2 Peter 3:9-13 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. 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. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of person sought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 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? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Just the other day, I was listening to a study of 2 Peter 3 on the Day of the Lord and how it really is a day of future triumph, full of the brilliance of His glory and manifest majesty. For the day of the Lord is God’s final judgment and justice. The first day of visitation was the birth of Christ, the manifest promised Savior of the world, which we celebrate at Christmas each year. The second visitation, which is referred to in this passage, will be the final manifestation of Christ to judge the worLd (Judgment day). 1Peter 2:24-25 speaks to Jesus as the Bishop of our souls. The word Bishop is ἐπίσκοπος – episkopos in Greek is where we get our English word “scope”. The word “skopos” translates as “one who sees”, as an over-seeing General, who watches and sees that the job is being done properly by visitations and surprise inspections (like a thief in the night comes unexpected and unannounced). “epi” emphasizes “skppos” as a super-seer or supervisor. And like the supervisor rewards those who are vigilant, prepared and ready to do their work, and punishes those who are not, the Day of the Lord is “Good news” as the Lord visits His people (the children of God) to bring supreme blessedness and redemption, but a day of uttermost doom for the unregenerate man in the godless deterioration of sin unpaid, because it is a day of the final judgment. The word judgment is κρίσις or krisis in the Greek and where we get our English word “Crisis”. The day of the Lord is a crisis because “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”, but not for the church. Fire purifies by removing impurities. God is not willing that any of His people perish. For the child of God there shall be a redeemed world of “new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
14-18 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 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, 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. 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; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
What are we supposed to do in the meantime? The body of Christ is called to be diligent and vigilant, not disengaged from the work of the kingdom of God
1 Peter 2:11-12 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
In Christ, Brian
4 comments:
Hi Brian,
What a good reminder to be diligent for Father.
Each of us has a destiny to fulfill and we need to be busy about it or we may find ourselves out of the Kingdom of God. Like the man who buried his talent and his Master was mad at him and threw him out, we need to be busy working with Father has given us.
Blessings,
<><
Child of God, We were discussing in our small group last week the fact that the whole Word of God is just not being taught these days, and therefore and lack of knowledge exists, creating misunderstandings and false ideas about God and the work of the kingdom. Churches, ministries, Bloggers, and the people of God need to communication truth, as light in the darkness of this lack of biblical knowledge found in the Word of God. Then they will see and know the Lord to be diligent about their heavenly Father's business and their destiny as a child of God. Great point! Thank you C.O.G.
Hi Brian,
Awesome post and a much needed encouragement. Time is running out and many people are walking around blind to the destruction which awaits them. Then many in the church are asleep at this time.
I pray you have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Ken
Great point Ken. When we don't keep the "Main Thing", the main thing in our lives, then we tend to "major in the minors". Our Pastor has me reading on Biblical Eldership and it speaks to what you are saying about the people and the church that once stood for sound, orthodox doctrine and life, now reject every major tenet of the Christian faith and condone the mot deplorable moral practices conceivable, because being naive, untaught, and prayerless have become inattentive to Satan's deceptive strategies. This, of course, is a call to action. Awareness of Truth is the goal. Thank you for writing.
Post a Comment