For quite some time now, I’ve been discussing the eschatology of the New Covenant in light of Jesus’ challenge to those who aren’t inclined to believe his words. His words are that he would come in the glory of the Father, with his mighty angels, to reward every man according to his works, and some of the folks who heard him say this would live to see that day (Matthew 16:27-28). In other words, Jesus claimed he would return in the first century AD before that unbelieving generation passed away (cp. Matthew 23:36; 24:34). Nevertheless, the Challenge of Christ is: don’t believe my words, unless I do the works (John 10:37-38)!
Did Jesus return in the first century AD or didn’t he? We’ve been considering Jesus return in light of chapter three of Peter’s second epistle. There, Peter claimed the heavens would pass away in with a great noise and the elements would melt in fervent heat, where the earth would be burnt up (2Peter 3:10). I’ve already demonstrated that this had a spiritual significance, not a literal physical one. It had to do with the passing away of the Old Covenant, concerning which the argument of the scoffers in 2Peter 3:3-4 was made. Peter mentioned the cosmos (kosmos – G2889) in Noah’s day was destroyed (2Peter 3:6), and it is that same cosmos or orderly arrangement of things that was prophesied to be destroyed in the first century AD.
For nearly 2000 years the Lord had dealt with mankind through the descendants of Abraham, the Jews, but that cosmos (orderly arrangement – i.e. the Mosaic Covenant) was about to change at the coming of Christ.
In Isaiah 13 the prophet foretold the Lord’s judgment upon Babylon (Isaiah 13:1). He went on to say that the Lord intended to utterly destroy Babylon out of his fierce anger (verse-9). Then, Isaiah described the event as the Lord shaking the heavens and the earth would be removed from its place (Isaiah 13:13). Nothing like this occurred literally. So how should we understand it? The heavens being shaken is put for the Lord’s wrath and fierce anger (verse-13), while the earth being removed from its place is put for the world in Isaiah 13:11. In other words the Lord is angry (heaven is shaken) with Babylon, and God intends to remove Babylon from her place, change the orderly arrangement of things in Babylon. She would be conquered by Assyria and later by the Medes and Persians. Nothing would be the same for her. Isaiah was using apocalyptic language to say: Babylon would be judged by God for her wickedness (verse-11).
Similarly, over one hundred years later, after Assyria had conquered Babylon, the government still centered in Babylon sent Nebuchadnezzar to conquer Jerusalem. Eventually, Jerusalem was destroyed and its Temple burned. The prophet Jeremiah lamented of the destruction of his homeland and sought the Lord for satisfaction: “Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint” (Lamentations 1:22). So, he pleaded with the Lord to destroy Babylon, just as he had done to the Kingdom of Judah, destroying Jerusalem and her Temple.
Jeremiah 51 records the Lord’s answer to Jeremiah prayer. Although the people of the Lord were judged for their iniquities, yet they were not forsaken by their Lord (Jeremiah 51:5), but Babylon would fall and be utterly destroyed (Jeremiah 51:8). Jeremiah describes the event as heaven and earth rejoicing over Babylon’s destruction (Jeremiah 51:48). The question is, if we are going to take such things literally: if Babylon’s destruction was an event that shook heaven and removed the earth from her place (Isaiah 13:13), how could heaven and earth also rejoice in that event (Jeremiah 51:48)?
Therefore, we should also understand 2Peter 3:7, 10 in the same manner. Instead of the universe being literally burnt up and destroyed, instead it was the orderly arrangement of things that was destroyed. In the context of first century Jerusalem, it was the Mosaic Covenant that was prophesied to be destroyed. This, of course did occur in 70 AD, when the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple at the coming of the Lord in his Kingdom (viz. Matthew 16:27-28). Thus, the Challenge of Christ was fulfilled (John 10:37-38). Jesus claimed he would return and judge Jerusalem before that generation passed away (Matthew 26:64; viz. 24:30-34). If he didn’t do it, don’t believe him, but if the works prove his word, then belief should go along with the works done.
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