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​<2 Peter 3: 8-14> 

  There was an item of great interest during the 9-11 terrorist attacks.  The media reported that Vice President Dick Cheney had escaped to a secure and undisclosed location, and the American people were very curious as to where that location was.  Where was this location a place that Osama Bin Laden and terrorists of the Al Queda did not even know?

  Just where Dick Cheney went to, and what he did there, remains a great secret to all but few select people.  No one seemed to know where this secret bunker was, and how far it was from Washington DC.  Such secret bunkers are crucial in planning and directing military operations to fight against the terrorists.  Therefore, most Americans did not try hard to find out specific information about Cheney’s secret bunker.  The media followed suit, not disclosing any further information about this matter.

  During the time when the second Epistle of Peter was being written, Christians also needed a “secret and undisclosed location,” a place of sanctuary.  It is recorded that the second Epistle of Peter was written around end of first century and the start of second century.  It was an era that was not kind to Christians.  In and out of churches, great dangers lurked. 

 Rest of the world was very corrupt, with societies’ morality in ruins.  The groups that prosecuted Christians wielded great power.  People belonging to those groups, most of all, laughed at eschatology, or Christian view of the end of the world.  They often asked, “things are going so well why will there ever be a judgment day?”  They discounted altogether the Bible’s prophecy of revelation.

  Furthermore, false prophets and priests of the church further drove Christians into chaos.  They argued against pious livelihood, saying that there is no need to live morally when the judgment day is not likely to come anytime soon.  They tempted Christians down the corrupted path.  These were the people that reverted back to their corrupt, immoral ways when it became apparent that the advent of Jesus seemed unlikely to take place anytime soon.

  The focus of 2 Peter is on eschatology.  More specifically, it was written to guard against the possible erosion of Christian morality, as cynicism and skepticism regarding the advent of Jesus became rampant.  When Jesus, who was supposed to come back soon, did not appear after some 70 to 80 years later, people began to doubt revelation and the advent of Jesus.  Christians too began to question why revelation and the advent did not take place, thinking that perhaps something went wrong with God’s timetable. 

  What happened to Christians when such a great wave of doubt and cynicism filled the church?  When the world becomes unstable, people often choose to lay low, refusing to take actions that might draw attention on themselves.  They often hide in a safe place, waiting for the crisis to blow over.  During the time of 2 Peter, the Christian community also tried to lay low, to hide in the safe haven until the storm blew over.  When Jesus did not come as He was supposed to, the oppression from people grew harsher.  Those who believed in Jesus started to go back to their old, corrupt ways.  In the midst of all this chaos, those who still believed felt that it would be best to hide in a safe haven.

  Words of today’s scripture were meant to correct the irresponsible ways of those who sought to hide in a safe haven and not take any action.  Disciple Peter professes that the advent of Jesus will take place as promised.  Therefore, he argues that Christians must not fall into the temptations of the false prophets.  He stresses that Christians must not hide in a safe haven, leading aimless lives devoid of purpose.

  Instead, Christians must escape the havens that promote moral laxity and lead lives full of holiness and godliness.  Christians must earnestly wait for God’s Day (verses 11 and 12).  Christians must live in the midst of righteousness of God’s Kingdom (verse 13).  Christians must be able to stand, without spot or blemish, in front of Jesus as He advents in the midst of peace and tranquillity (verse 14). 

  Christians must not be disappointed because the advent of Jesus is delayed.  Christians must not seek to hide in a safe haven, leading aimless lives and refusing to become the light and the salt of this world.  Christians must stand proudly in the middle of the world, leading holy and godly lives.

  Today marks the second week of the Advent.  Advent is not merely the season to wait for the birth of Jesus, as He will come into this world through the manger in Bethlehem.  It is also the season to wait for the advent of Jesus, as He will come to us riding on the cloud to pass judgment against us.  The birth of Jesus already took place 2,000 years ago.  So Advent is indeed the season to await the Second Coming of Jesus, the advent, or parousia.  During this season, as we await the Second Coming of Jesus, we must lend our ears to the lessons that Disciple Peter teaches us.

 ​1.  God’s time frame and the human time frame are fundamentally different.  The best swindler of this world had a conversation with God.  He asked, “God, is it true that one million human years equals one second for You?”  God replied, “Absolutely.”  The swindler then asked, “Then $1 million would only be worth $1 to You?”  God answered, “Of course.”  The swindler then said, “God, since $1 is not much to you, can you give $1 to me?”  God replied, “Yes just wait a second for Me.”

 ​This joke shows the difference in calculation between God and humans.  It is true.  There is a great difference in quantity between God and humans.  The difference is not only limited to quantities, but also in quality.  People forget this unbridgeable gap between God and humans, yet jump to conclusions regarding the advent of Christ.  Just because the advent of Christ is a little delayed, they jump to the conclusion that the advent will not take place.

 ​To these people, Peter speaks in verse of today’s scripture.  “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”  Peter, quoting from Psalms 90: 4, reminds us that there is a fundamental difference in the way we calculate time and the way in which God tracks time.   There is a difference in the way God and humans calculate!  Although it may seem long to humans, to God that same span of time is very short.  The delay in advent by 70 or 80 years may seem long to humans, but to God that same delay may only be one second. 

