End Time Events

What we're going to do here is kind of turn to the end of the second epistle of Peter to the church, and I thought I'd begin with a brief overview in terms of where we're at in 2 Peter 3. Peter in this last segment of the second letter is emphasizing several very important points. The first is he's reminding us of the words of the prophets.

I mean, I don't know about all of you, but I think looking at the prophecy of the Old Testament in terms of how accurate it's been in predicting events to follow, gives me a faith that goes beyond simply the faith that leads to salvation. I think all the evidence that exists really, I think, reaffirms our faith and puts it on a solid foundation.

So he reminds us of that at the beginning of this particular chapter. He reminds us also of the certainty of Christ's return and what accompanies him in the process, including the new heavens and new earth, and we'll be dealing with that to some extent today. predicts the opposing view of the scoffers to his return. And that was taught just in the last two or three times we've gotten together here. The scoffers were predicted, and in fact, there's a lot of warning about their impact on the church as it grows in grace. And he refers to God's long-suffering as a motive to repent.

And we're going to come to that a little bit today, is to determine whether You know, that really creates an atmosphere of fear that ultimately would move us to be saved or ultimately as a body of Christ, whether that fear results in our growth and grace. And I think that's a topic that we'll come back to. And finally, he concludes by urging our growth, importantly, in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that knowledge is not a factual knowledge. It's actually a personal knowledge through growth and development.

So let's turn to verse 8 then. Do not forget this one thing, or in some versions, don't be ignorant, that with the Lord, curious, and we'll come back to that perhaps as we go forward today, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. So class, how often have you quoted this verse? And to you, what does this mean?

We're going to pause there. I need some answers. Well, God is outside of time, so time doesn't affect him at all. We're the ones that are in time. So what about time? Recently, in my own walk with the Lord, I've had a change of perspective of God's relationship to the time that we're in. as it began when he created us in the world, and it will end after a thousand generations, after the millennium, that is, a period that is eternal. So he sees the beginning as well as the end at the same time. That's quite a different perspective than just thinking of tick-tock, tick-tock, you know, and that's reality. It's reality for us, but he's looking at it from another perspective. All right, Roy's going to build on that concept. Any other thoughts about how you interpret this verse? There's a parallel verse, actually, in Psalm. Psalm 90, verse 4. Yes, we'll come to that. OK, good, good. That's right, OK.

So let's further this thought process a little bit. I mean, in a sense, I think, created the heavens and the earth and everything to follow in six days and the rest of it on the seventh is a tough concept that boy, I'll tell you the academicians in that space really, really argue against that one.

So, you know, if you look back at verse 5 through 7, the same chapter, we're talking about the scoffers. What are the scoffers saying here? Somebody turn back to those verses. What are the scoffers saying? Well, they're saying nothing has changed, basically. Everything's the same. When's it going to happen? They're willing to be ignorant, though. Okay.

In other words, God has made everything, and not that. The evidence for all of us is the power of God. And they're rebelling against that. Okay, and it's kind of worse than proof of the pudding, right? I mean, coming back, hasten is coming back. We'll come back to that and how to interpret that in a few minutes. But ultimately, what's the delay all about here anyway, right? So the scoffers are ignorant. They're basically unbelievers. They could be, in fact, in the body, but they could be scoffers in that group. But nevertheless, this is something from a human perspective needs proof to document.

So, can we interpret verse 8 literally? I think we've kind of talked around that here a little bit. No, I mean, what veils us a thousand years, I think in a sense it gives us the idea of God's eternity. But I'm going to turn now to Constable, and let's see if we agree with his interpretation.

This verse does not mean that God operates in a timeless state. Time is simply the way he and we measure the relationship of events to one another. The idea of a timeless existence is platonic. That's a strong term. Not biblical. God's relationship to time is different from ours since he is eternal. But this does not mean that eternity will be timeless. That sounds like an oxymoron to me. Eternity is endless time. So what are your thoughts about that? Let me go to Andrew. What are your thoughts about gospel? Is that an appropriate interpretation? I'll ask you next week, Andrew.

