II Peter 3
Call to remembranceverses 1-2
This second epistle – beloved – I now write to you
in both which I stir up your pure minds
by way of remembrance
That you may be mindful of the word which were spoken
before by the holy prophets
and of the commandments of us
the apostles of the Lord and Savior
Scoffers are teaching falsehoodverses 3-7
Knowing this first – that there shall come in the last days scoffers
walking after their own lusts
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 the creation
FOR this they willingly are ignorant of
that by the word of God the heavens were of old
and the earth standing out of the water and in the water
Whereby the world that then was
being overflowed with water – perished
But the heavens and earth – which are now
by the same word are kept in store
reserved unto fire against the day of judgment
and perdition of ungodly men
LORD is not slackverses 8-10
BUT beloved – be not ignorant of this one thing
that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years
and a thousand years as one day
The Lord is not slack concerning HIS promise
as some men count slackness
but is long-suffering to us-ward
not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance
BUT the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night
in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise
and elements shall melt with fervent heat
the earth also and the works that are therein
shall be burned up
Future events describedverses 11-14
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved
what manner of persons ought ye be in all holy conversation
and godliness
Looking for and hasting to the coming of the day of God
wherein the heavens being on fire shall
be dissolved – and the elements shall
melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we – according to HIS promise
look for new heavens and a new earth
wherein dwell righteousness
Wherefore beloved – seeing that you look for such things
be diligent that you may be found of HIM in peace
without spot and blameless
Longsuffering of LORD in Paul’s writing alsoverses 15-16
And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation
even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the
wisdom given unto him hath written to you
As also in all his epistles – speaking in them of these things
in which are some things hard to be understood
which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest
as they do also the other scriptures
to their own destruction
Final warning of Peterverses 17-18
You therefore – beloved – seeing you know these things before
beware lest you also
being led away with the error of the wicked
fall from your own steadfastness
BUT grow in grace
and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
To HIM be glory both now and forever AMEN
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 9 The LORD is not slack concerning HIS promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (1019 “slack” [braduno] means to delay, be slow, to be long, hesitate, take a comparatively long time, be negligent about, or to loiter)
DEVOTION: I have talked to many people who think the LORD should have come already to take the believers to heaven with HIM. They seem to think that it couldn’t get any worse than it already is.
Our world is changing around us. We have many people who believe we should never have taken prayer out of our schools. They think that because the public schools have no standard the students will grow up with no standard. This is a true belief.
We wonder why there are so many students acting in the manner they presently are based on the fact that there are no absolutes taught in the schools except that students don’t have to listen to anyone.
Many teachers are telling their students that they don’t have to listen to their parents or any adults. The problem is that the teachers are adults who they stop listening to as well.
God knows the condition of our world and is waiting patiently for the last individual who is to be saved to be saved. HE would like all to repent but HE knows that is not going to happen but everyone will be given an opportunity to repent and then face HIM.
CHALLENGE: We are in a hurry but HE is not. HE wants to give you and everyone else an opportunity to become genuine believers in HIM and not just religious people.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 13 Nevertheless we, according to HIS promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. (1862 “promise” [epaggelma] means a verbal commitment by one person to another agreeing to do (or not to do) something in the future, to indicate, to declare, ones profession, a self-committal)
DEVOTION: God created the world in the beginning with Adam and Eve as the first human beings. They were created without sin. They had their human nature but not a sin nature before their fall by eating of the fruit.
Since the fall the people of our ancient world continued in sin until it had reached it’s full. God had Noah build an ark and HE destroyed the world except for the eight people on the ark. This destruction was done with water in a worldwide flood. HE promised with the sign of the rainbow that HE would never destroy the world with water again.
Now we read that in the future HE will destroy our world with fire. Then HE will establish a New Heaven and a New Earth that has been purged from sin. On this new heaven and new earth will live those who are followers of Jesus Christ only. They will dwell in doing only that which is right in the sight of God.
This new heaven and new earth have not come yet. It will only happen after the seven years of Tribulation and after the Millennium where Christ will reign with those saints who have come out of the Tribulation time period.
God is working a plan that HE established before HE created our world. HE is not slow in doing what HE has promised. HE is waiting for the last person who will become a follower of Christ to make that decision.
The time is short according to many of the writings of the human authors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Remember one day is as a thousand years with the LORD and a thousand years are as one day.
CHALLENGE: Our timing and HIS timing are different. We are to be watchful and a witness until that day.
:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. (1124 “scriptures” [graphe] means 1 a writing, thing written. 2 the Scripture, used to denote either the book itself, or its contents. 3 a certain portion or section of the Holy Scripture. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: I was having a luncheon with a Christian believer when we got off on the subject of dinosaurs. This person was quick to correct my statements about creation and fossils based on what they understood science to say about these things. How do you understand the inspiration of the Bible? Some people believe that inspiration only applies to areas where the Bible and science do not contradict each other. Others believe that inspiration means what you get out of it when you read it.
Inspiration means that God “breathed” the words He wanted them to use into the minds of those who wrote the Scriptures. They were so filled with Holy Spirit as they were writing that they were penning the actual words of God. Christians believe that every word of the Bible is inspired in the original languages, and Peter makes his case for this in 1 Peter 1. This verse points out that Peter also believed that the writings of Paul were inspired. So he reminds his readers that even though Paul wrote some things which were hard for them to understand, they were Scriptures just like the rest of the Bible!
What this means is that when we come to the Bible, we cannot pick and choose what parts of it we want to believe. While there are those that teach that the Bible is only inspired in spots (and they are able to spot the spots!), we believe that all of it is inspired (especially including the difficult passages). God has said that He will not allow His word to fail. That is why it is important for those who read these daily devotionals to continue in the Bible and learn from it.
CHALLENGE: Believe in the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible! You can stake your life on it. (MW)
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. (4740 “steadfastness” [sterigmos] means safe position, firm condition, place of safety, security, firmness, firm footing, stability, or perseverance)
DEVOTION: We are told that we need to know what we believe based on the Word of God. We need a foundation under all of our basic beliefs. That foundation has to be Jesus Christ and what HE did on the cross for our sins as our substitute. HE has provided our salvation for all eternity.
Our foundational belief might be called into question at times like what was happening in Peter’s day.
False teachers came along and told the believers that what they believed was not true and they had the truth to share with them for a cost. They were mainly interested in their money. They liked to have as many followers as they could. They liked to call anyone who taught differently false teachers.
Peter emphasized the fact that they had been taught the truth and believed the truth before these individuals came into their life. If they started changing their beliefs it would cause them to fall away from the true teachings of the Word of God and the Apostles. They would lose their foundational beliefs which would cause confusion in their life and in the lives of those fellow believers around them.
It seems to be easier to follow error than to follow truth. It is true even today. There are so many false teachers writing books that are published by supposedly Christian publishing houses. The fact we need to realize is that many even Christian publishing houses are looking at their bottom line rather than the Bible. Some of the publishing houses that put out Christian books have been bought by secular individuals or companies. It is not what it used to be.
We need to ask someone who knows what is out there about what books we should be reading besides the Bible. Some have some of the basics beliefs of Christianity but many do not.
Always check the teaching of any individual or book with the Word of God. The Holy Spirit gives believers discernment regarding what is truth and what is error. Peter is warning believers he has ministered to that they need to beware of false teachers and false teachings.
Some ministers are always negative and teach that they are the only ones who know the truth and are staying true to the Word of God. We need to watch out for them too.
Someone who condemns everyone except themselves can be a problem. God wants us to be thinking about Philippians 4: 8. There are many good Biblical pastors/teachers in our world.
We have to remember that the only one we will totally agree with is Jesus Christ. The Bible is our guidebook to lead us into the true teachings of Jesus Christ. The better we know our Bible through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the better we can discern truth from falsehood.
CHALLENGE: Daily ask the LORD for wisdom from above with a discerning spirit. Follow only those who are leading you into a closer walk with the LORD.
: 18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen. (281 “Amen” [amen] means trustworthy, surely, verily, so be it or may it be fulfilled)
DEVOTION: Peter warns of scoffers coming in the last days. They are continually asking the question: Why hasn’t HE come yet? They are making fun of Christianity. Jesus said that HE was going to return and yet HE hasn’t for over two thousand years. Does that mean that HE will not return? NO!! Remember that a thousand years is as one day with the LORD. HE is long-suffering and not willing that any should perish. Does that mean that all will be saved? NO!!! HE is giving everyone a chance to follow HIM but most will chose not to because they think they don’t need HIM. It is so sad but true. The majority of those who have lived will say NO to Jesus.
The atheists are gathering around the world to tell everyone that the Bible is a lie. They say there is no God. They even have their own holiday, April 1.
