Thursday: Hastening the Day
Although the wait for the Second Coming seems never-ending to us, the time is not a concern to God. “With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet. 3:8, NKJV). Throughout the Scriptures the end is always close, whether the day of the Lord in the Old Testament or the return of Christ in the New.
Read 2 Peter 3:8-14. What is the long-term hope we are given here? See also Dan. 2:34-35, Dan. 2:44.
Image © David Sorensen from GoodSalt.com
The classic time prophecies clearly tell us that there is a limit to how long evil is allowed to continue and how long God will wait. In the prophecies, God outlines His strategy to end sin and suffering and to restore the earth to its original perfection.
How we view the end of all things, as we know it, will affect how we live now (2 Pet. 3:12). If we rebel at the idea of God disturbing our little world, then we will tend to be cynical and join the scoffers. If, on the other hand, we see this as a merciful God finally stepping in to clean up the abominable corruption and human-rights abuses so rampant around us, then we can with confidence “look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pet. 3:13, NKJV).
Again Peter voices his concern about our attitudes and personal conduct. He encourages us to “be diligent” and to be “without spot and blameless” (2 Pet. 3:14, NKJV). If it was not for the next verse, we may think that Peter is promoting a “works” religion, but he corrects this possible misunderstanding with the phrase, “the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation,” confirming the words of Paul to the same believers (2 Pet. 3:15).
Being blameless is our aim. That is how Job was described; blameless because he “feared God and shunned evil” (Job 1:1, NKJV). That is how Christ will present us to the Father (1 Cor. 1:8, Col. 1:22, 1 Thess. 3:13, 1 Thess. 5:23). Being without spot? That is what the sacrificial lamb had to be (for example, Exod. 12:5, Lev. 1:3), what Jesus was (Heb. 9:14, 1 Pet. 1:19), and how He presents the church to the Father (Eph. 5:27).
| In our quest to overcome sin, to grow in faith, and to shun evil and live holy and “blameless” lives, why must we always rely on the righteousness of Jesus that is credited to us by faith? What happens when we take our eyes off that promise? |
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My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus Christ.
thank you soo much for this , i can rely on Christ rightouesness because mine is like filthy rags ,
this happened this week were i took my eyes off the promise , and i am ashamed of my self because i became a scoffer, filled with a spirit of complaincency , murmerer , i was angry and everything was about me , i saw me, the "I" and thank you from pulling me back from satans den.
We cannot offer anything to God, but our dirty unworthiness. We have to accept the righteousness of Christ because it is the only acceptable service to God the father.
In order to become "blameless" we must keep our eyes on Jesus and his righteousness, because His righteousness is our goal. He wants to give us beauty if we will give him our ashes. Looking to Him fully and intensely and constantly, we will be changed into His likeness. It is amazing what he is willing to do for us. Brothers and sisters, we must get off the thrown of our lives and let our King reign, and trust Him come what may. He will always supply our needs,not nesseserely our wants,but He will take us on the path that will lead to beholding Him face to face!
OUR CREATOR!
When we take our eyes off Jesus our views change.We see only temporal things that are fading and wicked.Jesus should always be in sight so that our hope is strengthened.
When Peter glanced at the wanes he lost his footing and so will we. Turn your eyes upon Jesus and the things of earth will grow strangely dim.He's able to keep us safe in His bosom He's our sacrificial lamb for our sins and He's the shepherd to guide us home Nothing in this world can take us there He is the one and only way.He's coming lets tell it to others
In 2Peter 3:12 the King James version uses the words "hasting unto." The Greek word that was used here originally is the word, "speudo," and it has the meaning of "eagerly awaiting." The King James English word, "hasting," is the present tense for the word "haste." The only thing God did "in haste," was regarding the "Passover lamb offering." God told the Israelites, through Moses, to eat the Passover lamb, "with haste."
We can no more speed up or delay Jesus' second coming then His people could delay or speed up His first coming. The only difference between Jesus first coming and His second one is that His first one had a prophetic timeline and the second one does not. But just as surely as Jesus first coming took place, Jesus second coming will also take place and very very soon. Being found by God without spot and blemish requires that we daily "make haste," by faith, to accept Jesus sacrificial righteousness and shed blood in our behalf, share this good news with others and "eagerly await," his soon second coming.
