There’s a lot of talk about end times lately. When the world is in turmoil many people begin to think about such things. Harold Raser traced several impactful shifts in theology and Christian foci on the Second Coming.
• In the 16th- and 17th-century Europe, a series of social, political, economic, and religious upheavals (the Reformation included) turned that part of the world upside down. In this environment, Christians began once again to seriously entertain the idea that Christ’s return might be very near.
• The Enlightenment (late 17th century and 18th century) stressed rationality, the central role of scientific inquiry in human knowledge, and the continuous progress of humanity. When that work was complete, Christ would return to claim His kingdom, raise the dead, judge the world, and bring human history to its consummation.
• The late 19th and early 20th centuries there were social upheavals in many parts of the world, devastating wars, economic depressions, growing religious indifference, and many other ills. They yearned for Christ to return—and soon. This hope for the imminent return of Christ strengthened throughout the 20th century and continues to be popular in the 21st century.[1]
In our current world situation, minds often turn to Christ’s return. Is it imminent? When will it arrive? Where will I be in the mix? In light of Jesus declaring that no one knows the date and time of his return, why do some Christians still declare or venture guesses at the dates? (Matthew 24:36-44)
So many Christians have been caught up in the fear, anxiety and sometimes outright hysteria of this that they have left homes and property, gone off to remote places or high mountains to be nearer to the event, or have left off the basic practices of Christian living consumed by the anticipation or becoming disillusioned. Whole churches and Christian communities have been caught up in predictions or disillusionment that Christ has not yet returned. One set of churches many years ago experienced this and we have Biblical documentation of the strife as well as guidance for how to live as Christians while in the time of waiting for Christ’s return.
The Apostle Peter had preached for many years and helped to establish churches after Christ’s return to heaven (Acts 1). He wrote the letters preserved in the New Testament at a particularly brutal time—the time of the Roman ruler Nero’s reign. “Nero was the fifth Roman emperor (54–68 ce), stepson and heir of the emperor Claudius. He became infamous for his personal debaucheries and extravagances and, on doubtful evidence, for his burning of Rome and persecutions of Christians.”[2] History tells us that he used to arrest, torture and burn Christians alive. What kind of responses to these events do you imagine were happening in churches in the area?
In 1 and 2 Peter we see a clear set of responses. Peter wrote circular letters to churches in these desperate times. 1 Peter 1:1 “To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia…” This is what we know today as modern Turkey. 1 Peter is full of praise to God, celebration of new birth through Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection, their identity rooted in relationship with Jesus Christ, and instructions on how to live in a culture such as that in which they lived. Peter admonished them to continue to live holy lives. 1 Peter 2:11-12 reads, “Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” There must have been incredible pressures on them for Peter to write with ardent words. He goes on with such words in 4:12-19.
12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,“If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”
19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
That was from Peter’s first letter. There were clearly external threats to these Christians. But, even worse, there developed internal threats. Moving into 2 Peter we see some very disturbing things. But Peter first starts with again declaring their identity found in Jesus Christ, the promises that exist for all who believe, and the urging toward godly lives.
2 Peter 1: 3-11
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I have clung to verse 3 for many years. This verse alone has helped me through times of doubt and trouble. I believe that God has given me everything I need for life as I know it right now. If we hold to this belief, it can help us to endure, and even thrive, during difficult times. It is possible to live a Christian life in the face of persecution and great trouble—even if we feel we know so little.
Then Peter admonishes them to add to their Christian lives in spite of the trouble. This admonishment is one of the keys to surviving spiritual and physical trouble. The Christian life is far more than just survival! Because of the Living Hope, we can rise above and keep learning and growing. If we turn our minds and hearts and efforts toward Christian growth, that can pull our eyes off of the trouble and onto the One who saves us out of that trouble. There are some remarkable stories of Christians throughout history who have shone brightly even in the moments of their martyrdom.
But the internal trouble in these churches had not yet been addressed by the Apostle Peter. In Chapter 2 that is revealed.
2 Peter 2:1-3
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
It is here revealed that there were snakes and wolves ravaging these churches. Peter had just described the power and reliability of the prophets’ words in the Old Testament and Jesus Christ as well as the authenticity of his own, and the other Apostle’s, participation in the continued message empowered by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:12-21). But during this time of great persecution, it must have become easier to listen to false prophets among them.
