear of God and in obedience, not only brought salvation to his household, but condemned the world. He was intrinsically involved in God’s plan.

 The day of the Lord expresses events in which the Lord intervenes in the affairs of men, something that the mockers deny can happen. Every mouth will be stopped, when God steps in judgment into the world’s affairs. The flood, to which Peter already has referred, was certainly a manifestation of the day of the Lord, and not only countered the rebellion of man, but annihilated him and his works, with the exception of eight souls

 The last 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation is the next demonstration of His sovereign judgment, when the bowls of His wrath are poured out. Foul sores will plague mankind, water will turn to blood and the sun will scorch every person’s skin. Intense darkness will fall over the kingdom of Antichrist, and unclean spirits will be unleashed to incite armies to participate in one final war. It will end with an earthquake, higher on the Richter Scale than any previous quake in the history of the world.

 One thousand years later, the final and total destruction of the universe will occur, as described by Peter. We have already quoted Warren Wiersbe, who believed that this would be an atomic breakdown of all the elements. Again, the Lord will interrupt the affairs of the human race, release His restraining hand, the vast heavens above will blaze with fire and the 100 plus atomic elements will dissolve. The universe will end in one, unimaginable conflagration (12).

 The enlightened believer looks beyond the present age, understanding that it is perverse in the sight of God, and therefore he does not build on its foundation. He is geared to eternity, “new heavens and a new earth,” to replace the present universe. Because he hungers and thirsts after righteousness, he awaits that atmosphere, which will perfectly surround all things that will be made new (13).

  

The Christian’s unearthly attitude

       14.  Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in                                   peace, without spot and blameless; 

15.  and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 

16.  as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 

17.  You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 

18.  but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. 

 The Christian not only believes this, as a fact, but he yearns for it. He is looking forward to these things, always finding this present world to be revolting. As Lot, he is “oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked”. He “tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds” (2 P. 2:7 & 8). The Christian has a sane mind, that must live in a world, which is an insane asylum. He is a free being, forced to exist among imprisoned criminals. He has been reconciled to God and his chief aim is to live in perfect peace with Him. Therefore, “everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 Jn.3:3). His perfect heart’s desire is to be without spot and blameless (14).

 Adding to that, which the apostle revealed in verse 9, the longsuffering mercy of God awaits repentance from men and gives hope, showing that He is willing to save. With that thought, Peter turns to the similar doctrine of Paul in his epistles. His reference to our beloved brother Paul is especially touching, showing that he had digested the younger apostle’s rebuke to his own wellbeing (Gal.2:2). The early disciples loved truth and accepted it, when it was applied to their lives, even to the detriment of their conceit.

 Peter, the simple fisherman, recognized that Paul, although highly educated, did not rely on personal wisdom or intellect, but received his Christian wisdom from the Lord. The commentator Jamieson-Faucett-Brown saw that Peter was writing of “supernatural and inspired wisdom ‘given’ to him, not acquired in human schools of learning.” Albert Barnes adds: “Whatever wisdom he had was to be traced to a higher than human origin. This would at the same time tend to secure more respect for the opinion of Paul than if he had said it was his own, and would keep up in the minds of those to whom he wrote a sense of the truth that all wisdom is from above. In reference to ourselves, to our friends, to our teachers, and to all men, it is proper to bear in remembrance the fact that all true wisdom is from the ‘Father of lights.’ (Jam.1:17).” This is crucial teaching, especially applicable to our days, when men’s wisdom and all human ability governs many churches (15).

  Peter humbly admits that his letter contains nothing that is original, but has been taught by the other apostles, including Paul. In referring to things hard to understand, he is again emphasizing divine wisdom, which human intellect cannot grasp. Because of intellectual pride, by which some highly intelligent people consider themselves superior to the multitudes, they are insulted by wisdom from above. They are completely unskilled in understanding God’s ways, untaught by the Holy Spirit and unstable spiritually. They seek to draw heavenly truth down to human levels, with which they are familiar, thereby they twist it to their own destruction. I believe, this is the case behind every false cult (16).

 The apostle seeks to separate this fact from the true and beloved believer, who has been correctly instructed. He must beware the possibility of falling victim to any tool, that would deal a serious blow to his secure position in Christ. There is a danger that a Christian can be roped and led away into doctrinal and sinful errors (17).

 The believer must “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The enemy will bring doubts and questions into his mind, with the express purpose of stunting his growth. This is not just passivity or relaxing at a certain level of Christianity. It means that he has fallen into a state of spiritual deficiency, grace has been frustrated and his relationship with Jesus Christ has suffered.

 First of all, reservations concerning His lordship may have entered his soul, and therefore doubts, concerning trusting His saving work, result. He must vigilantly secure that his life be lived consistently and passionately for His glory. He must enter here on this earth into the light of eternity and having entered it, he will continue walking in it forever. He will give glory to the Lord Jesus now and forever. Once Peter applies his “amen,” giving absolute confirmation to absolute truth, there is nothing more for him to write to these people. It is also our privilege, every one of us, to say ‘amen’ to this Scripture and all Scripture. Having done that from the heart, there is nothing more that we need to say (18).