Bob, typically we've taught here at Holly Hills different teachers, different time periods. God is certainly outside of time. So, I don't know. I have a little bit of a problem with what he said, I guess. What is the problem for you, Roger? We use the word timeless, and to God, everything is now for God. There's a bunch of verses that talk about now, but he does talk about a beginning and an end, and they're infinite. So, I don't know. I think timeless is a word that's a problem.

But one of the things that might help here is the Gospel of John, verse 1. The beginning was, it's in the incarnate tense. Here's the beginning. It's not really a beginning, because God already existed at the beginning. Right, right. That's what God said. So let's turn to a few verses. Roger, you alluded to this. For a thousand years, in your sight like yesterday, there is chaos and a watch in the night. So you're right. The Psalms deal with the same concept. Right.

But this all will happen when? Well, according to Peter, I'm not sure I have that correct. But the end of all things is at hand, that therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. So I think that's ultimately stated by Peter. It's at hand, and we're going to come back to that.

I think I just have that misquoted there. Anyway, the verse is correct, but I'm not sure. It is verse 7, but I think it should be chapter 3. But anyway, all that aside, I think being a hand is interpreted differently based on how you interpret the Greek here. So let's go ahead to verse 9 then.

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And the reason I put the Greek term, woulomai, there is this is not an emotional willing. I mean, apparently in the Greek, there are two terms for willing and one is emotionally based and one has an intelligence based to it. And this interpretation here is God's not willing. Having you sometimes thought of the Lord being slack, tardy and so when and why?

I mean, how many times have you prayed for someone's salvation for years and years and years? What about kind of issues that come up even on a day-to-day basis? But isn't it man always wanting it to operate or believers wanting it to operate to their schedule? God has a different schedule, so to speak. And we have to believe it's the wisest schedule. Our schedule may be flawed. We don't see the ramifications of things happening later.

We want them now, it seems like, many times. Well, if we think about a day being a thousand years to the Lord, I mean, that's 365,000 days. So that just gives us a metaphor to kind of examine the endless nature of the Lord. In the beginning, Roy, you're right, was the Word. And ultimately that beginning was whatever that was, but we don't certainly have the time to be able to put on it.

But yes, I mean, we think of the Lord as being slack sometimes and tardy in answering our prayers. But, you know, Peter's talked a lot about in his two epistles about the trials and tribulations that come our way. And that tardiness is only for one thing, is to grow us in grace and faith. to believe that he ultimately knows our needs, knows our wants, and ultimately answers them in his own perfect timing. I wonder, Bob, if Peter was thinking of the unbelievers mentioned back in verse 5 there?

Right. They say he's slack, I guess, is maybe the way that they would say it. Right, Roy. And what that does to me, it makes me think the scoffers are those who don't have a belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. So I think that's perfectly appropriate here in terms of a verse that we often quote too, don't we? That he's not willing that any should perish. But the verb tense here is in the indicative mood. The fact is he's not slack.

So from a human perspective, we think he's tardy or delayed or slack, but in fact, Scripture says to the alternative, and I think that's where we put the endless time, if you will, however you want to interpret verse 8 into perspective. His schedule is entirely different, Roger, as you said, than ours. That's right. He has a, you know, we may perceive it's not the correct schedule to our way of thinking, but we're, you know, He wants us to trust him and believe that he's able, you know, he will make the right choices. He will get in the right time. So I feel what Mike covered, the fullness of time, you know, when our Savior came. So he knows when the right time is.

All right, good. So from our human point of view, why does he seem to slack? And I think we've kind of talked around that here. It's for our growth. Through through his great platform of grace when we respond by faith that he's about his business and in the right timing I mean, I can even think personally and selfishly that I didn't know whether it's gonna be able to make it this morning But I'm feeling a little bit better now.

