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NASB | 2 Peter 3:4 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Peter 3:4 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming [what has become of it]? For ever since the fathers fell asleep [in death], all things have continued [exactly] as they did from the beginning of creation." |
Subject: Where do I go from here? |
Bible Note: Hello Ham: Might as well make this my last post, time to move on. I read what you suggested: 2 Peter 3. And here's my interpretation: Peter is clearly entreating his followers to have patience concerning the return of Jesus. Everything he says backs that up. The area that some may feel (including you, I assume) that would extend this entreaty to the present time is the following: 9 "....He is not willing that any perish, and he is giving more time for sinners to repent...." The notion is sinners whose numbers are finite, that is, reflective of the people in that same generation who are not saved yet. This logic is simple to follow. If it does not just mean the time of Peter's generation, then it wouldn't make sense. If it meant all the historical time of 2000 years, a vast cornucopia of new sinners would be loosed upon the world--millions and millions. Peter clearly means that Jesus is concerned about the current crop, he is waiting for them to hear and accept the GOOD NEWS, not the millions of unborn sinners. Think carefully about this. But then, really all that is required is to check out the surrounding context. I won't take the time to list all the references from Jesus, Paul, Revelations concerning "soon", "near". But they are listed on another post and the context seems axiomatic, to me. Crystal clear that the 2nd Coming was meant to be in the First Century AD. Some Peter quotations: 1 Peter 1: 12 "They (the prophets) were told that these things would not occur during their lifetime, but long years later, during yours." Peter is addressing this to the Jewish Christians. 1 Peter 4:7 "The end of the world is coming soon." Again, addressing the Jewish Christians. John the Apostle 1 John 1: 18 "...this world's last hour has come....You heard about the Antichrist who is coming--the one who is against Christ--and already many such persons have appeared. This makes us all the more certain that the end of the world is near." The Apostle Paul: 1 Thessff 4: 15 "I can tell you this directly form the Lord: that we who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise ahead of those who are in their graves..." There are many, many more examples in MarK, Luke and Matthew (see the other post). Does not Jesus tell the disciples that some of them would still be alive when he returned? ---------------------------------- In conclusion, if read in context, it is inescapable that the 2nd Coming is intended for Peter's generation. I understand that it is not what people want to hear, not want they want to believe, and I was certainly one of them. I had the adamancy of "Paul" concerning the Rapture and 2nd Coming. But that was before I began to read the NT, before I began to jot down these quotations and measure them against the actual context, not my own desired context. --------------------------- Anyway, thanks for your kind words. They're always welcome. And I post no more because this is not the place for this kind of questioning...Treadway |