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2 Peter 3:5-7

December 04, 2008

Text: 2 Peter 3:5-7 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. (KJV)

For this…

2 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:

The false teachers message

2 Peter 3:4 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 the creation (KJV).

What is the promise?

The promise to inherit the world

Romans 4:13 The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world…RSV

The blessing of Abraham

Galatians 3:14,22 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

This is the promise - age-lasting life

1 John 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life [aionios zoe – age-lasing life].

Glory, honour, and immortality

Romans 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

To inherit the kingdom

James 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? (NIV)

At His coming

Matthew 25:31,34,46 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 46 …the righteous into life eternal [life age-lasting].

Kingdom exclusion

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 9 Who shall be punished with everlasting [age-lasting] destruction [“and exclusion,” RSV] from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

Scoffing at unfulfilled prophecies

Jeremiah 17:15 They keep saying to me, “Where is the word of the LORD? Let it now be fulfilled!”

Where is the God of judgment?

Malachi 2:17 Ye have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

They close their eyes to certain facts

2 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:

NET 2 Peter 3:5 For they deliberately suppress this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water.

BBE 2 Peter 3:5 But in taking this view they put out of their minds the memory that in the old days there was a heaven, and an earth lifted out of the water and circled by water, by the word of God;

JB Phillips 2 Peter 3:5 They are deliberately shutting their eyes to a fact that they know very well, that there were, by God's command, heavens in the old days and an earth formed out of the water and surrounded by water

The pre-flood world

2 Peter 3:5 “…that by the word of God heavens existed long ago, and an earth formed out of water and by means of water (RSV)

the earth formed by water

Genesis 1:6-10 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

The world at that time was destroyed by water

2 Peter 3:6 Whereby [“by means of which”] the world [“heavens…and an earth” v.5] that then was [at that time], being overflowed with water, perished:

The present world shall also by destroyed – by fire

2 Peter 3:7 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.

God has appointed a day Of judgment

Acts 17:31 Because he [God] hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Covenant children destroyed

Jude 1:5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people [the children of Israel] out of the land of Egypt [to inherit the land of promise], afterward destroyed them that believed not [the unfaithful – apostates].

No entrance into land of promise

Numbers 14:23,29 Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it: 29 Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me

Perdition for the false teachers

2 Peter 2:1-3 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

2 Peter 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

THE UNGODLY HAVE NO FEAR OF GOD

Psalm 36:1 Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes.(NAS)

THE FALSE TEACHERS ARE UNGODLY MEN

Jude 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

The ungodly SHALL BE punished on the day of judgment

2 Peter 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust [the ungodly v.5-6] unto the day of judgment to be punished:

Jude 14-15 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince [convict] all that are ungodly among them [in the church] of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [defiant, offensive, harsh] speeches [or words] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him [Jesus Christ].