The Return Of Christ, In God’s Perfect Time. Series

The Return of Christ, in God’s perfect time.

2 Peter 3:1-18

I was interviewing new believers from a great movement that led to thousands turning to Christ in areas where prior to this, trees and rocks were worshipped, then there was this great turning to Christ. A place where they never heard about Jesus. The interviews included how they came to Christ. What they believe now about Christ and how did they study the Bible.

Then came a key interview I was looking forward to. I met and interviewed the national Christian leader who, humanly speaking, started this house church movement among this unreached people group. Now hearing testimony after testimony of people who did not previously know about the Lord, who now had turned to Christ, I could find out how the leader got the vision for such a unique calling. The leader said he was previously not interested in working in unreached areas. Now he was seeing one of the largest tribal groups in the world being turned upside down with the gospel.

I asked the leader what happened to redirect his life to reaching the unreached who had never heard of Christ. He told me that it was 2 Peter chapter 3 that influenced him. Specifically, it was 2 Peter 3:9.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3: 9)

This leader was attending a conference challenging Christians to go to the unreached people groups and to unreached places and to start a movement of multiplying disciples and multiplying house churches.

He was not interested and had heard enough in the morning. He went back to his room after lunch to sleep through the afternoon sessions. But something was disturbing him. It was this verse that he now believed told him the purpose of the Lord delaying his return. It was for the spread of the gospel. It was because this is our time now to reach the unreached. It was time for action. Instead of sleeping he went back to learn everything he could about spreading the good news to the unreached.

Peter instills an urgency and gospel movement motivation from this chapter. Peter said the Lord told him he was about to be executed. He is writing from a Roman prison to the scattered Christians. The same scattered Christians he wrote in his first letter.

It was 30 years earlier when Peter pulled Jesus aside on the Mount of Olives and asked him what he meant by saying the temple would be destroyed and no stone left on another. Jesus told the disciples, in what we call the Olivet Discourse, just before his death about staying faithful to God, warning of the false prophets and about his return. Now Peter is about to face execution himself, and Peter tells the scattered Christians the same basic themes as Jesus told him before his own death.

There on the Mount of Olives soon before his death Jesus said to them:

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14)

Jesus and Peter both told their disciples that we are living in times of urgency. The Gospel is to go to all the nations and then the end shall come.

Peter’s second letter (2 Peter 3:1-2)

Peter was reminding them of what Jesus and the prophets had been saying. He is giving the same message. Both of his letters are keeping to the theme of encouraging the scattered Christians in turbulent times.

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. (2 Peter 3:1-2)

The scattered Christians need to immerse themselves in the Word of God. They need to recall the prophets and they need to recall the words of the Lord Jesus. There are enemies out there ready to persecute them. But as chapter 2 of this second letter brought out there is an enemy from within. They are false prophets in the church trying to make money and they don’t care if they shipwreck the believers in the process. Peter has been giving harsh words and speaking of the coming judgment of these liars inside the church.

Scoffers will scoff. (2 Peter 3:3-6)

Peter told the Christians not to be surprised that people are scoffing about the return of the Lord. It has been so long, and they have not seen him return so they scoff.