This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:12
12 Looking for [prosdokao] and [kai] hasting [speudo] unto the coming [parousia] of the day [hemera] of God [theos], wherein [dia] [hos] the heavens [ouranos] being on fire [puroo] shall be dissolved [luo], and [kai] the elements [stoicheion] shall melt [teko] with fervent heat [kausoo]? KJV-Interlinear
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! NASB
Looking for, means to watch with a watchful eye in preparation for that wonderful event. Looking for, means to get prepared, to get ready, to dress up and be prepared, equipped, completed. Kind of like going out on a big date and you are getting ready and all dressed up, waiting for your ride to arrive to pick you up.
The hasten or hastening, means to watch with a deep desire, to want with restless impatience, as a child desires Christmas and the coming of Santa and the presents and so forth.
At times in your life there have been events that you couldn’t wait until they happened. Whether it was a weekend social event, a graduation, a new job, the delivery of something you just purchased, or whatever. There have been times when you have been anxiously wanting the ‘thing’ to come quickly.
This is the meaning of ‘hasting.’
Both of these look to your attitude toward God, Christ, doctrine, your spiritual life with respect to your getting yourself ready for that big moment in history, and the biggest moment of your entire life. Preparation means growing up and advancing toward spiritual maturity, to be living a life that generates spiritual production or spiritual results with which you will receive high marks when you come before the Lord for your evaluation.
This life is characterized with evil, burdens, bias, prejudice, unfair treatment, anxieties, pressures and so forth. There is no one who enjoys having to look over their shoulder all of their life, just wondering if they will lose their home, or job, or business, or loved ones, or health, or whatever it is that you have and fear losing.
Life in this world is characterized by these many stresses and beyond. To look beyond this life and hope for something better is normal, more than normal, it is expected by God, as we herein see from our verse.
We have this life to live in and in which to prepare for the next life. But also, we look to the next life in which Gods promises, all of them, will become a reality, and will be with us forever.
The next life is characterized as being with no more sorrow, no more pain, no more death, no more anything that is represented by the pressures of this world. There will be eternal happiness and eternal provision. All of the limitations of this life will be erased.
From the resurrection body which will not have any aches and pains, but will have phenomenal abilities, to the many rewards, privileges, abilities, blessings, gifts, and so forth, is it any wonder that a person looks to the hopes of heaven, over the burdens of this world.
In the time of the great flood of Noah, it is said that the Lord was long suffering (120 years), while He was patient with humanity and patient while Noah constructed the Ark. Noah and his family were patient in their steady building project, not knowing what was to come after the population of the world was destroyed. They themselves did not even know the extent of the judgment until it occurred. They had never seen rain or even a flood prior to this. Before the flood, the earth was watered by means of mists and springs.
But now, Peter describes our wait as a hastening, a yearning desire. This is a totally different approach toward the expectations of the promises to come. Now the Lord is hurrying (His timetable, not ours) through the generations, in order that all who will believe, will believe, and all who will grow up spiritually, will grow up in their spiritual life.
In ancient times, Satan had the time he needed to build up and see fail, all of the empires of his choosing. Now, the implication is that in our Church Age, operation footstool, etc., the plan of the Father is preparing the peoples, nations, and circumstances for the next great event of Christs rule, are taking place at an accelerated rate.
This is probably something that we cannot fully appreciate until we get to heaven and then have the ability to comprehend all of the ingredients for history, and then understand it all.
But regardless of what we understand, or don’t understand, we are herein informed that our role in life is to pursue and make first in our life, Bible doctrine and our spiritual growth. In so doing we pray all of the right prayers, hope for all the right things, and wait patiently without complaint, without frustration, for Gods plan to come together, because it will.
Acts 3:19-21
19 ‘Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;
20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you,
21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time. NASB
Isa. 34:4
4 And all the host of heaven will wear away, And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, Or as one withers from the fig tree. NASB
Jer. 48:10
10 ‘Cursed be the one who does the Lord's work negligently, And cursed be the one who restrains his sword from blood [responsibility]. NASB
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
2 Peter 3:11
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:11
11 Seeing then [oun] that all [pas] these things [touton] shall be dissolved [luo], what manner [potapos] of persons ought [dei] ye [humas] to be [huparcho] in [en] all holy [hagios] conversation [anastrophe] and [kai] godliness [eusebeia], KJV-Interlinear
11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, NASB
Now you have a choice. Either be smart and recognize the inevitability of these things, or be stupid and ignore them all.
Peter makes it clear that all of these events, all of these future events, will with certainty, occur at some point in the future. There will be a Rapture. There will be a Second Advent. There will be a final judgment. There will be a destruction of this universe, and a new one to replace it.
And more than that, your life in this world will end, and your next life, the one which will occur in eternity, will begin after you leave this life. And your next life, or the details of your next life, will be determined by your life now.
Your current life will last you only a few decades at best. And even if you live to be a hundred, that will be as nothing, when compared to eternity.
Eternity is forever. Eternity is infinite. Infinite equates to not decades, not centuries, not even millennia, but eternity will last for millions of billions of trillions of gazillions of years and beyond.
Which life span is the larger of the two?
Which life span should you be preparing for?
Can you bring yourself to believe in God?
Can you bring yourself to study daily, the Bible and examine it, question it, study it, verify it, make it real in your life, such that you can conclude that you can’t really come up with anything better?
God rewards those who pursue truth. As for those who pursue lies, what should they receive?
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:11
11 Seeing then [oun] that all [pas] these things [touton] shall be dissolved [luo], what manner [potapos] of persons ought [dei] ye [humas] to be [huparcho] in [en] all holy [hagios] conversation [anastrophe] and [kai] godliness [eusebeia], KJV-Interlinear
11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, NASB
Now you have a choice. Either be smart and recognize the inevitability of these things, or be stupid and ignore them all.
Peter makes it clear that all of these events, all of these future events, will with certainty, occur at some point in the future. There will be a Rapture. There will be a Second Advent. There will be a final judgment. There will be a destruction of this universe, and a new one to replace it.
And more than that, your life in this world will end, and your next life, the one which will occur in eternity, will begin after you leave this life. And your next life, or the details of your next life, will be determined by your life now.
Your current life will last you only a few decades at best. And even if you live to be a hundred, that will be as nothing, when compared to eternity.
Eternity is forever. Eternity is infinite. Infinite equates to not decades, not centuries, not even millennia, but eternity will last for millions of billions of trillions of gazillions of years and beyond.
Which life span is the larger of the two?
Which life span should you be preparing for?
Can you bring yourself to believe in God?
Can you bring yourself to study daily, the Bible and examine it, question it, study it, verify it, make it real in your life, such that you can conclude that you can’t really come up with anything better?
God rewards those who pursue truth. As for those who pursue lies, what should they receive?
Sunday, February 8, 2009
2 Peter 3:10
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:10
10 But [de] the day [hemera] of the Lord [kurios] will come [heko] as [hos] a thief [kleptes] in [en] the night [nux]; in [en] the which [hos] the heavens [ouranos] shall pass away [parerchomai] with a great noise [rhoizedon], and [de] the elements [stoicheion] shall melt [luo] with fervent heat [kausoo], the earth [ge] also [kai] and [kai] the works [ergon] that are therein [en] [autos] shall be burned up [katakaio]. KJV-Interlinear
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. NASB
The Day of the Lord is generally a reference to the final judgment, or a significant event in which the Lord judges with awesome power and authority.
When Israel found itself in a battle, there were many days of the Lord in which He fought for them and won their victories, defeating their enemies with a thoroughness.
However, Peter is referring to the final judgment of Christ, the judgment that will occur at the end of human history.
There are three huge events remaining in history, with respect to Christ’s victories. The first, and the next major event will be the Rapture. We do not know the date of that event, but when it occurs, it will be the final event of our dispensation, closing out our dispensation and resuming the dispensation that we interrupted, the Age of Israel.
The Age of Israel was interrupted by our dispensation, leaving that dispensation with seven more years to go within it. We call those seven years the Tribulation. They will be the seven worst years in all of human history, and they will be shortened by a little in order to preserve the human race.
The next major event is the Second Advent. That will occur at the end of the Tribulation. Again, the Tribulation has seven years as its duration. But, since Satan knows this and since he will be going all out in order to wipe out the entire human race, Christ will return a little short of those seven years. The Bible describes it, ‘unless those days were shortened.’ That exact date is not known either.
The third major event and final event is the final judgment of Christ which will occur at the end of the Millennium.
