2 Peter 3:8 and the Imminent Coming of Christ Part 1

Hello ladies and gentlemen, this is William Bell. I want to thank you for taking the time to tune in with us today. We have an exciting lesson for you where we're going to talk about a day is as a thousand years. A day is as a thousand years. Now there is a common objection to the first century return of Christ which occurred in 70 AD in connection with the destruction of Jerusalem. It was not the destruction of Jerusalem, it occurred in connection with that event. The 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem manifested the coming of Christ. But when we share that information with people, they always say that a day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day. At least that's one of the many objections that come up, but that's a very popular one that comes up a lot of times because when we share with people that the coming of the Lord was near, that it was soon, and we'll give you some support for that scripturally in just a few minutes, they try to extend the words of Christ into a long, protracted, drawn-out time even into our very day. And we suggest to you that that is not what the Bible teaches. The text from 2 Peter chapter 3 and verse 8, where this objection is taken and where the language is taken from, is quoted with confidence by those who feel that they have the complete refutation of the preterist position, which is what this position is all about. It's called covenant eschatology, it's called realized eschatology, but it is fulfilled Bible prophecy. And it basically states that all Bible prophecy has been fulfilled. Now if that kind of shocks you a little bit and takes you aback, we just encourage you to sit and study with us, and you will see as we continue to present these messages, how they are in harmony with the Bible. And we also invite your questions, your comments, and even your criticism, as long as you do it in the right spirit, a Christ-like spirit. We don't mind criticism. Now the scripture says, or at least as we continue to go, and we're going to get into the scriptures, oftentimes when we are making these objections, they're just kind of emotionally based, and we've heard other people say them, we've heard other people talk about them, and when we hear them repeated over and over again, they become like, you know, memes, and so we assume that they are true. However, there's the old saying that says, that which proves too much, proves nothing. And there are several problems, however, contextually, textually, and historically, with this view that saying a day is what the Lord is a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day, as it relates to the context of second Peter, and also the context from which Peter draws that language. He didn't just pull it out of a hat, he was actually citing Old Testament prophecy, or Old Testament teaching, history, etc. And so the first point that we'd like to make with you, is that this statement is used to contradict what Peter actually did teach. Secondly, it's used to contradict Moses, and I'll tell you why we refer to Moses. And then thirdly, it is used to actually concur or agree with the scholars. In other words, by using this objection, they're actually saying that the scholars were teaching the truth on this matter. And so we're going to demonstrate very clearly that the scoffers were teaching just the very opposite of Peter, and that it's the scoffers who are using the argument in the same way that many people use it when they object to the soon return of Christ. And those who use it today to say that it could not have occurred in the first century, are actually using the argument of the scoffers, or they're using an argument that the scoffers would have made. But it is not what Peter stated. Now, let's look at the fact that a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as a day as far as an argument against the soon or the imminent return of Christ in the first century, used by what we call the futurist position. And that would be people who are in the pre-millennial group, whether classic or dispensational category, those who are in the historic view of the end time, those who take an amillennial view, or who take a post-millennial view with a view toward a future return of Christ. So those who are yet looking for the return of Christ would be those that we are categorizing in the futurist concept. Now, that doesn't mean that all of them necessarily would use this argument, but it is used by many. And perhaps you've heard a few people use it yourself. Now, there's not one single place in all the New Testament that speaks of a long delayed parousia. And the word parousia simply means the presence of Christ. It's the term that is generally translated the coming of the Lord in many passages. It's used that way in Matthew 24, 1 Corinthians 15, and just a ton of other passages, James 5 as well. But not one single passage in all the New Testament speaks of a long delayed presence or coming of the Lord, which occurs after multiple centuries. In other words, you cannot insert multiple centuries between the coming of the Lord as is taught in the scriptures. In fact, there's not a single passage in the New Testament, and we do challenge and encourage you to look for it, which places Christ's return over a single century. In other words, it does not even expand for a single century, not to mention hundreds of centuries. And so, when we consider that, we're going to supply and submit the evidence from the scriptures. Now, Peter, therefore, is not using the language of 2 Peter 3, to speak of a long