Ralph Porter

© 2002

    I'll never forget the day that I became "the smartest man in the whole world." Most of us go through a period when our children think mom and dad are the smartest people in the world. However, usually during their teens, we lose the "halo effect" and that position is passed on to a favorite school teacher, or a best friend. Then parents usually become really stupid! Mom and dad suddenly don't know anything at all.

    It was about that time of live-when our oldest daughter was just getting to that point in her life--that we became concerned about one particular teacher at our daughter's school. He was planting seeds of doubt in the kids' minds-doubt about what they'd always heard, about what the Bible says, about God and what they'd always heard about life.

    Helen and I decided that we needed to take action to protect our daughter. We sat her down one evening and opened our Bibles to 2 Peter 3. We showed her how Peter predicted-2,000 years ago-that many years later, in the end times, scoffers would come on the scene, making fun of the idea that our Lord was going to come again to judge the world.

    In the midst of his argument, in a day when people didn't question such things, Peter says that they will argue that God has never intervened in world affairs in the past, why should we think He will suddenly get involved now? He goes on to say that they will deliberately ignore two events-two times when things: creation and the flood. If God intervened on those two occasions in the past, we can expect Him to intervene again to judge the world in the future.

    People don't want to be accountable to God and don't want to acknowledge the possibility of coming judgment. Therefore they ignore His intervention in the creation and the flood. We warned our daughter that the time would probably come when someone would come along teaching that God didn't create the world, that it just evolved out of the natural forces of nature, and that there is no scientific evidence for the flood. Peter predicted that it was going to happen, many years ago!

    It seems like it was just the next day, when I came home from the office that Deanna caught me at the door. Her eyes were as big as saucers! "Daddy, how did you know?" I asked her what she was talking about. "How did you know what my teacher was going to tell us in school today?!!"

    I reminded her that while I didn't know it would happen that day, Peter told us it would happen-2,000 years ago! She was amazed. That day I became the smartest man in the whole world! Not only did I know the answer to her question, I knew in advance what the question was going to be!

    Peter is writing to the same group he wrote to in his first letter (3:1). They are saints who have been scattered throughout Asia Minor. They have demonstrated their faith in God. They have apparently passed through the persecution mentioned in 1 Peter. They are now struggling against a new enemy: false teachers have come into their midst.

    Peter wants his readers to continue their progressive development in the virtues taught in God's Word. At the same time, he wants us to reject the false teachers who are contradicting the truth we've been taught. These teachers are hindering their growth. They are causing stagnation in the spiritual life of God's people.

    In essence, the book contains an exhortation to grow and not let the false teachers stop them. Since God is going to intervene and judge the world, those who claim to be His people should remain faithful to Him and concentrate on that which contributes to our spiritual growth.

    Peter concludes his letter with an exhortation not to be deceived by ignorant critics, but rather to understand God's plan for the future (3:1-18). In order that we might stand firm in the midst of the false teachers and scoffers, Peter wants us to understand God's plan.

    This thought was initially introduced back in 1:12-15. He is dealing with information his readers already know well. Nevertheless he reminds us of it again. It's too important to take a chance we might forget!

    He has written about it twice before. He wants to be sure we remember what the prophets have said and what the Lord has commanded (3:1-2). He tells us that Paul has also written about it-though sometimes he's hard to understand-and people try to twist his words (3:15-16). Nevertheless, his readers already know this (3:17).

    Both Paul and Peter-when they talk about the day of the Lord-indicate that God's people already know about it. Paul says, "I don't need to tell you when this is going to happen . . . . You already know very well that it's going to come like a thief in the night!" (1 Thess. 5). Peter tells us the same thing: "You already know this!" (17). "Don't forget this one thing: God's in no hurry! . . . The day of the Lord will come like a thief!" (8, 10).

    Why is this so important? It's such an important truth because a correct understanding of what God is doing, and how it affects our lives, will cause right thinking-especially in the midst of times of doubt and confusion!

PEOPLE ARE GOING TO MAKE FUN OF CHRIST'S COMING   3-7

    Peter warns us long before it happens that in the last days scoffers are going to come. These scoffers will make fun of the idea that God would ever intervene by coming to judge the world.

    It appears that one of Satan's preferred strategies in our day is to encourage preachers to run all around the world predicting the Lord's imminent coming-whether in 1948, 1988, 1989, 1993, Y2K, or who knows when! All these prophetic "warnings" have created an environment in which the expectation of the Lord's coming has become a joke! Thus the scoffers have an easy time making fun of the idea, just as Peter told us they would.

THEY ARE BUSY PURSUING WHAT THEY WANT OUT OF LIFE   3

    Peter tells us that the scoffers have their own hidden agenda. This is an excuse to free them so they can do whatever they feel like. They are following their own evil desires and don't want to be kept awake at night, tossing and turning, out of fear that judgment is coming. So they laugh it off! But, Peter warns us, this is no laughing matter! The Lord will come, whether they like it or not. As the old saying goes, "He who laughs last, laughs best!"

THEY THINK GOD HAS NEVER INTERVENED   4

    The scoffers claim that God never has intervened in human affairs, why should we think He will do it now? Things go just as they have from the very beginning. People die and the world goes on. What makes you think it will ever be any different?!!

