For our Old Testament lesson this morning, I'd like to read from Isaiah, the very last couple of chapters of Isaiah. First of all, Isaiah chapter 65, verses 17 and 18. Isaiah is looking way, way ahead to the final day. For behold, says the Lord, or speaking here, for behold, I create new heavens and a new earth. And the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind, but be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. Now we're to chapter 66. It's my fault. I showed you on the wrong chapter. It should be chapter 66, verses 15 and 16. For behold, the Lord will come in fire and his chariots like the whirlwind to render his anger and fury and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire will the Lord enter into judgment, by his sword with all flesh, and those slain by the Lord shall be many." Then down to verses 22 and 23. For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name remain. From new moon to new moon, from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord. Now for our New Testament lesson and the text for this morning, at least most of it, please go to 2 Peter chapter 3. Make sure you have 2 Peter and not 1 Peter. 2 Peter chapter 3. 2 Peter was written to believers of the first century who were threatened by all kinds of things, including false teachers, both outside the church and even inside the church. One such teaching, scoffing at the second coming or the return of Christ in the future. Keep that in mind as I read now, beginning at verse 1 through verse 14. This is now the second letter that I'm writing to you, beloved. Both of them, I'm stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own simple desires, They will say, where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. For they deliberately overlooked this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these, the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word, the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise, as some count slowness. but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lies of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn? But according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these things, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace." I'm sure you are aware that many people today are very concerned about what's going to happen out here in the future. And so a term is being used I did not come up with it, but we'll use it today to help us focus on what's before us. That term is doomsday. Out there in the future, there's going to be a doomsday. Now, of course, many people have in mind that the earth is going to be wiped out, blown up. Human beings will cease to exist. There are a lot of people that are really concerned about what's going to happen there. So I think we need a good dose this morning of 2 Peter chapter 3. I don't know how often we get into 2 Peter 3, but I thought in this day and age it would be good for us to do that. And I want to share with you some good news about Doomsday. Yes, good news about Doomsday. I want us to begin with the first piece of good news, and this is what it is. Doomsday certainly will happen. Yes. There's coming a doomsday. Peter says that in verse 10. But the day of the Lord will come. A future event about which we can be absolutely sure is there's going to be a doomsday termed here the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord. That day will come, says Peter. Interestingly, in the Greek text, the emphasis is on will come. Peter's saying here, will come the day of the Lord. He wants to make sure we understand that it is going to happen. Now, no matter how many people disbelieve that, ignore it, live as if it's not true, such as the scoffers, it will occur. Those scoffers that we read about in verses 3 and 4. Where's this promise that the Christ is going to return? The days are going by, the years are going by, we haven't seen anything yet. So in verses 5 through 7, as I just read for you, Peter presents evidence that the false teachers had deliberately ignored a couple of things. First of all, they had ignored the creation itself. We know The Bible begins, in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Hebrews 11.3, by faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. If anything is clear in the Bible, it's that God is the creator of all things. He created the world by his word, holds it together by his power, certainly can intervene in his world that he created, with that same power. So that's one thing they have forgotten about. They said everything's sort of since creation. Well, number two, what about the flood in Noah's day? That was a cataclysmic event. And that's the Greek word used here translated deluge in the English standard version. Second Peter, chapter three. Deluge, cataclysm, we get that word from that term. Now in Noah's day, the earth was destroyed by water, but there's coming a day when it's going to be destroyed by fire. Before we look more closely at that, let's ask ourselves the question, why is there such a delay? Back in Peter's day, it had been just a few decades. In our day, it's been many centuries. We're now in 2022. Yes. Where is he? We haven't seen any evidence of it yet. Keep in mind that Abraham is about as far back as we can have an accurate recording of a date. And Bible scholars are pretty sure that Abraham lived around 1900 B.C. Let's just kick it back just a little bit further to about 2022 B.C. And we come to our time. We haven't even quite got there yet. Maybe we are close to it. So the time in the Old Testament period, we go into the court of history, time since that time, up to 2022, it's not really that long of a time, is it? Remember that God is eternal. He is not bound by time. And so Peter quotes from Psalm 40 and verse 4 there, Reading that, for a thousand years in your sight, or but as yesterday when it's passed, or as a watch in the night. Earlier in that chapter, chapter 90, he begins, before the mountains were brought forth or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. And so here we have the evidence of God in control of the creation, the