protracted return. Rather, he used it to speak of the imminent return, which means near, soon to occur, that he referred to in his first epistle. So let's take a look at some passages in the first epistle, just so we can see the context that Peter is working with when he gets to the second epistle. In 1 Peter 1, beginning at verse 5, actually, he said, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Now, the last time is just another way of saying the last days. So Peter was saying that this salvation was ready to be revealed in the last days. Now, many people are under the persuasion that the last days are either yet to come, or that we are living in the last days now, and that for the entire duration of the time since the death of Jesus Christ and the day of Pentecost, the last days have been in progress. Well, that is not the case, because the Bible tells us very clearly that Jesus spoke in the last days, according to Hebrews chapter 1, verses 1 and 2. This was during the time of His ministry, which obviously was before His death, and since it was before His death, it could not have been during the time that the Christian church had been established. And so, from that perspective, we have to conclude that the last days were already in progress before Jesus died, and since He lived in the age of Moses, the last days could only apply to that age. In Galatians chapter 4 and the verses 4, the Bible says, "...but when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law." So Jesus lived and died under the law, under the age of Moses. And when we read about the last days in the Scriptures, we're not talking about the beginning of the age of Moses, when Moses gave Israel the law in Sinai. We're not talking about the middle of the Mosaic age, when Isaiah prophesied, and when others like Jeremiah prophesied. But we're talking about that time called the end of the age, or the last days of that age, and that is the period that was in progress when Jesus was on earth in the first century, and it continued until the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. So, until that time, that's the reference for the last days. And so, when Peter said that they were kept by the power of God through faith for salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time, he was speaking of that salvation that was about to be revealed within that first century generation, in the very time that he and his audience was living in the first century. And that's a very important point for us to understand. Now, we could say more on the last days, but we have another goal in mind today, and so our aim is not to teach on the last days per se. We will cover that in some other lessons. But let's take these statements again in 1st Peter chapter 1 and the verse is 6. Notice that he says they were undergoing trials and afflictions, persecutions for a little while. Verse 6, in this you greatly rejoice though now, and these trials, these tribulations were going on at that time, because he says though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, may be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation or the apocalypsis of Jesus Christ. Now, the word revelation is the same word that's used in the book of Revelation. It's the word apocalypsis, it's the word for unveiling. Now, where did Peter get the concept of a little while? It's found in John chapter 16, it's actually in more than one chapter, but it's in John chapter 16, when Jesus spoke of going away from his disciples to prepare a place for them, starting in John 14, when he said I go to prepare a place for you and if I go I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also. And he said the time or the interim between his going away and his return was a little while, not a long protracted time, but a little while. Now, when we start using these terms, and these are Bible terms, these are not my terms, they're not borrowed from someone, they're coming straight out of the Bible, this is when people say well a little while doesn't mean little while, it means a thousand years is as a day and a day is a thousand years. In other words, they're trying to make it a long time when Jesus in fact said it was a little while. So in verse 16 of John 16, a little while and you will not see me and again a little while and you will see me because I go to the Father. Then some of his disciples who didn't understand that little while raised the question and said among themselves, what is this that he said to us or says to us a little while and you will not see me and again a little while and you will see me and because I go to the Father. Therefore, or they said therefore, what is this that he says a little while. So they were concerned about it, they questioned him about it. We do not know what he is saying. Now Jesus knew that they desired to ask him and he said to them, are you inquiring among yourselves about what I said a little while and you will not see me and again a little while and you will see me most assuredly. I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. That's precisely what Peter was talking about when he says, though now for a little while you are in affliction, but you will receive joy at the appearing of Jesus Christ. And so he talked about the period of trial. He talked about the labor payings, which were to attend the messianic age. And this had been prophesied many times and in many places in the old Testament. It's also in Matthew 24 verse nine and following that talks about the woman in labor. So this was that little while that he was speaking of in first Peter four, we're in first Peter