August 19, 2026 • 24 mins
The most dangerous spiritual lie is the one that sounds reasonable: “If God were really going to judge the world, it would have happened by now.” Dr. Timothy Mann takes that objection head-on through 2 Peter chapter 3, where Peter answers the scoffers who treat God’s promises like empty threats and use “delay” as permission to keep living as they please.
We walk through a biblical view of God’s sovereignty over history, including why Scripture presents final judgment as God’s action, not a purely human-made end. From the flood to Sodom and Gomorrah to the promised day of the Lord, the pattern is consistent: God intervenes on His timetable, and His timetable is shaped by His eternality. When Peter says a thousand years is like one day to the Lord, it is not a poetic escape hatch, it is a reality check for anyone trying to measure God by human clocks.
Then the message turns personal and surprisingly hopeful: God’s patience is mercy. The “delay” is long-suffering that opens a real window for salvation, repentance, and faith in Jesus Christ. We also slow down to read the text in context, asking who Peter means by “usward,” and what that implies for the church’s mission to share the gospel widely while trusting God’s plan. The episode ends with the sobering certainty that the day of the Lord comes suddenly, burning away what people brag about, and pressing one urgent question: what are we living for?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:02):
The Bible, Dr.
Timothy, build your life of theuncle foundation of Doctor.
Great of the gospel of Dr.
Timothy Mann opens the Bible toprosperity and encouragement for
everyday life.
Foundations of Truth with Dr.
(00:24):
Timothy Mann.
It's supported in part by LutherWright's College and Seminary,
equipping men and women forministry through biblically
faithful theological education.
As a leader in online learning,we are grateful for their
partnership in helping carrybiblical truth farther.
Welcome to Foundations of Truth.
Today we have part two of themessage Answering the Scoffers
(00:44):
from 2 Peter chapter 3.
And here now is Dr.
Timothy Mann.
SPEAKER_01 (00:48):
However, I want to say to you, Peter seems to
indicate that man will notdestroy the world by his abuse
of atomic energy.
It's God who will push thebutton, if you will.
It's God who will do that at theright time and burn up the old
creation and all the works ofsinful man with it, and then he
(01:11):
will usher in the new heavensand the new earth, and he will
reign in glory.
See, everything in God'soriginal creation was good.
Good.
It was it is man's sin thatturned a good creation into a
groaning creation.
Now God allowed for that, heaccounted for that.
I understand that in hisprovidence and his sovereignty.
But the fact is, God could notpermit sinful man to live in a
(01:34):
perfect environment.
And so he cursed the groundbecause of man.
And since that time, man hasbeen busy polluting and
destroying God's creation.
We do that.
And for years it appeared thatthis exploitation might not
cause too much trouble, but noweverybody's changing their
minds, right?
Everybody's going green.
Going green.
Why?
Because, you know, we're gonnawe're gonna kill this thing,
(01:55):
everybody's saying.
We're not gonna be able to livehere.
The balance of nature's beenupset, and valuable resources
are being wasted, and the supplyof energy is running down, and
civilization is facing a crisis.
And so the prophets of doomtoday are not only preachers and
evangelists, but they'resociologists and ecologists and
politicians and atomicscientists.
(02:16):
All of that.
But Peter, what he's doing ishe's proving his point here
again, and that's that God isable to intervene again in the
course of history.
He did it in the past, he's ableto do it again, and the day of
the Lord is promised by theprophets and the apostles as
well as by Jesus Christ, andit's gonna come just as surely
as the flood came in Noah's day,as the fire and brimstone came
(02:37):
to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
And so here the fact is thesescoffers have their argument
ready.
Well, then why the delay?
Why the delay?
If it's gonna come, this promiseof Christ's coming in the
judgment of the world has beenaround for centuries, has it
not?
Why has it not been fulfilled?
(02:57):
Has God changed his mind?
I don't know about you, but Ithink the world is certainly
ripe for judgment.
It's right.
Well, that brings us to Peter'sthird fact that we can't forget.
Not only is God's word true, notonly is his work consistent, but
God's will is merciful.
(03:18):
God's will is merciful.
Once again, Peter exposes herethe ignorance of the scoffers
because not only were theyignorant of what God had done in
the past, they're also veryignorant of what God is like.
They're ignorant of that.