"Let it be our prayer, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (Steadfast) Spirit within me." (Ps.51:10). This is a matter to be settled between My God and my soul daily.
“Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own.
Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His glory, how quickly the whole world be sown with the seed of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious grain.” – Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lesson, p.69. (2 Peter 3:12).
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and contrite heart-- These O God. You will not despise. (Ps.51:17). Brothers and sisters, we must emptied ourselves daily to be filled with Holy Spirit. Amen.
Thanks much for that reminder, Pete. I trust that our readers will remember that when the subject comes up for discussion in our Sabbath School classes, as it surely will.
2 Peter 3:12 is very much debated about. I am trying to limit myself in just pointing out that the verb speudein occures in 5 other instances in the New testament. Studying these passages, one will find out that this verb in the intransitiv case always expresses intensity action (Luke 2:16; 19:5.6; Acts 20:16; 22:18). In 2 Peter 3:12 speudein is in the transitive case. The object of seudein is ten parousian (the coming) --- denoting the hastening of the parousia. I should like to add: It does not say speudontes (eis) ten parousian reading: Hastening unto the parousia. This translation is adding (eis/unto) into the text, which is absent in Peters writing.
It seems to me that Peter is thinking of hastening the coming in lives of holiness and godliness, in sanctification (2 Peter 3:11) by partaking of divine nature to be the driving force of the hastening action (2 Peter 1:3-4). Looking at Peter`s sermon at the day of pentecost one will further notice that the coming of Christ is seen in the context of conditions.
I was just trying briefly to recapture the theology of Peter as to the second coming. In Paul`s sermon at Athens the coming occures on a fixed day (Acts 17:31), which does not need to be a contradiction as God has set a final limit for time of probation anyway.
Winfried Stolpmann
Sorry, I forgot to give the text of Peters sermon at Pentecost affirming the conditions of the second coming (Acts 3:19-21).
Winfried Stolpmann
Yes, God has set a limit to the time and probation for this world. But if you will notice that where the words regarding the close of probation in the book of revelation saying "He that is unclean let him be unclean..." etc., is found in the last chapter of that book. And EGW says that God has not revealed two things to God's people: 1. The day and hour of Jesus second coming and 2. Exactly when probation closes. Some SDA theologians try to place the close of probation just before the 10 plagues begin to fall. But why do the words on each plague indicate that "they repented not..,?" unless God Himself has an allowance then for people to repent? Therefore, to me, the word "they," in that context refers to those who choose not to repent then. So I strongly believe that probation closes sometime during the last plague.
Pete, George Ricker Berry's lexicon seems to indicate that forms of the word "speudo" can carry either meaning or both. This does not surprise me at all, given the way I know words are often used in the English language.
Personally, I do not find it necessary to exclude from the meaning of 2 Peter 3:12 the idea of hastening or speeding up Christ's coming. I understand that, particularly when it comes to an understanding of the Infinite One, the Bible often shares ideas that are beyond our finite grasp. Therefore I can accept the thought that Christ will return at a point in the future that has been fixed by the wisdom of God, which includes His foreknowledge, and yet we could still have the privilege of helping it happen sooner than it would have but for our efforts.
It's an awesome thought, really, and it certainly places a high value on us as souls for whom Christ died.
While the word, "speudo," can carry either meaning, in the context of 2Peter 3:12 it carries the meaning of "eagerly awaiting," and not to "speed it up." And also the word "speudo," itself, (in application,) of that word, carries the connotation of "eagerly awaiting," And finally, non of the other Apostles including the Apostle Paul, ever wrote the idea of "hasting," or "Hastening," or "Speeding up," Jesus second coming by God's people. Why would Peter go on to mention God's one day being 1,000 years and 1,000 years being as one day if somehow in this time contradiction of God He expects His people to "hurry up His Son's second coming,?"
Pete Villarreal writes:
This appears to be an expression of opinion, and I respectfully disagree.
He further writes:
To me, the thousand years being like one day idea simply expresses the fact that God's purposes know no haste and no delay. That is, He is capable of taking as much time as necessary in order to carry out His plans. It does not suggest to me that God is unconcerned about, and insensitive to, the world's suffering, nor that a close relationship with Jesus would fail to motivate us to do all in our power to speed things up.