one. So we're demonstrating this to you, because this is the source from which Peter is drawing his language in second Peter three, along with the old Testament. And we'll get to that at the appropriate time. Now in first Peter chapter four and verse five, we have another statement from Peter that tells us that the events which he talked about concerning the end would happen very soon. That is in his day and time. So in chapter four and verse seven, he says, they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. Notice they will give account to him who is ready. That's the word in the original language had toy moss. And it's the same word that was used in John chapter 14. Now this should tell us why Peter is speaking of the fact that this, that God was ready to do this because Peter was drawing on that little while that Jesus talked about, as we showed you in chapter one, comparing it with chapter 16. And so the time had drawn near and Peter is saying that he's ready to do this. That same word is used in John chapter 14 as well. And so he was ready to judge the living and the dead. Well, that means that his coming was near. But in addition to that, the Bible says in verse seven, but the end of all things has drawn near. So now he's telling them that the end, the tell us the eschatological things, the end time events have drawn near. They had drawn near in Peter's lifetime in the time of the first century because of the words of Christ. And then another text. And he tells them therefore to be serious and watchful in their prayers. And that was a message for the first century generation. Then in verse 17, he says, for the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God. And if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now, here is Peter telling us very clearly that the time for the judgment had come in his lifetime. So God was ready to judge the living and the dead. The end of all things had drawn near and the time had come for the judgment to begin. Then in chapter five, once again, Peter says the following, the elders, this is verse one who are among you. I exhort. I, who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory that is about to be revealed. Peter uses the word here, which is mellow in the Greek and when used with the present infinitive, it means to be on the verge of doing something. And so while it is not the precise meaning of at hand, meaning something near or imminent, it carries that same idea when referring to time and use with the present infinitive, it is speaking of something that was in fact near and that was soon to occur. And so he said he was a partaker of the glory that was about to be revealed. Now that's the message that Peter had in the first epistle. So when you approach the second epistle, when Peter refers back to that epistle, we have to keep those imminent statements in mind. In second Peter three and verse one, Peter says, beloved, I now write to you this second epistle in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and of the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior. Now notice he brings in the scoffers. The scoffers, he said, knowing this first that the scoffers, the people who were opposing his teaching will come in the last days walking according to their own lusts. Now these scoffers were already present. You can read Jude chapter one verses 17 and 18 and see that even though the scoffers had been prophesied, Jude writes that the scoffers had already come and he tells them, he says, but you beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ, how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own lusts. And Peter told them earlier that these were people who were already among them as spots in their love feast. So these markers had already come in the first century and they were mocking against the teaching of Peter and the apostles. So the scoffers were in opposition to Peter. They were not on the same team and that's important. So Peter gave some information to counter what the scoffers were saying. Now, if you look at what he said in the first epistle, he was teaching them that the coming of the Lord was near, that it was soon to occur, that it was at hand and the scoffers therefore had to be saying just the opposite saying that it was not near, that it was not at hand, that it was not soon to occur, that it was not going to happen in a little while. Then in verse eight, which is the text that we're going to consider, Peter said, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, because that's what the scoffers were saying, that the Lord is slack. As some count slackness, but is long-suffering to us. We're not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. So Peter has used this as a counter to the scoffers, and yet most people who use 2 Peter 3.8 use it to harmonize and to agree with the scoffers teaching of delay. Well, that is not the way Peter used the statement, and it should not be the way that we use it in trying to defend our view of the return of Christ. All right. Now there are actually more references where the term last days is used, coupled with the work of the Holy Spirit and the generation in which Peter lived, 1 Peter 1.10-12. And since Peter has referred his readers to his first epistles, the words of the Lord and the apostles, reminding them of what he already taught on the matter, that Jesus coming was soon, the statement that a thousand years is a long protracted time cannot be true. Peter was using the statement to reinforce the soon, imminent, very near, coming in a little while return of Christ that he had already talked about. He