We are left on this earth after we become a follower of Jesus Christ, so that, we can grow in grace and the knowledge of HIM. We are left on earth to witness to HIS great love for us. We are left here on this earth after salvation to bring glory to God. Our actions bring glory to God. Once we have begun following the LORD we are to grow in our knowledge of HIM.
This comes through the study of the Word of God. This comes through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This comes as we develop habits of practicing the disciplines of the faith. One of the products of our growing in knowledge is our growing in grace toward others.
The two commandments that Christ left us were a digest of the ten words or commandments. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart. We are to love our neighbor too.
We are to share our Savior with our neighbors. There is coming a time when Christ is going to return to this earth to call HIS own to HIMSELF. Wouldn’t it be great to see our neighbor going up with us when HE calls!!! There is room at the cross for them.
CHALLENGE: We need to always be watching for the return of the LORD. Each day we should plan to serve HIM the best that we can.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Second epistleverse 1
Writings of Paul = Scriptureverses 15, 16
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Second epistleverse 1
Holy prophetsverse 2
Beginning of creationverses 4, 5
Word of Godverse 5
Writing of Paulverse 15
Hard to understand by unsavedverse 16
Epistlesverse 16
Scripturesverse 16
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
Godverses 5, 12
Creatorverses 4-7
Word of Godverse 5
Keeps world in storeverse 7
Reserved world unto fireverse 7
Day of judgmentverse 7
One day = thousand yearsverse 8
Thousands years = one dayverse 8
Day of Godverse 12
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Lordverses 2, 8-10, 15, 18
Saviorverses 2, 18
Promise of HIS comingverse 4
Measure of time: one day as a thousand yearsverse 8
Not slackverse 9
Promiseverses 9, 13
Longsufferingverses 9, 15
Day of the Lordverse 10
like thief in night
Jesus verse 18
Christverse 18
Lord and Savior Jesus Christverse 18
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
(Noah) overflowed with waterverses 5, 6
Floodverses 5, 6
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Scoffersverse 3
Lustsverse 3
Ignorant of Word of Godverse 5
Ungodlyverse 7
Slack –slacknessverse 9
Not understand Scriptureverse 16
Unlearnedverse 16
Unstableverse 16
Led awayverse 17
Error of the wickedverse 17
Fall from stedfastnessverse 17
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Pure mindsverse 1
Remembranceverse 1
Mindful of the wordsverse 2
Promiseverses 4, 9, 13
Repentanceverse 9
Holy conversationverse 11
Godlinessverse 11
Looking forverse 12
Hastingverse 12
Righteousnessverse 13
Diligentverse 14
Peaceverse 14
Without spotverse 14
Blamelessverse 14
Salvationverse 15
Wisdomverse 15
Knowledge of futureverse 17
Bewareverse 17
Steadfastnessverse 17
Grow in graceverse 18
Knowledge of our Lord and Saviorverse 18
Give glory to Jesusverse 18
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Holy Prophetsverse 2
Church (New Testament people of God)
Belovedverses 1, 8, 14, 17
Apostles of the Lord and Saviorverse 2
Brother Paulverse 15
Last Things (Future Events)
Last daysverse 3
Promise of HIS comingverse 4
Father fell asleep [death]verse 4
Day of judgmentverse 7
Perdition of ungodly menverse 7
Perishverse 9
Day of the Lord = thief in the nightverse 10
Heaven and earth pass awayverse 10
Fervent heatverse 10
Earth burned upverse 10
Coming of the day of the LORDverse 12
Elements shall melt with fervent heatverse 12
Day of Godverse 12
New heavensverse 13
New earthverse 13
Righteousness dwellsverse 13
Destructionverse 16
Glory to Jesus Christ for eververse 18
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QUOTES regarding passage
4 Part of the early church proclamation was the announcement of the return of Jesus to complete the work of salvation and to punish the wicked (cf., e.g., Matt 24:3ff.; John 14:1–3; Acts 1:11; 17:31; Rom 13:11; 1 Cor 15:23; 1 Thess 4:13–18; 5:1–11; 2 Thess 1:7–10; Heb 9:28; Rev 1:7). The false teachers ask, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?” Mocking the faith of Christians, they support their own position by claiming, “Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” Who are the persons Peter calls “our fathers”? Kelly (p. 355) and Schelkle (p. 224) argue that they were first-generation Christians. But Bigg (p. 291) and Green (Peter and Jude, p. 128–29) consider this unlikely. “Fathers” are much more likely to be OT fathers as in John 6:31, Acts 3:13, Romans 9:5, and Hebrews 1:1. This is the normal NT usage, and the other view requires a clumsy forger to have missed so obvious a blunder. “Our fathers died” (lit., “fell asleep”) is a lovely metaphor for the death of believers (cf. Acts 7:60; 1 Thess 4:13–14). The argument of the false teachers is essentially a naturalistic one—a kind of uniformitarianism that rules out any divine intervention in history. (Blum, E. A. (1981). 2 Peter. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation (Vol. 12, pp. 284–285). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