During the Millennium, which is also called the Kingdom of God, there will be peace and prosperity. Prosperity will be so thorough for the entire 1000 years of that millennium, that there will be no poor and no war.
But, just as in any other time in history, no one can get along in life without God in their soul, so too, in the Millennium, people will be discontented. This, even though Jesus Christ will be there personally ruling the planet, with perfect prosperity and peace. People will live very long lives. Sickness and illnesses will be all but forgotten. But people without doctrine in their soul, will never find contentment and happiness in things.
However, people will reject Christ as their savior, and those numbers will grow into a huge percentage of the population by the end of the Millennium. Satan will have been incarcerated for the entire 1000-year period, and in the end, he will be released. Satan will raise up an army of the discontented, and lead a revolt against Christ.
That revolt will be short-lived, and history will end immediately. Christ will put down the rebellion, handcuff all of those who revolted, and resurrect all of those Millennial believers, who have believed in Him, and the Great White Throne will come to order.
All fallen angels and unbelievers will be dispatched into the Lake of Fire, forever disappearing from our sight. All final believer evaluations will be accomplished. And then, the universe (not heaven), will be destroyed by fire.
Peter is here referring to that last and final destruction of the universe. He refers to the elements, which are the ultimate and smallest components of this universe.
When something is burned up it generally leaves a residue of ash and smoke, but ash and smoke are really a form of an element of the thing which was burned. Here Peter indicates that these elements will also be destroyed. Therefore, the entire universe will be wiped away from existence. There will be no dust, no ash, no smoke, nothing remaining, but empty space, or what ever is left when this universe disappears forever.
You can find more details of this final event in our study at the end of Isaiah and Revelation.
The Lord will then create a new universe (out of nothing), combine it with heaven, and that will become our new and final home and playground forever.
As for the thief. When does a thief come along? When you least expect it. The thief comes in the dark of night, when you are away, or when you are asleep, and so forth. If you knew when the thief was going to come, you would be there ready and waiting. But in each of these events (Rapture, Second Advent, final judgment), the spiritual status of most folks will be so low if it exists at all, that they will be in a sense, absent, asleep, spiritually darkened with respect to truth and the signs of the times so to speak. They will not expect Christ, they will not keep track as to when to expect Him, and they will be totally surprised, after the events have occurred.
When do you realize that the thief has been there? After he has already come and gone. Too late, in other words. You have already lost your valuables. And in the spiritual sense, they will never be recovered.
As for us, our next event will be either our personal death, or the Rapture. We do not know when either will occur.
So alertness is in order with respect to our own spiritual life.
We may have hours or years remaining in each of our lives. We presume that they will be a long time in coming, but then where have all the past years gone? Weren’t we much younger just yesterday?
Time and indifference can make you forget and lose track of time, and then it is suddenly too late.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:10
10 But [de] the day [hemera] of the Lord [kurios] will come [heko] as [hos] a thief [kleptes] in [en] the night [nux]; in [en] the which [hos] the heavens [ouranos] shall pass away [parerchomai] with a great noise [rhoizedon], and [de] the elements [stoicheion] shall melt [luo] with fervent heat [kausoo], the earth [ge] also [kai] and [kai] the works [ergon] that are therein [en] [autos] shall be burned up [katakaio]. KJV-Interlinear
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. NASB
The Day of the Lord is generally a reference to the final judgment, or a significant event in which the Lord judges with awesome power and authority.
When Israel found itself in a battle, there were many days of the Lord in which He fought for them and won their victories, defeating their enemies with a thoroughness.
However, Peter is referring to the final judgment of Christ, the judgment that will occur at the end of human history.
There are three huge events remaining in history, with respect to Christ’s victories. The first, and the next major event will be the Rapture. We do not know the date of that event, but when it occurs, it will be the final event of our dispensation, closing out our dispensation and resuming the dispensation that we interrupted, the Age of Israel.
The Age of Israel was interrupted by our dispensation, leaving that dispensation with seven more years to go within it. We call those seven years the Tribulation. They will be the seven worst years in all of human history, and they will be shortened by a little in order to preserve the human race.
The next major event is the Second Advent. That will occur at the end of the Tribulation. Again, the Tribulation has seven years as its duration. But, since Satan knows this and since he will be going all out in order to wipe out the entire human race, Christ will return a little short of those seven years. The Bible describes it, ‘unless those days were shortened.’ That exact date is not known either.
The third major event and final event is the final judgment of Christ which will occur at the end of the Millennium.
During the Millennium, which is also called the Kingdom of God, there will be peace and prosperity. Prosperity will be so thorough for the entire 1000 years of that millennium, that there will be no poor and no war.
But, just as in any other time in history, no one can get along in life without God in their soul, so too, in the Millennium, people will be discontented. This, even though Jesus Christ will be there personally ruling the planet, with perfect prosperity and peace. People will live very long lives. Sickness and illnesses will be all but forgotten. But people without doctrine in their soul, will never find contentment and happiness in things.
However, people will reject Christ as their savior, and those numbers will grow into a huge percentage of the population by the end of the Millennium. Satan will have been incarcerated for the entire 1000-year period, and in the end, he will be released. Satan will raise up an army of the discontented, and lead a revolt against Christ.
That revolt will be short-lived, and history will end immediately. Christ will put down the rebellion, handcuff all of those who revolted, and resurrect all of those Millennial believers, who have believed in Him, and the Great White Throne will come to order.
All fallen angels and unbelievers will be dispatched into the Lake of Fire, forever disappearing from our sight. All final believer evaluations will be accomplished. And then, the universe (not heaven), will be destroyed by fire.
Peter is here referring to that last and final destruction of the universe. He refers to the elements, which are the ultimate and smallest components of this universe.
When something is burned up it generally leaves a residue of ash and smoke, but ash and smoke are really a form of an element of the thing which was burned. Here Peter indicates that these elements will also be destroyed. Therefore, the entire universe will be wiped away from existence. There will be no dust, no ash, no smoke, nothing remaining, but empty space, or what ever is left when this universe disappears forever.
You can find more details of this final event in our study at the end of Isaiah and Revelation.
The Lord will then create a new universe (out of nothing), combine it with heaven, and that will become our new and final home and playground forever.
As for the thief. When does a thief come along? When you least expect it. The thief comes in the dark of night, when you are away, or when you are asleep, and so forth. If you knew when the thief was going to come, you would be there ready and waiting. But in each of these events (Rapture, Second Advent, final judgment), the spiritual status of most folks will be so low if it exists at all, that they will be in a sense, absent, asleep, spiritually darkened with respect to truth and the signs of the times so to speak. They will not expect Christ, they will not keep track as to when to expect Him, and they will be totally surprised, after the events have occurred.
When do you realize that the thief has been there? After he has already come and gone. Too late, in other words. You have already lost your valuables. And in the spiritual sense, they will never be recovered.
As for us, our next event will be either our personal death, or the Rapture. We do not know when either will occur.
So alertness is in order with respect to our own spiritual life.
We may have hours or years remaining in each of our lives. We presume that they will be a long time in coming, but then where have all the past years gone? Weren’t we much younger just yesterday?
Time and indifference can make you forget and lose track of time, and then it is suddenly too late.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
2 Peter 3:8-9
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:8-9
8 But [de], beloved [agapetos], be [lanthano] not [me] [humas] ignorant [lanthano] of this one [heis] thing [touto], that [hoti] one [mia] day [hemera] is with [para] the Lord [kurios] as [hos] a thousand [chilioi] years [etos], and [kai] a thousand [chilioi] years [etos] as [hos] one [mia] day [hemera].
9 The Lord [kurios] is [braduno] not [ou] slack [braduno] concerning his promise [epaggelia], as [hos] some men [tis] count [hegeomai] slackness [bradutes]; but [alla] is longsuffering [makrothumeo] to [eis] us-ward [hemas], not [me] willing [boulomai] that any [tis] should perish [apollumi], but [alla] that all [pas] should come [choreo] to [eis] repentance [metanoia]. KJV-Interlinear
8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. NASB
Quoting from the Psalms, Peter makes it clear that time is of no concern to God. God is infinite, and in eternity, whether past or future, God has all of the time He needs to accomplish His purposes.
Psa. 90:4
4 For a thousand years in Thy sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night. NASB
Too often people will try to draw from this quote, an inference that God accomplishes in 1000 years what we think of as a day. This idea has been applied to Genesis, to the history of the human race, and to probably many other theories, or guesses as to how and when things have or will be accomplished.
