The apostle Peter knew that
his time on earth was short, and as he was departing he left the
words of Second Peter with the church. He directed his attention
toward those who would be false prophets among church members who
would attempt to persuade them away from the truth. Part of this
group Peter identified as “scoffers” or mockers who in
reference to Jesus' return would ask, “Where is the promise of
his coming?” These doubters would ignore wonders of God such as
the creation, and in chapter three and verse six, Peter shares
another area where their disbelief would be manifested. He wrote:
Whereby the world that
then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
The
verse begins, “Whereby the world that then was,...” Peter
refers to the initially created world in this portion of the verse.
This was the world made and fashioned by God but also cursed because
of the sin of man. Though God formed and fashioned it with beauty and
perfection, according to the book of Genesis in chapter six and verse
five says:
And
GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually.
Because
of man's great flaw, the “world that then was” as we shall
see, was destroyed.
The
verse goes on to say, “being overflowed with water, perished:”
This is a reference to the story of the world being destroyed by
water. In Genesis chapters six through eight we may read the story of
Noah and the ark. Because the world was filled with people whose
hearts were “only evil continually”, God destroyed the
earth with a flood. Only Noah and his family were saved. Though
millions perished, only eight souls lived.
This
story is a great problem for scoffers. They cast doubt upon its
validity, and they discourage others from believing it. Not only do
they have a problem with God creating the world, they have great
difficulty over the fact that God destroyed it and the reasons why He
did. Once again Peter gave specific ways and attitudes to discover
who these scoffers or mocker are.
As we
ponder this reference by Peter perhaps we too should examine our
hearts and minds to know whether we believe in the creation of God
and the story of Noah. Having our minds attuned to the truths of the
Bible will help us as we solidify our walk with God. As we grow and
stand in our faith when scoffers arise we will not fall into their
pernicious doubts, and we will easily identify them. May the Lord
Jesus Christ make us more and more strong in our faith and trust in
Him and His word.
Next
time we will see what is destined for the world that exists now, so
read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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