Where is the promise of his coming? (που ἐστιν ἡ ἐπαγγελια της παρουσιας αὐτου; [pou estin hē epaggelia tēs parousias autou?]). This is the only sample of the questions raised by these mockers. Peter had mentioned this subject of the παρουσια [parousia] in 1:16. Now he faces it squarely. Peter, like Paul (1 Thess. 5:1f.; 2 Thess. 2:1f.), preached about the second coming (1:16; Acts 3:20f.), as Jesus himself did repeatedly (Matt. 24:34) and as the angels promised at the Ascension (Acts 1:11). Both Jesus and Paul (2 Thess. 2:1f.) were misunderstood on the subject of the time and the parables of Jesus urged readiness and forbade setting dates for his coming, though his language in Matt. 24:34 probably led some to believe that he would certainly come while they were alive. From the day that (ἀφʼ ἡς [aph’ hēs]). “From which day.” See Luke 7:45. Fell asleep (ἐκοιμηθησαν [ekoimēthēsan]). First aorist passive indicative of κοιμαω [koimaō], old verb, to put sleep, classic euphemism for death (John 11:11) like our cemetery (sleeping-place). Continue (διαμενει [diamenei]). Present active indicative of διαμενω [diamenō], to remain through (Luke 1:22). In statu quo. As they were (οὑτως [houtōs]). “Thus.” From the beginning of creation (ἀπʼ ἀρχης κτισεως [ap’ archēs ktiseōs]). Precisely so in Mark 10:6, which see. (Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (2 Pe 3:4). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.)
3:4. Their mocking took the form of a stinging question: Where is this “coming” He promised? Rejecting this promise, so often repeated in the New Testament (John 14:1–3; Acts 1:11; 1 Cor. 15:23; 2 Cor. 1:14; Phil. 1:6; 1 Thes. 3:13; 4:14–18; 2 Thes. 1:10; 2:1; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:8; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; James 5:7) rests on the principle of uniformitarianism. This is the view that the cosmic processes of the present and the future can be understood solely on the basis of how the cosmos has operated in the past. There is almost an incipient deism here which rules out divine intervention in the universal order. In a universe governed by natural laws miracles, mockers argue, simply cannot happen. Therefore they say Jesus Christ could not come again.
The scoffers wanted to push their argument as far back as possible. So they referred to our fathers (lit., “the fathers”), that is, Old Testament patriarchs (John 7:22; Acts 3:13; 13:32; Rom. 9:5; 11:28; Heb. 1:1), and to the beginning of Creation. Since nothing has happened in all this time, mockers reasoned, why expect the Lord’s return now? (Gangel, K. O. (1985). 2 Peter. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 875). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)
Because God’s Word is true, we must pay attention to it and take its message seriously. New converts must be taught the Word and established in the doctrines of the faith, for new Christians are the apostate teacher’s primary targets. But older Christians must also be reminded of the importance of Bible doctrine and, in particular, the doctrines that relate to the return of Christ. Prophetic teaching must not lull us to sleep. Rather, it must awaken us to live godly lives and to seek to win the lost (Rom. 13:11–14).
What the Bible teaches about the Day of the Lord was not invented by the Apostles. The prophets taught it and so did our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:2). Peter emphasized the unity of the Word of God. When the scoffers denied “the power and coming” of Jesus Christ, they were denying the truth of the prophetic books, the teaching of our Lord in the Gospels, and the writing of the Apostles! Like our Lord’s seamless garment, the Scriptures cannot be cut apart without ruining the whole.
As far back as the days of Enoch, God warned that judgment was coming (Jude 14–15). Many of the Hebrew prophets announced the Day of the Lord and warned that the world would be judged (Isa. 2:10–22; 13:6–16; Jer. 30:7; Dan. 12:1; Joel; Amos 5:18–20; Zeph.; Zech. 12:1–14:3). This period of judgment is also known as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:7) and the Tribulation.