The six day reatoration of the earth was not accomplished over a period of 6000 years. The history of humanity over the past 6000 years does not equate to some sort of hidden code for determining the end days. Some folks believe that the human race will end in 7000 years, or that the Millennium will be the seventh millennium of history. You have to lie awake long after dark and probably be smoking something in order to come up with these theories.
Now granted, God has a plan, and God is well organized in His plan, but He also gives us no clues as to how to predict future historical events.
All Peter is doing here is responding to the attitude of mockers, who collectively state that there is no God, there is no promise, that everything in history remains the same, with no changes in sight.
And here Peter’s point is that God has a plan, and God takes His time in accomplishing that plan.
People have little time in this world and as such, cannot accomplish all that they want to accomplish in life. People want things done and they want things done now.
But God looks down through the tunnel of time and has seen many generations of people who will be looking to Him and to heaven. God has infinite patience and God will allow history unfold so that those future generations of believers, will have their opportunity.
The other day, I presented a question of mockers, ‘Why did God not create everything perfect so that we do not have to go through all of this trouble in history?’
Now you think about that question for a moment. You already have the answer.
God, in eternity past, looked down through the tunnel of time and saw every possible scenario for history, including having no history at all. God saw the best scenario, and declared it in the Divine Decrees. We have already studied this.
But in this best of choices, God put free will volition into everyone, and He saw that angels and humanity would make choices for and against Him.
God did create the angels perfect. God did create the universe as perfect. We have not seen that universe. It was too long ago. But the angels exercised their free will and destroyed the universe.
God created man as perfect, in a perfect Garden. And if Adam and Eve had not sinned, they would probably still be living in that perfect Garden. But we know that sin came along and the ‘perfect’ was destroyed.
God creates things perfect, but sin, which is not from God, comes along and destroys it all.
The sins of angels did not take God by surprise. The sins of Adam did not take God by surprise.
When human history finally comes to an end, at the end of the Millennium, then judgment will clear away permanently and forever, all evil, and those who promoted it, leaving only believers and elect angels to go into the new universe and heaven.
That new universe and heaven will be perfect and it will never be ruined, ever. That new universe will most likely be something different than anything we are currently familiar with now, staggering the imagination to no end.
God is answering the impatience of mockers. Mockers are examples of people who want things there way and they want it now.
God is patient, and God wants things His way (perfect and truth) and He wants it for everyone in all of history, so He takes His time in allowing history to unfold, so that those who are alive today, have the opportunity to grow up in their spiritual lives, so that those who are yet to be born, may be born and have their opportunity to grow up in their spiritual lives, so that everyone in history has their chance.
God is not bored with history. God is never bored with history. God is never caught off guard.
If you record a game or a movie, and watch it over and over again, then you know all of the details of that recording. You have total confidence as to its outcome.
The same is with God and history. God has seen history. God inserts people into history in accordance with His plan. God knows all of the who’s. what’s, when’s, where’s, and how’s of history. God controls history – not you, not man, not governments, not empires, not angels.
People will make their own choices in history, and God does not interfere with anyone's decisions in life. He just knows and has known since eternity past, everything you will think and decide in your life.
God has all of the patience in the world and more. Whether He accomplishes something in a day or in a thousand years makes no difference. He has a plan and that plan is coming together regardless of what the mockers think or say.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:8-9
8 But [de], beloved [agapetos], be [lanthano] not [me] [humas] ignorant [lanthano] of this one [heis] thing [touto], that [hoti] one [mia] day [hemera] is with [para] the Lord [kurios] as [hos] a thousand [chilioi] years [etos], and [kai] a thousand [chilioi] years [etos] as [hos] one [mia] day [hemera].
9 The Lord [kurios] is [braduno] not [ou] slack [braduno] concerning his promise [epaggelia], as [hos] some men [tis] count [hegeomai] slackness [bradutes]; but [alla] is longsuffering [makrothumeo] to [eis] us-ward [hemas], not [me] willing [boulomai] that any [tis] should perish [apollumi], but [alla] that all [pas] should come [choreo] to [eis] repentance [metanoia]. KJV-Interlinear
8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. NASB
Quoting from the Psalms, Peter makes it clear that time is of no concern to God. God is infinite, and in eternity, whether past or future, God has all of the time He needs to accomplish His purposes.
Psa. 90:4
4 For a thousand years in Thy sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night. NASB
Too often people will try to draw from this quote, an inference that God accomplishes in 1000 years what we think of as a day. This idea has been applied to Genesis, to the history of the human race, and to probably many other theories, or guesses as to how and when things have or will be accomplished.
The six day reatoration of the earth was not accomplished over a period of 6000 years. The history of humanity over the past 6000 years does not equate to some sort of hidden code for determining the end days. Some folks believe that the human race will end in 7000 years, or that the Millennium will be the seventh millennium of history. You have to lie awake long after dark and probably be smoking something in order to come up with these theories.
Now granted, God has a plan, and God is well organized in His plan, but He also gives us no clues as to how to predict future historical events.
All Peter is doing here is responding to the attitude of mockers, who collectively state that there is no God, there is no promise, that everything in history remains the same, with no changes in sight.
And here Peter’s point is that God has a plan, and God takes His time in accomplishing that plan.
People have little time in this world and as such, cannot accomplish all that they want to accomplish in life. People want things done and they want things done now.
But God looks down through the tunnel of time and has seen many generations of people who will be looking to Him and to heaven. God has infinite patience and God will allow history unfold so that those future generations of believers, will have their opportunity.
The other day, I presented a question of mockers, ‘Why did God not create everything perfect so that we do not have to go through all of this trouble in history?’
Now you think about that question for a moment. You already have the answer.
God, in eternity past, looked down through the tunnel of time and saw every possible scenario for history, including having no history at all. God saw the best scenario, and declared it in the Divine Decrees. We have already studied this.
But in this best of choices, God put free will volition into everyone, and He saw that angels and humanity would make choices for and against Him.
God did create the angels perfect. God did create the universe as perfect. We have not seen that universe. It was too long ago. But the angels exercised their free will and destroyed the universe.
God created man as perfect, in a perfect Garden. And if Adam and Eve had not sinned, they would probably still be living in that perfect Garden. But we know that sin came along and the ‘perfect’ was destroyed.
God creates things perfect, but sin, which is not from God, comes along and destroys it all.
The sins of angels did not take God by surprise. The sins of Adam did not take God by surprise.
When human history finally comes to an end, at the end of the Millennium, then judgment will clear away permanently and forever, all evil, and those who promoted it, leaving only believers and elect angels to go into the new universe and heaven.
That new universe and heaven will be perfect and it will never be ruined, ever. That new universe will most likely be something different than anything we are currently familiar with now, staggering the imagination to no end.
God is answering the impatience of mockers. Mockers are examples of people who want things there way and they want it now.
God is patient, and God wants things His way (perfect and truth) and He wants it for everyone in all of history, so He takes His time in allowing history to unfold, so that those who are alive today, have the opportunity to grow up in their spiritual lives, so that those who are yet to be born, may be born and have their opportunity to grow up in their spiritual lives, so that everyone in history has their chance.
God is not bored with history. God is never bored with history. God is never caught off guard.
If you record a game or a movie, and watch it over and over again, then you know all of the details of that recording. You have total confidence as to its outcome.
The same is with God and history. God has seen history. God inserts people into history in accordance with His plan. God knows all of the who’s. what’s, when’s, where’s, and how’s of history. God controls history – not you, not man, not governments, not empires, not angels.
People will make their own choices in history, and God does not interfere with anyone's decisions in life. He just knows and has known since eternity past, everything you will think and decide in your life.
God has all of the patience in the world and more. Whether He accomplishes something in a day or in a thousand years makes no difference. He has a plan and that plan is coming together regardless of what the mockers think or say.
Friday, February 6, 2009
2 Peter 3:7
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:7
7 But [de] the heavens [ouranos] and [kai] the earth [ge], which are now [nun], by the same [autos] word [logos] are [eisi] kept in store [thesaurizo], reserved [tereo] unto fire [pur] against [eis] the day [hemera] of judgment [krisis] and [kai] perdition [apoleia] of ungodly [asebes] men [anthropos]. KJV-Interlinear
7 But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. NASB
And not only was the earth inundated with water (and darkness) the first time, and inundated with water (not darkness) the second time (Noah’s flood), there is going to be yet another destruction of the earth, but this time it will be by fire. The third time will be the final destruction.
