What He Will Do with Heaven and Earth, Part 2

Introduction and Review of the Series

0:01 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday evening, August 26, 2001, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.

0:12 Now let us turn together in the word of God to 2 Peter, 2 Peter and chapter 3, and I shall read in your hearing the same portion that I read this morning, 2 Peter chapter 3, verses 1 through 13.

0:33 This is now, beloved, the second epistle that I write unto you, and in both of them I stir up your sincere mind by putting you in remembrance that you should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first, that in the last days mockers shall come to you, and come with mockery, walking after their own lust, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water by the word of God, by which means the world that then was filled with water perished. But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word, have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

2:01 2 Peter, 2 Peter and chapter 3, and I shall read this morning, and in both of them I stir it. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering to you, word, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come, as a thief, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works thereof shall be destroyed. But the heavens that are therein shall be burned up, seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved.

2:39 What manner of persons ought you to be, in all holy living and godliness, looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? But according to his promise...

3:02 We look for new heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. Well, let us again come before the God who never wearies of his people when they trouble him with earnest prayers, that God will help us as we come to the study of his word.

3:25 Our Father, we thank you that you have given us your word as a light shining in a dark place. We thank you that it is assured. We thank you that you have given us your word of prophecy, and we pray that the Holy Spirit, who gave it to us through the pen of the Apostle Peter, would now be present as our teacher. O Lord, may I know the help of your Spirit as I seek to open up and apply the Scriptures, and may everyone sitting before you and in your presence know the ministry of that same Holy Spirit, giving understanding.

4:04 And an inclination of heart to receive in faith and obedience all that you will say to us from the Scriptures. Hear us then and help us, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. Now, the issue of the future of planet Earth is a hot-button issue in our world today.

4:35 International conferences are convened by groups of scientists. Sociologists and political leaders gathering together to wrestle with the issues of global warming, warming the ozone layer, and a host of other problems, real or imagined, which affect old planet Earth. And in the midst of all of the talk and attention, the child of God wonders, does God have anything to say? The child of God wonders about the present and the future of old planet Earth.

5:14 And those who love their Bibles know that God does indeed have something to say very clearly about the future of planet Earth. And in our present study of the great doctrine of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall in a few moments come to one of the most definitive passages in all of Scripture, addressing this very question of the future of planet Earth. And I do know that there are some who come Lord's Day evenings that are not with us in the mornings, and I trust none of you who are here in the mornings are weary of my giving a brief review for the sake of those who are not with us. The truth that I'm trying to lay out is a fabric, and all of the strands in it are vital, and so let me take just a few minutes to bring up to speed those who are not with us. This morning, in the course of this series of studies on the Second Coming in New Testament belief and experience, we have been addressing some of the things that the Scriptures tell us will accompany the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, events that are certain to come to pass when our Lord Jesus returns. We have considered the biblical answer to the question of what will happen when our Lord Jesus returns. We have considered the biblical answer to the question of what will happen when our Lord Jesus returns.

6:37 One, what will happen to those who are in Christ, both dead and alive, at the return of Christ? Secondly, what will happen to those who are not in Christ, dead and alive, when Christ returns? Last Lord's Day we considered the question, what will happen to the devil and his angels when Christ returns? And then this morning we began to take up this fourth category of events that are certain to occur when Christ returns.

7:07 At the return of Christ, what will happen to the physical creation, to the cosmos as we now know it, to all planet Earth, and to all that is connected with it? And the answer that I am proposing is a distillation of the teaching of Scripture is this. At the return of Christ, the present physical creation will undergo a radical renovation by the purifying and restoring action of Christ, thereby making it a fit dwelling for the glorified saints in Christ. Now, in taking up this category of concern, I stated that we will not understand what will happen and why it will happen unless we place this whole issue of the present and future destiny of all planet Earth within the biblical doctrine. This is the whole grid of creation, fall, and redemption. And so this morning we took up and considered from the Scriptures, first of all, the condition of the original creation as it came from the creative word and hand of the triune God.