flood. He's not bound by time as we are. Why was there a delay in Noah's day? Opportunity for sinners to repent. So as the years rolled by, more and more Noah, called a preacher of righteousness, gave opportunity to hear about the Lord, hear about their sin, turn from their sin, and yet for most of them, they did not. It's called the Day of the Lord because it is going to be His special day of His manifestation as the grand, prominent object and judge of all. God Himself will push the button at just the right time, and doomsday will occur. Well, how is this going to happen? Peter tells us here. First of all, it's going to be quite sudden, like a thief. No one expects a thief. Maybe some of you have been robbed and you come home and you realize somebody has broken into your house. One day, one of the churches I served, I came in Monday morning and walked into the sanctuary. I looked at the soundboard and everything in the soundboard was gone. We'd had a robbery during the night. Just like nobody expected. I didn't expect it. Nobody in the church expected it, like a thief. And that's how doomsday is going to break upon those who scoff and deny it. who are caught off guard. It's going to happen with a roar, with a roar. King James Version says a great noise. The Greek has some interesting ideas for this Greek word here, translated noise. A hissing like a snake. The whirring of a bird's wings. A crackling sound. I read that when the atomic bomb tests were done in the Western Desert, that one of the first things that people heard when there was a noise was this crackling sound, whatever that was, whatever it meant. With a noise, I like to think of the noise of a jet plane, a jet engine. One day when I landed at Portland Airport, I had just come in off the outside into the terminal. Suddenly I heard this tremendous noise, and this Air Force jet was taking off. And there were three more that followed it. The noise was deafening. You had to cover your ears, even though I was inside. Great noise. This was going to happen on Doomsday. But especially notice it's going to happen with great destruction. There in verse 10, Paul says, but the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved." Wow, what a scene that is. The question is, what is meant by the heavens? Is it just the heavens that we are aware of with the naked eye? Is it the whole universe? And I'm not sure about that. You can draw your own conclusions. Whatever it is, the heavens are going to be involved with the earth. He talks about heavenly bodies. Sometimes that's translated, elements, elements. That refers to the minute parts or portions of something, the very smallest parts of which the material world is composed. Now, the ancients had four things they thought the universe was made out of, air, and earth, fire, and water. Now, I understand that modern sciences overturned that theory, yet Modern science does indicate that those four things are themselves compounds, still very few in number, capable of combustion. I thought that was interesting. Capable of combustion. Even the water that makes up these elements here. It says that the earth and the heavens are going to be dissolved. The best illustration I can think of that is an aspirin tablet. You take a water, which I have here, which reminds me I need to take a drink of water. Put an aspirin tablet in there. There's the tablet. Fizz is there, and you look in there. Tablet's gone. Isn't it? Well, not really. The elements that made up the aspirin tablet are still there. They're just part of the water. They've taken on a new form. But they're still there. So when the word dissolved is used by Peter in 2 Peter 3, it doesn't mean that everything is annihilated. It means it's going to be changed. So think of that. This is quite something to ponder. The whole vegetable, animal creation, all the towers, towns, palaces, buildings, productions of artistic genius and engineering, all the books that men have written, burned up, exposed. The end of that tenth verse. And the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Not just the material things, but also the things of, we think of spiritual things as well. the worthlessness of the works of man will be expressed, changed, not annihilated. And when it happens, these good works that people have sought to do are going to be exposed for what they are. Over in 1 Corinthians 3.13, Paul writes, each one's work will become manifest, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, And the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. Paul's using language there to give the idea that the Lord is going to do a work. Fire usually purifies. And so this idea is taken over. And the things that wood, hay, and stubble, those things are not going to amount to anything. Gold, silver, precious stones, things that please the Lord will remain. Doomsday is going to be far far different than all the amazing things that can be done by Hollywood and films. I mean some of the things that are coming out now and the explosions and all kind of fire and all kinds of things going on there. It's amazing what men can create for these kinds of things. Doomsday is going to be a lot different than that. It's going to come suddenly and quickly and it's going to change everything and the result will be new heavens and and a new earth. More on that in just a moment. Needless to say, this is an incredible passage for us. Someone who's never seen it before, reflected on it for a while, might be shaking their heads thinking, wow, I didn't know that was in the Bible. There it is, 2 Peter chapter 3. The words I read from Isaiah a moment ago talked about new heavens and a new earth. Now here's Peter picking up on that theme in 2 Peter chapter 3. Now even the ancient philosophers supposed that one day the earth would be destroyed by fire. So the statements in the Bible, when they were written, were not quite that improbable to people who thought about that. Well, this is what the Christians say. Well, we philosophers, we Greek philosophers, that's what we've sort of had in mind also. That's how the world's going to end. Someday