2 Peter 3:7-12

2 Peter 3:7-12
2 Pet 3:7 (KJB)
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.
Kept in store - Gathered or treasured up
Reserved - Guarded or kept
Perdition - Destruction or ruin
Peter now contrasts the earth with the flood of time past. He now states that the present earth and heavens by the same word of God are being kept in store. It is akin to the prophecy God gave to Abraham. (Gen 15:16 KJV) But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. God told Abraham that his people would be servants in a strange land, which was Egypt, and they would come out in the fourth generation, in God’s timing, to deal with the Amorites. For the Amorites had not yet committed sin to the fullness which would bring the judgment of God upon them. The earth, as it is today, is being readied for the final judgment day when all the unsaved will stand before the Lord and be judged for their sins. When the last day comes, that will be the fullness of the sins of all unsaved mankind. This is why today we see sin having an easy time and why it seems that the sins of mankind are going unbridled. This is not true but when the sins of mankind are full, then comes the final judgment. The first world was destroyed by water but the second and final judgment will be by fire when God will cleanse the universe and the earth from every vestige of sin.
2 Pet 3:8 (KJB)
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.
Ignorant - Something that lies hidden, be hidden, or unaware
(Psa 90:4 KJV) For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Peter wants his readers to know that God’s timetable is much different than that of the earth. God is in eternity where there is no time keeping but what Peter wants to convey is that the Lord’s return and final judgment could be close or it could be way off in the distance. As Psalm 90:4 states that a thousand years to God, is like yesterday or a watch in the night to us. The scoffers would complain about this because they look at the timing of the Lord’s return from the vantage point of their short life span. Peter was not troubled when he knew that he would die before the Lord would return instead he still rejoiced knowing that a promise of the Lord’s return was as good as if it happened already. (Acts 17:31 KJV) Because he 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. God is not constrained by time as man is with his short lifespan. God is eternal and if His plan is for the Lord to return in ten thousand years, then so be it.
2 Pet 3:9 (KJB)
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.
This scripture verse has been one of the most misused in the entire Bible. Unfortunately, this verse is left to stand alone and in its isolated state, seems to be the source for a wide teaching, that God wants everyone to be saved. The problem with that theory is that not everyone is becoming saved. The word “willing” is the Greek word “Boulomai” (boulomai) which carries with it the meaning of “willing desire, intention, or inclination” and it is from the Greek root word “boul” (boul) which indicates a “planned desire.”
　
Now if it is God’s plan that everyone become saved, then we have a problem with God’s plan, it is simply not working. If God plans something, then it will come to pass as we have many examples in Scripture. The universal flood, the destruction of Egypt, the destruction of Jericho. All these events happened and no human intervention could stop them. Even Abraham could not prevent the destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim.
　
Now let us go back to our Scripture above. When it speaks of the long suffering of God, it does not mean that he is waiting for people to accept Him. This would never happen because of the following Scriptures.
　
(Rom 3:11 KJV) There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
　
Why?
　
(Eph 2:1 KJV) And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins:
　
(Eph 2:5 KJV) Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
　
The reigning condition of unsaved mankind is that they are spiritually dead and that condition will disallow them from seeking God. The dead can do nothing but remain dead, unless they are raised to life from an outside source. This means that unless God raises a person, they remain dead. Did Lazarus raise himself or did the Lord Jesus Christ give him back his life? We know it was Christ who did it. Lazarus was a rotting corpse which is representative of people being spiritually dead corpses. This disallows anyone from giving themselves spiritual life by raising themselves. Dead is dead and that is it.
　
The longsuffering of God that we see in this verse, has nothing to do with God waiting for an individual “to accept Him” simply because it is impossible for the spiritually dead to make themselves alive. What the Bible is telling us here is that God has a timetable when He is going to end the world. The long suffering or patience of God is that when the Bible was written, there were many hundreds of years left for Earths existence. God’s patience is that He is waiting for the last one to become saved and then He will end it all up.　 The same principle of time is found in the following verse.
　
(1 Pet 3:20 KJV) Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
What does this verse above teach about the longsuffering of God? He wasn’t waiting for people to accept Him or turn to Him, He was waiting for the completion of the Ark.
Let me give a quick analogy. If we were to understand the longsuffering of God to mean that He sits in Heaven waiting for some dead sinner to accept Him, then we can liken that to a person who loses a friend or loved one in death. Instead of them burying that person, they take the coffin and the body to their home and then sit by it day and night waiting for the deceased person to come alive. Now how long do you think it will be before the deceased comes to life by themselves? NEVER! Unless God raises up a person spiritually to newness of life, they too will just remain dead.