The Radical Renovation of Creation: Creation, Fall, Redemption Grid

8:25 And in summary, we saw God's assessment, God beheld all that He made, and behold, it was very good. And then we saw, secondly, the disruptions and alterations of the physical creation which resulted from the fall of man. Genesis 3 and verse 17, and the cosmic implications of God cursing the ground for the sake or on account of the sinning man. And then I promised you that tonight we would take up the third category of this creation, fall, redemption, and redemption grid, and I want to state that third category this way, that at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, there will be a radical renovation of the physical creation. And I use the term radical renovation deliberately. Renovation is not annihilation and replacement. God is not done with old planet Earth.

9:31 God will make it fresh and sound. Again, that's the dictionary definition of renovation. But it will be a radical renovation. Radical means extreme or thorough.

9:45 It will neither be marginal nor minimal, but a radical renovation of the physical creation. And then I promised you we would look at what I call the twin towers on the landscape of biblical revelation. As surely as the World Trade Center and the Twin Towers, the Twin Towers are prominent in the landscape of Manhattan. So likewise, when we look at the landscape of biblical revelation with the question, what will happen at the return of Christ?

Peter's Pastoral Concern: Addressing Cynicism

10:19 These two passages, 2 Peter chapter 3 and Romans 8, 19 to 22, are the twin towers of God's revelatory landscape, telling us in clear terms, though not in all the specifics we might like, what is in store for old planet Earth at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and in glory. Now then, I trust you still have 2 Peter chapter 3 before you, because we're going to deal with the passage, as we would if I were preaching through the entire epistle of 2 Peter. And I want you to notice, with me first of all from this passage, the specific pastoral concern that moves Peter to write what he writes. He tells us in the first 4 verses of this chapter, he is writing in order to stir up the minds of these believers by way of remembrance. And he is particularly concerned to stir up their minds by way of remembrance with reference to things spoken by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through the apostles with a focused concern upon the problem

11:45 of the climate of cynicism that will be present whenever they speak of the promise of the return of Christ. And so he tells them that you must know this, that in the last days, those days from Pentecost, until the coming of Christ, mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts and saying. So in their attitude and disposition of cynicism and of skepticism, they say events such as you Christians talk about, the second coming of Christ, cataclysmic, disruptive events like that, simply don't happen. In other words, they are convinced uniformitarians. All things continue, they even admit, they say creation. They may say the Bing Bang or something else, but from the beginning, it is a totally uniform unfolding of human history.

12:57 Now you Christians are telling us that there is going to be a cataclysmic, cosmic disruption of all of this in your so-called coming, the parousia of your savior. It's a lot of nonsense. So they speak cynically saying, where is the promise of his coming? Everything continues as it has for decades, for centuries, for millennia.

13:25 All the things go on as they have been from creation. Now it's Peter's specific pastoral concern, to address that matter of the cynicism and the skepticism that believers will face when they live their lives framed by the blessed hope of the glorious appearing of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ. So the specific pastoral concern of Peter is brought into focus in verses 1 to 4. Now then, we begin to consider secondly, the devastating response of Peter in verses 5 to 13.

Peter's Devastating Response: Historical Precedent of the Flood

14:07 Devastating to skepticism and to skeptics. The devastating response of Peter, and it has four major strands. The first one is that Peter underscores an historical precedent for a cataclysmic event such as will occur at the coming of Christ. Peter underscores an historical event that was cataclysmic, that affected the heavens and the earth as they then existed.

14:45 An event concerning which Peter says in verse 5, this they willfully forget. You see, forgetfulness is not always a morally or ethically neutral thing. This they willfully forget. They forget on purpose.

15:07 That's another form of Romans 1. They suppress the truth in unrighteousness. They conveniently push this fact of human history out of mind. For this they willfully forget that there were heavens from of old and an earth.

15:26 Now notice heavens, earth. That couplet will occur four times in this passage. That's the key to the passage. Heavens, earth.

15:35 Earth, heavens. Here's the first use of it. For this they willfully forget that there were heavens from of old and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water by the word of God. This is a brief summary of what we read in Genesis chapter 1.

