The apparent delay in Christ’s return is due to God’s mercy as He waits patiently for the Gospel to reach all nations.
Peter
discusses the subject of Christ’s return and the coming New Creation in his
second epistle, addressing two issues of continuing relevance to the Church.
First, why the apparent “delay” of his “arrival”? Second, the
understanding that believers can, in fact, “hasten” this final event.
The growing weariness of some
believers was an open door for false teachers and outside critics to exploit.
Instead of the predicted terrestrial and cosmic upheaval, daily life was
continuing as it always had.
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[Photo by Sergey Pesterev on Unsplash] |
However, as Peter reminded his readers, the Spirit of God warned of this very thing and the rise of deceivers and self-serving false prophets in the Assembly:
- “Scoffers who will come with scoffing and declaring, where is the promise of his coming, for since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!” - (2 Peter 3:3-4).
The Apostle reassures disciples
of Jesus despite present circumstances, the “Day of the Lord” will come
just as promised, and at the appointed time. The promise has
not failed, nor has its fulfillment been delayed. All is proceeding according
to the Divine Plan.
God is not slack concerning
His Word and promises, but He also does not operate according to man’s timetables
and expectations.
- (2 Peter 3:10-13) – “Howbeit, the day of the Lord will be here as a thief in which the heavens with a rushing noise will pass away, while elements becoming intensely hot will be dissolved, and earth and the works therein will be discovered. Seeing that all these things are thus to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be, all the while in holy ways of behavior and acts of godliness, expecting and hastening the presence of the day of God by reason of which the heavens, being on fire, will be dissolved, and the elements, becoming intensely hot, will be melted. But new heavens and a new earth according to his promise are we expecting in which righteousness will dwell.”
The Greek word translated as “coming”
in this passage is ‘Parousia’ (παρουσια), which means “advent, arrival,
coming, presence.” It signifies the “arrival” of someone or something, not the
process of his or its “coming.” It often refers to the “arrival”
of a royal person to a city, and it is applied several times in the Greek New
Testament to the “arrival” of Jesus - (Matthews 24:27, 1 Thessalonians
4:15-17).
Peter reminds us of the past
acts of God. Not only did He create the Earth, but He also destroyed much of it
with the Great Flood. In their claim that the ‘Parousia’ has been
delayed, scoffers ignore the past:
- “When the Heavens and the Earth that now are, by the same word have been stored with fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of the ungodly men.”
The alleged “delay” is, in reality, evidence of God’s mercy. He is not bound by our presumptions, nor is He “slack concerning his promise.”
God is “long-suffering, not wanting anyone to perish but that
all should come to repentance.” What the Church experiences is not delay or
cancellation, but God’s patience, and this is so the Gospel has
time and opportunity to reach all men.
HURRYING EVENTS
The “Day of the Lord”
must come, and its “arrival” will be like the home invasion of a thief – Unexpected,
Sudden, and Unforeseeable. The homeowner certainly can
anticipate attempts by criminals to rob him, but he cannot ascertain when
they will strike - (Matthew 24:42-43, Luke 12:39, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3,
Revelation 3:3, 16:1).
When that final day does come, “The
Heavens with a rushing noise will pass away, while elements becoming intensely
hot will be dissolved.” Peter’s description parallels other passages that
link terrestrial and celestial disruptions to Christ’s “arrival.” Peter here
refers to nothing less than the dissolution of the old order - (Matthew 24:29,
Revelation 6:12-17).
This does not mean its complete
annihilation, but its replacement by the “New Heavens and the New Earth.”
The disruption of the old order prepares for the arrival of the new, a creation
that will be “according to promise.” This last clause echoes the promise
found in the Book of Isaiah, “For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth”
- (Isaiah 65:17).
When Peter refers to the “coming
of the Day of God,” once again, “coming” represents the Greek term ‘Parousia’.
The “Day of God” is synonymous with the “Day of the Lord,” and in
this way, the Apostle connects the “arrival” of Jesus, the “Day of
the Lord,” and the “Day of God.” Each term refers to the same final event
- (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2).
Thus, Peter places the judgment and destruction of the ungodly, the “Day of the Lord,” the dissolution of the old creation, and the inauguration of the New Creation at the “arrival” of Jesus.
The Apostle Peter concludes with
an exhortation for right conduct and holy living, especially in consideration
of all that the future holds. The faithful actions of the Assembly could easily
“hasten” the arrival of that Day.
Said actions must include the
proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus. He declared that the “end” will
not come until “this Gospel of the Kingdom is proclaimed to all nations, in
all the habitable Earth.”
If anything, the apparent
“delay” of the ‘Parousia’ demonstrates conclusively that the Assembly of
Jesus Christ has yet to complete its paramount mission. If God is waiting for
anything, it is for His Church to finish its task of bearing witness to the
nations of the Earth.
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SEE ALSO:
- The Goal of the Church - (Jesus has tasked his disciples with proclaiming the Good News of GOD’s Kingdom in and to every nation on the Earth – Romans 3:22-30)
- The Shining City - (Contrary to the claims of politicians and far too many church leaders, Jesus is the only light able to illuminate this dark world)
- The Message - (Jesus summoned his disciples to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every inhabited corner of the Earth)
We have had false teachers for 2,000 years. The true gospel of the resurrection and the Kingdom of God has not been preached to most of the world.
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