The Day of the Lord 2 Peter 3:1-17
1Dear
friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them
as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2I want you
to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the
command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
3Above all,
you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, (In reality, scoffers are simply people both 2000 years ago
and now who notice that the words "short" and "now is" did and do not
actually mean the same thing to them as they meant to those who proclaimed
it. It is a different kind of short and soon.
scoffing and following their own evil desires. (Of course, their motive, as mine, is pure evil. It
is not a sincere noticing of double talk or the mixing of short and long
term ideas. It is just them and me being evil. 4They will
say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died,
everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
5But they
deliberately (See...once again, the
noticing and saying is not sincere. It is deliberate scoffing
and rebellion and the forgetting is
deliberate.) forget that long ago by God’s word the
heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by
water.
6By these
waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
7By the same
word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for
the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (Ok, that's fine, but you're off topic. We're
talking about you saying the scoffing is because many notice that your
soon and shortly don't mean the same thing evidently as mine or theirs.
)
8But do not
forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a
thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. (Ohhhhh that's it! See I was right. Days and
years are different now. Why did you not mention this when you first said
"soon" and "shortly" years ago? I think you just made this up to
explain the scoffers observations but maybe I am wrong.
9The Lord is
not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he
is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to
repentance. (Gotcha...I don't understand
delay, slow or where and when is this going happen? stuff. So while
it appears slow and delayed. It is not because the problem is in their,
my, our understanding. This is where you get bombed with "my
ways aren't your ways", "the wisdom of man is foolishness with God" and
"there is a way that seems right...but...).
10But the
day of the Lord will come like a thief. (Now
you didn't tell me this a few years ago. The coming was going to be
obvious with trumpets and in the clouds and now it is a thief in the
night and unexpected. You keep changing the rules on me and you
wonder why they, we, I notice it. The heavens
will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and
the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
11Since
everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to
be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
12as you
look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.
That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the
elements will melt in the heat.
13But in
keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new
earth, where righteousness dwells.
14So then,
dear friends, since you ( Oh whew...you still
mean us 2000 years ago...Great!) are looking forward
to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace
with him.
15Bear in
mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother
Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
16He writes
the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His
letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant
and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own
destruction. (Oh..so now Paul is a bit to
blame too for being hard to understand. First time you mentioned
this to us. What your saying is that Paul tends to exaggerate and he
does this in all his letters? Why didn't you tell us that. We took
him at face value.)
17Therefore,
dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you
may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your
secure position.
18But grow
in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be
glory both now and forever! Amen. ( Ok,
will do. But honestly, can I be honest here or are you going to call
me a scoffer again who just likes to be evil? My Lord still delayed
his coming in human terms and those are the only terms humans
understand. It is like being accused of using "human reasoning" and
then asking the accuser what kind of reasoning does he use? Human
reasoning is all we have unless one claims special powers and contact with
the gods. Oh ...they do..I forgot. Personally I don't find
many growing in grace in the world of the Apostle Joshua C Pack. I
certainly don't find them growing in knowledge. That would involve
study papers, input, reading and thinking outside the booklet box and we
know that is not permitted and never will be. So growing in
knowledge is OUT!
I believe I have made my point at
least. I can see pouring resources into booklets and radio if one
has a message, real or imagined. Especially if time is short and
love compels one to reach as many as possible and as quickly as possible
before it is too late and the night is far spent. But I don't
believe for a minute the Apostle Joshua C Pack believes time is all that
short or you'd not be seeing this foolishness of recreating yet a third
time the Ambassador College Campus. According to the current behind
the scenes , go find those sermon tapes and get them back, schedule, 2016
ish is not all that far away. Two sides of one mouth comes to mind
here. Carrot and stick also comes to mind along with just around the
corner, just out of sight and just over the next hill.
The scoffers in the times of the
early church 2000 years ago were correct in noticing that, after all Paul
and John had said, how they said it and the clear implication
that they meant it meant their time, those people and that work of
God, were wrong. Paul even left the scene rather cynically saying
that "oh well, I fought a good faith, I kept the faith..therefore there is
laid up for ME, (which is typical Paul), a crown of righteousness...oh
ok...and not just me but you too...gotta go."
Ruined relationships, lost
resources on which to actually live, lost properties, angry children at
parents who gave it all away and sent too much in too often leaves it's
scars. Recall Paul told people not to marry and to that it was much
better to stay single as he was. Of course he never heard any Jesus
taught the opposite even thinking time was short for humanity too.
The Apostle Joshua C Pack is
indeed recreating the HWA Ambassador College and Campus Template.
May I remind you the original is being torn down even as I write.
The Second Campus in Edmond is falling on hard times and the third is
rising on the backs of the zealots who will probably repeat yet a third
time the history of "My Lord Delays his coming."
The Apostle Joshua's work is
calculated to last as long as he does. It will be a comfy life but
full of more drama to come. I think the Apostle thrives on drama as long
as you spell his name correctly. And then it end in the back of a
debris truck or taken over by a business or a church that believes the
exact opposite of it all. There will be nothing new under this
sun.
And brethren,
speaking of things that must shortly come to pass, are soon to
come and sending in all one has because we need "big triggers pulled"
and not to worry, "we flee before it ever comes due," is double
speak. It is a subconscious belief that my lord does
delay his coming and tricksters have buildings to build and an
empire to establish. It is a theological disconnect and those
seeking security and safety have for the past 2000 years gotten burned but
good putting up with it.
Amen and Aaaaaaamen
as they say around here.
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