Wanted to get your thoughts on the following passage.
"1. Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
2. that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,
3. knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
4. and saying, �Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.�
5. For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6. by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
7. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
I got hammered in Sunday school for saying that Noah's flood was worldwide. Mention Noah's flood and his boat full of animals and see if you do not get ridiculed by some.
Many people use verse 8 as a key to unlock any Bible verse that contains the word 'day' and/or '1000 years'...Lol!
Without research my paraphrase would be :
Look, I know you guys are waiting for Jesus to come back and alot of people are talking smack, saying 'Jesus isn't coming back'. They say 'the guys who helped start this religion are all dying off and life goes on as usual'. But you need to remember God exists outside of time, but if you can't get your mind around that, then think about how old this world is and the things that have happened so far like the flood, and there could be just as much time left in the future when the earth will destroyed with fire. So just remember Jesus said He is coming back, and He keeps His promises.
When the Sunday school teacher said Jesus wasn't God, that was more than I could take. It's one thing to get scoffed at on the street but in Sunday school, time to change.
Peter is telling believers not to be concerned about those who are in unbelief about the return of Jesus. As is today, there were many in the 1st century church who also mocked and were ignorantly at the apostles and the people who believed in Jesus return. There were, and .are many people who question when Jesus will return and if God has made this promise He will fulfill it. Because the prophets of the old Testament gave the word of God who gave us all hope of His coming and of His return. And to confirm His return, Jesus said He would return.
Peter is also telling us that those who mock believers, should know and remember that God is a man of His word, and will do as He has promised us and as Jesus tells us, heaven and earth will pass away before His word will lose on dot, nor will His word return back to Him void, so our eternal hope of glory is waiting patiently for the day of our Lord, this is our hope of eternal gloy seeing Jesus and reigning with Him forever.
His return (day of the Lord) may seem forever to us and long coming, since the prophets and apostles told us Jesus would return, but as Peter points out in verse 8, one day in God's eyes, is like a thousand years for us, and a thousand years is like one day to the Lord. God is giving us all time for repentance because we never know when He is coming.
It might be within a day or a twinkling of an eye in a split second, or it might be another thousand years. Regardless, only God knows, and He will fulfill His promise, that's why Jesus exhort us to always be ready for we know the time nor the hour of His return whether its in the clouds, or return for us individually..
But there are many people who think God has forgotten, He's not returning, and that they are getting away with their sins, and they will have time to repent, and/or to be saved. I always tell the lost, they may not have the theif on the cross last minute experience, and that in many cases is not going to happen, because there are no excuses for no one not to know who Jesus Christ really is, there are too many resources available on tv, radio, on street corners, in books, etc for people to come to know the Lord, and repent of their sins..
But as Peter points out God is not slack, and He will punish all for their sins, and all those who do not know Jesus Christ will suffer the consequences of not knowing Him in hell. But He is waiting for the Saved and the Unsaved to all come to repentance of their sins, and the lost to come to know Chirst so that no one should persih. And the gospel of Jesus Christ will be preached throughout the world before He does return.
When Jesus does returns as a thief comes in the night, unexpectedly, there will be no time for quick repentance, or salvation... it will be too late.
ignorantly at the apostles and the people who believed in Jesus return. There were, and .are many people who question when Jesus will return and if God has made this promise He will fulfill it. Because the prophets of the old Testament gave the word of God who gave us all hope of His coming and of His return. And to confirm His return, Jesus said He would return.