THE BIBLE AND THE SECOND COMING
2 Peter 1:12-21

The late first century church was in a turmoil. From a small sect of fanatical followers in Israel, the movement had spread across the Middle East into southern Europe, northern Africa, and even to Rome. All sorts of writings flooded the new congregations, both from the eyewitness “founders” and all sorts of other peoples. I have a copy of the “Ras Shamra” tablets and scrolls, a group of writings discovered years ago in Egypt that include many different “Christian” writings from all sorts of viewpoints.

Our New Testament rests for its authority on eyewitnesses. The likelihood is that the gospel was spread by word of mouth in a culture that relied much more than we do on memory. Then as the first generation began to die out, the Gospels were written down to preserve them, based on the testimony of the apostles. Peter may well have been in prison in Rome by this time, and his execution by Nero was impending. So he writes this as a sort of farewell address, reminding his readers of the beliefs they have in common and urging them to remain faithful.

One belief under attack was the “Parousia,” or second coming of Christ. That first generation had expected Him to return much sooner. As the apostles aged and began to die out, others thought the doctrine must be wrong. This is the main doctrine Peter was addressing here. The Lord will return, and He will judge the living and dead. The world is in His hand.

He writes so even after his death he can keep reminding them of that truth. “We’re not making this stuff up, you know. We were there on the Mount of Transfiguration when God revealed the glory of His Son. And we heard the voice of God Himself saying, ‘This is my Son whom I love. With him I am well pleased.’”  So Peter is emphasizing his personal experience with the Lord. Hard to argue against that. (It’s also hard to argue against your own personal experience when you share your testimony as to what the Lord has done for you.)

He further confirms the Parousia by the Old Testament prophets. Remember that the OT was the only Scripture they had. Some of our NT books were being circulated among the churches, but they were still debating which ones were most useful. That’s one reason 2 Peter was written. By extension, we apply the last two verses to our NT as well. BTW, Parousia originally referred to a big shot, perhaps a king or other ruler, coming to town. The church applied it to the Second Coming and that’s pretty much the only way the NT writers use the term.

He states a high view of the importance of Scripture. He repeats that the prophets didn’t make stuff up, but God inspired them and spoke through them. This week’s lesson in the quarterly emphasizes this point, a vital one indeed. We Baptists have insisted from out beginnings that we have no creed by the Bible, inspired by and interpreted with the aid of the Holy Spirit.