The World is Stable
This last chapter of 2 Peter deals primarily with the return of
Christ. In fact, these words are Peter’s
appeal to the faithful to continue to believe that Christ will return. After all, a few generations have gone by
since Jesus was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven. Disciples are beginning to die. The “faithful generation” is beginning to
experience death. People are asking
Peter, “What happened to this promised return of Jesus? Is He coming back or has He forgotten us?”
Peter gives us a brilliant insight in verse 4. It’s brilliant because it is incredibly
human. The argument proposed by those
who doubt the return of Christ is that “the world hasn’t changed.” Things are as they always have been. Life continues as life has continued for
generations. After all, we as human beings
do have a strong dislike for change.
When left in charge, we will remain the same. Solomon even tells us in Ecclesiastes that
there is nothing new under the sun. If
nothing has ever changed, they argue, then what makes Peter so confident that
things will ever change in the future?
What makes Peter so confident that Christ will ever return?
Peter’s reply is actually very simple given the complexity of the
question that is being posed. Peter’s
reply is that not everything is as it has always been. There was creation, yes. But then as civilization developed there was
the flood. God destroyed civilization
once. So things are not always as they
have been. Furthermore, one could argue
that there have been subtle points of change after that: the Law and the
development of the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus
Himself instituted an incredible amount of change in being here.
In fact, if we look at the genealogy of Jesus we can see something
rather amazing. I don’t like
genealogies, so I only gave this a rough count.
Feel free to check out my accuracy.
But in Luke 3:23-38 we have the genealogy from Jesus to Adam. By my count there were 76 names on the
list. Over 40 of them were from Jesus to
David (42, I believe). Abraham is a
dozen or so more (56, I believe). Nearly
another dozen brings us to Noah (67, if I continued to count correctly). That brings us then to Adam, the 76th
name.
Why is this significant? Remember
first that people lived longer at the time prior to Abraham. But it took a good ten generations for God to
bring about drastic change to the world through the flood. What would that be … 1,000 years – give or
take a bunch? Another dozen generations
brings us to Abraham – add a few more and we get to the time of Moses – where
God brings about another change in the idea of covenant and Law. Again, that’s another thousand or so years –
give or take based on the longevity of people in those days. From Moses to Jesus was somewhere in the
vicinity of twelve hundred years – David to Jesus was almost exactly a thousand
years.
My point is not in the accuracy of the math. My point is that God brings about change in
the world after vast amounts of time have spanned. To think that God is going to usher in a
major change in Jesus and then end the world in a few dozen years just doesn’t
match up with God’s modus operandi. It
simply not how God works. As we see just
by looking at the lineage of Jesus, God moves in the dozens of generations, not
in the dozens of months or years.
To return us back to the argument Peter is refuting, the world
only seems stable when we look at it from the short-sighted perspective of man. When we consider the scope of the world
according to creation, there have been incredible points of change spaced out
across the millennia. This naturally
brings us to Peter’s brilliant point in verses 8-9.
Reason for God’s Delay
Peter doesn’t just remind the detractors about God’s hand at work
through the generations. Peter also
gives a reason for God’s delay. It’s a
very humbling reason – one that has kept me honest more often than not in my
own life. God is patient because He
wants to give everyone a chance to know salvation.
I think back to those rough moments of depression I have
suffered. I think of days {sometimes even weeks or months and in one
case, years} where I’ve gone through life with a single thought: “Lord,
please take me now; I’m done living.” There
are times when I’ve pleaded for the return of Christ so that I could just be
with God and no longer be a part of this world.
How sickeningly self-serving and self-centered such thoughts are! You see, God wants people to be saved. In my impatience I want to be apart from the
world. Where is my focus in those times –
on God’s reality or mine? On God’s agenda
or my own struggle?
You see? God wants people
to be saved, which is why Jesus Christ delays.
Truth be told, I am grateful Jesus’ return has been delayed. Had Christ come when I pleaded with God, I
wouldn’t have had the years of growth I’ve been able to experience. As much as I would love to be with God, I am
grateful for His spirit of maturity and wisdom.
Endings
Peter then ends this second epistle. Peter reminds the people to grow in the time
that God has given to them. Peter
reminds them to be faithful. He ends by
reminding the people that it is to God’s grace and glory that we live. Amen.
May that be true above all else.
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