Our Lord taught about this day of judgment in His sermon on the Mount of Olives (Matt. 24–25). Paul discussed it in 1 Thessalonians 5 and 2 Thessalonians 1–2. The Apostle John described this terrible day in Revelation 6–19. It will be a time when God’s wrath will be poured out on the nations, and when Satan will be free to give vent to his anger and malice. It will culminate with the return of Jesus Christ in glory and victory.
While I do not make it a test of fellowship or spirituality, I personally believe that the people of God will be taken to heaven before this “great and terrible day” dawns.
I think we should carefully distinguish the various “days” mentioned in the Bible. “The Day of the Lord” is that day of judgment that climaxes with the return of Christ to the earth. “The Day of God” (2 Peter 3:12) is the period when God’s people enjoy the new heavens and the new earth, when all evil has been judged (1 Cor. 15:28). “The Day of Christ” relates to the coming of Christ for His church (1 Cor. 1:7–9; Phil. 1:10; 2:16).
Prophetic students seem to fall into three categories: those who believe the church will be raptured (“caught up together,” 1 Thes. 4:13ff) before the Day of the Lord; those who see this event taking place in the middle of the Day of the Lord, so that the church experiences the first half of the Tribulation; and those who believe the church will be raptured when the Lord returns at the Tribulation’s close. There are good and godly people in each group and our differences of interpretation must not create problems in fellowship or in sharing Christian love.
Not only does the Word of God predict the coming Day of the Lord, but it also predicts the appearance of the very scoffers who deny that Word! Their presence is proof that the Word they deny is the true Word of God! We should not be surprised at the presence of these apostate mockers (see Acts 20:28–31; 1 Tim. 4; 2 Tim. 3).
A scoffer is someone who treats lightly that which ought to be taken seriously. The people in Noah’s day scoffed at the idea of a judgment, and the citizens of Sodom scoffed at the possibility of fire and brimstone destroying their sinful city. If you have tried at all to witness for Jesus Christ, you have no doubt met people who scoff at the idea of hell or a future day of judgment for this world.
Why do these apostates scoff? Because they want to continue living in their sins. Peter made it clear that false teachers cultivate “the lust of uncleanness” (2 Peter 2:10) and allure weak people by means of “the lusts of the flesh” (2 Peter 2:18). If your lifestyle contradicts the Word of God, you must either change your lifestyle or change the Word of God. The apostates choose the latter approach, so they scoff at the doctrines of judgment and the coming of the Lord.
What is their argument? The uniformity of the world. “Nothing cataclysmic has happened in the past,” they argue, “so there is no reason to believe it will happen in the future.” They take the “scientific approach” by examining evidence, applying reason, and drawing a conclusion. The fact that they willfully ignore a good deal of evidence does not seem to disturb them.
The scientific approach works admirably in matters that relate to the material universe, but you cannot take Bible prophecy into a laboratory and treat it as though it were another hypothesis. For that matter, the so-called “laws of science” are really only educated conclusions based on a limited number of experiments and tests. These laws are generalizations, always subject to change, because no scientist can perform an infinite number of experiments to prove his claim. Nor can he completely control all the factors involved in the experiments and in his own thinking.
The Word of God is still “a light that shineth in a dark [squalid] place” (2 Peter 1:19). We can trust it. No matter what the scoffers may claim, God’s day of judgment will come on the world, and Jesus Christ shall return to establish His glorious kingdom. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 462–463). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
3:4 Where is the promise of His coming? The early church believed that Jesus was coming back imminently (cf. 1Co 15:51; 1Th 1:10; 2:19; 4:15–18; 5:1, 2). These scoffers employed an emotional argument against imminency rather than a biblical argument. Their argument played on ridicule and disappointment. the fathers. The OT patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (cf. Ro 9:5; Heb 1:1). all continues just as it was. This argument against the second coming of Christ is based on the theory of uniformitarianism, which says that all natural phenomena have operated uniformly since the beginning of the earth. The false teachers were also implying that God is absent from earth affairs. In effect, they were teaching that, “There will not be a great cataclysmic judgmental event at the end of history, because that is not how the universe works. There never has been such a judgment, so why should we expect one in the future? Instead, everything in the universe is stable, closed, fixed, and governed by never varying patterns and principles of evolution. Nothing catastrophic has ever happened in the past, so nothing catastrophic ever will happen in the future. There will be no divine invasion, no supernatural judgment on mankind.” (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (2 Pe 3:4). