2 Peter 3:10-13 Quickening His Coming

 

2 Peter Ch.3 divides neatly into 2 sections / V.1-9 The Lord and His DELAY / V.10-18 The Lord & His DAY!!

A)Last time we looked at this first section / The Lord & His DELAY divides into 2 sections

 

B) V. 1-7 The RIDICULE of the SCOFFERS / V. 8,9 The RESTRAINT of the LORD !!    

 

C) The Scoffers mock where is the …..coming / Deny -  History – Flood –

1)   But the Lord waits – because He is waiting for more to be saved

 

Today we want to consider the 2nd Part of the Chapter – the Lord And His Day -  Read v.10-13

 

Now it is important to realize that the The Day of the Lord spoken of here is different from the Day of Man /…Christ / ….. Of God

A)When the Bible talks about a day in this way – it is not just talking about a specific day but a PERIOD OF TIME –

 

B) There are 4 days that are talked about in Scripture – We are currently living in the Day of Man / time frame Began Gen.9:2 -Noah

 

C) A time where man has basically been put in Control of this earth

1)   Now God is Ultimately in Control – but He has Sovereignly given man the freedom to make Decisions / & we have messed things up royally

 

D)We have made a mess of this whole world System !!!

1)   That is the result of the day of Man – Big Mess

 

E) Time Characterized by Judges 17 6In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

1)   That has been the Problem w/ man thru out the ages / Instead of seeking the Lord he does what he thinks is best / this mess is the result

But there is coming the day of Christ – which speaks of that day when Jesus is going to come to the clouds – trumpet – caught up / Rapture

A)That is the day of Christ – Phil 1:6 / 1 Cor. 1:8 talk about the D.O.C.

 

B) A day when we are going to see the Lord – taken to heaven for a period of seven yrs /  Wedding feast

  1) So the day of Christ – encompasses the Rapture & the 7 yr wedding feast

 

The day of Christ – also ushers in what is Known as the Day of the Lord which is spoken of throughout the scriptures / noted here in v.10

A)The Day of the Lord takes place here on the earth & Begins immediately after Rapture /

 

B) The Day of the Lord ushers in  the 7 yrs of Tribulation here on the earth – described in Rev. 6-19 – Wrath of God Christ rejecting world

1)    A time period of 7 yrs of intense and cataclysmic things taken place on the earth – Bible says unless those days shortened no flesh survive

 

C) So the day of the Lord is a time period that starts immediately after the Rapture & includes the 7 yr. Trib. but also includes the 2nd coming of Christ

1)   When He comes not to the clouds but in the clouds w/ the Church – sets His Kingdom on earth – righteousness rules – all things right

 

D) Lion ….lamb / Child plays w/ serpent / Peace –no war

1)    And That 1,000 yr reign of Christ is known as the Millennium – that also is part the time period Known as  the Day of the Lord

 

E) So the day of the Lord starts DARK – trib. Buts gets brighter & brighter as we go along/ 2nd coming / Millennium

 

 

So The day of man is what we are currently in – a time frame where God is basically letting man run the show – / time of Choices

A)A choice for man  to go his own way/  or God’s way – follow the leading of Satan – live for self / Scriptures – live for the Lord

B) The majority of men continues to do what is right in their  own eyes

Prov.21:2 says it well -  Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.

 

C) We are waiting for the day of Christ-  the rapture / which will usher in the Day of the Lord / Which Begins dark – w/ the Trib

1)   Gets Brighter w/ the 2nd coming / brighter still in the Millennium – 1,000 yrs of perfect peace

 

D) After which there is a Short period – Satan is released – Deceive some     /    Great white throne Judgment

 

E)Which will be followed up by the Day of God –  this present earth is going to be dissolved

     1) New heaven & a New Earth – Live forever w/ the Lord

 

So Peter is talking about that Period Known as the day of the Lord – it is coming – happens right after the rapture of the Church

A)Notice Peter says that the day of the Lord comes as a thief – which simply means that it comes at an unexpected time

 

B) The rapture and the time of Tribulation that follows are going to catch the world off Guard - / won’t know what hit them

1)   Paul makes all of this very clear in 1 Thes. 4,5 – turn/ Read ch. 4:16-18

 

The word caught up is translated snatched away – which is what a thief does – he snatches away your valuables

A)Rapture: Jesus comes at an unexpected time & snatches us out

 

B) Note v. 18 we are told to Comfort one another w/ these words

1)   This is meant to be of Great encouragement to those like us – living in this dark & wicked Society /

 

C) Great Comfort to our Bros & sisters in other countries – suffering persecution – Take comfort – Christ is coming to snatch us up

So the idea of the thief carries w/ it the action  of Christ at the rapture but also the timing of it / No man knows when – Unexpected time

A)Chapt 5 1But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

 

B) Paul says two things here that are enlightening –1st He is  writing to the Church & says You Know that the Lord is coming as a thief

1)And You are aware of the times and the seasons – Days of Noah / Matt.24

 

C) So this doesn’t take us off guard because we are watching waiting paying attention to what is going on around us

1)   But it takes the world off guard – because they continue along like they always have DOING WHAT IS RIGHT IN THEIR OWN EYES !!!

