Peter had been very severe of his condemnation of false teachers in 2 Peter 2. Now he is talking to the believers in the Church. He is writing this to stir up the mind of the believers. Jesus Christ is coming back in person. He is not sending someone else. See 1 John 3:2-3. It will happen. But why has he not returned?

1 – The affirmation of his return (vs. 1-2)

This discussion about the return of Jesus Christ is nothing new.

• It was predicted in the Old Testament. The prophets foresaw the first and second coming of Jesus Christ. It was like they saw two mountain peaks. They did not know the distance between the mountains. See Job 19:25 for example.
• It was pronounced in the New Testament. All the Apostles had mentioned the return of Jesus Christ. It is mentioned 300 times. See 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. Jesus mentioned it Himself. See John 14:28-29. If Jesus says he is coming back then that is all a Christian needs to hear. Jesus keeps his promises. It is something to get excited about!

2 – The repudiation of the return of Jesus Christ (vs. 3-4)

There will be scoffers and we have seen them in this world. There are reasons for their scoffing:-

• An intellectual denial – How can it change in the future when nothing has happened in the past? It is suggesting that God is absent in this Universe. This Universe is a closed system of natural laws and nothing different can take place. God is kicked out of his own Universe. It like saying you has never been burgled before so it is not going to happen in the future. The argument does not work.
• A personal denial – They want to do what they want to do. So they want to get rid of God. If there is a God, then they have to be accountable to Him. They want to walk in their own lusts. How is the scoffer living out their life? They love darkness rather than light. They want to carry on sinning.

3 – The verification of the return of Jesus Christ (vs. 5-8)

• A past verification (vs. 5-6) – At the time of the flood the people hid themselves from the truth. They were wilfully ignorant. You need to take the time to check out the Bible for yourself. They were ignorant of God having created everything. God spoke and the Universe was created. If you try and find the facts then you will come to the conclusion that the design of this universe could not have happened by blind chance. The same God who judged this Earth by water will judge it again by fire.
• A present verification (vs. 7-8) – This whole Universe is on fire. Science has proved that this universe is full of fire with many stars, comets and meteorites. The core of the Earth is also on fire. It is only ten miles below our feet. We have volcanoes erupting on this Earth. Science has discovered that the nucleus of the atom is on fire. So we have nuclear power and the power to destroy our planet. It is Christ who keeps the fire of this universe from destroying us. It seems that it taking a long time for Christ to return. To the Lord it is not long.

4 – The reason why Jesus Christ hasn’t returned (vs. 9)

Jesus is still giving us time to be saved. He is not willing that any should perish. God is long suffering. God has given us plenty of warning. Are you paying attention? His return is just around the corner.

Categories: 2 Peter