So well, you know in terms of I have nothing slack He certainly proved that to me this morning. So anyway, all right. So what does the verse say in terms of his promise? What's the verse say about his promise He's not willing or wishing that any should perish, that all... Right. So if this is his purpose, that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance, why doesn't he simply save everyone then?

Are we back to the fact of his creating man? Did he create a man? I can't say. I'll have to choose him. free will. Yeah, we do have free will and he wants us to believe. He wants us to have that faith. That's good, Margaret. What about our own free will? He created man in an innocent manner and hopefully sin followed in the garden. So Margaret, I think is hit this correctly. What about our own free will?

And I think it relates to bringing glory to the Lord. You know, I'm I wish Hal were here because he's preached repeatedly on our task down here is to bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord above. And so I'm going to turn to 2 Corinthians 4, 7-9 because I think it puts it in the kind of important perspective.

But if the ministry of death written and engraved on stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory."

How's that? Doesn't that fit here, you think? We have a free will. And ultimately he's saying, ultimately the ministry of righteousness, which in fact we all have, remember, he hath made him who knew no sin to be made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. That's more glory than what the nation of Israel saw in the face of Moses. So the idea that we're not created as robots, we're asked to do something very simple, to believe and come to repentance. And of course, coming to repentance, we could argue that left and right, whether that's necessary to get saved.

It's not. You don't have to repent to be saved. You need to be saved. And then you think about the things that maybe you need to take to the Lord. But anyway, all that aside, I think that's why, in fact, he simply doesn't save everyone. He has a message he's given to the world system and that we all need to respond to.

Yes, you think it's also that it's the goodness of God that leads us to repentance and it shows this character of long-suffering? No question about that. And the question is, this is his promise that he would not have any parish that all come to repentance. He's been long lasting in that space, hasn't he? There's still an opportunity for the unsaved individual to come to the Lord.

Verse 10 then, 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." So as I thought about this I really pondered quite a bit about what this is going to be like. The question is that interpreting the day of the Lord can sometimes be difficult and occasionally it relates to the rapture but for the most part it does relate to the end times which Roger has labeled this series of verses. as described by Peter here. Let's see if we can try to picture these events that are described here and elsewhere in Scripture, by the way.

A thief in the night. Everyone has some fear of the thief in the night, even today, right? But this is going to be quite different. We're going to turn to a few prophetic verses that relate to this and go beyond simply what Peter has to tell us. Joel 2.31, the sun shall be turned into darkness. and the moon into blood before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And Luke, but know this, that the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, and he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. We're talking about kingdom of God here. We'll come back to that in a minute.

First Thessalonians 4.2, for you ourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. So this metaphor, if you will, of the thief coming in the night is going to be totally surprising, isn't it? And we need to position this in terms of the chronology and we'll come to that in a second.

The other thing is a great noise. And the Logos Bible software interprets that as a rushing noise like a whizzing arrow. Now, I don't know about you, but a whizzing arrow, if it's a great noise, it must be a pretty big arrow. So we can picture the sound of a whizzing arrow.

But, you know, this is going to be much more spectacular and much more grandiose. So I looked online for quite a while to get what I thought might be a good example of what this looks like. And there are so many different pictorials of this, but I thought this one kind of looked at all the components of this verse in terms of the, we don't have the noise, but the idea of the thief in the night coming and everything will melt and burn. And, you know, there'll be, you know, ultimately a total destruction of, of the earth. And this, I think, kind of resembles what this might look like.

Now, what we says here, the aspect of the day of the Lord, which will come suddenly and unawares as a thief, will be the second half of the seven year period in which the Antichrist turns against the human race to become the ruthless dictator and the judgments of God fall upon a Christ-rejecting world. Nor only will the beginning of the day of the Lord come suddenly, but its end at the close of the millennium will come unexpectedly. The great white throne judgment and the great conflagration will come upon the earth dwellers who are unsaved as suddenly as the judgment of the great tribulation. So this is his description of the day of the Lord.