wasn't going to contradict himself from one epistle to the next. And that harmonizes completely with the words of the apostles. For example, Matthew 10 and verse 23, Jesus taught that the apostles would still be alive. Some of them, when he returned in Matthew 16, 27 and 28, he said some who stood in his presence would not die until they saw him coming in his kingdom. Well, they can't be yet alive on earth today, but they were alive when Jesus made the statement in Matthew 24 and verse 34. He says, assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. In Luke 21 verses 20 through 22, he said that when Jerusalem was being destroyed by the Romans, that would be the days of vengeance, that all things which were written would be fulfilled. And again, in Acts 24, 14 and 15, he cites the fulfillment of the prophets in Romans 13, 11 and 12. He said that the day of salvation was near that they were actually in the last hour. He says, little children, it is the last hour. And it was the hour to awake out of sleep for their salvation was nearer than when they first believed. And first Corinthians 7 in verse 31, the form of that world, that's the age of Moses was passing away. First Corinthians 15, 51 and 52. He said, just like in first Corinthians, excuse me, in Matthew 24, 34, he said, some of those who were living in the time of Paul would not sleep until they saw those things take place. Philippians 4, 5, the Lord is at hand. James 5, 7 and 8, the Lord is standing at the door. First John 2, 18 and 19, little children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that the antichrists were coming, even now, are there many antichrists whereby we know that it is the last hour that was written in the first century. It wasn't written in the 21st century. John was pointing out that the antichrist had already come and because he'd already come, that's how they knew that they were living in the last hour. And this very same thing in the book of Revelation chapter 1 verses 1 and 3, where John says, those things were shortly to come to pass and that the time had drawn near. They were not to seal the book because those things would shortly be done and that Jesus was coming quickly. That's a survey of many of the new Testament passages. And there are at least that many more, dozens more of passages that speak of Jesus's soon return. Now, this is why you always hear people singing and teaching Jesus is coming soon because the passages actually state that. But what they fail to acknowledge is that those passages were written to people in the first century and were therefore speaking to them saying that His coming was soon in their generation and in their lifetime. Now let's look at how the statement that a day is with the Lord as a thousand years contradicts the teaching of Moses. We're not going to have time to complete this, and so we're going to pick it up in another lesson, but we're going to at least introduce this concept to you from Psalm 90. And we encourage you to make a note of this because this is where Peter draws his teaching when he says a day is with the Lord as a thousand years. And from this context, we will be able to see that everything associated with the thousand years of which Peter speaks is a short period of time. You can even go back in some Jewish history and look at their understanding, even of the millennium, that they understood it to be a short period of time. Now I know there are myriads of people who believe that it's a literal thousand years and that it's going to be a long time, but that cannot be the case based on the passages that we have before us. So let's go to Psalm 90 and let's begin investigating that just before we are done for today, and we only have just a few minutes. But in the text, so we'll just introduce it for you. In Psalm 90, this is a text written by Moses, and that's very, very important. If we understand, or at least it's attributed to Moses by scholars, by commentators, and also through references in your Bible where you have those references, that it was a Psalm that's attributed to Moses. And because of that, the historical setting of this Psalm is very, very important because it describes the very conditions that Moses and the children of Israel were encountering in their wilderness journey. But it also describes what was taking place in the time of Peter. The scripture says, Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. Now the texts that we're going to focus on are found beginning in verse three. And I just want to set this up, and this is where we're going to stop for today. Notice the first verse of this next section. He says, you turn man to destruction and say, return, O children of men, for a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past and like a watch in the night. Focus on that statement for now. You turn man to destruction and say, return, O children of men, for a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past and like a watch in the night. This is the source of Peter's teaching in 2 Peter 3. But not just this text, it's the entire remainder of Psalm 90. In our next broadcast, we're going to pick up at this section and we're going to show the harmony of Psalm 90 and its context and why Peter draws from that context, because it has a direct relationship to the passage in 2 Peter 3 and verse 8. We encourage you to visit us on our YouTube channel at All Things Fulfilled. Also visit our website at All Things Fulfilled and subscribe so that you won't miss any of our lessons or our messages. I'm William Bell with All Things Fulfilled saying, have a very pleasant afternoon.