2 Peter 3:1-18 Christ's Return

2 Peter 3:1-18 Christ’s Return

Until Christ’s Return, God’s Word Is True (3:1-4) [1]

Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to develop a genuine understanding with a reminder, so that you can remember the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. (2 Peter 3:1-2, HCSB)

First, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, living according to their own desires, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” (2 Peter 3:3-4, HCSB)

They raise the question: Where is the promise of his coming? It is an attack against the doctrine of the Second Coming. The mockers hold to what is now called the doctrine of uniformitarianism, which says that all things continue to be the same from creation; everything follows one cycle after another. Those who hold to this doctrine say that nothing will ever interrupt this cycle. The implication they are making is that God never interfered supernaturally with this natural cycle. [2]

They assume that nothing can be interrupted. They also assume that God cannot interfere in this natural cycle. The problem is that God works consistently. God intervened before and He can intervene again.

Until Christ’s Return, God’s Work Is Consistent (3:5-7)

They willfully ignore this: Long ago the heavens and the earth were brought about from water and through water by the word of God. Through these waters the world of that time perished when it was flooded. But by the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:5-7, HCSB)

God intervened during the time of Noah. He flooded the earth as a judgment against humanity and its debased nature. He will do it again. God is consistent in His interventions. Next, He will judge the world completely with fire.

Until Christ’s Return, God’s Will Is Merciful (3:8-10)

Dear friends, don’t let this one thing escape you: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8-9, HCSB)

But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. (2 Peter 3:10, HCSB)

God’s intervention is not a rush job. He will be patient with His people. The reason why His judgment has not yet happened is because there are still lost people who must be delivered from sin. More specifically, God knows that there are more people who need to come to Him and change. God is waiting for people to come to Him. This is how God shows His mercy. He has the right to exact judgment because of sin. Yet, He is patient.

Time is the element which is addressed in these verses. In (3:9), it shows that God is timeless. He is outside of time. A day is the same as a thousand years. God lives in eternity. Because God does not reckon time the same way we do, from God’s point of view, judgment is just around the corner. From a human point of view, it seems farther away. However, as we get older, we realize that God’s judgment is drawing nearer. If we aren’t careful, the judgment will slip up on us. So God is showing His mercy when He allows us more time to change.

This leads to the next section which is directly addressed to believer. If we know that God is going to destroy the world in this way in advance, then it is clear that we need to live Godly lives.

Until Christ’s Return, Be Diligent to Live Godly Lives (3:11-14)

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for and earnestly desire the coming of the day of God. The heavens will be on fire and be dissolved because of it, and the elements will melt with the heat. But based on His promise, we wait for the new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell. (2 Peter 3:11-13, HCSB)

Be at peace with God

Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found at peace with Him without spot or blemish. (2 Peter 3:14, HCSB)

We need to stay at peace with God. Because we know that He will soon come back, we don’t want to disrupt our relationship with God. Instead, we want to have a peaceful relationship with Him.

Be prepared to witness with the lost

Also, regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. He speaks about these things in all his letters in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures. (2 Peter 3:15-16, HCSB)

Remember God is merciful in (3:9)? Why is that? Because He wants to give us enough time to share the Gospel with people who are lost. God is not just merciful on the lost. He is merciful on those of us who have neglected the work of witnessing to others. That opportunity for salvation is now. People will treat some believers with disrespect because of the Gospel. They did it to Paul. They also did it to Peter and his disciples. They will do it to you. But that doesn’t mean that we quit witnessing. It means we work at ways to make our witness more effective. The best way for that to happen is to continue growing spiritually daily.

Be protected by growing spiritually daily.

Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:17-18, HCSB)

When you have a computer, you have to protect it from malware. Malware, short for malicious software, is any software used to disrupt computer operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems. Malware is defined by its malicious intent, acting against the requirements of the computer user, and does not include software that causes unintentional harm due to some deficiency. The term badware is sometimes used, and applied to both true (malicious) malware and unintentionally harmful software. [3]

The same can be true in your spiritual life. You can be led away to fall. The devil and the world can use spiritual “malware” to lead you astray from Christ. You need a spiritual “malware” protection daily update. Just as a computer needs a daily malware update to keep itself protected from attacks, you and I need to do a daily spiritual malware protection update. That is what your daily devotions are about. You need to spend time in prayer and the Word daily. It doesn’t need to be long. Malware updates on your computer don’t take long to download. But they are protect you in the long run. The same is true with your daily devotions. They don’t take long, but they protect you in the long run.

1. Warren Wiersbe. The Bible Expository Commentary (Victor Books: Wheaton, Illinois 1989), 2462-2466. Accessed on December 28, 2014 at 3:25 PM. The general points of the outline in this section were used.
2. Arnold J. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel’s Bible Commentary: Messianic Jewish Epistles (Ariel Ministries: San Antonio, Texas, 2003), 415. Accessed on the December 27, 2014 at 10:03 PM.
3. Wikimedia Foundation. “Malware” http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malware. Internet. Accessed on December 27, 2014 at 5:14 PM.