The Second Coming of Christ 1. The Holy Bible focuses on His Second Coming: v. 1, 2 2. The heretics deny His Second Coming: v. 3 – 10 3. Our duties toward His Second Coming: v. 11 – 14 4. Conclusion: v. 15 – 18 1. The Holy Bible focuses on His Second Coming: “Beloved, I now write to you, this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 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.” (v. 1, 2) As he emphasized in the first epistle, he is repeating that he is not writing something new in this second epistle, but he is repeating what he said concerning the Second Coming of the Lord,27 which was: 1. Spoken before by the holy prophets. 2. The Lord commanded it. (Matt. 24: 26 – 39 & Mark 13: 35 – 37 & Lk. 12: 40. 3. The apostles and the disciples commanded it. (1 Thess. 5: 2 – 4) This is the purpose of the word of God in both testaments, to wait for His Second Coming and be with Him forever. 2. The heretics deny His Second Coming “Knowing this first, that scoffers will come in the last days , walking according to their own lusts, 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.” (v. 3, 4) We are certain that there are some scoffers whom their own lusts drive them to deny the divine inspiration and the resurrection and the judgment. St. Augustine said that behind every atheism, there is lust, so that one may calm his conscience and justifies what he does to himself. St. Peter answers by the following, ascertaining the Second Coming of the Lord by: 1. The creation and the flood: “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, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (v. 5,6,7) St. Augustine 28 said that St. Peter did not mention any thing, in this part (1 – 13) about the resurrection of the dead, focusing on the proofs about the destruction of the world. 27 Some see that St. Peter means that the Lord, the apostles and the prophets have prophesied that there will be false prophets who deny His Second Coming. 28 City of God 20 : 18 2 Saying that everything is remaining the same since the beginning of the creation, they forgot that by the word of God the heavens were formed and by His breath all His armies were created. They forgot that the Creator has allowed the flood to destroy those on earth (Gen7: 11), and this is a simplified picture of the coming destruction for the ungodly. 2. God does not submit to time: “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.” (v. 8) Man submits to time, that is why he hastens matters, however, God does not submit to time, but He is above its limits, for everything is apparent before Him. No wander He considered the creation, since Adam until His Second Coming, as one day (Matt. 20: 8). David the Psalmist said: “For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past…” (Ps. 90: 4) Father Lanctantius 29 used this same verse to prove that the day of creation does not mean a regular day that is twenty- four hours. 3. The Long suffering of God: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent hear; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” (v. 9, 10) The day of the Lord, for the evil people, is like a thief who comes all of a sudden in the middle of the night, in the midst of their darkness. However, for the righteous people, it is like a wedding day where the souls are wed to their Heavenly Bridegroom. There was a severe attack against that saying about how the elements will melt away? But we thank the Lord, for in this age, we saw how the atom can melt and cause burns. Moreover, some countries have the ability to destroy the earth and burn it with the atomic bomb. St. Augustine clarified that the “heavens” mean the material heavens, that is the planets, and not the heavens meaning the eternal throne of God. 3. Our duties toward His Second Coming Since the Bible focuses on our encounter with the Lord and directs our attention toward eternity, then it is not enough that we reject the sayings of the heretics, but we have to: “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?” (11) We are departing from this world, so let us be in holy conduct which befits eternity. Then, the dissolving of the heavens and the earth is not a fearful subject, but a subject of hope. “Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire and the elements will melt with fervent heat.” (v. 12) 29 Lanctantius (260/330) The Divine institutes 7: 14. 3 Wait for the blessed hope and the appearance of the great glory of God and our Savior Jesus Christ. (Tit. 2: 13) This hope stirs in the church a yearning toward a holy life and longing to the coming of the Lord, praying every day, “Let Your Kingdom come”, loving His appearance (2 Tim. 4: 8). She communes with Him saying, “Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus.” (Rev. 22: 20) “Nevertheless, we according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (v. 13) The bride waits for her house where she meets her bridegroom in an amazing union! She waits for new heavens, that is not materialistic, but it is the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2), which is the subject of the hope of everyone (Heb. 11:10). Therefore, she does not cease to struggle for it! “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.” (v. 14) This hope drives the church to be persistent to train herself, by the hands of the Holy God. By His grace and His Holy Spirit, He, “He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.” (Eph. 5: 27) As St. John said, “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.” (Rev. 19: 7,8) He also said, “Then, I John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Rev. 21:2) 4. Conclusion “And consider that the long-suffering of the Lord is salvation, as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking to them of these things in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever, Amen.” (v. 15-18) The purpose of all that is to benefit from God’s long-suffering for our salvation by growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord. The more the time prolongs, the more we should grow more and more without neglecting our salvation. St. Paul has recorded all these matters. St. Peter calls St. Paul his beloved brother, although St. Paul rebuked St. Peter once. (Gal. 2:3) However, some have twisted the words of St. Paul, thinking that the resurrection will happen in their days, as the Thessalonians thought. Also, the Corinthians misunderstood St. Paul, in his first epistle, and they stopped working, waiting for His Second Coming. Some mocked his saying that what the apostle has said regarding the resurrection, has not been fulfilled. That is why St. Paul sent his second epistle to the Corinthians.
Welcome