None of the other writers of the New Testament indicate in any way shape or form the idea of God imposing on His people the "task," of "Speeding up," Jesus' Second coming, not even the Apostle Paul in his epistles either and Paul is the best writer on "Righteousness by faith," and not even he gives the idea of God imposing the "task," on His people to "speeding up," Jesus' second coming. That is another reason why I do not believe that Peter's Epistle in his use of the word "Speudo," ever meant to use the part of that word that means "speed," but rather the part that means "eagerly awaiting," and also because "in application," the word "speudo," carries the connotation of "eagerly awaiting."
There has been but little of the missionary spirit among Sabbath-keeping Adventists. If ministers and people were sufficiently aroused, they would not rest thus indifferently, while God has honored them by making them the depositaries of His law, by printing it in their minds and writing it upon their hearts.—Testimonies for the Church 3:202.
I believe we can hasten the Lords coming. If we are willing to face hardship and danger, not interested in vaunting ourselves against God, willing to set aside worldly interest for the work of God, intent on adding strength to the armies of God, and determined that our presence will only strenghen the cause of God . Look at the Gidion story in Judges 7. God is not concerned about numbers as He is about character of those who serve Him. He does not care of our character of the past, but what is our character now and in the future. Remain faithful to Him daily, then there is no worry of the future. The past He has forgiven, why don't we too? We are human, look at the early Christians and how long it took to forgive Paul. Now if we are to prove we have been with Jesus who is all are righteousness, we will ask God to give us the strength to forgive. 1John 1:9. So how do we prove we have been with Jesus without vaunting ourselves against God. 1. Desire the Truth. 2. Surrender ourselves completely to Christ without reserve. 3. Seek salvation as if it were our most valuable sought after possession. 4. Surrender our bad habits to Christ. 5. Visualize Jesus. 6. Ask for the power, and guidance of the Holy Spirit. 7. Now we go out and tell the world what Christ has done for us. Thus we are hastening the coming of Christ. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to all the world, for a witness unto all nations, then shall the end come." Matthew 24:14.
I apprechiate all the comments on 2 Peter 3:12. I am sorry for not having explained in detail as to how I arrived at the notion of hastening the coming of the day of God only qouting all the other instances of the verb speudo in the New Testament. My premise is that Scripture must be interpreted by Scripture. My own opinion does not matter. So I will go over all the pasages with the usage of speudo trying to translate in order to be as close as possible to the text.
(1) "And they came hastening (speusantes) and found Mary and Joseph." (Luke 2:16)
(2) Jesus said to Zachchae: "Make haste (speusas) and come down....and he made haste (speusas)and came down." (Lude19:5-6).
(3) Paul "made haste (espeuden) if possible to be in Jerusalem at the day of Pentecost." (Acts 20:16)
(3) Christ said to Paul: "Make haste (speuson) and get quickly out of Jerusalem."
To this list there is one passage from the Septuagint: Of the messianic king sitting an his throne it is said that he will be judging and eagerly seeking (ekzetoon) judgment and hastening (speudoon) righteousness." (Isaiah 16:5)
The notion of "hastening" things is obvious in all these texts.
As to 2 Peter 3:11-12: "As all these tings are going to be dissolved, how should you ought to be (behave) in holy living and godliness awaiting and (speudontas: participle present tense expressing duration of action) hastening (hastening what?). What is said up till now is connected with the object to be hastened: ten parousian --- the coming of the day of God."
Holy living and godliness are the agents of hastening the coming, as seen in this text. How will this be done? In the same epistle Peter introduces divine power: "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness." 2 Peter 1:3; see 2 Peter 3:11) By partaking of divine nature they have escaped the corruption of the world (2 Peter 1:4). Divine power of God und partaking of divine nature in Christ Jesus is the agency of living a holy life, which is offered and also is the agency of hastening the coming---divinity and fallen humanity cooperating (no automatism excluding free will).
In his sermon at pentecost Peter is lining up a chain of events, each link connected with the other, put together in conditions leading up the the second coming: Repentence, returning to God, blotting out of sins, times of refreshing (outpuring of the Holy Spirit at end of time - to be noted the cosmic signs quoted by Peter (Acts 2:19-20), followed by the coming of Christ to restore all things spoken of by the prophets (Acts 3:19-21).
The 1000 years Peter mentions, expresses the longsuffering of God giving room for repentence prior to close of probation. (2 Peter 3:8-9).