it's going to just burn up. Today, of course, we have atomic energy. We've seen the results of atom bombs and hydrogen bombs. There are such things as exploding stars. I've never seen one, but astronomers say there are stars that explode. Think of the heat core within our planet, evidenced by volcanoes. How much fire is there in the middle of the earth? Just as water was in the earth before the flood, and God brought that water out, as well as water from above. So it's not as farfetched as we might think, especially if you remember we're talking about this is the day of the Lord. It's not man's day, it's not Peter's day, it's the Lord's day. Who's the Lord? Mighty creator of heaven and earth, our creator, to whom we approach through Jesus Christ by faith. But just how is this good news? Well, several answers to that, let me share a couple of things. One, it provides the necessary transition event between the present age and the age to come. Remember the gospel, Jesus Christ crucified and risen, all who put their trust in him and seek the forgiveness of their sins have eternal life. That's not just for this earth, this time, this life. It also just flows right into as we think of eternity and the world to come. Well, how do we get from here to there? Paul deals with this in 1 Corinthians 15, verses 50 to 52. He says, I tell you, brothers, flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. I think we could acknowledge that, this great spiritual kingdom of the Lord, how are we flesh and blood people, finite people, sinful people, how are we ever going to live in a world like that? Nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Okay, Paul, you set the problem before us. What's the answer? Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, that all believers are not all going to be dying ahead of time. Some will be alive when this happens. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. How quickly? In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall all be changed. Just like that. I think that applies to what Peter's also writing here about doomsday. A second benefit for being good news, it sets the stage for the final judgment. And surely we who struggle with all the terrible things being done by evil men, all the immorality, we realize that morality is not an illusion. It's something real, something that God is going to deal with. History has meaning. Finally, there's going to be justice for everyone. We live now in a day when justice is being trampled right and left. But doomsday assures us that it's going to be done. So that's the good news about doomsday. It's certainly going to happen. Number two, doomsday will not make man extinct. Doomsday is not going to happen the way modern man is speculating it will. Now, if you have been raised or anybody's been raised with evolution, the theory of evolution, with humanism, man-centered ideas, there's all kinds of fears that these people have. Fear of a great nuclear war. Fear of some unbelievable natural catastrophe. And of course, what do we hear a lot about today? Climate change. The world's going to burn up. I saw on television a snapshot of somebody, of some gal who tied herself somehow to a tennis net during a tennis tournament. And she had a sign that said, 1,028 days left, or only 1,028 days left. And there have been predictions that we only have X number of years left. We've got to deal with this climate. We're going to burn up here. And people are genuinely afraid of what's out there with the climate change. that mankind's going to be wiped out. For many in our day, their philosophy is this. We have come from nowhere and are on our way to nowhere. Eventual annihilation, perhaps even swallowed by a black hole. Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die. But God's Word does not allow us to create a model for the future, suggesting that humanity is only hurling forward extinction, that the earth will sail on as a dead planet for all the eons of time to come. To support this, know what Paul says in verse 11. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness? King James asks, what manner of life should you live? We should behave, Peter says, like out-of-this-world foreigners, in a way. In fact, 1 Peter begins in 1 Peter talking about the exiles, the sojourners on earth, the despised, as Christians often have been. We should be living lives of holiness and godliness with this day approaching. Christians should be different, not odd, but different, a different kind of lifestyle, different interests, how we talk, where we go, what we do, how we work. So the question is, if we're going to become extinct, why worry about what kind of lifestyle we have? Just go ahead, do whatever you want to do. Nothing's going to happen. You can commit all the evil deeds you want to, you'll never be punished, in many respects. People are getting away with all kinds of things, they think. But you see, the good news about Doomsday is that mankind's not going to be just wiped out at the end, and that's it. It's a day of judgment that is coming. One thing we can be doing is waiting for that day, as he goes on to say that there. in verse 12, waiting for the coming of the day of God, eagerly expecting it. How often do we look for that day, that doomsday to come? How often do we pray, Lord, may it be today, may it be tonight, may it be this week. Things are deteriorating in this world. Oh, for Jesus Christ to return. Oh, for doomsday. But of course, we have to be patient. That's known only to the Lord. We have responsibilities to do, and so the word hastening is used. Notice that? Verse 12, waiting for, hastening the coming of the day of God. How can we hasten the day of God? Isn't God sovereignly in charge of all things? How can we hasten it? And someone has come up with this helpful phrase that I think helps us get a hold of this. fulfilling those conditions involved with God's sovereign decrees, without which they will not be fulfilled. Our actions do matter. God has a plan, that's right. His plan is to call His people to Himself, but not until the last elect person is brought into the