“This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Chapter 3 opens with Peter reminding us that this is his second letter, which merits revisiting the elements covered in first. To some extent, I feel like the sentiment of 1 Peter is nicely wrapped up in Philippians 4: 11-13, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

While often left off of coffee cups, tee shirts and tattoos, verses 11 and 12 are crucial for context. We are mighty, transcendent conquerors through the Holy Spirit, but the world is fallen and corrupted in the flesh. It is our strength in the Spirit, in Him who strengthens us, not strength within ourselves that enables us to adapt to any and all things. Peter’s first letter draws our attention to the constant, living hope we’re given through Jesus. He reminds us of our calling to be holy and how to conduct ourselves in the world, how to hold our heads high in times of triumph and of failure, how to have balance in a marriage, how to suffer properly and how to lead within the church. To sum it up as best I can, this book is devoted toward seeing everything through a developing spiritual lens as opposed to a physical one and being transformed in your heart and mind as a result of God’s abundant truth, thereby granting, as it was said multiple times during that sermon series, a “high view” of suffering, and also life and existence as a whole. This is certainly not the only book where we’re called in this direction, I would say it’s an overarching theme throughout the Bible and especially the New Testament, but Peter, guided by the Spirit does an excellent job with it here. 

2 Peter in many respects holds the same line. Chapter one tells us to confirm our calling, to sharpen and supplement our faith, increasing our effectiveness. It calls focus to the truth of the prophetic word before devoting the second chapter to spotting and understanding the depravity and wickedness of false teachers. Now going into chapter three Peter acknowledges a very broad aim of both letters, “This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder…” I stopped here to ask, what exactly is the “sincere mind” and given the grand theme of each letter, it seemed to be the awareness in the Spirit.

Romans 8:22-27, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we await for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

It’s not a secret that there’s a disconnect between our spirit and our flesh. That the desires of the flesh are counter to those of the Spirit is clearly evident through human nature and is made abundantly clear throughout scripture, to the point that to pick a supporting verse is almost overwhelming. But, to work from the same section of text I was in previously,

Romans 8:5-10, “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

So, while dealing with different themes and issues, different lessons, and cautions, both 1 and 2 Peter are striving to have us surrender spiritually, casting aside the sinful desires of the flesh to take on the calling of Christ, which in the case of chapter three grants a spiritual understanding of the coming of Christ.

**As an aside, in my late teens I remembered hearing about Vipassana meditation being practiced by the lead singer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and it sounded intriguing. I started researching it and found quickly that it’s a meditation traditionally practiced in Buddhism and translates to something approximating, “to see things as they really are.” The more I read about it, the more my hackles seemed to prick up and the greater my sense of unease became. Here’s an excerpt from the main Vipassana website, “The scientific laws that operate one’s thoughts, feelings, judgements and sensations become clear. Through direct experience, the nature of how one grows or regresses, how one produces suffering or frees oneself from suffering is understood. Life becomes characterized by increased awareness, non-delusion, self-control and peace.” It dawned on me that what was advertised as “seeing things as they really are” was actually a framework for seeing things without God. Its entire directive was toward attaining self-sufficient peace within the flesh, which is impossible and in contrast to our very design. The “non-delusion” they speak of is actually delusion on their part, in thinking they’ve gained wisdom internally. I bring this up because it occurred to me that what Peter is calling us to do, what these books are aimed at is actually seeing things as they really are, not through some tainted, internal, false enlightenment, but through surrender to the Spirit of the Living God.**

“…that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles…”

Bearing in mind that Peter has acknowledged that the Lord has made it clear to him that he will die soon and that he’s working to set the course for the church after the apostolic era, he draws us again to the significance of the prophets and also the direction of the apostles in what will become the complete cannon of the New Testament.

“…knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”

Concerning the scoffers,

Judges 16:23, 25, 27-30, “Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, ‘Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.”… “And when their hearts were merry, they said, ‘Call Samson, that he may entertain us.’ So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars.”… “Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained. Then Samson called to the LORD and said, ‘O Lord GOD, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.’ And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, ‘Let me die with the Philistines.’ Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life.”

2 Kings 2:23-24, “He (Elisha) went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, ‘Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!’ And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.”

Matthew 5:11-12, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Daniel 12:10, “Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand.”

Romans 1: 24-25, “Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

It’s important to understand that the scoffers, like the false teachers, operate in a state of ignorance and arrogance. It’s also important to understand that those who have ridiculed and mocked God and his servants have historically not fared well – those who mocked the judges and the prophets who met their end with a taunt on their lips are much the same as those who mistake God’s patience for weakness, it is done at their own peril. From Satan’s first lie in the garden, there havealways been those who question the certainly or seriousness of God’s word. They are the same as those referenced in Romans 1, given over to impurity and worshiping idols. They willfully turn a blind eye to what God has promised and the destruction and judgement that is coming with absolute certainty. But God, knowing the nature of the world, has arranged a reward for His children and our scorn on His account may be counted as a blessing.

