II Peter 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
God created man with the ability to think and reason. Adam was wise enough to be able to name all the animals that God had created. In spite of his intelligence, Adam proved to be quite foolish in rejecting God’s clear command and listening to his wife who had just been deceived.
As we noted yesterday, the scoffers were willingly ignorant. Their ignorance was not because there was a lack of information. They chose to ignore the facts. It is a shame when the Truth is so clear, and yet rejected because the natural man prefers lies over Truth.
God is good and He recorded the account of the flood of Noah’s days. The Word of God is true and preserved. When we take God’s Word as Truth, it is not difficult to see the catastrophic results of the flood. When God’s Word is rejected, the result is evidence of wilful ignorance. The lies the scoffers make up are so obvious to the saints, and yet the ungodly clamour for them and accept them without hesitation.
A trip to Arizona and the area surrounding the Grand Canyon clearly shows the effects of the flood. There are many other evidences of that. The rolling nature of the topography across the world is evidence of the flood.
A trip through the mountains of B.C. will reveal mountains that were tipped on their side. The Bible tells us that happened at the time of the flood. It does not matter what part of the world a person were to travel to, there would be evidence of a worldwide flood.
In verse 7 God reminds us that the world we are currently living in is being kept in store by Him. If you have seen any of the bombing taking place right now in Iran and that area, there is much destruction. Gaza and Lebanon have also been severely damaged. There was massive destruction during World War II as well. Then just last night a massive tornado ripped through parts of Michigan and is moving across the U.S.
God is in charge. He is seeking to wake people up to Who is in charge. He cares about souls. Too many people have this world and that is all they have. They build mansions, and build empires, and strive for more of this world’s goods. Even many poor have nothing but this world. God wants people to turn to Him and know Him. He has provided many blessings, but many people just take that for granted. He sends trouble and people accuse Him of being uncaring and unloving.
The devil has a lie for everything. God says this world is being reserved unto fire. The fire of God will destroy everything. There is a day of judgment coming for all the ungodly. That includes Cain and all those who have chosen to follow his rebellion.
In verse 8 those who are saved need to be mindful of the fact that God’s timing is not like ours. He does not look at a day like we do. There are many scoffers who look at this verse and try to find support for billions of years for the age of the earth. Context is always important. The context here is with regard to the end of the world. The world is currently about six thousand years old. We do not know how long it will stand. There are no signs to tell us when it will end.
As we look at the situation in the Middle East right now, it is certainly a warning of trouble ahead. The destructive nature of man is evident all over the world. You see it in young children who love to smash toys and throw things around. You see it in people who get angry and fight with others, even to the point of stabbing and shooting others over a few dollars, etc. Violence is quite common for us as people. However, man will not destroy mankind. Driving internal combustion cars is not destroying our world. Foolish men sitting in their ivory towers and dreaming up lies are causing chaos but even they cannot destroy the world. God will make sure this world will stand and will be inhabitable until He brings His fire upon it.
In verse 9 we see the purpose of God’s longsuffering. He is not overlooking sin. He is not causing sin. He is giving man the opportunity to know Him. He is still raising up men who come to love Him and whom He is directing to proclaim His Word.
Sadly, there are scoffers who refuse to accept God’s Word and who despise His messengers. They concoct their lies and hold their meetings and they can find followers who will support their lies. Rather than examining their thoughts in the Light of God’s Word, they corrupt God’s Word for their own purposes. Some are more vocal than others but all demonstrate their hatred for God.
Meanwhile God is preserving His Word, and raising up His men to proclaim His Word, giving men and women, boys and girls the opportunity to repent toward Him and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.
Verse 10 reminds us that it is a waste of time to try to set a date for the Lord’s return. A short while ago I was given an estimated time frame for how long I will live. I have had some health difficulties and the specialists have estimated how long they think I have. They have some experience in their field, but they can only guess. They do not know and I do not know how long I have. Our lives are complicated. The Psalmist declared:
Psalm 139:14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Every human being is fearfully and wonderfully made. We make up a small part of God’s Creation. He is in charge, and He says this world will be destroyed with a great noise. I can only imagine the noise they are experiencing right now in the Middle East with the bombs and rockets being exploded. That is nothing compared to what is coming for the world.
The destruction then will be like nothing this world has ever witnessed. The heat of that fire will be so intense that it will melt the very elements of this earth. It will be absolute destruction.
In spite of that fact, two areas will not be hit by that fire. Heaven, the dwelling place of God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, and the home of all the saints will remain.
Not only that, but hell and the lake of fire will remain as well. All the lost will be found at the great white throne judgment and following their judgment, will be cast into the lake of fire, to remain there for all eternity. The day of salvation is to day. God has been very gracious to every person that will read this devotional. Some are saved. Others are still on the outside, some not even interested in considering the truth. Salvation is a gift of God. It is offered to all, but only applicable to those who humble themselves and turn to God in repentance. We do not bargain with God.
Apparently the Iranians want to make a deal with the U.S. now that they are being pounded. Mr. Trump has wisely decided that the time of negotiations is past. Now they are facing death and destruction by the U.S. and Israel. Iran will not be destroyed, but obviously it will be hurt.
It is a known fact that Islam will not surrender. It will need to be annihilated and that will happen when Jesus Christ takes them out. The hope of man is not in defeating all presumed enemies. The hope of man is in repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Be sure you are His child today.
Pastor Bartel