　
So the long suffering of God means He patiently waits for the redemption of all those who were named in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world and have yet come into physical existence according to His time table.
　
(Rev 13:8 KJV) And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
　
This verse is speaking of the “planned desire” of God to save all His Elect. Now when we leave 2 Peter 3:9 alone, it doesn’t seem to be saying this, therefore, we look for other corroborating verses to see if we are on the right path.
　
(John 6:39 KJV) And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
　
We did not have to look far for the biblical evidence. When we read John 6:39 and compare it with 2 Peter 3:9, we see that God is giving the Elect to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Lord Jesus Christ will not lose one or “not willing that any should perish.” The ones who will not perish are those whom God gives to the Lord Jesus or otherwise known as “The Elect.”
　
Summary
To isolate 2 Peter 3:9 and then try to create some mythical free will theology on it, makes one guilty of eisegesis which means “placing meaning where it does not belong.” The biblical rule of hermeneutics is to compare Scripture with Scripture. (1 Cor 2:13 KJV) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. The most dangerous Bible interpretation method is to interpret something though emotion or human desire without doing a study in Scripture. 90% of the time we will find that Scripture will always discredit what we want to believe. Remember it is God’s Bible and God’s message to us, not ours to Him!
2 Pet 3:10 (KJV)
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.
Shall pass away - Perish, come to an end, or elapse
Great noise - Loud rushing sound or motion
Elements - Heavenly bodies or rudiments
Shall melt - Destroy, break up, or abolished
With fervent heat - To be consumed by heat or set on fire
Shall be burned up - Consumed by fire
Here is a complete description of how God is going to destroy the earth and the universe on the last day. He will be cleansing it by fire which means He is going to purge every last nook and cranny of the universe and earth of sin. When God recreates the earth, and the heavens, they will be totally clean and only fit for the righteous, that is, the saved, to inhabit. First the day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night which means it is going to come as a surprise. (Luke 12:40 KJV) Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
If you are truly saved, then you are ready and you will not be caught off guard. Do not be deluded by people who think they can know the date of the Lord’s return because that information has not been given to us. God expects us to continue sending forth the gospel in this world until the last one He predestined becomes saved then the end shall come.
He describes the end as a great conflagration which will signal an end to the present heaven and earth. It will be burned up right down to the smallest particles which will be total destruction. It will be done with great heat which will consume the earth and universe. The words “shall be burned up” is in the future tense and passive voice. This means that the universe and the earth will be burned up from an outside source, which will be God Himself. Some try to take this passage and make it say nuclear war but there is no way an atom bomb on earth could melt the Horse head or Crab nebulae in deep space. All the universe and the earth will be subjected to the final purging by fire on the last day and it will not be anything that man does, but that God does, as He promised to remake the New Heavens and the New Earth.
2 Pet 3:11 (KJB)
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
Dissolved - Destroyed or abolished
Conversation - Conduct or life style
Even though Peter is telling them that the end of all sin is in God’s plan and that the purging of the universe and earth is also in God’s plan, he now returns to the subject of the conduct of the believers. If God is going to destroy the present order of things, then in light of this destruction, how are the believers to act in their lives? He uses one word in this verse to bring it all home, “holy.” This means no matter if God is going to destroy the present order of things or if He did not plan to, the believer is to live a holy life consistent with the transformation which took place inside them when they became saved. No matter what God’s plans are and no matter how close or how distant in time they may be, the Christian is to act like a Christian because we represent the Kingdom of God on this earth, in fact, we are the Kingdom of God on this earth.
2 Pet 3:12 (KJB)
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Looking - Wait for, anticipate or expect
Hasting - Desire earnestly, strive, hasten, or having respect simply to time
Dissolved - Destroy or break up
With fervent heat - Consumed by heat, burned up, or set on fire
The believer’s godly lifestyle will cause them to earnestly anticipate the coming of the Day of God, which is the final deliverance day for all believers. We are to earnestly desire this day and we do that by continuing to work diligently in getting out the gospel to the world. When the last one is saved on the day the Lord has chosen, then comes the end and as Peter has already given the details, he repeats them here because he wants to make sure the believers understand that there is going to be a literal destruction of the present universe and earth and that everything is going to be destroyed by God Himself. The flood only destroyed the earth but here the scoffers will be in for a big surprise as the final judgment also includes the complete destruction of the earth and heavens. The word "hasting" does not mean to hurry up or hasten in this verse, but means that the believer is to desire the Lord's return. (Acts 17:31 KJV) Because he 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. No work that any Christian does can ever speed up the day of the Lord's return. God has set the date and it is firm.

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