Peter spoke of scoffers who denied his claim that the Lord’s coming was near (2Peter 3:3-4). It seems that many folks today are all too willing to agree with the scoffers of Peter’s day, saying the Lord’s coming is yet in the future and this is nearly 2000 years since Peter’s day. So, those Christians who try to tell us that Jesus will soon appear in our day are really agreeing with the Peter’s scoffers who mocked at his preaching of an early arrival of Jesus. I have to wonder at the strange bedfellows that error breeds.
Atheists have referred to Christians predicting the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ in AD: 247, 365, 500, 848, 992, 1184, 1290, 1335, 1524, 1603, 1716, 1763, 1792, 1805, 1843, 1844, 1845, 1878, 1910, 1914, 1936, 1945, 1952, 1969, 1981, 1982, 1988, 1992, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and more. “Reliable reports indicate that none of these predictions came to pass.”[1] Thus, we see that throughout Christian history, believers, whether sincere or false, have argued in support of Peter’s scoffers and against Peter’s plain statements. After quoting several New Testament verses and implying they pointed to failed future apocalyptic events the same source made this claim:
But the problem for Christians is more fundamental than that. Although the above verses are too vague to indicate when the second coming is supposed to occur, there are other New Testament verses that are much more specific. However, the time period indicated by these more specific verses is not in the future; it is in the past. There are multiple New Testament verses that clearly indicate that the second coming was supposed to occur within the lifetimes of Jesus’ contemporaries, almost two thousand years ago. If there was such a person as Jesus Christ who promised to return to Earth, he is now close to two thousand years late.[2]
At least the atheists, who produced the document from which the above excerpt is taken, are able to read the New Testament as it is written and understand that its writers predicted that Jesus would return in the first century AD. Although they display an ineptness in their reading ability of other historical literature that admits to a real Jesus who was called Christ, they have correctly understood the intent of the message of the New Testament writers, as that message pertains to the coming of Christ.
Notice what Peter claims: “the Lord is not slack concerning his promises” (2Peter 3:9). The Greek word for slack is bradnuo (G1019) and means: “to delay, be slow; to render slowly, retard; to be long, to tarry, loiter.” The text means: “The Lord does not delay his promises.” I have to agree with the atheists on this one. A coming that has not yet occurred after a promise made over 2000 years ago is LATE. Such a thing would indicate DELAY, but God “does not delay his promises” (2Peter 3:9).
Hope deferred makes the heart sick: but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)
The Lord said: ‘in the day you eat, you shall die’ (Genesis 3:15). Later, the Lord told Noah that in 120 years he would bring a flood that would destroy men from the earth (Genesis 6:3-8). Near the end of that generation, God told Noah: “After seven more days, I will cause it to rain, 40 days & 40 nights (Genesis 7:4). God did all these things just as he said he would and within the time he mentioned he would do them.
God made a promise to Abraham concerning his descendents possession of the land, “In the fourth generation they shall return” (Genesis 15:16; Acts 7:17-18). Later he promised Sarah would have a son, “I will return according to the time of life” (Genesis 18:10), and Sarah had a son at the set time (Genesis 21:1-2).
In Ezekiel the Lord asked the prophet about a certain saying preached among the people, “The days are prolonged, and every vision fails” (Ezekiel 12:22) This was similar to what the scoffers preached in Peter’s day—the vision is delayed. Where is the promise of his coming (2Peter 3:3-4). The Lord took issue with the proverb in Ezekiel’s day and told him to tell the people that he would cause that proverb to cease, for days of destruction were at hand (Ezekiel 12:23), and there would be no delay (Ezekiel 12:25).
The problem with the futurists is the same problem the atheists have. They live by sight and not by faith. If they can’t see it, touch it, hear it, taste it or smell it, **IT** doesn’t exist. Jesus told us that the Kingdom of God comes without observation (Luke 17:20). In other words, it can’t be seen with the physical eyes. You are not going to point to it and say it is down the road a piece etc. So, if the Kingdom of God comes without observation, how does the Lord come visibly in his Kingdom (Matthew 16:28) that cannot be seen with the physical eyes? This is why a physical sign was needed to understand that the Lord had come (Matthew 24:3, 30).
The physical sign for Jesus’ spiritual (unobservable) coming was the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. The Second Coming of Christ occurred cir. 70 AD. Peter’s scoffers mocked Peter’s words. All futurists try to change the meaning of Peter’s words, and atheists simply claim Peter’s words failed. Yet, the plain truth is, 70 AD did occur, and Jesus did tell the high priest he would see him (Jesus) coming to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple (Matthew 26:64), and the same was preached by Jesus’ disciples (cf. Acts 6:14). But, who believes it? not the scoffers, not the atheists, and not the futurists! Strange bedfellows, indeed!
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[1] See A Brief History of the Apocalypse; and 2000 Years Late.
[2] See 2000 Years Late.
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