I tried to provide a little bit of chronology here that I thought was scripturally accurate that I pulled from the web. And ultimately, what we're looking at is right here. So here we're looking at the resurrection, the period of grace we're operating under now.

And by the way, that period of grace will extend during the tribulation period. There will be people saved during the tribulation. So the church age ends at the rapture, but the dispensation of grace will continue to the end of the tribulation period. And if anybody's read the Left Behind series, I think that's well exemplified in the Left Behind series.

And then we've got the thousand year millennium shown here. And after millennium is going to be the day of the Lord, where, in fact, there will be a destruction of the heavens and the earth. and ultimately the new heavens and the new earth to follow.

So, any thoughts about this? Roy, I'll turn to you. Your thoughts. I used to think that that was the beginning of the eternal state, but I've changed my mind and I'm still studying it, Bob, and so I may not say this right, but that period of time that you're pointing to, that red border on it, is a thousand generations long after the millennium and the new heavens and the new earth comes into existence. And at the end of that thousand generations, there's no rebellion, but our Lord Jesus hands over to the Father the kingdom that has existed for that thousand generations perfectly with no sin.

That's the way I understand it at the moment. I will point out that this box here that outlines this period does show time, meaning from a human understanding. This is not necessarily the day of the Lord isn't sudden and everything's changed permanently, but there is a period of time which may relate to exactly what you said. I was hopeful that you would have some comments about this.

Yeah, and apparently the end of all things is when the fullness comes in at the end of that period. And for whatever that means in scripture, I do not know. But when he has that kingdom that is so perfect over to the Father, the fullness comes in. That he may be the fullness of all things. Is that maybe the eternity? that is outside of time again, I'm not sure. Thanks, Roy. Other comments about the eschatology as shown here?

Well, Bob, you know, what I thought, I've kind of thought, and I look back on my notes a little bit, the day of the Lord actually As we have taught it, we haven't even taught it, is that it's a time period. So it's a time period and then there's questions about where it starts. But the end part is kind of described in the verse. I mean, the verse tells us when it's ending. You know, all those statements at the end, the elements will be destroyed, tense heat and so on. But the beginning, some have a rapture. So they say the day of the Lord starts at the rapture and ends at the, as the verse describes here, when everything's burned up.

So anyway, there's different views on, I noticed that Deweese, he started a little bit differently. So there's different discussion about when it begins, but I've always thought of it as more of a time period, not a particular day. I mean, the only thing that I would say that is not in, you know, in agreement with that or consistent with that is it's a thief in the night, right?

Right. I know. And that is problematic. That sounds like. So this is going to happen in a surprising manner. That doesn't mean the thief isn't going to be robbing your house for a thousand years, I guess. But anyway, it looks to me like this is a pretty sudden event. We'll come.

So some of I think some taken that describes the thief describes the beginning. and then the rest of the verse describes the end. That's kind of what I sometimes say. The thief is described in the beginning of the day of the Lord, and when the elements are gone, that's the end of the day of the Lord.

But it deserves probably a lot deeper study than we'll be able to give it to in this time period. Actually, we'll get a chance to probably revisit it maybe when we go to Thessalonians here. Right, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 deals with both the rapture and I think the day of the Lord. So, in fact, one of the verses I cited was from 1 Thessalonians 4. But I don't think that's why Peter is bringing this up here. I think he's bringing it up for other reasons. And to some extent, you know, this is exemplified, I think, in verses 11 and 12. And we'll drill down here in a second.

But therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought to be in holy conduct or conversation and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of the Lord, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. In a sense, it's providing kind of a parallel with a little bit more emphasis and detail than verse 10. So let's drill down here a little bit. So what manner of persons ought you to be holy in conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of the world.

Who are these people? Is this us? I mean, Peter's writing this epistle to the church, is he not? He is, yes. Yeah. I have a note here by Constable. It says, Peter believes that understanding the future should motivate the believers to live a holy life.