They were making God in theirown image, and that's what so
many folks do today.
(03:40):
They were making God in theirown image and ignoring the fact
that God is eternal, first ofall.
What does that mean?
That means that that He hasneither beginning nor ending.
Neither one.
Now man is immortal.
Man is immortal.
That means you and I have abeginning, but we don't have an
ending.
Not really.
Because we're gonna live forevereither in heaven or hell.
(04:03):
We don't have an ending.
But God is eternal, withoutbeginning and without ending,
and he dwells in eternity.
Eternity is not just extendedtime.
It's not that.
Rather, it is an existence aboveand apart from time.
That's hard for us to get ourminds around.
But that's what eternity is.
(04:23):
And so certainly Peter wasreferring to Psalm 90, verse 4,
which says, For a thousand yearsin thy sight are but as
yesterday when it is past, andas a watch in the night.
Peter's reminded of Psalm 90,verse 4.
Isaac Watts used Psalm 90 as abasis for the familiar hymn, O
God our help in ages past.
There's a line in that Psalmthat says, A thousand ages in
(04:45):
thy sight are like an eveninggone, short as the watch that
ends the night before the risingsun.
And so, since a thousand yearsare as one day to the Lord, we
cannot this morning could theycouldn't then, we can't this
morning accuse him of delayedfulfillment of his promises.
We can't accuse him of that.
(05:06):
Because in God's sight, thinkabout this, the universe is only
a few days old.
In God's sight.
He's not limited by time the waywe are.
He's not limited in any way, andhe certainly doesn't measure it
according to God's standards.
And when you study the works ofGod, hey, spend some time in the
Old Testament.
(05:26):
Spend some time, hang out there,read some of that.
When you spend some time in theOld Testament, you'll see that
God is never in a hurry, buthe's never late.
Never in a hurry, but neverlate.
He could have absolutely createdthe universe in an instant, yet
he preferred to do it over aperiod of six days.
(05:47):
He could have delivered Israelfrom Egypt in a moment.
In a moment.
But what did he do?
Instead, he preferred to invest80 years of training in Moses.
That's how God works.
For that matter, he could havesent the Savior much sooner.
Much sooner.
But the Bible says he waiteduntil the fullness of time was
(06:10):
come.
See, here's how this goes.
While God works in time, he'snot limited by time at all.
Now we can apply that on down toour own lives.
And hopefully that would help uswith some issues that we face
from time to time.
I think we struggle with that.
But to God, a thousand years isas one day, and one day as a
(06:30):
thousand years.
What does that mean?
That means God can accomplish inone day what it would take
others a millennium toaccomplish.
And so much more.
You know what God does is He Hewaits to work.
He waits to work.
But once He begins to work, Hegets things done in a hurry.
Once He begins to work.
(06:52):
So these scoffers, these falseteachers, they didn't understand
God's eternality, nor do theyunderstand His mercy.
Why is God delaying the returnof Christ, the coming day of the
Lord?
It's not because He's unable toact.
It's not because He's unwillingto act.
(07:13):
He's not tardy.
He's not off schedule.
And by the way, lest we forget,let me remind you this morning:
nobody on this earth has theright to tell God when to act.
Nobody has the right to decidewhen God must act.
God is sovereign in all things,and he does not need prodding,
and he certainly does not needcounsel from sinful man.
(07:35):
According to Romans chapter 11.
He doesn't.
God delays the coming of Christand the great day of fiery
judgment, the Bible says here,because he is long suffering and
wants to give lost sinners theopportunity to be saved.
Verse 15.
Go over to verse 15 of this samechapter.
(07:59):
Chapter 3, verse 15.
And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is
salvation.
That the long suffering of ourLord is salvation.
Account for that, he says.
So God's delay, his so-calleddelay, what that really is, is
an indication that he has a planfor the world and that he is
(08:20):
working his plan.
There should be no question inanybody's mind whether God wants
sinners to be saved.
The Bible says God is notwilling that any should perish.
1 Timothy 2 4 affirms that Godwould desire to have all men to
be saved and to come to theknowledge of the truth.
And those verses give both thenegative and the positive side.
(08:42):
And together they assure us thatGod has no pleasure in the death
of the wicked.
Says that very clearly inEzekiel chapter 18.
Says it in verse 23, verse 32,he says it again in Ezekiel 33,
verse 11.
And he demonstrates his mercy.
He demonstrates his mercy to allaccording to Romans 11, verse
32, even though not all will besaved.
(09:06):
It's worth noting that Godrevealed this same long
suffering in the years beforethe flood.
But yet he held back his wrath.
And instead the Bible says hesent Noah as a preacher of
righteousness.
And in the case of Sodom andGomorrah, God patiently waited
(09:28):
until Abraham interceded for thecities, and he would have spared
them had he found ten righteouspeople in Sodom.
Now, did he have knowledge ofthat?
That he wouldn't absolutely.
But don't get too bound up inthat.
See that God's will is merciful.
God takes no pleasure injudging.
(09:50):
Satisfies his holiness.
But he takes no pleasure.
And so if God is long sufferingtoward lost sinners, why this is
a question that's interesting.
Why did Peter write?
Verse 9.
The old King James says the Lordis long suffering to usward.
(10:10):
Us word.
Who is meant by us word?
Now it's interesting.
That's context.
Let me give you a good biblicalprinciple here.
You can't forget this as you'restudying the Bible.
Who's this letter to?
Who's this letter to?
You say, Well, I don't know.
How do I find that?
(10:31):
Well, go back to verse one.
The greeting always has who it'sto.
Right?
Simon Peter, a bondservant andapostle of Jesus Christ, to
those who have obtained likeprecious faith with us by the
righteousness of our God andSavior Jesus Christ.
Longsuffering.
(10:54):
It would appear based on thecontext of the letter.
It would appear based on thecontext of the letter that God
is long suffering to his ownpeople.
Now perhaps, perhaps Peter wasusing the word us in a general
way, meaning mankind.
Mankind.
And I you could make a case forthat.
(11:15):
But also if you take intoconsideration first Peter as
well, he's writing both of theseletters to the same audience.
You go back to First Peterchapter one, verse one, Peter,
an apostle of Jesus Christ, tothe pilgrims, and he names all
the places, to the sojourners,to these temporary residents who
(11:37):
are elect according to theforeknowledge of God the Father
in the sanctification of theSpirit for obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of JesusChrist.
And in verse 10, same book, ofthis salvation, the prophets
have inquired and searchedcarefully.
Now look, who prophesied of thegrace that would come to you, to
(11:58):
you.
He's writing to these pilgrims.
They're in Pontus, Galatia,Cappadocia, Asia, and Bethynia.
We forget sometimes when we readGod's word that the original
author had an original audiencethat he's conveying a message
to.
When we go back to 2 Peter 2,verse 9, we think he's talking
(12:22):
about us or very s and we canpull out those implications,
yes.
But he's writing to these whohave obtained like precious
faith with us by righteousnessof God and Savior Jesus Christ.
The Lord is not slack concerninghis promises, some count
slackness, but as long assuffering toward us, not willing
that any should perish, but thatall should come to repentance to
(12:47):
us.
(13:08):
The people of God, Christians.
God is long suffering towardlost sinners.
Why?
Because some of them willbelieve and are a part of God's
elect people, based on what thescriptures teach.
That's what he's saying.
Now we don't know who that is.
We have no idea who that isamong the unsaved of the world.
(13:29):
Nor are we supposed to know.
Our task is to do what?
Our task, first of all,according to what Peter said,
was to make our own calling andelection sure in 2 Peter chapter
2, verse 10, and to preach thegospel indiscriminately to all
people, to all nations, and tomake disciples of all nations.
(13:52):
But the fact that God has hispeople, his sheep amongst the
lost people of the world oughtto be an encouragement to us to
share the good news and to seekto win others to Christ.
Why?
Because God is going to save hispeople.
SPEAKER_00 (14:23):
Your prayers and financial support help make this
teaching possible.
Thank you for standing with Dr.
Timothy Mann and our entire teamhere at Foundations of Truth, as
together we proclaim truth in aworld that desperately needs it.
If you'd like to give afinancial gift to support this
ministry, you can do so rightnow at foundationsoftruth.net.
(14:44):
That's foundationsoftruth.net.
Now let's return to today'smessage, part one of Answering
the Scoffers.
Here's Dr.
Timothy Mann.
SPEAKER_01 (14:52):
God was even long-suffering toward the
scoffers of that day.
They needed to repent and he waswilling to save them.
Now, by the way, this verseright here, verse 9, repentance.
It's the only place that Peteruses that word in either of his
letters, but that doesn'tminimize its importance.
It's not regret.
Repentance is not regret, whichsimply means I'm sorry.
(15:16):
It's not remorse, which simplymeans some kind of hopeless, dis
hopeless attitude that can leadto despair.
Repentance is a change of mindthat results in a change of
action in the will.
That's what it is.
And so if the sinner honestlychanges his mind about his sin,
(15:36):
he'll turn from it.
If he sincerely changes his mindabout Jesus Christ, he or she
will turn to him, trust him, andbe saved.
The Bible says in Acts 20, verse21, repentance toward God and
faith toward our Lord JesusChrist.
That's God's formula forsalvation.
(15:56):
The word translated, look atthis, look at this.
You need to see this.
That last phrase, but that allshould come, come to repentance.
Come, notice that.
That carries the meaning in theoriginal language of to make
room for.
To make room for.
It's translated contained backover in John 2.6 and 2.15.
(16:19):
You say, Well, big deal.
What does that mean to me?
It means that the lost sinnermust make room for repentance in
his or her heart by putting yourpride aside and meekly receiving
the Word of God.
Yes, repentance is a gift fromGod, but the unbeliever must
(16:40):
make room for this gift.
Must come.
Must make room.
Well, I don't know about you,but as I see Peter's arguments
here, I think his evidence isirrefutable.
He's clearly pointed out thatthese scoffers willfully reject
the evidence so that they mightcan continue on in their sins
and their way of life.
(17:00):
And he's proved from scripturesthat God has intervened in past
history.
He has the power to do it today.
He's shown that they have a verylow view of God.
And by the way, false teachersusually have a very, very low
view of God.
They see him as some some kindof deified Santa Claus.
Truthfully.
A genie in a bottle.
(17:26):
And explains that God does notlive in the realm of human time,
and his so-called delay onlygives the opportunity for lost
sinners, more lost sinners torepent and be saved.
And so, having refuted theseclaims, now what does he do?
We're going to come to the lastfew verses here, the last verse.
He reaffirms the certainty ofthe coming day of the Lord.
(17:47):
Verse 10.
But the day of the Lord willcome as a thief in the night, in
which the heaven, heavens willpass away with a great noise,
and the elements will melt withfervent heat, both the earth and
the works that are in it will beburned up.
He says, Nobody knows the day,but it's going to come.
It's going to come upon theworld like a thief in the night.
(18:08):
That means suddenly, swiftly,unexpected.
Unexpected.
What's that mean?
That means when the world'sfeeling secure, like it's about
to get back on its feet, so tospeak, judgment's going to fall.
Because there's one that's goingto come, I believe, according to
(18:29):
how I understand Scripture.
There's going to be one that'sgoing to come who's going to
have the apparent answer to allof the economic woes that this
world faces.
A unifying figure.
And everybody's going to behappy because they're going to
(18:51):
get their check in the mail.
And when the world is feelingsecure, the judgment is going to
fall.
We don't know when it'll happen,but we're told what'll happen.
Again, Weast gives a verygraphic illustration translation
of these words.
He says, in which the heavenswith a rushing noise will be
(19:12):
dissolved, and the elementsbeing scorched will be
dissolved, and the earth alsoand the works in it will be
burned up.
This word melt.
This word melt means todisintegrate.
It means to dissolve.
It carries the idea of somethingbeing broken down into its basic
elements.
That's, by the way, what happenswhen atomic energy is released.
(19:32):
Heaven and earth shall passaway, said our Lord.
Heaven and earth will pass away.
Peter said the heavens and earthare stored with fire, and only
God can release it.
For this reason, I'll just tellyou this morning, I do not
believe that God will permitsinful men to engage in an
earth-destroying atomic war.
I think you just need to putthat to rest and not worry about
(19:53):
that.
That's my opinion.
He will, however, I believe,overrule the ignorance and
foolishness of men, includingwell-meaning but unbelieving
diplomats and politicians, sothat he alone will have the
privilege of pushing the button.
He'll be the one.
And dissolving the elements tomake way for a new heaven and a
(20:14):
new earth.
Oh, I wish we had time thismorning to get into Old
Testament passages such asIsaiah 13 and 24 and 34 and 64.
When he wrote these words, thatfirst passage is especially
emphatic that God will bring thejudgment and not sinful men.
He says, And I will punish theworld for their evil and the
wicked for their iniquity, saysthe Lord.
(20:35):
It does not sound as thoughhe'll give the task to some sort
of nervous military leader orsome sort of angry politician.
That's not going to happen.
Now, of course, this greatexplosion is not going to touch
the heaven of heavens where Goddwells, but Peter says here in
verse 10, it's going to destroythe earth, the atmospheric
heavens around it, and theuniverse as we know it.
(20:58):
What's that going to do?
That's going to make room forthe new heavens and the new
earth.
The new heavens and the newearth.
And also, listen, man's greatworks will be burned up.
All the things that we boastabout, our great cities, our
great buildings, our greatinventions, our great
achievements, is going to bedestroyed in a moment in time.
(21:19):
A moment in time.
And when the sinner, when Istand before the throne of God,
I will have nothing to point toas the evidence of my greatness.
Neither will you.
Nothing.
It'll all be gone.
(21:39):
Now I know there is certainly,this is certainly a solemn
truth.
And we dare not study it in acavalier fashion.
And in the remaining verses ofthis letter, Peter is going to
apply this truth to our dailyliving.
We're going to see that.
But it would be wise now topause and consider where will I
(22:01):
stand when God destroys theworld?
It's what I'm living for.
Only destined to go up in acloud, to vanish forever.
Am I doing the will of God?
So that my works will glorifyhim now and forever.
(22:26):
I say to you, make your decisionnow.
Before it's too late.
SPEAKER_00 (22:37):
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and podcast, and your donationshelp keep us on the air.
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(23:00):
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It's supported in part by CatCare Clinic, located in Ormond
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(23:22):
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We're grateful for theirpartnership in helping carry
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Foundations of Truth with Dr.
Timothy Mann is supported inpart by Luther Wright's College
and Seminary, equipping men andwomen for ministry through
biblically faithful theologicaleducation.
As a leader in online learning,we are grateful for their
(23:42):
partnership in helping carrybiblical truth farther.
SPEAKER_01 (23:45):
Before we close today, I want to tell you about
a resource that I believe willbe a genuine help to you.
I've recently published my firstbook, Saved, Understanding God's
Work in Us.
In over 30 years of pastoralministry, one of the questions
I've encountered more thanalmost any other is this.
How can I know that I am trulysaved?
It is a question that deserves acareful, biblical answer.
(24:06):
And that is exactly what thisbook is designed to give.
Saved, understanding God's Workin Us, walks through what the
scripture teaches aboutsalvation, what God has done for
us, what he is doing in us, andthe assurance that every
believer can have because of hiswork.
If you want to understandsalvation more deeply, stand on
firmer ground in your faith, orbe better equipped to share the
(24:28):
gospel with someone you love,then this book was written for
you.
You can find it on Amazon,Barnes Noble, and Books A
Million, and pretty muchanywhere you buy books.
Just search Saved UnderstandingGod's Work in Us by Dr.
Timothy Mann.
I pray it strengthens yourfaith.
Thanks for being with us today.
God bless you.
The Bible, Dr.
Timothy, build your life of theuncle foundation of Doctor.
Great of the gospel of Dr.
Timothy Mann opens the Bible toprosperity and encouragement for
everyday life.
Foundations of Truth with Dr.
(00:24):
Timothy Mann.
It's supported in part by LutherWright's College and Seminary,
equipping men and women forministry through biblically
faithful theological education.
As a leader in online learning,we are grateful for their
partnership in helping carrybiblical truth farther.
Welcome to Foundations of Truth.
Today we have part two of themessage Answering the Scoffers
(00:44):
from 2 Peter chapter 3.
And here now is Dr.
Timothy Mann.
SPEAKER_01 (00:48):
However, I want to say to you, Peter seems to
indicate that man will notdestroy the world by his abuse
of atomic energy.
It's God who will push thebutton, if you will.
It's God who will do that at theright time and burn up the old
creation and all the works ofsinful man with it, and then he
(01:11):
will usher in the new heavensand the new earth, and he will
reign in glory.
See, everything in God'soriginal creation was good.