And, not only will the earth be destroyed, but the entire universe will be destroyed.
And by the way, since the earth was destroyed by the great flood in Noah’s time, because the people had gone horribly degenerate, do you suppose that was the reason that the earth was destroyed the first time? Because the angels had gone horribly disobedient?
You know, thinking and wondering is not really a sin.
In fact, the intent of spiritual growth is to set you free from this world, and thinking is really a characteristic of freedom. Freedom promotes liberty, and that promotes thinking and that promotes innovation, and that promotes prosperity, and so forth. Aren’t these things lacking in third world countries, who seem to be stuck in the stone age?
Where in the world, where in history, will you find the greatest innovation, the greatest prosperity? And where do you find the least?
Peter’s description of people who mock, is one of people who do not think. They disregard history. They disregard facts. They disregard truth. And they are their own worst enemy, when it comes to losing out on life and destiny. They will argue (from their position of stupidity) until they are blue in the face.
The truth of life is that your destiny is not in this world and certainly not in this life. You either believe in Christ and will go to heaven, or you will not believe in Christ and will go to the Lake of Fire.
Your graduating from school, going out this weekend, retiring after a long life of work, getting that ‘thing’ that you have always wanted, really mean nothing, in the big picture. With apathy or indifference, or a stubborn attitude about this or that, you are really investing your whole life in the blink of this current life, and ignoring all of eternity.
Mockers are not limited to vocal and foul-mouthed folks. The largest group of mockers are those who are simply indifferent.
Mockers of all kinds say that the Bible has nothing of importance for them. They perceive life as nothing more than what they can see or possess. And what they see is very selective. Where is the sign? Where is the promise?
Why is there going to be another destruction of the earth? Why didn’t God simply make everything perfect and let us all live in peace?
And here Peter answers that question. Because there are ungodly people in history, and God is going to go through all of history in order that all of the ungodly have their say, and likewise, so all godly people can be born into this life, and have their opportunity.
Because of the mockers, because of the indifferent, because of those who refuse to adopt Gods truth, that, is the reason for judgment. Judgment is reserved for those who are spiritually dysfunctional, for those who are void of any spiritual attributes.
And by the way, why is this world so full of troubles? Because of the same reasons. There are so many people who ignore God, Christ, doctrine, and so forth. They are the mockers. They are the ones who have all the answers. They are the ones who screw up everything.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:7
7 But [de] the heavens [ouranos] and [kai] the earth [ge], which are now [nun], by the same [autos] word [logos] are [eisi] kept in store [thesaurizo], reserved [tereo] unto fire [pur] against [eis] the day [hemera] of judgment [krisis] and [kai] perdition [apoleia] of ungodly [asebes] men [anthropos]. KJV-Interlinear
7 But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. NASB
And not only was the earth inundated with water (and darkness) the first time, and inundated with water (not darkness) the second time (Noah’s flood), there is going to be yet another destruction of the earth, but this time it will be by fire. The third time will be the final destruction.
And, not only will the earth be destroyed, but the entire universe will be destroyed.
And by the way, since the earth was destroyed by the great flood in Noah’s time, because the people had gone horribly degenerate, do you suppose that was the reason that the earth was destroyed the first time? Because the angels had gone horribly disobedient?
You know, thinking and wondering is not really a sin.
In fact, the intent of spiritual growth is to set you free from this world, and thinking is really a characteristic of freedom. Freedom promotes liberty, and that promotes thinking and that promotes innovation, and that promotes prosperity, and so forth. Aren’t these things lacking in third world countries, who seem to be stuck in the stone age?
Where in the world, where in history, will you find the greatest innovation, the greatest prosperity? And where do you find the least?
Peter’s description of people who mock, is one of people who do not think. They disregard history. They disregard facts. They disregard truth. And they are their own worst enemy, when it comes to losing out on life and destiny. They will argue (from their position of stupidity) until they are blue in the face.
The truth of life is that your destiny is not in this world and certainly not in this life. You either believe in Christ and will go to heaven, or you will not believe in Christ and will go to the Lake of Fire.
Your graduating from school, going out this weekend, retiring after a long life of work, getting that ‘thing’ that you have always wanted, really mean nothing, in the big picture. With apathy or indifference, or a stubborn attitude about this or that, you are really investing your whole life in the blink of this current life, and ignoring all of eternity.
Mockers are not limited to vocal and foul-mouthed folks. The largest group of mockers are those who are simply indifferent.
Mockers of all kinds say that the Bible has nothing of importance for them. They perceive life as nothing more than what they can see or possess. And what they see is very selective. Where is the sign? Where is the promise?
Why is there going to be another destruction of the earth? Why didn’t God simply make everything perfect and let us all live in peace?
And here Peter answers that question. Because there are ungodly people in history, and God is going to go through all of history in order that all of the ungodly have their say, and likewise, so all godly people can be born into this life, and have their opportunity.
Because of the mockers, because of the indifferent, because of those who refuse to adopt Gods truth, that, is the reason for judgment. Judgment is reserved for those who are spiritually dysfunctional, for those who are void of any spiritual attributes.
And by the way, why is this world so full of troubles? Because of the same reasons. There are so many people who ignore God, Christ, doctrine, and so forth. They are the mockers. They are the ones who have all the answers. They are the ones who screw up everything.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
2 Peter 3:5-6
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:5-6
5 For [gar] this [touto] they [autos] willingly [thelo] are ignorant of [lanthano], that [hoti] by the word [logos] of God [theos] the heavens [ouranos] were [en] of old [ekpalai], and [kai] the earth [ge] standing out [sunistao] of [ek] the water [hudor] and [kai] in [dia] the water [hudor]:
6 Whereby [dia] [hos] the world [kosmos] that then was [tote], being overflowed [katakluzo] with water [hudor], perished [apollumi]: KJV-Interlinear
5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. NASB
Peter sums up the events of creation, chaos, and the restoration of the earth from days long ago.
Peter is answering his rhetorical question posed by mockers, ‘Where is this savior? Where is the God who is going to return? What has really changed in this world? Everything is the same now as it was long ago.’
When Jesus was here at the First Advent, he was asked a similar question, ‘Show us a sign. Prove that you are who you say that you are.’
And of course all of Jesus’ miracles were not enough. Walking on water, changing water into wine, healing all kinds of diseases and illnesses and restoring missing limbs, raising the dead back to life, these were not enough. Childs tricks that anyone could do … of course!
What they wanted was a really big sign. What they wanted was the Temple, the new Jerusalem, to descend out of heaven, right now, so they could see it and touch it and then they would believe.
And in the end days, the mockers will not ask for signs, or proof of Christ, they will simply ridicule the promises of the Bible as being nothing more than empty words. And in addition, they will state their subjective interpretation of history – nothing has changed, nothing is going to change.
For a people who is going to be surrounded by troubles, their outlook on life is nothing short of dismal and lacking any form of hope. So they ridicule the promises of God and then they will pursue with a passion, the promises of evil. Don’t we now reject the words in the Bible and embrace the words in the newspapers? Aren’t people ready, by impatience, to change a successful country into a social experiment that has failed every time in the past?
And Peters response to all of this is simply, ‘Your evaluation of history is in error. History has not been the same. In fact history is filled with a very obvious plan of God. You just refuse to see it.’
Peter could have gone through the entire details of the dispensations, from angelic history to mans history before the flood, to the Patriarchs, to the nation of Israel, to the development of the line of Chist, to the operation footstool, to the rapture, to the second advent, to the Kingdom of God (Millennium), to the new universe. But he did not do that.
Instead Peter explained only a couple of things.
First, God created the universe. The heavens are very old. This means that they are far older than the human race. Second, the earth came to be in a state of water. Genesis states this very simply, ‘null and void,’ ‘without form.’
And God moved over the face of the deep and moved the waters aside and dry land appeared. This is the earth appearing out of the water, by the movement of the water into the oceans.
But Peter does not stop there. The world was destroyed by water, in its first destruction, and again it was destroyed by water in the second destruction – the flood of Noah.
And Peter is suggesting here that there has been destruction before and there will be another destruction again, this time by fire (in the next verse which we will get to tomorrow). Therefore, all of you who will mock, beware, because there is going to be a judgment - again.
All is not the same. All in history is not as you make it out to be in your mockery.
And though we do have promises from God, and though they have not yet occurred, that is not a reason to discount Gods word.
The angels had the universe all to themselves, and they lost it all. We possess the promise of it all now. How and why they lost it is never revealed. We have to read between the lines and guess. Perhaps they were around for longer than human history, and just refused to obey God, refused to manage the earth responsibly, refused to do whatever was expected of them.
