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. 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.
Why we are given so much time? Compare world history to
Israel’s history. Israel was warned for hundreds of years of what would happen
if they did not turn from their sins against God. Prophets lamented that God’s mercy was too
gracious to those who talked a good game but did not have God’s Spirit in them.
Jeremiah 12:1 Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with
thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the
wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously? 2
Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they
bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.
But Peter agreed with Paul who said;
Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness
and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth
thee to repentance?
God’s goodness in this verse in Romans is synonymous with
His willingness to put off judgment and His patience. This goodness gives men
and women ample time to repent from their dead works and turn toward God as the
first doctrines of Christ in Hebrews 6 require.
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the
doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Compare verse 9 to this verse, also, to see what God’s
wishes are even though He will allow men to choose otherwise.
1Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight
of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all
men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Verse 10 is a general statement about the manner of Christ’s
returning and the end results in the creation of a new heaven and earth. There
are two types of Christ’s return. One is to call out the church before He
physically lands on earth to seize the kingdoms of the world.
1Thessalonians
4:17 Then we which are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the
air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
The second is fundamentally different in that Christ does
physically touch on earth. From the Old Testament we have this passage;
Zechariah 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight
against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the
mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives
shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and
there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove
toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the
mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall
flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of
Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that
the light shall not be clear, nor dark: 7
But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor
night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8 ¶
And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from
Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the
hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. 9 And the LORD shall be king over all the
earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. 10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from
Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in
her place, from Benjamin’s gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the
corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king’s winepresses. 11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be
no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. 12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the
LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh
shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall
consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their
mouth. 13 And it shall come to pass in
that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall
lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up
against the hand of his neighbour.
And in the New;
Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were
great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
In that time of the seventh angel sounding the last trumpet
three events take place. One is the Translation or Rapture of the church.
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.
1Thessalonians 4:13
¶ But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even
as others which have no hope. 14 For if
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For
this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and
remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
16 For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord. 18
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Then, there is the marriage supper of the Lamb between
Christ and the church, His bride.
Revelation 19:5 ¶ And a voice came out of the throne, saying,
Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and
great. 6 And I heard as it were the
voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice
of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give
honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made
herself ready. 8 And to her was granted
that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen
is the righteousness of saints. 9 And he
saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage
supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Then, Christ and the church return to take the kingdoms of
the world.
Revelation 19:11
¶ And I saw heaven opened, and behold a
white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in
righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and
he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in
blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed
him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that
with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:
and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his
thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and
he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of
heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings,
and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of
horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and
bond, both small and great. 19 And I saw
the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to
make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. 20 And the beast was taken, and with him the
false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them
that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of
him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all
the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Remember how the bride in the Song of Solomon is referred
to?
Song of Solomon 6:4 Thou art beautiful, O my love, as Tirzah,
comely as Jerusalem, terrible as an army with banners…10 Who is she that looketh forth as the morning,
fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners?
Paul also referred to the Lord’s coming as a thief in the night.
1Thessalonians
5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that
the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
As Jesus had warned in His parable about how Satan will be
surprised so you know He’s not going to tell you what the date and the hour is
going to be.
Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of
God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29 Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s
house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he
will spoil his house.
Matthew 24:43 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.
This clearly refers to the Translation of the church for the
return to take control is not of the same nature as the thief in the night. It is not quietly done.
Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of
man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall
see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and
upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications:
and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for
him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as
one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye
shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth
shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Luke 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of
the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall
also the Son of man be in his day.
Peter, unlike Paul and John, does not discuss the
distinction between events at the end or the millennial reign of Christ on
earth but goes right into the creation of a new heaven and earth by the
dissolution of the old one in which we live.
Isaiah 65:17 ¶ For, behold, I create new heavens and a new
earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
Isaiah 66:22 For as the new heavens and the new earth,
which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed
and your name remain.
Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for
the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more
sea.
Peter will define the nature of this new heaven and new
earth in the next passage in verse 13.
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