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 4. And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? &c.] That is, of the coming of the Lord and Saviour, ver. 2 the object of their scorn and derision, and whom they name not, through contempt; and the meaning is, what is become of the promise of his coming? where the accomplishment of it? The prophets foretold he would come; he himself said he would come again; the angels, at his ascension, declared he would come from heaven in like manner as he went up; and all his apostles gave out that he would appear a second time to judge both quick and dead, and that his coming was at hand; but where is the fulfilment of all this? he is not come, nor is there any sign or likelihood of it: for since the fathers fell asleep; or died; which is the language of the Scriptures, and here sneered at by these men, who believe them so fast asleep as never to be awaked or raised more; and by the fathers they mean the first inhabitants of the world, as Adam, Abel, Seth, &c. and all the patriarchs and prophets in all ages; the Ethiopic version renders it, our first fathers: all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation; reasoning from the settled order of things, the constant revolution of the sun, moon, and stars, the permanency of the earth, and the succession of the inhabitants of it, to the future continuance of things, without any alteration; and consequently, that Christ would not come, as was promised, to raise the dead, judge mankind, destroy the world, and set up a new state of things: the fallacy of which reasoning is exposed by the apostle in the following words. (Gill, J. (1809). An Exposition of the New Testament (Vol. 3, p. 606). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
THOMAS
Except I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. John 20:25
As long as you reason and argue, you will never be satisfied. But the moment you see Him, your troubles will be resolved, and your answers will be given to you. The apostle Thomas is a perfect example of this.
We are familiar with the story of Thomas. After the death of Christ, the apostles were scattered. Then they met together, and when they were in an upper room, Christ appeared to them. Thomas was not with them then, but he joined the company later. They told him that the Lord had appeared among them, but Thomas would not believe it. He kept to the realm of reason and understanding. “No,” he said, “I can’t believe it, I cannot accept it—I must see Him for myself. I must put my hand into the print of the nails; I cannot believe this story.”
But then later the Lord appeared in the room and said, “Where is that finger of yours, Thomas? Put it into My side.” And Thomas broke down, as it were, and said that it was unnecessary. He fell at His feet and said, “My Lord and my God.” Had he come to understand the resurrection? Of course he had not—he just knew that it was a fact. So it is not a question of understanding—it is a question of the facts.
A Point to Ponder: The moment you see Him, your troubles will be resolved, and your answers will be given to you.
(From The Heart of the Gospel, pp. 24-25, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
The Israelites choose 12 stones to erect as a memorial to God’s faithfulness.
INSIGHT
Memorials help us preserve important memories. God memorializes many important things in the Old Testament, often through feasts and ceremonies. Now He uses a monument built of stones so that in the future the Israelites can tell their children: “Here, the God of miracles was faithful.”
What things has God done in your life that you ought not to forget? Think of ways to memorialize them. You might have ceremonies, anniversaries of important events, or a physical memorial. Either way, foster the memory of God’s work on your behalf.
(Quiet Walk)
Feeding on Truth or Wind
“Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” (Psalm 37:3)
Although there are many promises in Scripture to the effect that the Lord will provide material sustenance to those who are faithful to Him (Matthew 6:33), this particular verse evidently refers to an even more blessed promise. The word translated “verily” is better rendered by “truth,” so the latter part of the verse could best be given as: “thou shalt be fed on the truth.” That is, the spiritual life of the one who trusts in Christ will be fed and sustained by truth.
In contrast, the unbeliever feeds on that which is not true. The one “who hath formed a god” (Isaiah 44:10) for himself will soon taste bitterness on his tongue. “He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?” (Isaiah 44:20). Those who trust in human deliverance will be like Israel depending on Egypt and Assyria. “Ephraim feedeth on wind, and followeth after the east wind: he daily increaseth lies and desolation” (Hosea 12:1). The diet of false prophets is more bitter still. “Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall” (Jeremiah 23:15).
Wind and ashes, wormwood and gall; such is the spiritual food of those who reject the truth of the Word of God.
To the believer, however, the Scriptures are as much a daily need for the soul as bread for the body. As Job said long ago: “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12). Moses testified as follows: “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3).
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
Often when we pray, our prayers tend to be general and superficial rather than specific and transformational in focus. (p. 93)
An effective board is one that recognizes the most important task we have when meeting together is praying for the spiritual needs of the congregation. (p. 93
The pint is that prayer is not a replacement for common medical practices but is to be used in conjunction with them. (p. 94)
As a board and as a church, our goal should be that we are known as a “house of prayer” (Matt. 21:13) (p. 96)
(Developing Leaders for the Small Church by Glenn C. Daman)
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