And is it any different for us. Does not God expect us to grow up to maturity and be responsible spiritually adult individuals? And don’t we have greater limitations than they? Don’t we have to live by faith to a greater degree than they. After all we can’t even see most of what is in this universe, let alone see the angels.
But Peter teaches us all, that just because you do not receive an immediate response from God each and everyday, that does not mean that He is not working His plan for history.
Quite the contrary, we have an opportunity to prepare ourselves for a greater life in the next life, simply by studying a single book.
How many books and printed materials has it taken you to get your education, to form your career, to help you get to know the world around you? And what have they done for your relationship with God? And what have they contributed to your preparation for eternity?
Children are impatient and need answers and action now. Mature and wise adults do not.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:5-6
5 For [gar] this [touto] they [autos] willingly [thelo] are ignorant of [lanthano], that [hoti] by the word [logos] of God [theos] the heavens [ouranos] were [en] of old [ekpalai], and [kai] the earth [ge] standing out [sunistao] of [ek] the water [hudor] and [kai] in [dia] the water [hudor]:
6 Whereby [dia] [hos] the world [kosmos] that then was [tote], being overflowed [katakluzo] with water [hudor], perished [apollumi]: KJV-Interlinear
5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. NASB
Peter sums up the events of creation, chaos, and the restoration of the earth from days long ago.
Peter is answering his rhetorical question posed by mockers, ‘Where is this savior? Where is the God who is going to return? What has really changed in this world? Everything is the same now as it was long ago.’
When Jesus was here at the First Advent, he was asked a similar question, ‘Show us a sign. Prove that you are who you say that you are.’
And of course all of Jesus’ miracles were not enough. Walking on water, changing water into wine, healing all kinds of diseases and illnesses and restoring missing limbs, raising the dead back to life, these were not enough. Childs tricks that anyone could do … of course!
What they wanted was a really big sign. What they wanted was the Temple, the new Jerusalem, to descend out of heaven, right now, so they could see it and touch it and then they would believe.
And in the end days, the mockers will not ask for signs, or proof of Christ, they will simply ridicule the promises of the Bible as being nothing more than empty words. And in addition, they will state their subjective interpretation of history – nothing has changed, nothing is going to change.
For a people who is going to be surrounded by troubles, their outlook on life is nothing short of dismal and lacking any form of hope. So they ridicule the promises of God and then they will pursue with a passion, the promises of evil. Don’t we now reject the words in the Bible and embrace the words in the newspapers? Aren’t people ready, by impatience, to change a successful country into a social experiment that has failed every time in the past?
And Peters response to all of this is simply, ‘Your evaluation of history is in error. History has not been the same. In fact history is filled with a very obvious plan of God. You just refuse to see it.’
Peter could have gone through the entire details of the dispensations, from angelic history to mans history before the flood, to the Patriarchs, to the nation of Israel, to the development of the line of Chist, to the operation footstool, to the rapture, to the second advent, to the Kingdom of God (Millennium), to the new universe. But he did not do that.
Instead Peter explained only a couple of things.
First, God created the universe. The heavens are very old. This means that they are far older than the human race. Second, the earth came to be in a state of water. Genesis states this very simply, ‘null and void,’ ‘without form.’
And God moved over the face of the deep and moved the waters aside and dry land appeared. This is the earth appearing out of the water, by the movement of the water into the oceans.
But Peter does not stop there. The world was destroyed by water, in its first destruction, and again it was destroyed by water in the second destruction – the flood of Noah.
And Peter is suggesting here that there has been destruction before and there will be another destruction again, this time by fire (in the next verse which we will get to tomorrow). Therefore, all of you who will mock, beware, because there is going to be a judgment - again.
All is not the same. All in history is not as you make it out to be in your mockery.
And though we do have promises from God, and though they have not yet occurred, that is not a reason to discount Gods word.
The angels had the universe all to themselves, and they lost it all. We possess the promise of it all now. How and why they lost it is never revealed. We have to read between the lines and guess. Perhaps they were around for longer than human history, and just refused to obey God, refused to manage the earth responsibly, refused to do whatever was expected of them.
And is it any different for us. Does not God expect us to grow up to maturity and be responsible spiritually adult individuals? And don’t we have greater limitations than they? Don’t we have to live by faith to a greater degree than they. After all we can’t even see most of what is in this universe, let alone see the angels.
But Peter teaches us all, that just because you do not receive an immediate response from God each and everyday, that does not mean that He is not working His plan for history.
Quite the contrary, we have an opportunity to prepare ourselves for a greater life in the next life, simply by studying a single book.
How many books and printed materials has it taken you to get your education, to form your career, to help you get to know the world around you? And what have they done for your relationship with God? And what have they contributed to your preparation for eternity?
Children are impatient and need answers and action now. Mature and wise adults do not.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
2 Peter 3:4
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:4
4 And [kai] saying [lego], Where [pou] is [esti] the promise [epaggelia] of his [autos] coming [parousia]? for [gar] since [apo] [hos] the fathers [pater] fell asleep [koimao], all things [pas] continue [houto] [diameno] as they were from [apo] the beginning [arche] of the creation [ktisis]. KJV-Interlinear
4 and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’ NASB
Beginning with Matt. 24:6, Jesus Himself identified the trends of history by which the characteristics of our dispensation would be identified. Wars and rumors and earthquakes and so forth. All these things are merely the beginnings of trouble, and then, the big trouble (Tribulation) would come. And then, at the end of the Tribulation, Jesus Himself will return in what we call the Second Advent.
Throughout the Old Testament, the return of Christ in the Second Advent is prophesied.
The Rapture of the Church Age believers is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament. Only in the New Testament is it mentioned. Our dispensation is called the parenthetical insertion, or the hidden or mystery dispensation. Peter here is referring to the Second Advent, not the Rapture.
Since the beginning of time (since Adam), the return of Christ has been a part of Bible Prophecy. No one knows when that return will occur. That is to say, no one in history except those who will live during the Tribulation, will know when, or approximately when the Second Advent will occur.
Since the Tribulation will last only seven years (a shortened seven years), then once the Rapture occurs, folks who remain behind for the Tribulation can guesstimate the approximate time of Christs return. However, even then, world troubles will be so great, that folks will most certainly be spending most of their time just trying to survive, let alone trying to keep track of the seven years until Christs return. And even then, the day and the hour cannot be known even to them. In those last few months and weeks and days, the Armageddon war will have nearly everyone hiding for their lives.
During the Tribulation, one-half of the worlds population will die from a variety of things (disease, crime, executions, disasters, starvation, etc.). And in the end, nearly everyone else will die from the ravages of war, not to mention Christs return, and His role in executing all remaining evil in the world instantly upon His return.
Very few (mature believers only) will live to enter into the Millennium. Perhaps hundreds, perhaps thousands, that number we don’t know. But as for the billions, they will all be gone.
We are currently in the dispensation of the Church Age. Ours is a dispensation of historical trends. Ours is the dispensation where God (the Father), is preparing the enemies of Christ as a footstool for His feet. In our dispensation, there are no prophecies except one – the Rapture.
Far too many people get the prophecies of the Tribulation and the Millennium, mixed up with our dispensation, and that leads to mis-interpretations of historical events.
No, Obama is not the anti-Christ. No, Hitler was not the anti-Christ. No, Napoleon was not the anti-Christ. No, the nation of Israel created in 1948, is not the re-gathered nation of Israel.
What can we say about or dispensation? Well yes, there is an increase in earthquakes. Yes, there is a dramatic increase in knowledge (technology, science, invention, etc.). Yes, there is a dramatic increase in population. Yes, there are always wars and rumors throughout the world, somewhere (Africa, Middle East). Yes, there is a dramatic rise in anti-God sentiment, corruption, diminished integrity and so forth (in government, business, social circles, etc.). And we could go on all night about the many trends we see in our contemporary time.
But can anyone predict the day or hour, or even the year of the Rapture? No.
The doctrine of the Rapture is that it is always imminent. It could occur at any time. Whether it will occur tonight or a hundred years from now, we cannot know. But God has a timeline known only to Himself. And on that timeline the worlds nations, cities, villages, individuals are being made ready for that next great event, the Rapture, and then the Tribulation. And Gods readiness spans generations, not just months or weeks.
