Introduction:
If you were writing a letter to people who were suffering, what is the one thing above all others that you would want to say to them? It would probably be something like this: "What you’re going through will not be in vain. When this terrible ordeal is over, you’ll be able to look back and see that your faithfulness was worth it all."
That reassuring message was given repeatedly to the early Christians. As they faced trials of every sort, the message of God to them was to the effect that their faithfulness in these situations would be fully rewarded. Paul spoke of the fact that "if indeed we suffer with him...we may also be glorified together." (Romans 8:17). Then he added, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18).
Paul also told the Corinthians, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." (2 Corinthians 4:17).
Peter was writing his epistles to Christians who found out first-hand what it meant to be persecuted for their faith. The early church came under intense social persecution even before Rome began its official efforts at getting rid of Christians. So Christians often lost their jobs, had their property confiscated, were denied access to public markets, and suffered many other indignities. Many were false accused and landed in prison because of their beliefs. Eventually, of course, many would lose their lives because of their faith.
If you were writing to encourage the Christians who faced this sort of opposition, would it not make sense to talk about what the future holds for us? So Peter spends much of his second epistle doing just that -- talking about the eventual destruction of the world and the second coming of Christ.
To Christians who were faced with hardship and difficulty, the message of the end of time was a much needed doctrine. They needed to look beyond the pain and difficulties of their present day to the future certainty that justice and judgment were coming. They needed to live in the present with a view toward the endtime. They needed to know that Jesus meant what he said, and he’ll be back.
And those are all truths that we need to be reminded of as well. While our situation is not one of oppressive persecution, we’re still very much tempted to live with our eyes focused only on the present. And we can’t live like that. As Christians, our eyes have to be focused on the future. Like the persecuted Christians of the first century, we need to see Peter’s message of the endtime. We need to look back at our Lord Jesus and know that he was telling the truth when he said, "I’ll be back."
Turn with me to 2 Peter 3 as we take a look at what Peter has to say about the second coming.
I. The Fact of His Coming
"Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ’Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men." (2 Peter 3:3-7).
Peter says that there will always be folks who will scoff at the idea that the world is going to come to an end some day. They will laugh at the idea and ridicule the notion that Jesus is coming back again. And the reason they’ll do that is because they are walking according to their own lusts.
And when you think about that, it makes sense. Ask yourself the question, "If you wanted to be free to do whatever you want to do, to pursue a self-indulgent lifestyle, to ignore every restriction that God has set forth, how would you go about doing that?" And the most logical course would be to get rid of the concept of the second coming. Because if you could succeed in convincing people that Christ is not going to come back again, then you would feel free to live however you want to live.
As Paul said in I Corinthians 15:32, "If the dead do not rise, ’Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’" If Christ is not coming back and the there’s not going to be a resurrection and there’s no life in the hereafter, then just go ahead and do whatever you want to do to enjoy life, because after all, what difference does it make?
So Peter is describing here a group of people who have become so caught up in their own lusts and desires, that they have no respect for spiritual truths nor any desire to obey God. They’ve become intent on living for the moment. They want to grab all the "gusto" they can get in life and they could care less about tomorrow.
So they "willfully forgot" some things that God has taught. Do you catch the significance of that phrase? They didn’t just forget what God said. They "willfully" forgot. These scoffers attacked and ridiculed the second coming of Christ because they wanted to live differently than how the scriptures commanded.
But they went a step further than that. Peter gives us the basic argument of the mockers. Their argument strongly implied that God’s promise of the second coming was a bold-faced lie. They probably said things like, "Whatever happened to Jesus? He promised he would return ’quickly’. So where is he? Obviously he lied. He’s not really coming back or he would have done it by now."
Peter says they will look at the past as a gauge of the future. They say, "Everything has been going on just as it has since the beginning of creation." But Peter says that things haven’t always stayed the same. He points to the great flood in Genesis as evidence of his proof. The people in the days of Noah could have made the same argument as these false teachers. "It’s never flooded before, so it’s not going to flood now. In fact, it’s never even rained before." But the truthfulness of any event is not determined by whether or not it’s ever happened before, but by what God says on the subject.