The mode of hastening and delay is also demonstrated in the history of Israel and the writings of the prophets, but beyond the scope of this short presentation.
Winfried Stolpmann
Sorry for the misspelling "lude 19:5-6". The very important text is Luke 19:5-6 demonstrating hastening action mentioned twice. Sorry to tell the audience that I have not found any parallel text using speudo in the sence of eagerly waiting, eagerly looking for or other usage. Starting from the premise Scripture must be interpreted by Scripture I have not arrived to any other conclusion.
Winfried Stolpmann
I've written a small book where I demonstrate that the idea that we can hasten or delay Christ's coming is not based on a few texts here and there but is a necessity of Adventist theology. In fact, if it is not possible for God's people to hasten or delay Christ's coming, Adventist theology is necessarily wrong.
The book is in PDF format and can be downloaded here: http://sdaconvos-now
Sorry, the link got cut off somehow. It should be:
http://bit.ly/sdaconvos-now
In my former post I have investigated the meaning of "speudo" in all the texts of the New Testament including one in the Septuaginta. I should like to expand the investigation of "speudo" by looking at related synonym words like "spudazo" (to hurry up) and spoudae (haste as a noun). Due to limitation of time and space not all texts can be investigated. So I will mention only a few. The reader can go to the dictionary for reference of many other texts occuring basically with the notion of intensified ation in one way or the other. Fortunately, there are not only a few texts to get the overall notion of words as a vehicle of thought being used back in those times. Without this basic study I do not see how to arrive at a conclusion based on biblical data, which is to be followed up in the context of petrine writings.
(1) Spoudazo --- to hurry up, to hasten. Paul admonishes Timothy to speed up coming to him before winter time (2 Timothy 4:9.21; see also Titus 3:12; 2 Timothy 2:15). Peter will see to it or endeavour that the church will have all things in remembrance after he has passed away (1 Peter 1:15). I will leave it at that. Dictionaries will list more instances.
(2) Spoudae --- Haste as a nomen. Herodias daughter came in with haste to ask for the head of John the baptist (Mark 6:25). Mary went with haste to visit Elizabeth (Luke 3:39). Peter admonishes the church to make every effort (2 Peter 1:5). Paul urges the Romans never to flag in zeal (Romans 12:11).
The fact is being established that the terms spoudo, spoudazo and spoudae have the connotiation of intensive action in one way or the other.
We shall move on to the the question as to how this basic notion fits the context of 2 Peter 3:12. The Passage 2 Peter 3:11-12 is connecting terms of sanctification with the hastening of the coming. What does Peter teach about justificaction in connection with sanctification and how does that correspond to the hastening of the day of the Lord?
Peter is very clear on justifcation by faith and grace (Acts 15:8-11; 1 Peter 1:18-19: 2:24), which he ties to sanctification by the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:2) as Paul does (Romans 8:4-6). Peter further connects righteousness with faith(2 Peter 1:1-2).
In the passage following Peter is describing in detail the process of santifification within his teleological eschatological setting. That is to say, this process of sanctification with its different stages is aiming at the point of entrance into the eternal kingdom of God in end time, at the second coming (see 2 Peter 1:11), which demonstrates a link to the passage in 2 Peter 3:11-12, which is describing this eschatological end point of time in connection with santification. There is an inseparable and indestructible unity of justification and sanctification, also very clearly shown by Paul in the Passage of Romans 8:4-6. Walking in the spirit is action coming out of justification. Sanctification as action is built in with justification, both can be described as two different aspects of God`s soteriological action. Both cannot be separated. It is this kind of justification together with outgrowing sanctification which is hastening the coming in petrine writing.
Now to the passage itself beginning with 2 Peter 1:3. Tes theias dynameoos is subjecto of the sentence: "As His divine power has freely granted us all things pertaining to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who has called us by His own glory and virtue, by which we have been freely granted the precious and greatest promises, that by them you become partakers of divine nature, having escaped the corruption which is in this world by lust. And for this reason make all effort (spouden pasan) to supplement in your faith (the) virtue and in your virtuel (the) knowledge, and in your knowledge (the) abstinence, and in your abstinence (the) patience and in patience (the) godliness, and in godliness (the) brotherly lowe, and in the brotherly love (the) agape (godly love)." (1 Peter 1:3-7).