Since the time of the Cross, approximately 1979 years have passed (2009-30). If you use 33 years as the average lifespan, then we are in the sixtieth generation since the Cross. There were 75 generations from Adam to Mary, and sixty generations from Adam to Joseph. Generations are typically counted through the fathers not the mothers.
Human history has spanned about 6000 years (4000 before Christ and 2000 after). Ours is the longest of all of the human dispensations. The world is fully populated today. Today, the gospel is preached in every country, in every language.
You can take these tidbits and create any number of scenarios in your imagination, and they all come up with only one conclusion – that we are more near the ends times than we were yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. And that means what? Nothing to you, if you do not take God, Christ, doctrine, and your spiritual life seriously.
You cannot travel down the road for very long before you pass a church, a cemetery, or doctors office, and such, and not see something that speaks of mans limitations.
But with all of the evidence, we still have to contend with folks that come up with the most bizarre ideas of Christ’s second coming. Predictions come and go, with nothing but embarrassment and bad publicity for Christianity.
Every time a crazy comes up with an ‘end of days’ scenario, they do more harm than good. People, tend to begin to disregard God, doctrine, and Christianity in general.
People begin to mock and ridicule Christians as a whole, as crazy people. ‘Where is this savior?’ ‘Where is God?’ And the ridicule doesn’t stop there. All of Christianity is thought of as nothing more than a cult of wishful thinking people. Or just another political group, unlike any other group.
And, just like all who lack doctrinal orientation, people look at history as nothing more than the continuation of the natural forces of the universe. The seasons come and go. The sun rises and falls. Generations pass, and ours is the better because, after all it is the twenty-first century! Grandma and grandpa did not have mp3’s and computers, and cell phones and such. So we must be better, right?
Anyway, gadgets do not make a people better. Only Bible doctrine can make a person better, regardless of when he or she lived in history.
Peter has a lot more to say regarding these indifferent attitudes in the next few verses. And needless to say, your priority should be on your spiritual growth, not on speculation of when things might occur in the future.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:4
4 And [kai] saying [lego], Where [pou] is [esti] the promise [epaggelia] of his [autos] coming [parousia]? for [gar] since [apo] [hos] the fathers [pater] fell asleep [koimao], all things [pas] continue [houto] [diameno] as they were from [apo] the beginning [arche] of the creation [ktisis]. KJV-Interlinear
4 and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’ NASB
Beginning with Matt. 24:6, Jesus Himself identified the trends of history by which the characteristics of our dispensation would be identified. Wars and rumors and earthquakes and so forth. All these things are merely the beginnings of trouble, and then, the big trouble (Tribulation) would come. And then, at the end of the Tribulation, Jesus Himself will return in what we call the Second Advent.
Throughout the Old Testament, the return of Christ in the Second Advent is prophesied.
The Rapture of the Church Age believers is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament. Only in the New Testament is it mentioned. Our dispensation is called the parenthetical insertion, or the hidden or mystery dispensation. Peter here is referring to the Second Advent, not the Rapture.
Since the beginning of time (since Adam), the return of Christ has been a part of Bible Prophecy. No one knows when that return will occur. That is to say, no one in history except those who will live during the Tribulation, will know when, or approximately when the Second Advent will occur.
Since the Tribulation will last only seven years (a shortened seven years), then once the Rapture occurs, folks who remain behind for the Tribulation can guesstimate the approximate time of Christs return. However, even then, world troubles will be so great, that folks will most certainly be spending most of their time just trying to survive, let alone trying to keep track of the seven years until Christs return. And even then, the day and the hour cannot be known even to them. In those last few months and weeks and days, the Armageddon war will have nearly everyone hiding for their lives.
During the Tribulation, one-half of the worlds population will die from a variety of things (disease, crime, executions, disasters, starvation, etc.). And in the end, nearly everyone else will die from the ravages of war, not to mention Christs return, and His role in executing all remaining evil in the world instantly upon His return.
Very few (mature believers only) will live to enter into the Millennium. Perhaps hundreds, perhaps thousands, that number we don’t know. But as for the billions, they will all be gone.
We are currently in the dispensation of the Church Age. Ours is a dispensation of historical trends. Ours is the dispensation where God (the Father), is preparing the enemies of Christ as a footstool for His feet. In our dispensation, there are no prophecies except one – the Rapture.
Far too many people get the prophecies of the Tribulation and the Millennium, mixed up with our dispensation, and that leads to mis-interpretations of historical events.
No, Obama is not the anti-Christ. No, Hitler was not the anti-Christ. No, Napoleon was not the anti-Christ. No, the nation of Israel created in 1948, is not the re-gathered nation of Israel.
What can we say about or dispensation? Well yes, there is an increase in earthquakes. Yes, there is a dramatic increase in knowledge (technology, science, invention, etc.). Yes, there is a dramatic increase in population. Yes, there are always wars and rumors throughout the world, somewhere (Africa, Middle East). Yes, there is a dramatic rise in anti-God sentiment, corruption, diminished integrity and so forth (in government, business, social circles, etc.). And we could go on all night about the many trends we see in our contemporary time.
But can anyone predict the day or hour, or even the year of the Rapture? No.
The doctrine of the Rapture is that it is always imminent. It could occur at any time. Whether it will occur tonight or a hundred years from now, we cannot know. But God has a timeline known only to Himself. And on that timeline the worlds nations, cities, villages, individuals are being made ready for that next great event, the Rapture, and then the Tribulation. And Gods readiness spans generations, not just months or weeks.
Since the time of the Cross, approximately 1979 years have passed (2009-30). If you use 33 years as the average lifespan, then we are in the sixtieth generation since the Cross. There were 75 generations from Adam to Mary, and sixty generations from Adam to Joseph. Generations are typically counted through the fathers not the mothers.
Human history has spanned about 6000 years (4000 before Christ and 2000 after). Ours is the longest of all of the human dispensations. The world is fully populated today. Today, the gospel is preached in every country, in every language.
You can take these tidbits and create any number of scenarios in your imagination, and they all come up with only one conclusion – that we are more near the ends times than we were yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. And that means what? Nothing to you, if you do not take God, Christ, doctrine, and your spiritual life seriously.
You cannot travel down the road for very long before you pass a church, a cemetery, or doctors office, and such, and not see something that speaks of mans limitations.
But with all of the evidence, we still have to contend with folks that come up with the most bizarre ideas of Christ’s second coming. Predictions come and go, with nothing but embarrassment and bad publicity for Christianity.
Every time a crazy comes up with an ‘end of days’ scenario, they do more harm than good. People, tend to begin to disregard God, doctrine, and Christianity in general.
People begin to mock and ridicule Christians as a whole, as crazy people. ‘Where is this savior?’ ‘Where is God?’ And the ridicule doesn’t stop there. All of Christianity is thought of as nothing more than a cult of wishful thinking people. Or just another political group, unlike any other group.
And, just like all who lack doctrinal orientation, people look at history as nothing more than the continuation of the natural forces of the universe. The seasons come and go. The sun rises and falls. Generations pass, and ours is the better because, after all it is the twenty-first century! Grandma and grandpa did not have mp3’s and computers, and cell phones and such. So we must be better, right?
Anyway, gadgets do not make a people better. Only Bible doctrine can make a person better, regardless of when he or she lived in history.
Peter has a lot more to say regarding these indifferent attitudes in the next few verses. And needless to say, your priority should be on your spiritual growth, not on speculation of when things might occur in the future.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
2 Peter 3:3
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:3
3 Knowing [ginosko] this [touto] first [proton], that [hoti] there shall come [erchomai] in [epi] the last [eschatos] days [hemera] scoffers [empaiktes], walking [poreuomai] after [kata] their [autos] own [idios] lusts [epithumia], KJV-Interlinear
3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, NASB
Peter is speaking of the last days, not the final days of human history. So what is the difference?
The last days is a reference to an era, a time frame, a segment of time over which a generation or more of folks will turn dramatically away from God and to their own selfish interests.
In Lk. 17:26-27, the last days are described as being similar to the last days of Noah’s time, immediately before the flood. Recall that the human race had 120 years to accept or reject Noah’s warnings. Everyone rejected Noah, and in so doing rejected God.
After Solomon’s time, the nation of Israel split into the Northern Kingdom, known as Israel or Samaria, and the Southern Kingdom, generally known as Judah. It took several hundred years before both of these nations were destroyed.
The seven empires recorded in history (in our study of Revelation), Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome all survived for several centuries before they evaporated into history. And yes, I can count. The seventh empire will be the revived Rome of the Tribulation, yet to come, and that greatest of the empires will last only seven years.
