Expectations Shape Strategy

By Dr. Derek Carlsen

Shortly before he died, Peter, the apostle, wrote to some of his disciples who were facing difficult times (2 Peter 1:12-15). His objective was to strengthen them so that they could overcome threats that were not far off. 

Knowing This First

Scoffers and false teachers were a significant threat to Peter’s audience, so he wrote, “Knowing this first” (2 Peter 3:3). Peter was warning his readers about scoffers who would be a threat to their faith; he was not warning them about scoffers who would appear thousands of years after they had died, which is how many interpret these verses today. 

The Last Days

Scripture must interpret such ideas and concepts as “the last days”? Peter had already said to his readers that, “the end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7). He had also talked about making known to them the “power and coming” of Jesus (2 Peter 1:16). The scoffers were mocking Jesus’ prophecy about Him coming in judgment upon Jerusalem. Such terms as the “end of the ages” and the “last days” are a Scriptural way of talking about the end of the Older Testament system and the birth of the newer system. Peter said that what was happening on the Day of Pentecost was fulfilling Joel’s prophecy (Acts 2:16). Peter then quoted the prophecy: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh.” (Acts 2:17). Also, the writer of Hebrews, when referring to Jesus’ ministry at His first coming said, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…” (Hebrews 1:1-2). Again, when talking about Jesus sacrificing Himself upon the cross, we read, “now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” (Hebrews 9:26). Paul said about the events in the Older Testament, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11). Paul also said to Timothy, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.” (2 Tim.3:1)? Peter said that Jesus, “indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Peter 1:20). When the time of Christ’s coming on the clouds in judgment was at the door, John said, “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18).

Coming in Judgment

Jesus clearly prophesied about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, even giving a timeframe: “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34). Jesus, at another time, talked about coming in judgment saying, “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (Matthew 16:27-28). Then at His trial before the high priest Jesus said to him, “Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64). Jesus was referring to the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem. 

Most Quoted Verse

The Older Testament verse most quoted in the Newer Testament writings is Psalm 110:1, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’” This Psalm is talking about the Messiah and Jesus used it to prove that He is both Christ and God, the Son (Matthew 22:41-46). The ascended Christ remains in heaven until His enemies have been subdued. Paul explained this verse by saying, “For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death.” (1 Corinthians 15:25-26). The author of Hebrews put it this way, “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.” (Hebrews 10:12-13). Peter used this verse on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:29-36) and later said, “whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things.” (Acts 3:21). The Newer Testament interprets Psalm 110 to mean that after Jesus ascended, He will remain in heaven until all His enemies have been subdued.

The Scoffers

Peter’s warning about the scoffers was not that they were calling the Second Coming into question, because that coming will only happen when all Jesus’ enemies have been subdued. The scoffers were mocking Jesus’ prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, essentially overthrowing His whole ministry by calling Him a false prophet—“where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:4). It had been at least 30 years since Jesus uttered those words (Matthew 24), and the scoffers were trying to convince people that the delayed fulfillment was proof of non-fulfillment and Peter’s readers might have wavered. Moreover, Peter wasn’t the only one warning his readers as the judgment drew near: In Hebrews, we read, “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry.” (Hebrews 10:37). James said to his readers that, “the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (James 5:7-8). John wrote about the same event and said that it is, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place…” (Revelation 1:1). Then again, “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” (1:3). Then several times in the body of the book we see this same idea about ‘coming quickly’ or there being a ‘short time.’ Finally, in the last chapter, we read, “These words are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place.” (Revelation 22:6). “Behold, I am coming quickly!” (vs.7). “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand.’” (vs.10). Then in vs.12: “Behold, I am coming quickly.” And finally, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (vs.20). All of these above quotes about the last days and that His coming was at hand, speak about the same period and event, namely, AD 70. 

Daniel’s Latter Days

When Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about the statue representing four world empires, he said “But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.” (Daniel 2:28). The focus of the dream was upon the fourth empire, which was the Roman Empire, and the setting up of God’s Kingdom at that time. Daniel said that “the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth…And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:34-35,44). The stone is Jesus who came in the days of the Roman Empire. 100 years before Daniel was born, the prophet Micah spoke of the Messiah’s reign from Zion saying, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the Lord’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it.” (Micah 4:1). 