So you think it's to motivate your believer, it's not that all will come to salvation and repent. You don't think it relates to them? Well, when it's personal here, it's you to be in holy conduct. That's not on believers. That's right. Okay. That addresses the believer for sure.

So, you know, just a related kind of topic is, is this for us today, and if so, is this mode of one of fear? I look at it as being a promise of eternal blessing because God's in control. He's not slack overview-wise in these verses. He's got a timetable. All right, but the nature of this verse will, you know, what manner of persons ought you to be, is in fact that because of the fear of what's coming? I would think not, in fact, if we understand scripture correctly, that we'll not be part of this day of the Lord, right?

I think the rapture occurred way before the destruction of the earth. Oh yeah. Yeah, we'll be within. For sure. Well, if we take the definition that I have, well, when the rapture happens, that's when the day of the Lord begins. So we're, we're quote, out of here on the day of the Lord begins. So we don't even, we see it through the, you know, through our Savior's eyes. We're with him then. So, so you're really seeing the day of the Lord as beginning with a rapture then?

Yeah, that's kind of what I had thought. And I, I haven't gone back and I didn't have enough time to look up. I just grabbed some notes real quickly. Well, the commentators really don't go there. I mean, I looked at the number of them as I usually do when I prepare, but that's not where they go with this.

So whatever. I think there's kind of a mystery of the events that follow that really are not totally clear, but we do the best with what we have interpreting scripture. So is the day of God the same as the day of the Lord? I have a definition, Bob. You probably have one, too. Please, go ahead. By the way, the word for God is theos here, where throughout this text in 2 Peter, when he uses day of the Lord, it's kyrgios, which can relate to God the Father and or the Lord Jesus Christ. Go ahead, Roger. What are your thoughts here? This is some notes I had from Schaeffer.

The day of God is evidently An identification of eternity, yet future, in the new earth will have been created. I'm sorry, in the new heavens the new earth will be created. Excuse me. So, the day of God is evidently an identification of eternity, future, when the new heavens and the new earth have been created.

So that interpretation may relate to the birth to the extent that it's because of which the heavens will be dissolved, right? in a sense, it may have a different application than that. Well, one of the things that we need to keep in mind here is that this destruction of the world that we know of today does not occur at the rapture. It does not occur at the beginning of the millennium. It occurs after the Great White Moon, at the end of the millennium. And the New Heaven and the New Earth without sea, by the way, without mountains, by the way, is of a manner in length and time that we really don't know.

And I think Peter had a glimpse of it here when he said, it's just like a day for the Lord for a thousand years to go by. Okay. That's the perspective I get. As an old man, I'm getting to that perspective that to God, time is not the issue. It's the repentance of each of us toward him and his great grace that he has manifested toward us. Let's take a look and see how Constable really deals with this distinction between the day of God and the day of the Lord. So could somebody turn to 1 Corinthians 15, 28 and read that please? The day of God may be a reference to the time yet future in which God will be all in all. I have it. Please.

And when all things are subjected to him, Then the Son himself will be subjected to the one who subjected all things to him, that God may be all in all. Okay, that's what constable thinks relates to the day of God when all will be all in all. That will be, I think, the completed act is, Roger, kind of what you said. So this will follow the creation of the new heavens and the new earth.

Somebody read Revelation 21.1, please. I saw a new heaven and a new earth, but the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there was no more sea. It's really hard for us to envision that, isn't it? Right. That everything will be destroyed and there will be a new heaven and a new earth.

Yes, but that's only the beginning of that thousand generations, okay? Well, yes, that's your interpretation, Roy. You may be very true of that time that was shown back in the previous slide here. This period, again, is not a day. This may be the thousand years you're alluding to. A thousand generations. A thousand generations, yes. Yeah, that's 30,000, 40,000 years. But at that point we won't be counting time, right?

I think that the end of time is at the end of that period when our Savior hands over the kingdom that exists at that time in the new heaven and the new earth. And I don't know, is there procreation here on the earth? Is the earth repopulated during that time?