So our last day segment, can easily occur over a period of several generations. Peter is speaking to believers in our current dispensation. And although none of us will be present when the Tribulation begins, we can know that there will be signs (ambiguous as they might be) that will indicate the end days are nearing.
Simply because so much time has passed, is an obvious clue that we are more near the end days than Peter was. But Peter did not know of the development of the world population around the world as we have been able to see from our hindsight advantage.
Also, Peter is not referring to just any class of folks that happen to be mockers. Mockers have existed in every generation since Adam. But as in the time of Noah, there will be developing, a special class of folks that will be indifferent to the point that when times get tough, they will coast along in life as though nothing is happening.
But also, they will be the folks that will disregard all categories of truth, especially those principles of honesty, and honor and such.
Now we can look around and see lots of examples of this kind of attitude. Don’t accuse me of being anti-anyone, because we have at our finger tips examples of controversy in our own country and around the world, which we can use to learn about and understand what the last days will be like.
We do not know when those days will occur, and we do not try to predict the day and hour of the Rapture. Many have tried that, to their own embarrassment.
Typical examples are the attacks against Christianity and the fundamental principles of Christianity, such as prayer in schools, homosexual marriages and such things.
The rise of liberalism and the attitudes over fighting or not fighting a war against terrorists.
The election of a man who has no qualifications. The appointments of people to high offices, who have crossed the legal line. The blind eye of the media toward truth. The general indifference of people toward God.
And these are just generalizations. You can probably add many more examples to this short list.
But when the last days finally arrive, they will not be revealed in a single moment, on some Monday morning, during a breaking news alert. These things will evolve in society over the course of several generations, until finally there will be very few believers in the world and mostly unbelievers or indifferent believers, and probably no more new believers will become saved. A spiritual gap in other words.
Noah had a gap of 120 years and there were no takers (apathy and mockers ruled). The Old Testament had a gap of four centuries until the birth of Christ. There were no new revelations of doctrine during that gap (apathy and mockers ruled). Those were the two prior major gaps in human history. The next major event will be the Rapture.
Will there be a gap immediately prior to that event? We will never know, because that event is going to be a surprise to everyone when it occurs.
Regardless of what you think of this study, and there will be those who will balk at it (scoffers), the whole point of all of this is that there is going to be a ‘Come to Jesus’ meeting for us all at some point in the future.
Whether you agree with that or not is really irrelevant.
As time advances on in history, society will pursue its own lusts more and more, as doctrine becomes less and less important in peoples lives. And with the diminishing of doctrine, will come the rise is crime, indifference and general trouble in the world. People will argue over petty things such as dinosaurs, or whether an elected official is qualified or not.
Lusts refer to everything that people see as important in their lives. From their jobs to their entertainment, to their attitudes toward social programs, to their efforts to advance or seize whatever they deem important, to the many attitudes toward public norms and standards of society. All will seem normal and acceptable.
There is only one defense against falling into this pit of mockery, and that is through a daily diet of Bible doctrine. Without it, you will be like everyone else and never realize it – until it is too late.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:3
3 Knowing [ginosko] this [touto] first [proton], that [hoti] there shall come [erchomai] in [epi] the last [eschatos] days [hemera] scoffers [empaiktes], walking [poreuomai] after [kata] their [autos] own [idios] lusts [epithumia], KJV-Interlinear
3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, NASB
Peter is speaking of the last days, not the final days of human history. So what is the difference?
The last days is a reference to an era, a time frame, a segment of time over which a generation or more of folks will turn dramatically away from God and to their own selfish interests.
In Lk. 17:26-27, the last days are described as being similar to the last days of Noah’s time, immediately before the flood. Recall that the human race had 120 years to accept or reject Noah’s warnings. Everyone rejected Noah, and in so doing rejected God.
After Solomon’s time, the nation of Israel split into the Northern Kingdom, known as Israel or Samaria, and the Southern Kingdom, generally known as Judah. It took several hundred years before both of these nations were destroyed.
The seven empires recorded in history (in our study of Revelation), Assyria, Egypt, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome all survived for several centuries before they evaporated into history. And yes, I can count. The seventh empire will be the revived Rome of the Tribulation, yet to come, and that greatest of the empires will last only seven years.
So our last day segment, can easily occur over a period of several generations. Peter is speaking to believers in our current dispensation. And although none of us will be present when the Tribulation begins, we can know that there will be signs (ambiguous as they might be) that will indicate the end days are nearing.
Simply because so much time has passed, is an obvious clue that we are more near the end days than Peter was. But Peter did not know of the development of the world population around the world as we have been able to see from our hindsight advantage.
Also, Peter is not referring to just any class of folks that happen to be mockers. Mockers have existed in every generation since Adam. But as in the time of Noah, there will be developing, a special class of folks that will be indifferent to the point that when times get tough, they will coast along in life as though nothing is happening.
But also, they will be the folks that will disregard all categories of truth, especially those principles of honesty, and honor and such.
Now we can look around and see lots of examples of this kind of attitude. Don’t accuse me of being anti-anyone, because we have at our finger tips examples of controversy in our own country and around the world, which we can use to learn about and understand what the last days will be like.
We do not know when those days will occur, and we do not try to predict the day and hour of the Rapture. Many have tried that, to their own embarrassment.
Typical examples are the attacks against Christianity and the fundamental principles of Christianity, such as prayer in schools, homosexual marriages and such things.
The rise of liberalism and the attitudes over fighting or not fighting a war against terrorists.
The election of a man who has no qualifications. The appointments of people to high offices, who have crossed the legal line. The blind eye of the media toward truth. The general indifference of people toward God.
And these are just generalizations. You can probably add many more examples to this short list.
But when the last days finally arrive, they will not be revealed in a single moment, on some Monday morning, during a breaking news alert. These things will evolve in society over the course of several generations, until finally there will be very few believers in the world and mostly unbelievers or indifferent believers, and probably no more new believers will become saved. A spiritual gap in other words.
Noah had a gap of 120 years and there were no takers (apathy and mockers ruled). The Old Testament had a gap of four centuries until the birth of Christ. There were no new revelations of doctrine during that gap (apathy and mockers ruled). Those were the two prior major gaps in human history. The next major event will be the Rapture.
Will there be a gap immediately prior to that event? We will never know, because that event is going to be a surprise to everyone when it occurs.
Regardless of what you think of this study, and there will be those who will balk at it (scoffers), the whole point of all of this is that there is going to be a ‘Come to Jesus’ meeting for us all at some point in the future.
Whether you agree with that or not is really irrelevant.
As time advances on in history, society will pursue its own lusts more and more, as doctrine becomes less and less important in peoples lives. And with the diminishing of doctrine, will come the rise is crime, indifference and general trouble in the world. People will argue over petty things such as dinosaurs, or whether an elected official is qualified or not.
Lusts refer to everything that people see as important in their lives. From their jobs to their entertainment, to their attitudes toward social programs, to their efforts to advance or seize whatever they deem important, to the many attitudes toward public norms and standards of society. All will seem normal and acceptable.
There is only one defense against falling into this pit of mockery, and that is through a daily diet of Bible doctrine. Without it, you will be like everyone else and never realize it – until it is too late.
Monday, February 2, 2009
2 Peter 3:2
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:2
2 That ye may be mindful [mnaomai] of the words [rhema] which were spoken before [proereo] by [hupo] the holy [hagios] prophets [prophetes], and [kai] of the commandment [entole] of us [hemon] the apostles [apostolos] of the Lord [kurios] and [kai] Saviour [soter]: KJV-Interlinear
2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. NASB
From the time of Adam, up until our current generation, the Word of God has been available, and made known clearly, to anyone and everyone who has had even an inkling of an interest.
No other religion can make this claim on history.
The words of the prophets and of the apostles have always been consistent and obvious. Isa. 53 is probably one of the most plainly stated prophecies regarding the savior, and yet most of the educated priests of Jesus’ day, rejected or argued over the book of Isaiah.
In Jude, we know that Enoch preached that the Savior would return (second advent) with his followers. How did Jude know what Enoch was teaching some 4000 years earlier? He knew because he also was aware of the Saviors sacrifice, ascendency and glorification and subsequent return, as everyone else has known since Adam.
Adam was promised the seed of the woman for a Savior. That was not all that God taught Adam. Adam knew the entire plan of God with respect to the Savior. Didn’t Adam receive clothes from God, clothes from animal skins? Where did those animal skins come from? They came from sacrificed animals. And what was behind those sacrifices? The teaching of the Savior, His sacrifice, and the purposes behind it all.