15:51 Of the central place of water in that original creation. And he says this they willfully forget that the creation as it came from the hand of God God's word being instrumental in its creation that that world by which means that is by means of the very word that created it that world that then was being overflowed with water perished. They willfully forget that there was an event in history that was indeed disruptive of a uniformitarian unfolding of human history. On a given day God opened up the heavens broke up the fountains of the deep and God inundated the world that world as it then was perished. It came under the universal judgment of almighty God. And was in a very real sense a finger pointing to another event in human history that will not be the cumulative effect of a uniformitarian process but a cataclysmic divine intrusion

Peter's Devastating Response: Prophetic Pronouncement of Fire

17:15 upon human history. So Peter's devastating response begins with underscoring this historical precedent for the cataclysmic event of the coming of the Lord Jesus. Then the second thing Peter does is he gives a prophetic pronouncement in verse 7. But the heavens that are now and the earth here we come again the heavens and the earth the now heavens the now earth the post-created post-flood heavens and earth by the same word the word that brought them into being in the beginning the word that brought them unto life under the cataclysmic judgment of the flood by that same word have been stored up for fire being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. In Peter's devastating response to this climate of cynicism and skepticism he moves from a reminder of this historical event the flood to make this prophetic announcement it pertains to the existing post-flood post-fall

18:41 heavens and earth and their destination has been determined by the word of God and that destiny is described as being stored up or reserved for fire reserved for fire for fire is the destiny of the heavens and the earth that now exist subsequent to creation subsequent to the flood this is what God says this world is destined to and that storing up for fire is identified with the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men anthropos is used here which means generic mankind stored up for fire and that storing up for fire is identified with the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly now from our previous studies when does the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly occur it occurs at the second coming of Christ 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 you that are afflicted rest with us and the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven

Peter's Devastating Response: Important Reminder about God's Timing

20:08 in flaming fire with his angels to take vengeance on them that know not God and those who obey not the gospel who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his might and so Peter is saying in this prophetic announcement that the day of coming judgment of ungodly men and women boys and girls that will be the day when the destiny of this present cosmos heavens and earth stored up for fire that fire will be released and do its God intended work according to the word of God in the day of Christ's return then from his reminder of the historical precedent this prophetic pronouncement the third line of Peter's thought in his devastating response to the cynicism is an important reminder verses 8 and 9 but do not forget this one thing beloved here's a forgetfulness that is not willful but just careless he said brethren beloved he's speaking to the people of God don't forget this one thing as you live in the midst of this climate of skepticism knowing that the present heavens and earth

21:36 are being stored up for fire a fire that will be released to do its work in the day of judgment of ungodly men in this interim with the climate of skepticism and cynicism all around you beloved don't forget this one thing this will help fortify you against imbibing any of the skepticism don't forget this one thing there is an important reminder and what is that one thing well it is that God relates to time in a different way than we do verse 8 forget not this one thing beloved that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day most likely a reference from Psalm 90 now is he saying that God has no relationship to time no what he is saying is that God relates to time in a different way from the way that we relate to time for us time is the unfolding of seconds and minutes and hours and days and weeks and years and decades God sees all of time in an instant of time one day is with the Lord as a thousand years

23:05 our reckoning of time a thousand years as a long long time for some of you kids your twentieth birthday is like its light years away that's a long long time if you sat with your calculator and forget how many days have got to come and go before I turn twenty it seems like an infinite number so a thousand years is like infinite upon infinite but don't forget this though with us a thousand years is a long time to God it is this one day one day and furthermore one day in the reckoning of God is as a thousand years because in the reckoning of God he encompasses all of time in a very pinpoint of instant perfect knowledge and utterly sovereign control and he said don't forget that so when people say hundreds of years have passed and one generation after another of God's people say let's live in the expectation of the Lord's return everything goes on the same look how much time has passed he said look they're talking like foolish men reckoning time only from the perspective of little creatures of time don't forget this beloved that one day is with the Lord is a thousand years and a thousand years is one day here's an important reminder with respect to God's relationship