False prophets have motives that are not godly. They either want your money, or your bodies, or your property or your powerlessness to defeat the Light. They are of Satan and his willing actors. Peter describes them this way.
2 Peter 2:10-12
10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.
Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. 12 But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.
Keep reading the rest of chapter 2 for unnerving descriptions of people bound to destruction. Nero-esque? Indeed! Oh, how can anyone survive such people?
Peter instructs these dear Christian sisters and brothers to shift their focus off of the wicked among them to the Savior of the world. God has given us powerful minds and wills. If we keep them engaged and focused on the right things, the Holy Spirit will empower us to thrive. This focus can help us to discern error and heresy and raise our eyes to the reality of the Second Coming.
So many times our suffering causes us to turn inward, focus on our pain, defend ourselves against those who would tear us to pieces or cause us to just give up. But do not give up, my friends there is a Day of the Lord! Here is how Peter teaches us to do this from 2 Peter.
2 Peter 3:1-2
Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I 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.
There is a deliberate act of the will, mind and heart to turn away from the unwholesome and disturbing thinking. This is far more than just “emptying our minds” as other religions teach. This is filling our minds so full of God’s truth that error and heresy have no room to rest or abide. We have a strong legacy with God’s Word and his witnesses that cannot be quenched if we choose to think on them, recall them and rejoice in them.
2 Peter 3:3-7
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
Oh, how I wish scoffers did not exist! Our spiritual lives would be so much easier. The contemptuous, ridiculing and mocking that try to drive darts of doubt into our minds are constantly set against us. If we let them get to us, lead us to deliberately set our beliefs aside, or forget that we have the power of the Holy Spirit to resist, then our lives with Christ will be lost and we will become hopeless.
But we have hope—we always have hope because of who God is! Peter describes the unquenchable power of God as Creator and Judge. One of the greatest temptations as we wait on the Lord’s return is to believe that it won’t happen because it hasn’t happened yet. God has demonstrated his presence and power from before the Creation of the world. That power is undeterred and unfettered. On this we can rely. Peter relied on it.
2 Peter 3:8-10
8 But 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. 9 The 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.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. 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.
Peter speaks directly to the effrontery of the scoffers in these churches. Who were they to question God and his promises?! How little they knew about him, or greater still, how little they regarded him and his legacy of deliverance and grace. Peter makes sure that the Christians under such attacks need to look beyond what is known of human time and the present world to the everlasting power and love of God. We are so time-bound. This is why the prophecies about the end times that include the changes to the sun and moon that mark our daily lives are so deeply disturbing. But, if that is all we focus on, all that we believe is real, then we are missing the greater truth and are at risk of falling into disillusionment, despair and debauchery.
Verse 9 is one of the greatest verses about the character and purposes of God. When we wrestle with the timing of his return, when we become discouraged because our lives are so disrupted and the persecutions are so painful, we must turn our hearts to the reality that it’s not all about us, Christians. You see, God is holding out for salvation. He wants more and more people to come to him, to find him trustworthy, powerful to deliver them, and gracious to receive them. What the scoffers do not know is that God loves them despite their sin. He loves them through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He loves them and longs for them so much so that he is willing to allow us to suffer some so that they have a chance.
It feels unfair, doesn’t it? Why should my suffering be to their advantage? Why should what they have done to us be endured? Why? Why? Why? Because God wants to embrace them with his wonderful grace, just as we have been embraced. Even false prophets and the wicked can be saved!
Remember what Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:12? “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” For the salvation of others, Peter shifts our gaze from this present world to the new world.
2 Peter 3:11-13
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as 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. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
Peter imbues his message with hope and joy. Yes, there will be destruction. Yes, there will be judgment. Yes, there will be the dissolution of all that we presently know. And, yes, yes, yes there will be fulfillment of God’s promise!
Then how do we live today? We live toward God with the knowledge that he wants to save as many people as possible. And maybe, just maybe, that’s because we live Christian lives as witnesses to God’s great power and promises.
2 Peter 3:14
1So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
Amen
© M.R.Hyde 2025
[1] Illustrated Bible Life, Summer 2025, The Foundry Publishing, Kansas City, MO, 2025.
