Sunday, February 21, 2016

2Peter 3:5-8 comments: all arguments aside


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.

These verses are often used by adherents of belief in a gap between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 usually called The Gap Theory. Regarding these verses as applying to Noah’s Flood, though, we have a connection to events we can read about in great detail.

Genesis 6:17  And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.

Genesis 7: 17 ¶  And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. 18  And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. 19  And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. 20  Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.21 ¶  And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22  All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23  And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. 24  And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

The heavens, the first two of our atmosphere and outer space whose creation is described in Genesis, suffered great devastation when God’s judgment was poured out at the center of the universe, earth. We can see the results of this judgment on earth as in the fact that sedimentary rock, rock laid down by water action, covers the surface of the earth although it makes up only a small percentage of the crust, covering as a layer the igneous and metamorphic rocks below. It was laid down by this Great Flood. The Bible says in this great event while theoretical scientists who reject God say this happened over billions of years in keeping with the uniformitarian idea mentioned previously that all things remain the same as they were since the beginning.

We also have fossil fuel which is thought to be what is remaining of the great biomass that covered the earth at one time, all life estimated by some at being 500 times what we have today covering the entire earth in a tropics environment as evidenced by discoveries in the colder parts of our current earth. This great biomass was crushed and held under great pressure and we tap the product created by it and run our civilization on it. It is not likely that God will ever let us escape that connection to the world before the Great Flood no matter how hard we try. Again, the atheist theoretical scientist believes this happened over billions of years.

We have evidence in the heavens of great destruction and discussions about how Mars lost its magnetic field and why Venus has the atmosphere it does and why it spin backwards, or why Uranus seems to roll on its side continue among astronomers. We have no evidence from Scripture connecting these things and many others to the cataclysm on earth but it is an interesting thought, nevertheless.

The twin ideas that everything has gone on from the beginning as it is now without miracle or interruption, and that, as a result, these events had to take billions of years, is unproveable and if you believe in the God of the Bible and His power and sovereignty over every event then those twin ideas become nonsense.

What we live in now is awaiting the fire of God’s judgment.

    8 ¶  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.

Compare that to these verses.

Psalm 90:4  For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

Ecclesiastes 6:6  Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?

There were six days of creation. Christ came two thousand years ago, four thousand years after the creation, as many Christians believe. Note this, as Jesus appeared to His disciples in the fourth watch.

Matthew 14:25  And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

The fourth watch was from 3am to 6am so it was near dawn.

And when He returns for us it will be like a thief in the night. (1Thessalonians 5:2 and later in 2Peter 3:10).

Matthew 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40  Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41  Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43  But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

Remember that Satan rules this world as its god at present (see 2Corinthians 4:4), it is his house  and we are told to wait expectantly for Christ’s return (Titus 2:13) to take control (Revelation 11:15). Jesus said when He walked on earth that the night was coming.

John 9:4  I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

The spiritual night we live in was coming beginning when Judas left to betray Christ.

John 13:26  Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. 27  And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly. 28  Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spake this unto him. 29  For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor. 30  He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.

Paul wrote;

Romans 13:12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

1Thessalonians 5:5  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Peter wrote;

2Peter 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.

As Christ’s resurrection was revealed in the morning, we are waiting for Christ’s return for us, for the morning light to peek over the horizon;

Genesis 1:5  And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

Psalm 30:4  Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. 5  For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

Psalm 130:6  My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

2Peter 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

So, while these cross-references do not clearly tell us the date of Christ’s return for His bride, the church, they do give us the impression that with a thousand years being like a day and a watch in the night, with it being spiritual night now without Jesus bodily present, and the morning being the time of His return, we do get the idea that it will be soon.

Since Paul tells us that the translation of the church will take place at the last trumpet, which is the seventh trumpet in Revelation;

1Corinthians 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

We would do well to look over the events leading up the that last trumpet to see what the church will be called to endure. Read Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation. Even if you disagree with me completely about when this will happen or its order and progression or even if there will be a translation, which is popularly called the Rapture, understand that you personally must always be ready to meet your Creator face to face.

John 7:6  Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.

No one has a guarantee of tomorrow on this earth.

Job 7:1  Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?

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