24:33 to time is different from your relationship to time and from mine listen to Lenski the Lutheran commentator very helpful entirely too much escapes the mockers hence their ignorant mocking this is a point that may escape even Peter's readers which he therefore wants to them to note well that one day is with the Lord is a thousand years and a thousand years is one day this is Peter's own statement based upon Psalm 90 and verse 4 a thousand years in thy sight or as yesterday when it is past and as a watch in the night God created time in the beginning is the first tick of the clock of time Genesis 1-1 God initiates time God introduces time and it has ticked ever since that time never faster never slower thus we have the seconds the minutes the hours that to us are a day and finally a year and a thousand years as time began so shall it end time shall no longer exist when the last tick has been reached Revelation 10-6 with the Lord time is evidently not what it is to us who live in time he is above time Peter does not say that the Lord is timeless which he of course is but that his relation to time must never be confused with our relation to time

26:02 a day seems short to us a thousand years a very long period with the Lord a single day is as a thousand years and vice versa let us not overlook the two and then he writes out the little Greek particle hos as Peter does not say a single day is a thousand years and a thousand years are a single day Peter does not use hos as being equal to like or as a mere conception of the mind but in the sense of as in reality whether it be a day or a thousand years as we count time both are really the same with the Lord neither hampers nor helps him and then he goes on to take a pot shot at those who say oh well when it says God did this and that one day in Genesis that we can say that means great eons of time and he goes on to say that is irresponsible exegesis but he validates and underscores this principle that Peter wants them to grasp you remember when we were dealing with the time of the Lord's return we said for us it is always imminent it is always at hand why it is the next great event in redemptive history and if a thousand two thousand ten thousand years should pass that will be in God's reckoning as but two to three days two or three watches in the night and Peter says as you anticipate and affirm

27:31 the return of the Lord Jesus in the climate of skepticism and cynicism you must not only remember that historic precedent of a cataclysmic event which changed the whole scheme of things the flood you must not only remember the prophetic announcement that a day of judgment and destruction of the ungodliest coming when Christ returns the cynics will no longer be cynical when they behold the returning Lord for the scripture says every eye shall see him and they that pierced him shall mourn for him and then Peter says further I need to give you an important reminder God relates to time in a different way than you do and then he goes on in verse eight to say God regulates his timing with respect to his commitment to the purposes of saving mercy God regulates his timing by his commitment to his purposes of saving mercy look at verse nine the Lord is not slack concerning his promise he said I will come and don't ever think that he is somehow backing off from commitment to his promise as some count slackness don't put God in the category of men who make promises and don't keep them but God makes promises and doesn't count slackness God makes promises and doesn't count slackness

29:00 But his long-suffering to you word, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God's relationship to time is regulated by his purposes of saving mercy. That's what Peter is saying. He said, now you believers need to keep that in mind.

29:23 God does not relate to time as you do. And God's relationship to time is regulated by his commitment to save all upon whom he has set his love in eternity. For whom Christ came forth, on whose behalf he lived and died and rose again. And for whom he intercedes at the right hand of the Father.

Peter's Devastating Response: Expanded Prophetic Announcement of the Day of the Lord

29:46 Remember, God's relationship to time is regulated by his saving purposes. Which are, Then he goes on in verse 10 to give an expansion of the previous prophetic announcement in verse 7. He teases us with just a brief statement of it in verse 7. The earth and the heavens that are now, by the same word, have been stored up, for fire, fire that will be loosed when Christ comes at his second coming to judge the ungodly. Now he's going to expand upon that, reaffirming the certainty of the Lord's return, verse 10. But, the day of the Lord will come. It will come.

30:48 God isn't reckoning time as we do. God's relationship to time is regulated by his saving purposes. But, That does not mean the promise of his coming is null and void. The day of the Lord will come.

31:04 But it will come, first of all, as a thief. Suddenly, unexpectedly. And there are two nuances of the thief motif in scripture. In some places, the Lord uses the imagery of the thief to warn people to be prepared.

31:21 In other places, he says, true believers will be prepared. That day will not overtake you as a thief. And we must distinguish. Here, it is not that God is saying that, well, only to unbelievers will it come as a thief.

31:37 He's speaking to believers. And when it is this generic thief motif, it's underscoring the unexpectedness and the suddenness of the Lord's return. And the day of the Lord will come, but it will come as a thief. There will not be.

31:56 There will not be the kind of rumblings prior to his coming that are the unmistakable portents that the Lord is about to give the shout of triumph. And that the archangel is about to speak and the trump of God to sound. The day of the Lord will come with suddenness and unexpectedness. The heavens at that time, now look at the language as he expands the description.

32:25 And the heavens. Here we come back again. Heavens. Later on in the verse, and the earth.

32:32 Here's our third use of heavens and earth. This is what's going to happen to the created order. And what will happen? The day of the Lord will come as a thief in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise.

32:48 Now, I'm not going to weary you with studies of Greek words. But I must pause to say this word. Is a word that speaks of the creation. The kind of hissing or roaring that would come with a mighty conflagration.

33:02 Perhaps you've seen pictures and heard the sounds of the kind of fires that get totally out of control in the forest fires or in a fire in a wooden dwelling. And that's the picture here that at the return of Christ, the day of the Lord coming suddenly and unexpectedly, the heavens, the cosmos around us, shall pass away. With a great noise, with a hissing roar, the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat and the earth and the works, the things that men have built, their cities and their great works of art and all that they've produced, the earth and all the works that are therein shall be burned up. Now, do you see why I said in answer to the question, what will happen to the physical creation?

33:57 At the coming of Christ, that I've stated that the coming of Christ, there will be this radical intrusion resulting in renovation by the what purifying presence of the Lord Jesus by fire, what kind of fire again, I love the old Lutheran commentator at times, his strict Biblicism, Lenski says. Do not ask for fire. Do not ask for fire. Do not ask for fire.

34:28 Do not ask for fire. Do not ask me what kind of fire it will be. God has all the varieties of fire he needs for his purposes. The fire to burn wood, the electric fire of the lightning that strikes in an instant in the sky, the fire that burns in the sun, the fire to change the heavens and the earth at the last day, and another most terrible, unquenchable fire for the devils and the damned in hell.

34:56 Lenski says, don't trouble me with questions. What kind of fire? God has all kinds of fire at his disposal and can create new forms of fire. But this we know with the purifying influence that will cause the elements to be dissolved with fervent heat.

35:16 The earth and the works thereof that are therein shall be burned up. The day of the Lord will come as a thief and it will radically affect what is in the heavens. And what is upon the earth. That's the statement.

35:32 The expanded statement of Peter in his devastating response to skepticism about the coming of the Lord Jesus. And there's a variant reading at the end of that verse. The works that are therein shall be burned up. There is a textual variant that would render it shall be laid bare.

35:54 And the commentators and those who study the matter of what did Peter read. Originally right or pretty evenly divided. I cast my judgment in the direction of the rendering of the ASV. They shall be burned up.

36:09 They shall be consumed in terms of what they presently are. Not consumed unto oblivion of the entire cosmos. But consumed in terms of that which is necessary for a radical renovation. Renovation of things as they now are.

36:33 And so we have this expansion of the previous prophetic announcement in verse 10. And then we have a repetition of the expanded prophetic announcement of verse 10 when we come to verse 12. Looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved. And the elements shall melt with fervent heat.

37:03 Here he underscores using much of the same language from verse 10. Which was an expansion of verse 7. God is saying, okay dummies, you got what I'm telling you. That's when I read a passage like this.

37:16 I hear God saying to me, not in a way dummy, but affectionately.

37:24 Affectionately says to me, now dummy, don't you get it? I think someone was offended once when I said that. Because I didn't make plain. God doesn't say it like a crotchety, narrow-hearted, unloving parent.

37:37 But God does it in the same way he calls us sheep. That's not a flattering designation, you know. Sheep are dumb, vulnerable creatures. But God doesn't say, you sheep.

37:48 He says, you're my sheep. Dumb and vulnerable, but I love you and I'm going to save you. So if God would say, dummy to me, I don't picture God as cuffing me on the side of the head. But just kind of getting my attention.

38:02 Say, now my son, my son, look. I've told you, verse 7, that this present heavens and earth that now are stored up for fire. And the day of judgment, which is the day of Christ's return, the fire will be loosed. And furthermore, I'll tell you some more.

