Skip to main content

2 Peter 3:10 - A different angle on "the day of the Lord" - Day 141

Hello again my friends,

Listening to a commentary about world events from a Christian worldview by Al Mohler.  He reports that a significant number of "spiritual but not religious" people are turning to spiritual directors to help them get in touch with themselves.  Think about that.  People are willing to pay someone to listen to their fears and help them feel better.  But they don't want to go where they can hear the truth about where they came from, why they are here and where they are going (the gospel) for free.  As you rub shoulders (or socially distanced equivalent) with other people, listen for hints that they may be "spiritual but not religious" and point them to the narrow gate.

Blessings,

Jeff

The day of the Lord will come like a thief.  Just thinking, How exactly does a thief come?

Unexpectedly - no one expects a thief to break in and steal.  We have security systems to make us feel secure, but so do banks and museums.

A thief is generally intentional.   We have all heard about "casing a place".  Observing the defenses, habits, routines of the target.  If somebody leaves their car running at a gas station, a thief may take advantage of this opportunity.  But a "good thief" knows that people will routinely do this and wait patiently for someone to show up.  He is looking for the right time to put a plan into action.

A thief has a goal.  Car thieves look for top of the line cars.  They aren't going to steal a 10 year old sedan.  Jesus said the thieves come to steal, kill and destroy.  

So why does Peter use this picture of someone who is evil to the core to describe "the day of the Lord"?

Despite all the claims to know when the Lord will return, Jesus  clearly states that in his human nature, he does not know when He will return.  This knowledge is reserved for divinity.  If Jesus' human nature doesn't know, I am sure that no human knows.  Let me be clear, undue interest in the timing of the second coming is unhealthy.  Therefore, it will be unexpected, just like a thief.

Preparedness by the homeowner will deter a thief.  The believer's preparedness does not delay the Lord's coming, but Jesus does tell us to be ready, to watch and pray, to lay up treasure in heaven.  The day of the Lord will be unexpected, but that doesn't mean we should be unprepared.

Part of preparedness is not to collect the things that thieves want.  

So I think that the picture is used to make us think about the "what sort of people ought you to be?" question. It doesn't try to equate a thief and the Lord.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Leviticus 18:21 - Partial restoration of creation order

Dear Friends, Some times we forget that Moses wrote Genesis.  Obviously, he did not have first hand knowledge of the events of creation.  But God did and revealed them to Moses.  The "story arc" is clear to Moses despite the millenia of history between Genesis and Leviticus.  The plan for ultimate restoration is hazy, but God is at work repairing some of the damage. Blessings, Jeff What is the prohibition on child sacrifice doing in the list of prohibited sexual relations? Be fruitful and multiply - First commandment in Genesis.  God made the world to be inhabited.   Having children is how this  was to happen.  So child sacrifice was a direct violation of this first command to Adam and Eve. Marriage is one man and one woman is the creation order. Seems simple enough.  I can imagine men thinking, Yeah but God didn't say which woman.  I will do the one woman thing if she is my sister, or aunt or …..  So God gives all these examples of unlawful unions.  To this day, man stil
Post a Comment
Read more

1 Chronicles 24:1-6 How about those Levites! Day 332

Good morning friends, Good foundations are important.  Our author turns to the religious life of the returning exiles. Blessings, Jeff We have seen the emphasis on the Davidic line in the  political life of Israel.  The other area of emphasis is the Aaronic priesthood and Levitical workers. In this passage we have a quick review of the somewhat sanitized picture of the start of Aaron's line.  The returning exiles would have known that Nadab and Abihu did not just "die before their father without children".  They rebelled against God by offering unauthorized fire and were themselves consumed by fire from the Lord. Leviticus 10.  The case of Abiathar  son of Ahitub son of Ahimelech, who was faithful to David, but later rebelled with Adonijah is also not mentioned. But the passage points to the importance of the Aaronic line to the rebuilding of the temple by the exiles.  The history of the northern kingdom which was without the Levites from the beginning could not be repeat
Post a Comment
Read more

Matthew 22:23 - the danger of not knowing Scripture - Day 193

Yesterday's passage was not very theological.  Today's is very theological.  I have only scratched the surface, but hope this encourages us to question ourselves about "knowledge of Scripture and the power of God". Blessings  Jeff This is a fascinating dialogue between Sadducees and Jesus.  So let's interrogate the passage. What distinguishes the Sadducees from other Jewish doctrinal positions?  They deny that there is a resurrection.  They are absolutely committed to this doctrine. How does their commitment shape their thought and questions? Even though they don't believe in the resurrection, they formulate a question focused on showing the absurdity of the resurrection.  They are not pointing to a passage of scripture that supports them, but asking a hypothetical question to make resurrection look silly. What is the purpose of the "Levirate marriage"? Deuteronomy 5:5-8.  First this is not a violation of the 7th commandment (adultery).  Brothers wer
Post a Comment
Read more