The Time of the End

Five times Daniel used the term “the time of the end” by which he was referring to major transitions of power and the context shows which ‘end’ was in view; it could be the end of a world empire or a major transition in God’s plans and dealings. In chapter 12 we are brought back to the fourth empire (from chapter two), namely the Roman Empire, and twice, we learn that his book was to be sealed “until the time of the end” (vs 4,9). 

Don’t Seal it Up

The time of the end, for Daniel, was tied to Christ’s ministry extending up to the AD 70 judgment, whereas in John’s Revelation (talking of this same AD 70 judgment), he was told not to seal up his book because it would shortly come to pass. 2 Peter was written shortly before John wrote Revelation. John and Peter both had the same event in view—Christ’s soon coming judgment upon Jerusalem. Daniel spoke about this event occurring during the time of the Roman Empire and called it the ‘latter days’ and ‘the time of the end’ both of which are connected to when Jesus set up a Kingdom that shall never be removed. Daniel also saw the ascension of Christ and all authority being given to Him (7:13-14)—meaning that the Kingdom was established. Jesus, in His prophetic pronouncement of judgment upon Jerusalem, connected His prophecy to Daniel’s, “the time of the end” (Matthew 24:15). Scripture links the “abomination of desolation” the “time of the end” and the “latter days” in Daniel with the generation that was alive when Jesus spoke the words recorded in Matt.24—that generation would see these things (see the article, “The Olivet Discourse.”)

The Fathers Falling Asleep

This refers to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the fathers of the nation of Israel. The scoffers’ argument was that Jesus’ prophecy about the end of Jerusalem’s significance was false because since the founding of the nation, with Abraham, the nation has remained central to God’s purposes despite turbulence like the Babylonian captivity. The “beginning of creation” refers to the creation of the nation of Israel (2 Peter 3:4).

They Willfully Forget

The scoffers forgot the fact that things don’t just continue the same as always (2 Peter 3:5-6) because God wiped the earth clean in the days of Noah in accordance with His promise to do so (Genesis 6:7), though that event, from promise to fulfillment, took 120 years (Genesis 6:3; 1 Peter 3:20). 

Reserved for Fire

The “world that perished” with Noah’s Flood didn’t include all the physical components of God’s original creation, but only the people and animals, which means that the other physical components remain unchanged until today. This means that in Peter’s discussion of the soon-coming destruction of the “heavens and the earth,” we need to define this phrase (2 Peter 3:7). What was going to be destroyed by fire? Most people think it is referring to the content of God’s original creation. It isn’t! Scripture talks about another creation of the “heavens and earth.” God, when talking about the creation of His nation said, “I have covered you with the shadow of My hand, That I may plant the heavens, Lay the foundations of the earth, And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’” (Isa.51:16). When God made the nation of Israel, He said He was creating the heavens and the earth (figuratively speaking), because there was a heavenly and an earthly reality to His people. We now have a different take on Peter’s use of “the heavens and the earth,” which again, was underlining the soon coming judgment of AD 70.

Great Noise, Melt, Burned Up, Dissolved

The word “earth” (2 Peter 3:10) can also be translated as “land,” referring to the land of Israel, not to God’s physical creation. What Peter is describing (2 Peter 3:10-13) is the total evisceration of the Older Testament people of God, Jerusalem, and that religious framework, and being officially replaced by the Newer Testament people of God who are the New Jerusalem, through faith in Jesus Christ—AD 70 was the culmination of this exchange.

Eschatology Shapes Expectations

If people believe that Jesus’ Second Coming is going to rescue a weak, anemic, almost defeated church, then this will impact their strategies in the here and now. Who is able to whole-heartedly invest their time and energy into defeat? Our strategies in the face of certain failures are very different from those birthed by the expectation of victory. Thus, correctly understanding passages like 2 Peter 3 are critical to the believer’s effectiveness for Kingdom service. If believers expect darkness to ascend more and more, wishing only for Christ’s imminent rescue, how can they plan projects that might take one hundred years to accomplish? How do they begin projects that will even take thirty-five years to complete, like James Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance? How could Mr. Strong keep plodding through his mammoth task after ten years, which was, at that stage, less than a third of the way to completion? An eschatology of victory is a critical component in determining effective plans and exhausting ourselves for the Kingdom, even being prepared to die before seeing the completion of our initiated projects. Expectations always determine our projects and ability to sacrifice.