38:21 The elements shall pass away with a great noise. I'm sorry, the heavens shall pass away with a great noise. The elements shall pass away. I'm sorry, the heavens shall pass away with a great noise.

38:29 be dissolved with fervent heat the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up furthermore verse 12 by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat and then as the prophetic description of the result of the cosmic meltdown look at verse 13 where's all this going to lead but according to his promise we look for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwells righteousness god's not putting on a fourth of july fireworks display to have cherubim and seraphim and glorified saints who and i'll say oh look at that one no god's got a purpose in all of this and it's not fourth of july fireworks display god's got a purpose that he's going to have a cosmos perfectly compatible to those saints whom he's glorified at the coming of his son and so peter says according to his promise what do we look for we're not looking for the fireworks we're looking for what comes the other side of the fireworks a new heavens and

39:50 a new earth for you greek students you know your two basic words for new that us and its parallel word kainos and this is kainos not new of a totally different kind but new in terms of the same kind but renewed and it will be a new heavens not newly created out of nothing but new as a result of the renewing purifying fire and judgment of the returning christ the romans 8 passage will make this even more explicit when he uses the imagery of this um in the context let me be clear wrestle with God s let me be clear things have happened that look like this is the present creation is in the throes of birth pangs waiting to be delivered and come into the liberty of the sons of god it is this same creation beautiful parallel with our bodies the earthly body of the saints and their glorified body so there's continuity between the heavens and the earth that he originally created that came under the curse

41:09 that were the object of God's wrath in the flood in the days of Noah that earth that is being stored up for fire will come through the fire not annihilated, obliterated but renewed a new heavens and a new earth and what will be their distinguishing characteristic it says wherein dwells righteousness the word for dwell is the word for settling in and settling down it's not spending a night or two in a motel it's not the word for dwelling as a sojourner it's the word for settling in and settling down and the primary pervasive characteristic of that in which we will settle in and settle down is righteous cosmos in which all the effects of sin are removed and all sin in the renewed resurrected glorified saints totally, eternally irrevocably removed a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness is perfectly at home listen again to Lenski

Application to Unbelievers: Judgment and the Need for Righteousness

42:36 the old universe was spoiled by the fall sin permeated with its effects that includes all of nature animate and inanimate the heavenly bodies and the heavens also all shall become new on that day fire shall make them new so that in them righteousness dwells even every trace of unrighteousness being removed forever what's gonna happen to old planet earth god's got marvelous plans for aren't you glad that the future of old planet earth isn't in the hands of the so-called experts but in the hands of god for it is now do you see the scriptural foundation for the answer that i've proposed what will happen to the created physical order at the return of christ i said this is the answer of the bible At the return of Christ, the present physical creation, the heavens and the earth as we know them, will undergo a radical renovation by the purifying and restorative action of Christ, thereby making it a fit dwelling for the glorified saints in Christ. Now let me come to application. First of all, to you who are not in Christ,

44:06 while this passage in 2 Peter, as I've underscored several times in the course of the exposition, focuses on that which Christ will do with this disjointed, disordered, sin-cursed physical creation at His coming, four times, heaven or heavens and earth, heavens and earth, heavens and earth. That's the focus. What's going to happen to the present physical universe? And Peter, by the Holy Ghost, has answered it.

44:37 But there is a reference to men and women in this passage. And it's there at the end of verse 7. The earth and the heavens that now are, by the same word, have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction. Now notice, we would expect Peter to say, of the horrible effects of sin.

45:03 But he doesn't. You see, sin. Sin is a horrible moral evil, but it's committed by people.

45:12 And when people say, well, God loves the sinner, but hates the sin, try to tell God that in the day of judgment. He doesn't send sin and its abstraction into hell. He sends men and women, boys and girls, who are described in verse 7 as ungodly. They are not like God.

45:31 They were made to be God's image. And in their sin, that image has been destroyed. They are defaced, and they love to have it defaced. They are prepared to image anything but the God of truth and love and righteousness.