    So they go about doing whatever they feel like! They have no fear. God is a long way off. If God exists He's too busy to care about what we're up to. He never does anything about it anyway. So, "Eat, drink, and be merry! For tomorrow we die!"

THEY DELIBERATELY IGNORE THE TIMES GOD HAS INTERVENED   5-7

    Peter's basic response to the scoffers is that they deliberately ignore the truth. It isn't that the evidence is conclusive against God's intervention. It's that they don't want to believe the evidence. They prefer to ignore it. They do it deliberately!

    The scoffers are ignorant concerning God's intervention in the past (5-6). They deliberately ignore two times when God DID intervene: creation and the flood. Peter links God's intervention to His Word. First, God spoke and created the world (5). Then God spoke again, and destroyed the world with a flood (6).

    Just as they are ignorant about the past, the scoffers are also ignorant concerning God's intervention in the future (7). They ignore the reality of God's future judgment, which will be caused by the same Word of God. God is going to speak one more time to judge the world and the ungodly.

    Though people make fun in unbelief, it doesn't change the certainty of what's going to happen. Man's laughter won't change God's plan! What matters is "Who laughs last!" Psalm 2 describes the plots people invent to stop God from having His way. Ultimately the psalmist tells us that God watches their schemes from His throne above the universe, and He laughs! God is the One who ultimately has the last laugh! He becomes the final "scoffer," making fun of the schemes of man who think they can out-maneuver God.

    In spite of the scoffers' denial of divine intervention, God is going to judge the world! God will have His day!

WHY IS IT TAKING HIM SO LONG?

GOD'S IN NO BIG HURRY   8

    It doesn't matter to God whether it takes a day or a thousand years! For Him it's all the same! Time doesn't limit God. He's not bound by our time schedules. We're the ones who get all bent out of shape when it seems to take God so long! He's in no hurry! His delay is not evidence of weakness nor failure. God's in no hurry! He doesn't have to rush-He's not getting any older! He's not getting grey hair, worrying about how long it's going to take!

GOD ISN'T SLOW IN GETTING AROUND TO IT!   9a

    People see how long it takes and think, "Man, God is sure slow!" But God doesn't see it that way! He's not slow! God's in no hurry!

GOD IS PATIENT TO GIVE PEOPLE TIME TO REPENT   9b

    There's a good reason why God is taking His time. God is patient-He's "slow to anger"-because He is allowing others a chance to repent and turn to Him. He wants to save people. "He is not willing that any should perish." Therefore, He waits-to give them time to come to Him and receive His gift of eternal life. Are you upset because it's taking so long? Do you think it's a joke? Maybe He's waiting for YOU!

DON'T GET THE WRONG IDEA!   10

GOD WILL HAVE HIS DAY

    "The Day of the Lord WILL come!" Don't misjudge God's patience! God will not wait forever! He wants to give people a chance, but His day will come and then it will be too late to turn to Him. Don't wait too long!

GODS DAY WILL COME LIKE A THIEF!

    God will come suddenly to judge the world. He will come like a thief in the night. His coming will be unexpected-without notice. As Jesus foretold, people will be going about their business as usual, and then suddenly, the Judge will come, and it will be too late to turn to Him.

GOD'S DAY WILL BRING TOTAL DESTRUCTION TO THE WORLD.

    When Jesus does come to judge this world, everything will be destroyed, and it will be too late to repent. The whole earth will be consumed by His judgment.

HOW SHOULD WE THEN LIVE?   11-18

    Awareness of the suddenness and severity of God's judgment should produce a change in the lifestyle of God's people.

We should live holy and godly lives   11

    Chuck Swindoll has said noted that a telltale sign of heresy is a ministry that emphasizes the Lord's return, but that doesn't, with equal gusto, emphasize a godly life. If we know He's coming, it should change the way we live and produce a holy, godly lifestyle.

We should eagerly await His coming   12-13

    Another implication of this judgment for our lives is that God's plan for earth's future ought to produce eager anticipation, as we look forward to the creation of a new home characterized by righteousness.

        We're watching for that day 12a

        We're doing everything we can to hasten that day 12b

                Though it's a day of judgment, it's His day. We're excited about it!

                If we know that God is waiting for people to turn to Him, we want to participate

                    in the process! We should be excited about telling them!

        We're looking forward to new heavens and new earth, filled with righteousness 13

        We're not hanging on to the old one that's going to be destroyed!

We should strive for holiness   14

    We should strive to live holy lives which will be spotless, blameless, and at peace with God.

We should understand God's saving purpose   15-16

    We should recognize the purpose behind God's patient waiting to judge the earth:

            God is concerned about man's salvation.

            God's desire should make us patient.

            God's desire should make us concerned about the salvation of other people.

We should avoid the error of the lawless   17

    Peter urges us not to be misled by the false interpretation which lawless people have drawn from God's patience. They have interpreted God's lack of action as a lack of interest. God is not waiting due to lack of interest. God will judge the lawless. Therefore, we ought to remain faithful.

We should grow spiritually   18

    Finally, we should use our time wisely and dedicate ourselves to continued growth as we await His coming. This brings us back to the purpose of the book: