The Assurance Of Christ’S Return
THE ASSURANCE OF CHRIST’S RETURN
2 PETER 1:12-18
Note the eyewitness account that Peter gives of Christ.
At the time Peter wrote this letter, he was already an old man as things were then reckoned. It is not likely that he had had a special revelation of his coming death (1:14); it is more likely that he foresaw that the prediction of John 21:18 would soon come to pass. This latter is referred to in 1:15. They would be able to refer to it at any time.
Clearly the difficulty in the minds of those to whom he was writing was not the resurrection of Christ, but that the One who had lived here in humility could ever conquer the world—the dream that the church would conquer the world for Jesus had not crossed their mind. Indications of this doubt may be traced here and there in 1 Peter. If Christ could not keep his own from suffering, how could he triumph? So Peter reminds us that he had seen his divine “majesty” (1:16)—the word is not used of people—break through on the Mount of Transfiguration. This had been confirmed by the glory which came from the majesty on high and the voice which acknowledged him (1:17). In other words, his earthly poverty and humility had been assumed and were not the expression of his real nature; see also Philippians 2:5-8. Equally then, the humility and poverty of the church were a cloak hiding its true nature.
Today, also, every effort is being made to show that the New Testament teaching about the return of Christ is mere myth (1:16); it is doubtful whether the term “cleverly devised” would even be given to such attempts! We may differ about the how and when, but the New Testament teaches clearly that the Creator of the world came into his creation (John 1:10f.) and won or redeemed it for himself. Whatever the future of the world, he does not abandon his creation to futility (Romans 8:18-23), but will achieve his original purpose with it. The world, too, is capable of transformation.