45:47 And God says, look, I'm at work in this old fallen world. And when I'm all done, I'm going to have a new heavens and a new earth that is the perfect, settled in, settled down environment that is perfectly righteous. And in it will be people who match what I've made this cosmos. It will be a people who in their sense of sin fled from their guilt and their hell deservingness and laid hold of the righteousness that I have provided in my dear Son, called in Scripture the righteousness of God, received by faith alone.

46:27 And in that faith reception of an alien righteousness, the righteousness of Christ's obedience in death, that perfect righteousness, which gives us perfect standing in the presence of God. Whenever God is pleased to grant that to the believing sinner, at the same time, he takes out that heart that didn't want to image God, that wanted to image the devil, a heart that was averse to God and to his law. And God excises that heart and puts in a heart of flesh. And he writes his law upon that heart, giving an internal disposition towards righteousness, obedience.

47:06 Obedience to the revealed will of God. And he gives power by the indwelling Spirit to live righteously here and now as we anticipate being made perfect in righteousness at the return of the Lord Jesus. And Peter tells us when God comes to shake and to purify and to renovate the now heavens and earth, he will come in judgment of all who do not have that power. That righteousness, the righteousness imputed, that perfect righteousness that is in Christ, that righteousness imparted by the sovereign, regenerating, renewing work of the Spirit that makes every one of its recipients concerned to practice righteousness. He that practices righteousness, John says, is righteous, even as he is righteous.

48:07 My friend, your skepticism won't change from an unrighteous, ungodly man or woman into one fit for the day that shall come. You say, ha, past generations have spoken of it. Why has he not come? Let me tell you why.

48:26 Because he still purposes to save sinners like you. That's why. Account that the long suffering of God is salvation. Why this long period of time for us?

48:39 Seconds, minutes, hours, days, years, decades, centuries, millennia? Because God is long-suffering to the likes of you who say, ha, second-coming schmumming. No, my friend, don't mistake God's long-suffering either for indulgence of who and what you are and what you've done, or indifference to his promise. Don't be a Romans 2.5 individual.

49:06 What do I mean by that? Paul says, the goodness of God leads you to repentance, but after your hardness and impenitent heart, you treasure up for yourself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Don't mistake God's long-suffering for indifference to your sin. Every day you go on in your sin, you treasure up another measure in the stock of wrath that will be vented when Christ comes to purify the existing heavens and earth, to glorify his saints, to judge those who are not in Christ, and consign the devil and his angels to hell.

49:45 My dear unsaved friend, God's given you life and breath for another Lord's day. He's brought you in a place where you've not been flattered, being lied to, that you're all right. All you need is a little bit of a chuck under the chin to be a little better, a little kinder, a little more feeling for your fellow man, and all will be well. You've been told the truth that you're a sinner who needs a righteousness that is perfect, that you cannot provide, but is provided by God in Jesus Christ, that you must be so transformed by the mighty power of God that you'll be turned from a lover of sin into a lover of righteousness and purity and godliness.

Application to Believers: Mandates for Godly Living and Longing

50:27 But to you, the Lord's people, Peter says this great reality issues some very pointed mandates to us. I'll simply mention them. Each one of them warrants expansion and detailed application. But notice how Peter weaves in the implications and applications of this great future of old planet Earth.

50:53 He says, first of all, it brings a mandate for a God-oriented perspective concerning time. Beloved, forget not this one thing. We must have a God-oriented perspective concerning time. If God should allow another ten thousand years to pass, the coming of the Lord is still at hand.

51:18 Every moment of every day, of every year, of every decade, of every century that human history may yet unfold, this is a mandate for a God-oriented perspective concerning time. It's a mandate for God-like concern for the salvation of others. If the Lord's long-suffering is in reference to His saving purposes, surely we should be like God. That's why at the end of the day, when I preach my heart and preach my body out, I'm still pleading with you.

51:55 Don't trifle with these things. God is long-suffering. But there comes a point where His long-suffering is terminated. The day of the Lord will come.

52:09 It will come. And you will be summoned to stand before Him. You cannot avoid it. This is a mandate for us as God's people to have a God-like concern for the salvation of others.

52:24 It's a mandate for godly living. Look at verse 11. Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved. What manner of persons ought we to be trying to figure out?

