2 Peter 3:3-7 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, (4) 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 the creation. (5) For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: (6) Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: (7) But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
Psalms 50:1-6 A Psalm of Asaph. The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. (2) Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. (3) Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. (4) He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. (5) Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. (6) And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.
I do not believe the scoffers are necessarily scoffing at either the second or the first advent, but rather are scoffing at promised Divine Judgment. The contrast is between the old world order being destroyed by the Flood, and the then-current world order being destroyed by fire, as the result of Divine Judgment. "The promise of His coming" has to do with the visitation of God in Judgment destroying the world order, not necessarily either the first or second coming of Christ. Of course, whatever is connected to the visitation of Divine Judgment would be included in "His Coming", but again I do not think the apostle is SPECIFICALLY referring to people SPECIFICALLY scoffing at any particular coming of the Messiah, per se. Rather, they are going to be scoffing at the nearness of Divine Judgment.
The reason they scoff is because "all things continue" as they have been "since the fathers fell asleep." The fathers is a Hebraism for the Patriarchs: Noah, Shem, Eber, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, etc., and the early generations of Israelites. In other words, everything has remained since the Flood and there has been no world destroying cataclysmic Judgment. The scoffers are willingly ignorant of the fact that the word of judgment which brought the Flood will also bring a fire.
Not that there is a text in Genesis speaking of a fiery judgment, but rather that as demonstrated in the Flood it is the intention of God to judge sin and sinful man, so as to cleanse the earth from wickedness. No more to be by a flood implies either that God would never again judge the earth at all, OR that He would judge the earth by a different means.
The heavens and earth were not literally obliterated by the Flood, nor shall they be literally obliterated by fire. I could be wrong, we might all be wrong, but simply going by the Bible's own statements about these subjects, I have to conclude that the destruction is not of material reality itself, but of ungodly men (
2 Peter 3:7, quoted above).
The idea is that the heavens and earth which are now are "kept in store, reserved" to that Judgment. This is the same type of language used by the apostle in reference to the ungodly:
2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
The idea is that the wicked appear to be just continuing on with no end in sight, but the saints are encouraged and reminded that the judgment of the wicked is inevitable, howsoever long it may seem to be delayed:
Psalms 37:7-11 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. (8) Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. (9) For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth. (10) For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. (11) But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Psalms 37:34-36 Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it. (35) I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green bay tree. (36) Yet he passed away, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found.
Peter is expressing the same concept, that though God's Judgment seems to tarry, that is, seems to be delayed, yet eventually it will come to pass, Judgment will certainly come, and the wicked shall be destroyed.
The "thousand years are as a day" passage is pointing out that we and God often view time differently. What seems like an awful long time for us is nothing to God. Thus, man's 70 years (80 if he is strong), which is a good long life for the average human, is really just a passing vapour barely worth mentioning in the grand scheme of things:
2 Peter 3:8-9 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (9) The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
What men count as delay, or slackness, is in reality longsuffering or patience on God's part. The purpose of God's longsuffering (patience) is that He is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Some have applied this to all mankind, but I think the context is clearly in favour of being applied to the saints, for he says "God... is longsuffering
to us-ward." "Us" being the elect. God is saving His people, and that requires patience on His part, which foolish men interpret as slackness or apathy or unwarranted delay by God.
2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
This is clearly the same event as described earlier in which the world-order will be destroyed by fire. Thus, the event of verse 4, and of verse 7, are the same as here in verse 10. The phrase "day of the Lord" however throws people off, because they think there is only one event in all history which is "the day of the Lord". The truth is, the Bible speaks of numerous different judgments, as "the day of the Lord". The day of the Lord is the time of visitation in judgment, whereby God is glorified. My thread "The Son of Man" in both the Fellowship Hall and in the Apostolic Articles section details the Bible uses of the phrase "day of the Lord" as a common, Scriptural term for Divine Judgments of various types, in various places, and at various times. In other words', there is no single one "day of the Lord", any time the Lord executes His role as Judge is "the day of the Lord", according to the Biblical usage of the phrase.
In any event, this "day of the Lord" is the day in which the world-order will be destroyed by fire as opposed to water, and will occur simultaneously with the "judgment and perdition of ungodly men".
2 Peter 3:11-12 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, (12) Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
I want to focus on that phrase, "hasting unto the coming of the day of God". Here it is in Greek:
σπεύδοντας τὴν παρουσίαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμέρας
Here is Green's Literal translation:
2Pe 3:12 looking for
and hastening the coming of the Day of God, through which the heavens having been set afire will be dissolved; and burning, the elements will melt?
The Apostolic Bible Polyglot (English) reads thus:
2Pe 3:12 expecting
and hastening the arrival of the day of God, by which the heavens being set on fire shall be loosed, and the elements being destroyed by fire shall melt away?
The text literally says the saints, knowing what's coming, ought to be looking for (anticipating) AND HASTENING THE ARRIVAL OF THE DAY. That is, the saints are literally involved in some manner with bringing the arrival of the Day of God, we are supposed to be doing something(s) that actually hastens or brings closer this Day of Divine Judgment in which evil is destroyed and in which righteousness is the norm, not the exception.
In other words, the TIME of this Day of Judgment is conditional in some sense upon the activity of the saints.
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