  Why does Peter point out this fact to us?  The reason is explained in verse 9.  “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  What does this mean?  People doubt the very promise of advent, saying that such an event will not take place as promised since it has not happened yet.  But there is a reason for this delay.  God is purposely delaying advent so that more people can repent and gain eternal salvation. 

 The delay in advent is an expression of grace and love from God, His everlasting desire to save another soul!  As advent is delayed further, we need to be grateful to God for His patience and take the lead in the work of saving another soul.  We must never mistaken that the advent will not take place!  Did Paul not say the following in 1 Timothy 2: 4?  “God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”  We must never forget that this delay in advent is God’s plan to give more people the opportunity of salvation.

  2.  The day of the Lord will come upon us like a thief, as promised.  Contrary to some people’s conclusion, the “day of the Lord,” or advent, will surely arrive.  Verse 10 states that it will arrive like a thief.  What does it mean by coming like a thief?  It means that the advent will come upon us like a thief, at an unexpected time and place, suddenly and swiftly.  Just as thieves do not advertise when and where they will strike, Jesus will dawn upon us at the least expected time and place.

 Therefore, we must always be alert and prepare for the advent of our Lord.  Unlike some religious cults, we must never falsely predict advent.  We must avoid foolish and ignorant arguments regarding the advent.  Instead, we must always be awake, preparing our lives for the advent that could dawn upon us at any moment.

3.  We must make peace with God and wait for the day of our Lord. 

 When the advent takes place at unexpected time, what should we do?  Take a look at verse 14 of today’s scripture.  “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blemish.”

If God promised us the advent of our Lord, then we must wait for it to happen.  This waiting attitude of the faithful can be summarized as “in peace.”  We must make this peace, both with God and our neighbors, and wait for the advent of Jesus.  How can we make this peace in our lives?  Peter stresses four things that could bring this peace.

First, look at verses 11 and 12 of today’s scripture.  “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.”  Above all, we must lead lives of holiness.  We must not live like other people of this world.  We must be different from them.  Then we must live in godliness.  “Godliness” means living like God.  Just as God is holy, so must be our bodies and minds.  In action and words, we must take after God.

Then look at verse 13.  “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”  Pay close attention to the phrase, “where righteousness dwells.”  This righteousness refers to the new heavens and the new earth that will appear on this earth with the advent of our Lord.  Those of us who wait for this advent rightfully must lead righteous lives.  Although the rest of the world may be unjust, we, as Christians, must be righteous.

Lastly, Peter tells us through verse 14 to live “without spot or blemish.”  Peter, of course, is not referring to a state in which a man is completely free from sin, in a perfect moral state.  This spot or blemish metaphorically refers to dirt and other such stains that could get of our dress clothes.  He is telling us to put on spotless clothes when we stand in front of our Lord.  He is telling us to guard against the dirty and corrupting spots and stains of this world.  He is telling us that we must be able to stand in front of our Lord without stains and blemishes on ourselves.

While waiting for the advent of our Lord, who will come to us like a thief, we must lead lives of holiness.  This holiness is made up of four elements: holy conduct, godliness, righteousness, and without spot or blemish.  When we lead such lives, we can make peace with God above us and make peace with our neighbors below us.  Above all, we can proudly stand front of our Lord as He advents, in peace.

The English Duke of Portland is famous for his strange habit of hiding in safe havens to avoid meeting people.  There is a reason why he hated to meet and socialize with people.  It was because of his name.  His full name was “William John Cavendish Bentinck-Scott” a long name, indeed.  Because saying his name was such a hassle, he avoided meeting people so that he would not have to introduce himself.

He lived as a bachelor his entire life.  He lived in a small room in his mansion located in Welbeck Abbey.  He even refused to face his servants, often communicating with them through notes slipped in and out from under his bedroom door.  In rare instances when his servants actually saw him, they were not to talk to him or even recognize him.  They were supposed to pass by him as if they did not see him.  His food was delivered to him on a small toy train that railed into his room. 

Because he refused to come in contact with people, he built a web of tunnels and underground rooms under his house.  He event built a library, a horse riding school, and a large ballroom that could accommodate up to 2,000 people although it was never used.  When he had to make a trip to London one time, he burrowed in his horse carriage and used a mile-long tunnel to get to the train station to avoid being seen by other people. 

We, as Christians, must never live like this Duke of Portland!  No matter the reason, we must never seek to hide in a safe haven.  We must never develop this habit of avoiding other people.

Peter does not tell us to hide underground because the advent of our Lord is delayed.  Quite contrary, God and the world want us to lead proud, righteous lives that can be seen from far away.  They want us to live outside of safe havens.  They want us to lead lives that are full of holiness, godliness, righteousness, and without spot or blemish.  Hiding is not the way of the faithful who await the advent! 

​At times, self-disclosure may be difficult and dangerous.  But do not forget that this is the road the only path that we can take!  Amen.