52:35 Will the fire be atomic explosions? No. Don't forget that nonsense. All you need to know is the elements are going to be dissolved.

52:44 The earth and the works shall be burned in the light of this. That's all you need to know, God says. What manner of persons ought you to be in all holy living and godliness? This is a mandate for godly living.

52:59 When He comes, I want in the language of 1 John 2.28 not to be ashamed before Him that is coming. It's a mandate for godly living. Because He's going to usher in those events and that influence of purifying fire that is going to issue in the new heavens and the new earth wherein righteousness has its permanent home.

53:25 And you see, no one's going into that home who doesn't want to be what that home is. It's a mandate for godly living. And then verses 12 and 13. These realities are a mandate for godly longing and looking.

53:41 Verse 12. Looking for, earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God. Looking for, earnestly desiring. Looking for, earnestly desiring.

53:58 Not occasionally. In the midst of all of my other activities, occasionally giving a fleeting thought to the fact that all of history is moving toward the day of the Lord in which He shall come. But we must seek to cultivate this godly looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God. Verse 13.

54:25 That we, according to His promise, we look for a new heavens. Do you look? Do you look? Is your neck stretched out?

54:33 One of the verbs used here is a graphic one. And I was trying to think of an illustration. I thought of the many times when I've been at Newark Airport or years past out at Kennedy. And someone knows that a loved one has come in at the international arrivals and they know they've got to go through customs and immigrations and get their luggage and all the rest.

54:54 And everyone's milling around that area where they have the aisles blocked off with those little stands and the ribbons. And you see people not standing there like this. But there's a loved one. They're expecting to meet.

55:07 And what are they doing? They're eagerly looking. And their necks are stretched out. It's as though their necks got twice their normal length.

55:13 On their tiptoes, looking. Someone in front gets a head there. They look this way, look this way, look this way. What are they doing?

55:19 They are looking for and earnestly desiring to see the approach of their loved one. Peter says that should be you and me as the people of God. Looking for, earnestly desiring. We look for a new heavens and a new earth.

55:40 And as we shall see in subsequent studies, God willing, rather than make us a people so earthly minded we're no heavenly good, it'll make us so heavenly minded that we'll do a greater measure of earthly good. The one who looks and earnestly desires is the one who lives as he ought to live now. Buying up the opportunity. Seeking to sow labor in the faithful stewardship of God-given gift and talent.

56:15 That when the master comes he will summon us into his presence and say, well done, good and faithful servant. So what's going to happen to this physical universe when Christ returns? We have seen from this passage in the word of God that when Christ returns this physical universe will undergo a radical renovation by the purifying and restorative action of Christ. Thereby making it a fit dwelling for the glorified saints in Christ.

Concluding Prayer

56:53 Even so come, Lord Jesus. Let's pray. Our Father, what can we say when we have sought to bring our minds into contact with your own words concerning your purpose and plan for this present cosmos? We pray that as we move in it and live out our lives in it that we may constantly view it for what it is.

57:31 A heavens and an earth slated for fire. Stored up for fire. And Lord, we look beyond the fire. We long for the day when every last square inch of planet earth will be suffused with righteousness.

57:51 Purged of all the effects of the fall and of sin. And positively endowed with that which you judge to be righteousness. Oh God, we pray give us holy longings for that day of consummation. Help us not to be discouraged when we see the cynicism and skepticism of those about us.

58:21 But may we ever remember to think of time from your perspective and not our own. Much less that of the skeptic and the cynic. Lord, we pray that we will have your heart for the salvation of sinners. That by your grace we will be a people walking in all manner of godliness and sobriety.

58:51 Lord, loosen our inordinate grasp upon the things of this present age. Give us hearts that seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at your right hand in the confidence that when he shall appear we shall be manifested with him in glory. No longer to have to mourn our wretched remaining sin. No longer have to live with the plague of a dull and distracted heart.

59:28 Oh God, we pray hasten that day and help us to be faithful until we are called home or greet our returning Lord. Seal then your word to our hearts and be merciful to those who are not in Christ. We ask in his worthy name. Amen.