And the truth is that this world is headed for destruction just as the world was in the days of Noah. The only difference is that it won’t be water this time, it’ll be fire. The very God who created this world simply by speaking the word has stored up fire by which it is to be destroyed by his word again.
In our day and age, there should be no reason to doubt God on this point. In our modern age, we’re often reminded of the destructive force contained in one nuclear warhead. We’re reminded that superpowers possess hundreds of these destructive warheads -- enough to blow this world into oblivion. Well, if man has that kind of power, just imagine what kind of power God must have. Peter reminds his readers that this is the tragic destiny that lies ahead for those who willfully forget spiritual matters.
It’s the clear teaching of the New Testament that Jesus Christ is indeed coming back at the end of time. In fact, over 50 times in the New Testament, Christians are encouraged to be ready for the second coming. In several books, entire chapters are devoted to a discussion of the details of the second coming.
The promise was made when Jesus told his confused and afraid apostles that they shouldn’t be troubled because while he was indeed leaving them, he was planning to come back. "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:1-3).
The angel told the apostles after Jesus ascended into heaven that one day he would return. "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ’Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven.’" (Acts 1:10-11).
Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (I Thessalonians 4:16-17).
In the Hebrew letter, "To those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time..." (Hebrews 9:28).
The truth is that Jesus is coming back! I believe that that fact, that promise, remains at the center of the Christian message. No matter what else we say or think or do about Jesus, we must always remember that he’ll be back. Whether we die before he comes or are alive until that time, one day we will open our eyes and look up into the sky to see the Son of God coming in the clouds. He’ll be back, and you can stake your life on it!
II. The Reason For the Delay
"But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (II Peter 3:8-9).
The principle that Peter refers to here is also found in the Old Testament. The psalmist said, "For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night." (Psalm 90:4). Basically this means that time is not measured by God the same way that it is by mortal men. Thousands of years may pass on the earth, but their passing only seems to be a day or even a few hours in the night to Almighty God.
Let me relate it to you in this way. Every year in my life seems to go by a little faster. And as I get older, my concept of time changes. When I was a little kid, if my parents said to me, "Your birthday is one week away", that week seemed like an eternity. And to be told that I could do something in six months was so far away that it was hard to even imagine. But now that I’m older, a week is nothing. A week is gone before I know it. And six months isn’t so far off at all. And those of you are even older than I am (and you know who you are), you know how even the years seem to zip by.
Well, if our concept of time changes so drastically over the course of 60 or 70 years, what do you suppose our concept of time would be like if we lived to be a thousand years old, or 10,000 years? And if you’ve lived for an eternity, would it be all that surprising to you that one thousand years would be as a day?
Peter’s not giving us some formula here so we can calculate the exact day of the second coming. Not at all. He’s simply saying that God’s plans are not short term. He doesn’t tell time by minutes, hours, days, or even years. Our God tells time by the centuries.
Remember that these Christians were being told that Christ would never come again because it had been so long since Christ had promised to return "quickly", but here they’re reminded of the relative nature of time with God. Peter is saying, in essence, "Don’t worry because it hasn’t been very long to God since Christ promised to come back."
And besides that, he says, God is just being patient with you. Christ isn’t tardy; he’s not late. And he hasn’t forgotten us. His postponement is planned for a specific purpose. God is waiting so as many as desire can discover the joy of salvation.
God’s desire for all men is often mentioned in the Bible. "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." (I Timothy 1:3-4).
Paul said, "Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4).
Even in the Old Testament, God said, "As I live...I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live." (Ezekiel 33:11).
Those who are living in sin need to pay attention to this point. If you die in your sins, it is not because of God but because of your refusal to accept the conditions of God’s salvation. God is giving those who are lost an opportunity right now to be saved.
Several hundred years ago, William III was trying to put down a rebellion in Northern Scotland. He issued a proclamation to all the rebel chiefs to appear at a certain place on or before December 31, 1691 and take an oath of allegiance to the king. Those who did not take that oath were to be treated as outlaws and put to death. There were not many followers, so it was useless for the chiefs to rebel. One by one, they all gave in and signed their names to the paper, except one.
Mac Ian was chief of the smallest but proudest tribe in Scotland. He planned to sign that paper, but it was his intention to be the last of the Scottish chiefs to submit. So, a day or two before the deadline, he started traveling to the designated spot. But a severe snow storm hindered him and he was a week late. He and his followers were killed as traitors.
How many people do you suppose there are who are like that with God, people who intend to confess the name of Christ and obey him, they intend to repent of their sins and be baptized into Christ, but they want to wait to the last possible moment, only to discover how foolish they were to put it off? God is making a way for you right now, but you don’t have a promise of even a day more.
III. The Certainty of the Second Coming
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up." (II Peter 3:10).
Peter says, "The day of the Lord will come!" In the Greek, "will come" is emphatic. We would say, "The second coming of Christ is an absolute certainty." Not even the slightest bit of doubt exists concerning it.
Peter tells us that when Christ comes again, his coming will be like a thief. No alarms will sound; no newspaper headlines will announce it ahead of time. There will be no signs of his coming; there will be no way we will be able to wake up that morning and be able to say, "Today is the day." The day of the Lord will come upon us suddenly, the material universe all around us will be destroyed, and time as we know it will be no more.
In Matthew 24, on the subject of his second coming, Jesus said, "But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only." (Matthew 24:36). After giving his disciples sign after sign to watch for to warn them about the fall of Jerusalem, Jesus went on to say that there would be no such warnings in regard to his second coming and the end of time.
Jesus told us that there will be no way to know when he will come back at the end of time, but he will be back! He went on in Matthew 25 to tell parables like the ten virgins and the talents that speak of the need to be ready for his coming all of the time.
Much of what is said about the endtime today is a vain attempt to decipher signs that will give us some clue as to when he is coming. But Jesus assured us there will be no such signs. The only way to be ready on that day is to be ready at all times.
IV. Our Responsibility in View of the Second Coming
"Therefore since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." (II Peter 3:11-13).
Do you follow what Peter is saying here? He’s saying that if you are convinced that Jesus Christ is going to return, then it will make a difference in the way you’re living because you’ll want to live right. If we’re looking forward to his return, we’ll naturally concentrate on spiritual matters. Peter lists a couple of actions that Christians will take as a result of their absolute certainty of Christ’s return.
First of all, they’ll seek to develop personal holiness and godliness. The word "holy" in the New Testament means to be separated. So a Christian is someone who is unwilling to live as others normally do. He makes an effort to live apart from sin, not to wallow in it.
Second, those who believe in the second coming of Christ have an attitude of eager anticipation. It’s the same word that was used to describe Cornelius when he sent for Peter and was waiting on his front doorstep to greet the one who would tell him what to do to be saved. Christians should be eager for Christ to come. And the knowledge that he is coming should make a difference in the way we live.
Conclusion:
There’s an old saying that assures us "While the cat’s away, the mice will play." I guess that’s right. But it also stands to reason that a sure and certain knowledge that the cat is coming back at any moment will tend to keep the mice from becoming too frisky.
Maybe the reason that so many of us have trouble living holy and blameless lives is because we tend to forget that he’s coming back. Peter reminds us of this fact. He also reminds us of the vital connection that such a doctrine has to our every day lives. "Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by him in peace, without spot and blameless." (II Peter 3:14).
Yes, Jesus ascended into the heavens nearly 2000 years ago. While we realize that he’s always with us, it can seem that he’s far, far away. The gulf that seems to separate us makes it hard at times to truly live for him. But we must forever remember that he’ll be back.
A number of years ago, Alexander Campbell had a conversation with Robert Owen who was a prominent atheist. Mr. Owen said, "There is one advantage I have over the Christian. I am not afraid to die. Most Christians have fear in death, but if some few items of my business were settled, I should be perfectly willing to die at any moment."
Bro. Campbell responded, "You say you have no fear in death. Have you any hope?" After a solemn pause, he answered, "No." "Then," Campbell said, pointing to an ox standing at a distance, "you are on a level with that brute. He feeds until he is satisfied, and stands in the shade, whisking off the flies, and has neither hope nor fear in death."
For those who are ready for the second coming, there is hope and that day will be a great day. But for those who are not ready, that day will be a sad day. Since we don’t know exactly when that day will come, the only way to be ready for that day is to be ready all the time. This morning, are you ready for Jesus to return?