kingdom will doomsday occur. So how can we help hasten that? by being faithful to what we are to do, to making sure the gospel is spread, not only in Corvallis area, but throughout the world to our missionaries and mission works that we have. In some way, we can hasten this. Meantime, our prayer should continue to be, thy kingdom come. Lord, may your kingdom come in its fullness. Deliver us from the kingdom of this world. So the coming doomsday should exert a deep and abiding influence upon us to lead holy lives. To seek to obey the Lord, not rebel against him. Remembering that nothing in this world is permanent. Already things are dissolving in a way. John writes, 1 John 2, 17, the world is passing away along with its desires. It's passing away, even back in Peter's day. It's wearing out. that whoever does the will of God abides forever. The earth is not our abiding home. We should be preparing ourselves for that great day. Hebrews 10.25, you've heard this before, do not neglect to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. That verse in Hebrews 10.25 is one of the key verses to encourage people to come to church, worship the Lord, but also honor him every day, not just on Sunday. But notice what else is added to that, that exhortation. Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching. The day, the doomsday is coming. All the more reason why we should assemble together. All the more we should have fellowship with one another as much as possible. Doomsday is coming. And man, it's not going to be extinct. Why don't I make a brief comment here. Notice that nothing is said in this passage about a personal reign of Christ for a thousand years. We hear a lot about the millennium. Nothing about that. Nothing about resurrected saints reigning with him on this earth. All that is prior. the final judgment. Surely Peter would have said something here about that. But he simply says we're moving along day by day, year by year, seeking to live holy and godly life. And then doomsday comes. All the more reason for us to remember that man will not become extinct. We have responsibilities. Number three, doomsday will usher in eternal righteousness. Now, this is very important. Look at the end of verse number 11. What sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness? Then at the end of verse 13, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Which righteousness dwells. Isn't that our desire? We want to be in a place where righteousness dwells completely and fully even in our own lives. And also at the end of verse 14, We might be found by him without spot or blemish and at peace. The Lord is going to give us new heavens and a new earth which will never be destroyed. New in the sense of different and improved. In the sense of a new dwelling place for believers to be with the Lord and with one another. I think that's what Isaiah was looking forward to as the Lord, through his spirit, prompted him to write those words about the new heavens and the new earth. Peter's picking up in that here in 2 Peter chapter 3. This planet needs doomsday desperately. The church needs to be reminded that doomsday is coming. Each individual believer, we need to be reminded of that. Doomsday is coming. But it's not something we would dread. It's something we should look forward to with anticipation as it comes into existence. No matter how many people may disbelieve it or choose to ignore it, no matter what attempts are made to erase it, it will come. Suddenly, without warning, breaking in upon the very scoffers who have questioned it. So in verse 14, Peter says, Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these things, be diligent. Questions to ask yourself. If I'm still alive, when doomsday occurs, what will I be doing when it happens? Will I be pleasing the Lord? Is what I'm living for now only destined to go up in fire and vanish forever? Do I have a hope that what I'm doing is accomplishing something that will have lasting benefit for me, eternal benefit for me, thanks to the grace of God? Am I seeking the will of God so that my works may glorify Him forever? And now very briefly, one more piece of good news about Doomsday. It has not yet happened. It has not yet happened. Why is that good news? Because it means there's still time for people to repent and turn from their sinful ways, hear the message of the Gospel, put their trust in Jesus Christ as the Deliverer, the Savior, to deliver them from their sinful ways, and to give them assurance that when it happens, we are immediately in the presence of Christ. We need not fear any coming judgment because we know Christ has endured that for us. Encouragement. This should be encouraging for your unsaved relatives, your unsaved friends, unsaved neighbors, unserved fellow employees who seem to have no interest in it. They still have time. There's still time for them to repent. There's still time for you to get right with the Lord, if you're here this morning and have not yet done that. So you see, there's much good news about doomsday. It certainly will happen. It won't make man extinct. The lesser and eternal righteousness has not yet happened. I think this is the perspective we need, even as we go from here today. It deals with time, and it deals with eternity. Our present lives should be lived joyfully, with eternal purpose, looking for the Lord to complete the good work that He's begun in us. And so we conclude with Peter's final words in chapter 3, end of his letter. Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. You join me in prayer. Our Father in Heaven, this is a very difficult passage for us to grab a hold of and to fully understand. It's so marvelous. It's so mind-expanding. It touches the deepest recesses of our hearts and souls as we hear the fears of the world, as we ourselves cringe at some of the news that we hear, and we wonder what's going to happen this week, the rest of this year. We do not know that. But we know, O Lord, that you are in charge. You are our eternal God, refuge for our souls. And we rest in you through your son Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.