Even Cain tried to reinvent the sacrifice ritual to one of his own liking. And his works were rejected by God.
Only Gods works are accepted in the spiritual life, not mans.
And by the way, when Christ returns with His ‘holy ones,’ who are they? They are you and me and all of the believers of this dispensation of the Church Age.
When the Rapture occurs, all believers from our dispensation will be caught up in the air and off to heaven we will all go. Probably tens for billions of people, who have been saved over the last 2000 years, will be whisked away into heaven.
There we will spend the next seven years standing before His Judgment Seat, receiving our evaluation, rewards, honors, celebrating the wedding feast, etc. and then at the end of those seven years we will return to earth with Christ, as the Tribulation (on the earth) reaches its climax of destruction, which Christ will bring to an end in an instant.
But why does Peter remind us of the words of the prophets, which words have not really been taught in this letter?
Because there is only one reality in life, and it does not have anything to do with what you think is important for this world.
When God created the universe, and He created it perfect by the way. That perfection we have no clue as to what that initial universe looked like. But the angels had it all to themselves and they destroyed it, or brought it into a state of chaos. Probably several times. ‘And the earth was [became] null and void,’ as described in Genesis.
If paleontology and geology and such sciences are anywhere close in their objective findings (not their subjective interpretations), then we know that the angels messed up the universe (or earth) perhaps several times. How they did it, we again, haven’t a clue, but at some point they lost their right to inherit the universe. And then God (again, do you suppose) restored everything and then made man.
There do seem to be several documented extinctions in pre-historic times. So how did they all (however many there might have been) come about if God created a perfect universe?
We are the heirs of the new universe to come, and we (most of us) don’t seem to have a clue about that either.
So, Peter reminds us, that our day to day lives are nothing unless we grow up in our spiritual lives. And unless we get our thinking straight (the world is not flat), and get with an objective view of life, God, and our destiny, then we are in for the biggest shock of our life when we get to heaven.
Stubborn thinking leads to failure. And failure in ones life equates to a phenomenal loss for all of eternity.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:2
2 That ye may be mindful [mnaomai] of the words [rhema] which were spoken before [proereo] by [hupo] the holy [hagios] prophets [prophetes], and [kai] of the commandment [entole] of us [hemon] the apostles [apostolos] of the Lord [kurios] and [kai] Saviour [soter]: KJV-Interlinear
2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. NASB
From the time of Adam, up until our current generation, the Word of God has been available, and made known clearly, to anyone and everyone who has had even an inkling of an interest.
No other religion can make this claim on history.
The words of the prophets and of the apostles have always been consistent and obvious. Isa. 53 is probably one of the most plainly stated prophecies regarding the savior, and yet most of the educated priests of Jesus’ day, rejected or argued over the book of Isaiah.
In Jude, we know that Enoch preached that the Savior would return (second advent) with his followers. How did Jude know what Enoch was teaching some 4000 years earlier? He knew because he also was aware of the Saviors sacrifice, ascendency and glorification and subsequent return, as everyone else has known since Adam.
Adam was promised the seed of the woman for a Savior. That was not all that God taught Adam. Adam knew the entire plan of God with respect to the Savior. Didn’t Adam receive clothes from God, clothes from animal skins? Where did those animal skins come from? They came from sacrificed animals. And what was behind those sacrifices? The teaching of the Savior, His sacrifice, and the purposes behind it all.
Even Cain tried to reinvent the sacrifice ritual to one of his own liking. And his works were rejected by God.
Only Gods works are accepted in the spiritual life, not mans.
And by the way, when Christ returns with His ‘holy ones,’ who are they? They are you and me and all of the believers of this dispensation of the Church Age.
When the Rapture occurs, all believers from our dispensation will be caught up in the air and off to heaven we will all go. Probably tens for billions of people, who have been saved over the last 2000 years, will be whisked away into heaven.
There we will spend the next seven years standing before His Judgment Seat, receiving our evaluation, rewards, honors, celebrating the wedding feast, etc. and then at the end of those seven years we will return to earth with Christ, as the Tribulation (on the earth) reaches its climax of destruction, which Christ will bring to an end in an instant.
But why does Peter remind us of the words of the prophets, which words have not really been taught in this letter?
Because there is only one reality in life, and it does not have anything to do with what you think is important for this world.
When God created the universe, and He created it perfect by the way. That perfection we have no clue as to what that initial universe looked like. But the angels had it all to themselves and they destroyed it, or brought it into a state of chaos. Probably several times. ‘And the earth was [became] null and void,’ as described in Genesis.
If paleontology and geology and such sciences are anywhere close in their objective findings (not their subjective interpretations), then we know that the angels messed up the universe (or earth) perhaps several times. How they did it, we again, haven’t a clue, but at some point they lost their right to inherit the universe. And then God (again, do you suppose) restored everything and then made man.
There do seem to be several documented extinctions in pre-historic times. So how did they all (however many there might have been) come about if God created a perfect universe?
We are the heirs of the new universe to come, and we (most of us) don’t seem to have a clue about that either.
So, Peter reminds us, that our day to day lives are nothing unless we grow up in our spiritual lives. And unless we get our thinking straight (the world is not flat), and get with an objective view of life, God, and our destiny, then we are in for the biggest shock of our life when we get to heaven.
Stubborn thinking leads to failure. And failure in ones life equates to a phenomenal loss for all of eternity.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
2 Peter 3:1
This study is from an on going online Daily Bible Study at:
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:1
1 This [taute] second [deuteros] epistle [epistole], beloved [agapetos], I [grapho] now [ede] write [grapho] unto you [humin]; in [en] both which [hos] I stir up [diegeiro] your [humon] pure [heilikrines] minds [dianoia] by way [en] of remembrance [hupomnesis]: KJV-Interlinear
3 This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, NASB
The objective of this letter is to cause you to remember this instruction, to remember your former instruction, to seek out and discover the instruction within the Bible.
That you will realize that truth, the truth of life, is not going to be found in political philosophy. That you will realize that truth is not going to be found in your beliefs of habit. That truth is not going to be found in your emotional dealings with life. That truth is not going to be invented by you, society, or the popularity of any social conduct.
That there is a clear line between good and evil, between right and wrong, between truth and the lies of this world.
And it is on your head to open up the Bible, to listen and learn, and grow up into a responsible spiritually mature individual.
This world is going to inundate you with things that are intended to distract you from doctrine, including confusing teachings from well intended preachers, philosophers, instructors and the like.
The evils of this world will preach change, tolerance, and the openness of life, but in fact pursue the opposite.
The objective of evil is to enslave you into its iron fisted hands.
The fool is the one who does not take Biblical instruction seriously, but accepts the wisdom of the world without question.
The fool is the one who listens to popular and socially accepted policies, and ignores the principles of God.
The fool is the one who does not recognize that anything and everything from this world, is not of God.
DailyBibleStudy.Org | Daily Bible Study Index Page | Daily Bible Study Online E-Book Library
2 Peter 3:1
1 This [taute] second [deuteros] epistle [epistole], beloved [agapetos], I [grapho] now [ede] write [grapho] unto you [humin]; in [en] both which [hos] I stir up [diegeiro] your [humon] pure [heilikrines] minds [dianoia] by way [en] of remembrance [hupomnesis]: KJV-Interlinear
3 This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, NASB
The objective of this letter is to cause you to remember this instruction, to remember your former instruction, to seek out and discover the instruction within the Bible.
That you will realize that truth, the truth of life, is not going to be found in political philosophy. That you will realize that truth is not going to be found in your beliefs of habit. That truth is not going to be found in your emotional dealings with life. That truth is not going to be invented by you, society, or the popularity of any social conduct.
That there is a clear line between good and evil, between right and wrong, between truth and the lies of this world.
And it is on your head to open up the Bible, to listen and learn, and grow up into a responsible spiritually mature individual.
This world is going to inundate you with things that are intended to distract you from doctrine, including confusing teachings from well intended preachers, philosophers, instructors and the like.
The evils of this world will preach change, tolerance, and the openness of life, but in fact pursue the opposite.
The objective of evil is to enslave you into its iron fisted hands.
The fool is the one who does not take Biblical instruction seriously, but accepts the wisdom of the world without question.
The fool is the one who listens to popular and socially accepted policies, and ignores the principles of God.
The fool is the one who does not recognize that anything and everything from this world, is not of God.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)