II Peter 3: 1-9
This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you, in both of which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder
Peter wrote both of these letters so that these dear brothers and sisters will not forget what they've been taught.
That you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy Prophets
This refers to the Old Testament prophesies that Jesus fulfilled by His life and death and Resurrection. And that He will fulfill by His Second Coming.
and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by us, your Apostles.
Peter acknowledged that he had been chosen to be an Apostle of Christ Jesus, one who would help to lay the foundation of the Church. So listen up!
Know this first of all,
This is basic, we all need to watch out for this to come about first.
that in the Last Days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,
These are scoffers, mocking, making fun of serious things, making light of them. They're just interested in their own finances and pleasures.
And saying, "Where is the Promise of His coming? For ever since the Fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of Creation."
They've been promoting and publishing evolution, deliberately ignoring all the evidence of Creation that is obvious in the Earth all around us.
For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the Word of God the Heavens existed long ago and the Earth was formed out of water and by water,
They are ignoring all the scientific evidence that God formed the land-mass when He lifted it out of the waters of the Seas on Day Three (Genesis 1:9-10).
Through which the World at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.
When God collapsed the water-canopy that had formed on Day Two when He separated the waters that were under the firmament from the waters that were above the firmament, our atmosphere. Evidence of this is the "continental shelf" that extends out into the oceans from the land, that then drops off. This is all the water from the canopy that raised the water level of the oceans. Noah's Deluge.
But by His Word the present Heavens and Earth are being reserved for fire,
God told Noah that He would never again destroy the whole World by water, and to show He's still keeping that Promise, we still can see His Bow, our rainbow, in the clouds, the same Bow that surrounds His Throne in Heaven (Revelation 4:3). Of all the planets we have found in the Universe, the Earth is the only one that can produce a rainbow. His Promise is only for this Earth.
When it is destroyed again, it will be by fire, it will burn up as it explodes.
kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
God has us all in His hand. He is just waiting for the right time. But He won't wait past that right time, when everything is in place just right.
But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.
The passage of time is experienced by us as we live through it. God sees it all as one line, one picture. So one day or a thousand years, it's all the same to Him, because He sees it all at once, and can focus on whatever point He wants.
The Lord is not slow about His Promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
Just because God hasn't done everything He said He would do yet, some people think that He won't. They want Him to work by their timelines, as though He would obey mere man! God is God, Mankind is not, we serve His timeline.
He knows when He will finish this Epoch of the Age of Mankind, and Jesus has told us that everyone in the World will have a chance to make an informed decision to choose Him or reject Him, then The End will come (Matthew 24:14).
So we, as those who know God as our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ, need to be aware of every opportunity to share with everyone we can how much God loves us all! We need to support the missionaries who are out there working on teaching God's Word to peoples of the World, and we need to go ourselves, if God sends us, to do everything we can for everybody alive to be able to hear!
It's up to us, brothers and sisters! We need to know what we believe, and why we believe it, and avoid all the false teachers. Then we can share God's Love by telling others in a way they can understand, how God has already done everything for them. Let's get to work!
Then when everyone has heard, and made their decision, THEN The End will come, King Jesus will return to set up His Kingdom here in this World, and we will help Him rule it as His kings and queens. For a thousand years. Earth's Golden Age. Finally!
And every eye will see, every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord God Almighty, to the glory of Almighty God the Father.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