Partaking of divine nature indicates a relationship of cooperation between the divine and the human (göttliche Allmacht und menschliche Ohnmacht), the feeble human nature being taken in by the divine in order for the process described to develop with the teleological eschatological aim of entering the eternal kingdom of God at the second coming. The modus operandi of the hastening consits within that intimate relationship. Feeble human nature never ever would be able to hasten the coming. But God, taking fallen, feeble human nature in Christ Jesus assures us and affirms the impossible possibility of hastening the coming. It`s done by grace. Peter does not write from the viewpoint of rabbinical theology of justification by works to hasten the coming.
The image of partaking human nature by Peter is taken up by Paul in a similar imagery (Romans 6:4). While Peter is talking of partaking divine nature, Paul is talking of partaking in the power of resurrection (Philippians 3:11), and there is no greater power than the power of the resurrection of Christ. So the hastening from this aspect is an act of grace worked out by God with divine-- human relationship. God certainly wants to shorten the misery of human existence even at that present horrible time, which does not need to be enlarged any further.
With respect to all who disagree and agree.
Winfried Stolpmann
I am not quite sure if this is intended to prove that it is or that it is not possible to hasten Christ's coming. Adventists however get to this conclusion differently.
The idea is that God set aside a certain period of time (6000 years more or less) during which sin would be allowed to develop. This in order to make the vileness of sin absolutely clear to the universe once for all in order to ensure no one will ever want to take this route again. We understood however that the beginning of the judgment in 1844 meant that this period of time God had allotted for this purpose was completed and God was ready to bring things to a close. Through this reasoning we concluded that the second coming was to take place very soon. And, the fact that we are still here 170 years later means that we were either mistaken in our theology or that we failed to do something God expected of us and therefore Christ had to delay His coming, just like the 40 years that the Israelites had to spend in the wilderness.
An example of the thought about "delay" as expressed in the Spirit of Prophecy:
"It is not the will of God that the coming of Christ should be thus DELAYED... For 40 years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out ancient Israel from the land of Canaan. The same sins have DELAYED the entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan." (Evangelism p.696)
__________
In Revelation 7, God's four angels are described as holding the four winds of the earth. They are called to hold the winds of strife (i.e. the plagues etc. that must come when Jesus ends His intercession in heaven) "until we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." (Rev 7:1-3) Everything will be restrained until God's people are prepared. When that preparation is done, and we are ready to face Him, then the winds will be released... and Jesus will then be on His way.
I believe that, in a sense, God is waiting for us, more than we are waiting for Him.
Here is a passcode to unlock that verse; when we say we can hasten let's remember that God has already given a series of event that can not be cancelled or added, example the 7 seals, the 7 trumpets all of them shows that God knows the end from the beginning, he can not come till all those things come to pass! Also Same God shew Ellen White the day and hour and made her forget for it's for the latter times during the 7th plague " If He don't know then He could not make her hear the day and hour. So the verse and Qoutes encouraging us to hasten should be taken positively to encourage us to do our part also in accomplishment of the plan of Redemption, but even if we delay ,the Lord has an appointed time that when the cup will reach its fullness he will not allow us to pass that line" God is not a Man, He knows the end from the beginning.
As to the issue of hastening and delaying His coming, we currently are studying the topic of how to interpret Scripture. In older posts I have tried to unterstand this issue in the epistle of Peter in terms of grammar und Peter`s theology of grace, connected with justification and sancification in contrast with the rabbinical concept of justification by works. This method was trying to unterstand Peter on the basis of his own writings comparing with Paul.
In addition to that method we could ask Peter as to what he has proclaimed in his pentecostal sermon. He says: "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord (hopoos an: in order for the time of refreshing to come-- denoting purpose of action); and He shall send Jesus Christ...."(Acts 3:19-20 King James Version) The Holy Spirit inspires Peter to proclaim a chain of events culminating at the second coming of Christ. The starting point is repentece as stimulated by the Holy Spirit. Each part of that chain is conneced with the other in a bond of conditions leading up to the second coming of Christ. Hastening or delay depends on these conditions in Peter`s sermon.
This calls for an opening of heart and mind for repentence and reformation in order for His coming to be hastened. The event of rebellion and submission, as described in Number 14, would be an additional method to use typology explaining the issue of hastening or delay. The basic method of interpretation of scripture begins always with and wihtin scripture.
Winfried Stolpmann