 

3For when THEY say, “Peace & safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon THEM, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And THEY shall not escape.

4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

 

D) In other words that day is not going to overtake you like it overtakes them – Because You are children of the Light / Children of the day

1)   That day coming as a thief in the night doesn’t affect you/ Children of the Day / taken up in the rapture to be w/ the Lord –

 

E) They shall not Escape – But we get to Escape – because the Lord takes us out before the Wrath comes down  / Paul makes clear v.8-11- read

 

Not Appointed unto Wrath – Trib is about the Wrath of God & the Lamb – We are told to comfort / or encourage each other in this

A) What Comfort – Going thru the Fire ? So this day comes upon the unbelieving world as a thief /    What a Day it will be – Turn back to 2 Peter

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise,

A)The words great noise in the grk – is Roizedon  - Wuest & vines translate as a Great wind of Fire

 

and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

 

B) These two words Great noise and the Elements burning have led many modern day scholars to suggest this is speaking of a Nuclear Blast

 1)Fire in the Heavens the sky – that causes the earth to Melt & to be Burned up – which really does describe the affects of a Nuclear explosion

 

D) Been calculated that there is enough Nuclear fire power in the world to blow it up 3 times over !!

1)   Question that people wonder about – Is who will push the Button – Maybe God does

 

 

So Peter says that day is coming – earth is going to be burned up – Rev. 6-19 describes in detail

A)A time so horrific that Men will call upon the Mts & the Rocks to fall on them & crush them – escape the Wrath of the Lamb

 

11Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God,

 

B) So the Lord says to us living on the earth now – Our lives need to be marked by Holiness – Separate from the world

1)   Should be like Night & Day -  

 

C) Godliness – DEVOTED – Separate from the World / But separated unto the Lord

 

D)LOOKING – watching – waiting – Looking for & Looking forward to

1)   Idea is that of EXPECTATION

 

 

Notice what He says next – And Hastening the coming of the day of God

A)We are not just Looking forward to that day w/ anticipation but we can hasten the day – the word hasten means to Quicken or to speed up

 

B)Barclay Eagerly awaiting & doing your best to speed up the day of his coming

1)Grk Scholar Vincent – You should look forward to that day & hurry it along

 

C) What are they saying ? Simple this : We just don’t look forward to the day but we can bring it along quicker – We can hurry it up

 

D) Wait you say – aren’t those things under the Sovereign. Decision of the Father in heaven – He Alone knows the day !!! YES

1)   But the scriptures also point out that Our Sovereign. Father allows His timing in things to be affected & impacted by the actions of men

 

Examples – Numbers 13

A)God Led his people out of Egypt – beyond the Red Sea – 3 months of lessons – 7 stops / followed by a yr.& ½  camp at Sinai  - Law & Tab

 

B) Once everything was in place – led them to Kadesh Barnea – now it was time for them to – move into the promised land

1)   12 Spies – 10 gave a bad report / 2 a good -  People believed the 10

 

C) As a result God’s timing for them entering the Land was delayed severely by 38 yrs – wandered in the Wilderness – first Gen. Died off

 

D) God brought them to the Boundary of the Promise land – but they slowed down the Process by their unbelief

 

Many examples of that in scripture another is Jonah 3 / Jonah is sent to Nineveh – message – 40 days you will be destroyed

A)Now there was no IF ANDS OR BUTS involved – NoT unless you repent – Just Judgment is coming in 40 days - PERIOD

 

B) But they did repent - whole City– and God slowed down the Judgment Process upon them – Nineveh survived for several 100 more yrs

 

C) So Yes God is Sovereign. He is in Control – but He Does Factor into His Sovereignty. Plan the Reaction & the Response / the attitudes & Actions of Man

 

D) And so Peter is saying here that – We can Hasten or Speed up the day of the Lord’s coming – How – suggest 3 ways

 

1st – Through Prayer – Jesus taught His disciples to pray – He said when you Pray say Your Kingdom Come

A)John who learned that prayer – echoed it in the Book of Rev. – In the vision Jesus says to John Behold I am coming quickly

 

B) John responds – EVEN SO LORD COME QUICKLY

 

C) We are to Pray for the Coming of the Lord – Prayer works in ways that I can’t explain intellectually

1)    But God responds when His People Pray !!! So we pray – Lord come Your Kingdom come Your will be done on earth …. Heaven

 

D) That is what we are waiting for !!! -   

 

 

Now a 2nd way that we can Hasten the Lord’s coming is as we share

Acts 3:19 –21 19Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, 20and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

Peter seems to understand here that Jesus wouldn’t come back until they were saved – reason why they were sent to preach

A)So in essence He was saying hurry up & repent so the times of refreshment can come – Jesus can come back again

 

B) It also says in Acts ch. 2 the Lord added daily to the Church such as should be saved

1)   There is a Book in Heaven – book of Life – names written there in

 

C) Waiting for that Last person – Not saved –Maybe  waiting for You

   1) Maybe it’s Your next door neighbor

 

So as we share our faith we have the ability to Hasten the Day !!!!