And he takes that kingdom that he has ruled over righteously and hands it to the Father that he who has submitted all things to him may be all in all. I'm having trouble putting that into words the way the Scriptures say it. That's the way I understand it. Well, the idea if there's a thousand generations, it would have to be procreation, right? Unless the Lord's creating all these generations.

Right. Exactly. And what will be the position of us at that time? Oh, wherever the Lord is, we're with him. All right. That's something that we can lay our heads on, isn't it? Yeah. I like that position to view this from. Which one? Which one? I'm sorry? No, no, no. You were saying, you know, in terms of all these events. Yes, right. I think being with the Lord, the believers being with the Lord is the best place to quote view these events or see these events happening. Right. All right.

Maybe we ought to have a segment of our Sunday School in the future on eschatology in the future. Anyway, I think we could come up with a variety of opinions as to what Scripture says here. But, you know, I often think that God gives us enough information to be, I'm using this term not in a pejorative manner, but to be dangerous in terms of some understanding. But we certainly don't have all the details totally worked out, but we trust Him in terms of the events to follow, just like we trust Him today for our growth and grace.

All right, how would this hasten the coming of the day of God and all the events to follow? In other words, this idea of living a godly life, if you will. Well, hasten is probably better translated as desiring earnestly. So we think of hastening in terms of the temporal sequence, meaning being earlier rather than later or delayed. But in fact, if hasten means desiring earnestly, that relates to, I think, all our view in terms of him rapturing the church and ultimately the events then that would follow.

Isaiah 16.5, in mercy, the throne will be established and one will sit on it in truth. in the tabernacle of David, judging and seeking justice and hastening righteousness. Again, interpret it either way you want to do it, but I think desiring earnestly is one interpretation.

This is, again, in Hebrew now, not the New Testament Greek. Another verse in Isaiah, all the hosts of heaven shall be dissolved and the heavens shall be rolled up into a scroll, like a scroll. All their hosts shall fall down and as the leaf falls from the vine, and as the fruit falling from the fig tree. So, do we change God's timing based on our faithfulness? What are your thoughts here? I'd say no. I would second that. I'll third it. It's timing. All right, we're not going to take a vote of the entire class. Nevertheless, I think we have a silent majority that's out there that haven't spoken up.

Matthew 24, 14, and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come. So the idea of when you know, this whole sequence of events is going to occur. I've heard this talk in the Covenant Church, or Neo-Evangelical Church, can't say that, multiple times. The idea, when we get the Gospel preached around the world, then ultimately these sequence of events will follow.

Well, that's what Christ said Himself in Matthew. But whatever, we We live by faith godly lives, and I think ultimately that is kind of making us the only Bible people may ever see. And I think that's kind of the bottom line of this section. In 1 Timothy 3.16, and without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh. justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, and believed on in the world, received up in glory. So we're talking about living a godly life. It's a mystery, but yet here's a mention of the manifestation of that sequence of events that relates to living a godly life.

And then to end, we'll turn back to the first chapter of 2 Peter, as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue. So again, back to the verse we addressed at the beginning. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be or us to be in holy conduct and godliness? So in effect, That's really, I think, the message that Peter has for us today. And that was a message for the church at that time.

And although they thought that coming of the Lord was nigh, in fact, it really may have been that they were just earnestly waiting for this event to happen. So I think we can stop there. Is there any closing thoughts or ideas here? So I apologize for the semi-ignorance in terms of all these events to follow, but there are lots of different opinions about those. And we've heard some of them here today. So that's that's a study in its own right, which may not have really a perfect conclusion to what the sequence looks like.

All right, so if not, let's close in prayer. Father, we're thankful for the Word. We trust the Spirit to interpret. We want the truth of the Word of God always to be present in our minds and our souls and to be lived out in our lives. So we're thankful for the great platform of grace we live under. And we lift up Mike and the service to follow and the teaching of the letter of Paul to the Corinthian church. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.