Genesis 1:1-3, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.”

Genesis 6:13-14, 17-18, “And God said to Noah, ‘I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.”… “For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.”

Job 38: 22-23, “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?”

Revelation 8:7, “The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. And a third of the earth was burned up, and a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.”

Revelation 11:19, “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.”

Revelation 16:21, “And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.”

There are no mysteries before God, no surprises, or unplanned events. He is mysterious and beyond our comprehension, yet there are times He makes His plans plainly known to us. We see that first water was created, which He used to wipe the earth the first time, save for Noah and his family. Next, He creates light, the sun, the biggest most inconceivably massive fire in existence (from human perspective) which is the element he will use to wipe the earth the second time, save those redeemed in Christ. We also have some human insight into the structure of the earth, in that it is in many respects one big ball of lava, dotted with volcanos of varying sizes. The framework for the beginning and the end have been present from the beginning and the end by the Beginning and the End. In Job 38 (a book which to my understanding chronologically occurs in post flood Genesis), God references the hail “reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war” which I take to mean the hail, which is referenced so many times along with fire as a means of destruction in Revelation. None of this is by accident, His plan has been perfect and complete since before we were created.

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”

Romans 2: 3-4, “Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”

We are made in God’s image. God took on flesh and in Christ saved us from sin, but also gave us a point of relatability to the divine. Jesus, being fully God and fully man gives us an entirely different perspective on God’s love and compassion for us. But we must never forget that God is not limited in any way, that He is perfect and cannot be constrained in any form we could ever dream or that might be beyond our comprehension. He is not bound by time. The principle that (along with space) makes up how we comprehend our entire reality is rendered nothing before Him. Once again, the ignorance of the scoffers is apparent, allowing them to grow complacent in God’s patience.

The more I’ve read my Bible and really studied the faith, the more theologians I’ve run across and studied, which after watching some videos put out by John Piper and John MacArthur led me to researching Calvinism. While the ideas are intriguing, and I certainly have respect for the ministries of both Piper and MacArthur, I’ve found that I can’t quite align with Calvinist logic. “Limited atonement” was the first part I couldn’t swallow – even if it’s just poor branding, using the word “limited” in regard to anything to do with God didn’t sit right with me. I also haven’t been able to reconcile myself with their principles on predestination. While I fully acknowledge God’s sovereignty and believe that He knows all things, which of course means that He knows who will ultimately go to heaven and who will go to hell, the idea that He has specifically created some people with the purpose of going to hell doesn’t make sense to me, it doesn’t align with the elements of God’s nature I can, through the Spirit begin to wrap my mind around. Some could claim I’m splitting hairs, but this ties into motive, aim and intent and I’d say the differences matter quite a lot. But what I think and say is insubstantial vapor, what matters is what’s Biblically supported. While I know there are sections of text used to support Calvinist doctrine, verses like John 3:16 using the phrasing, “For God so loved the world…” pointing to the all-encompassing nature of God’s love and sacrifice for us, Romans 1:20, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world…” showing that while some may be blinded in their sin, God has made himself visible to all, and verse 9 in today’s text, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” speak to a love and patience that seems open to all. God’s love is too full, His plans too perfect and complete for me to doubt their ability to include any one person. The end is coming, with absolute certainty. God is patient, but there will come a time when that is set aside, and his hand will be raised in judgement. I would urge everyone, not out of fear and manipulation, but from a sincere desire for all to know the love of the Father, to seek His truth and humble themselves before the King. 

Matthew 25: 1-13, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

Luke 21: 25-34, “’And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’ And he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’”

Something occurred to me while praying and meditating on the themes and ideas in this week’s text and also in discussing the current war in Israel with some friends. My entire life I’ve heard it said that “we’re in the end times.” While I know what people mean when they say this, the truth is, at least in some respect we’ve been in the end times since Christ’s ascension, certainly since the end of the apostolic era. This doesn’t mean that we should grow complacent in the passing of time, there is a call to be ready, like the wise virgins who had their oil with them from the start and also to pay attention to the signs, to “straighten up and raise your heads” as the time draws near. But I would offer a caution to not miss the forest for the trees in this regard, to not focus so much on the prophetic fulfillment that herald the coming of Christ that we forget our calling. There’s not a second to be taken for granted, nor is there a since of urgency that should pull from the focus of our mission as believers: To glorify God and share the light and love that is in us through Christ, taking the opportunity afforded by God’s patience to spread the gospel “that all should reach repentance.

Pastor Chris’s sermon on the text: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQBJyaMKFoU