Living in Chaotic and Difficult Times, Pt 3

Now, in this final essay, I turn to the last NT letter ascribed to the Apostle Peter, which in our Bibles is titled "2nd Peter." I do this because this is Peter's last will and testimony, given to instruct and guide Christian churches that will face an uncertain future once he and the Apostle Paul (to whom he refers in this letter) pass from the worldly scene. Whereas in his 1st Peter he dealt primarily with the perils to the Christians in Asia Minor from hostile pagan neighbors, his concern in 2nd Peter is the threat to the Gospel and the Christian way of life in "the Last Days" when false teachers and false prophets will arise in their midst, denying the Lordship of Christ and denying that He will return "to judge the living and the dead," as the Gospel declares he will. And in our own time, the Christian faith and life is not only facing the peril of hostile outside forces, but also the peril of false teachers who have infiltrated our churches, causing disruption and corruption from false teaching and immoral lifestyles.

Much of what he says about our standing in Christ; our understanding of and our following the guidance of Scripture in living a Christlike life (2 Pet. 1:1-21); how we should respond to the teaching and lifestyle of false teachers (2 Pet. 2:1-10; 3:17-18) --parallels much of what Paul says in 2 Timothy (cf. 2 Pet. 2 with 2 Tim. 3). But since he specifically refers to the teaching of the false teachers in "the Last Days" in Chapter 3, I mainly draw attention to what he says in that chapter. Their immoral and corrupting lifestyle is the fruit of their disrespect for the moral authority of the Lord Jesus, and their outright denial that he will return to judge both the living and dead.

Now, when you see what Jesus said about false teachers and false prophets of "the Last Days" in Matt. 24:4-14, it becomes clear from what Peter says here that Jesus' prediction about the rise of false teachers who would falsify the Gospel and its demands, seeking to lead Christians astray, had begun to be fulfilled by 64 A.D. These false teachers, despising the godly lifestyle Jesus taught and modeled for his followers, and denying his promise to return to bring full salvation to those waiting for him while judging and punishing those in rebellious opposition to him and his rule, mocked the doctrine of the Second Coming and all its repercussions. "He promised to [return], didn't he? Where is he? Our ancestors have already died, but everything is still the same as it was since the creation of the world!" (2 Pet. 3:4, GNT) Their attitude is that all this talk of Jesus's return to judge the living and the dead is just wishful thinking by religious people; there is no evidence that God exists, let alone directly intervenes in the affairs of humanity to bring about positive change. "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die!" pretty much summed up their philosophy of life.

But of course, these people are badly mistaken. They have misread God's self-revelation in nature and human history. Not only is there sufficient historical and scientific evidence that shows God exists (cf. Rom. 1:18-20), but also that he has indeed directly intervened in human affairs. As Peter says, "They purposely ignore the fact that long ago that God gave a command, and the heavens and earth were created. The earth was formed out of water and by water, and it was also by water, the water of the flood, that the old world was destroyed" (2 Pet. 3:5-6, GNT). Moreover, these same people tend to argue that if God both exists and is good: If it is through the return of Christ that he will set the world to rights, ending all evil and making a new and better world, why does he not do so and do so quickly?

Peter's response to this question by these skeptics is twofold. First, at a time known and appointed by God the Father, Christ will indeed return to judge the living and the dead. "The heavens and earth that now exist are being preserved by the same command of God, in order to be destroyed by fire. They are being kept for the day when godless people will be judged and destroyed." (2 Pet. 3:7, GNT) And addressing this same matter, Paul wrote the Thessalonian church: "God will do what is right; he will bring suffering on those who make you suffer. and he will give relief to you who suffer...He will do this when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven with his mighty angels with flaming fire, to punish those who reject God and who do not obey the Good News about our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from his glorious might, when he comes on that Day to receive glory from all his people and honor from all who believe." (2 Thess. 1:6-10, GNT)

So, yes, the Day of the Lord will come, and when it does, it will have eternal consequences for both believers and unbelievers. And when it comes, it will come suddenly and unexpectedly for many (cf. 2 Pet. 3:8-10). Yet there is obviously a delay in its arrival. Why is it being delayed?  As Peter explains, in 3:9 and 3:11, it so that wayward Christians might wake up, get right with the Lord, and live holy and productive lives so that they can stand before the Lord without shame and regret. And it is to give non-believers time to repent of their sin, accept Christ as Lord and Savior, and start living for him, so that they will not be condemned, but instead enter into Christ's eternal kingdom with a rich welcome. 

Conclusion

Peter concludes his letter with these words, "Since all these things will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? Your lives should be holy and dedicated to God, as you wait for the Day of God and do your best to make it come soon--the Day when the heavens will burn up and be destroyed and the heavenly bodies will be melted by the heat. But we wait for what God has promised: new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will be at home." (2 Pet. 3:11-13, GNT). So, between now and the time of the Lord Jesus's return, we are to engage in what some theologians, such as Martin Luther (1483-1546), describe as "active waiting," which involves such activities as prayer, obedient study of the Scripture. evangelism and discipleship, working for social justice and reform that promotes the well-being of the poor and marginalized. And as we do this, Peter says we are helping the Day of God to come sooner than it would otherwise. Something to ponder, is it not?