A)Encouraging people to make a decision for Christ – fulfilling the purpose of why we are still here on this Planet

 

B) So I believe we can speed up the day by our prayer / thru our sharing

 

But there is a 3rd way that we can speed up the Day – Maybe not for the world globally – but definitely for ourselves personally

A)See here is the thing – If you are seeking to walk in Holiness – live a separated lifestyle Separate from the World / Different distinct

 

B) And Godliness – Devoted to the Lord

1)   Looking for His coming – waiting /watching / Anticipating

 

C) Hastening His coming – Praying & Sharing

 

D) The LORD IS GOING TO COME QUICKER FOR YOU !!!

1)   What I mean by that is this

 

You are going to find yourself running out of time to do everything that you want to do !!! Reach everyone that you want to reach

A)Think for a moment of all the people in your life that are not Born again – people you live by / work w/ / Relatives near & far

B) If you wrote all their names down on a piece of paper making a list of everyone you know who is not saved

1)   Began to pray/ what do you want me to do – in order to share w/ them

 

C) Maybe some – take to Lunch / invite over for dinner

1)   others – Make cookies send at Christmas w/ a Track

2)   Others write a letter – sharing the gospel in it

3)   Others – Send Bible teaching tapes

4)   Others – Invite to Christmas service / or some other outreach

 

D) As you prayed I know the Lord would – give you insight of what to do and How to approach  each one

1)   But I would venture to say – that you would never get thru your list

 

 

Consequently THAT DAY would come quicker for You !!!!!

A)It would be speeded up – much more than if you weren’t doing any of those things / not really involved in sharing your faith

 

B) Sometimes I meet Christians who act like they are bored in their faith – they question / Is Jesus ever going to come back

1)   But the way I see it there is so much to be done we should never be bored !!!!

 

C) The person who is going for it spiritually – the person who realizes that they are running out of Time / that Day will come Quicker for them

 

D) Like Weddings – I have done lots & lots of weddings – I have noticed this about Brides – the day always comes too fast

1)   Now In one sense it doesn’t come fast enough because they have been dreaming about for most of their life

 

 

 

 

It usually starts when she is just a little girl  after she has been to her first Wedding /

A)From that day on she starts imagining what her wedding is going to be like

 

B)She is not so much thinking about having a Husband – but she is mesmerized by the Event itself

1)   She imagines her dress & the flowers the bridesmaids & the Church

 

C) She is caught up in the whole ambience that surrounds the wedding

1)   It is a  hope that  is not based on a Future certainty but is simply a dream in her heart

 

A)    As the yrs go by – not much changes in her life / it is simply Business as usual – occasionally she will think about her wedding

1) But she is certainly not preoccupied w/ it  - Until One day she meets her Knight in shinning Armor – Pops the Big Question/ Coke or Pepsi?

 

 

The day is set – suddenly everything is Dramatically Changed –

A)So all consuming is the certain prospect of marriage that it radically

     alters everything in her life

 

B)She views every dress store & Bridal Magazine thru a new lens – a lens

     that is formed by the future reality of that day !!!

1)   Her friends are now objects of her invitation list & potential candidates for her wedding party

 

Now here is what amazes me They can set their wedding date a year in advance – they have a whole yr. to find a dress / bridesmaid dresses / ….

A) A year to pick out – Reception Hall / figure out Flowers /Music / Pictures

1)   And it almost always gets down to a day before and they are still running around sweating / 15 million things still to do

 

B)  And many will say – I just didn’t have enough time / Comes too fast

The same is true for us – It can’t come fast enough because we Love Him so much & we want to be w/ Him so bad –

A)Look forward to Peace/  righteousness / Purity / no war crime

 

B) New Bodies No pain – these bodies where have to watch what we eat – Constantly getting hurt – In that sense It can’t come fast enough

 

C) But it also comes too fast – the more active you are in seeking to win people for the kingdom

 

C) That person is going to find the day of the Rapture that sets things in motion for the day of the Lord & ultimately the Day of God

1)    Coming a whole lot faster – than the person who is not active who is sitting around twiddling their thumbs wondering why am I here !!!

 

C)  If you are sitting around Lackadaisically – it is going to seem like forever

 

 

Hastening the Day creates in us 3 things

Purity – 1 Jn 3:1

Peace – Jn.14

Purpose – reaching people for the Kingdom