Good.
It was it is man's sin thatturned a good creation into a
groaning creation.
Now God allowed for that, heaccounted for that.
I understand that in hisprovidence and his sovereignty.
But the fact is, God could notpermit sinful man to live in a
(01:34):
perfect environment.
And so he cursed the groundbecause of man.
And since that time, man hasbeen busy polluting and
destroying God's creation.
We do that.
And for years it appeared thatthis exploitation might not
cause too much trouble, but noweverybody's changing their
minds, right?
Everybody's going green.
Going green.
Why?
Because, you know, we're gonnawe're gonna kill this thing,
(01:55):
everybody's saying.
We're not gonna be able to livehere.
The balance of nature's beenupset, and valuable resources
are being wasted, and the supplyof energy is running down, and
civilization is facing a crisis.
And so the prophets of doomtoday are not only preachers and
evangelists, but they'resociologists and ecologists and
politicians and atomicscientists.
(02:16):
All of that.
But Peter, what he's doing ishe's proving his point here
again, and that's that God isable to intervene again in the
course of history.
He did it in the past, he's ableto do it again, and the day of
the Lord is promised by theprophets and the apostles as
well as by Jesus Christ, andit's gonna come just as surely
as the flood came in Noah's day,as the fire and brimstone came
(02:37):
to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
And so here the fact is thesescoffers have their argument
ready.
Well, then why the delay?
Why the delay?
If it's gonna come, this promiseof Christ's coming in the
judgment of the world has beenaround for centuries, has it
not?
Why has it not been fulfilled?
(02:57):
Has God changed his mind?
I don't know about you, but Ithink the world is certainly
ripe for judgment.
It's right.
Well, that brings us to Peter'sthird fact that we can't forget.
Not only is God's word true, notonly is his work consistent, but
God's will is merciful.
(03:18):
God's will is merciful.
Once again, Peter exposes herethe ignorance of the scoffers
because not only were theyignorant of what God had done in
the past, they're also veryignorant of what God is like.
They're ignorant of that.
They were making God in theirown image, and that's what so
many folks do today.
(03:40):
They were making God in theirown image and ignoring the fact
that God is eternal, first ofall.
What does that mean?
That means that that He hasneither beginning nor ending.
Neither one.
Now man is immortal.
Man is immortal.
That means you and I have abeginning, but we don't have an
ending.
Not really.
Because we're gonna live forevereither in heaven or hell.
(04:03):
We don't have an ending.
But God is eternal, withoutbeginning and without ending,
and he dwells in eternity.
Eternity is not just extendedtime.
It's not that.
Rather, it is an existence aboveand apart from time.
That's hard for us to get ourminds around.
But that's what eternity is.
(04:23):
And so certainly Peter wasreferring to Psalm 90, verse 4,
which says, For a thousand yearsin thy sight are but as
yesterday when it is past, andas a watch in the night.
Peter's reminded of Psalm 90,verse 4.
Isaac Watts used Psalm 90 as abasis for the familiar hymn, O
God our help in ages past.
There's a line in that Psalmthat says, A thousand ages in
(04:45):
thy sight are like an eveninggone, short as the watch that
ends the night before the risingsun.
And so, since a thousand yearsare as one day to the Lord, we
cannot this morning could theycouldn't then, we can't this
morning accuse him of delayedfulfillment of his promises.
We can't accuse him of that.
(05:06):
Because in God's sight, thinkabout this, the universe is only
a few days old.
In God's sight.
He's not limited by time the waywe are.
He's not limited in any way, andhe certainly doesn't measure it
according to God's standards.
And when you study the works ofGod, hey, spend some time in the
Old Testament.
(05:26):
Spend some time, hang out there,read some of that.
When you spend some time in theOld Testament, you'll see that
God is never in a hurry, buthe's never late.
Never in a hurry, but neverlate.
He could have absolutely createdthe universe in an instant, yet
he preferred to do it over aperiod of six days.
(05:47):
He could have delivered Israelfrom Egypt in a moment.
In a moment.
But what did he do?
Instead, he preferred to invest80 years of training in Moses.
That's how God works.
For that matter, he could havesent the Savior much sooner.
Much sooner.
But the Bible says he waiteduntil the fullness of time was
(06:10):
come.
See, here's how this goes.
While God works in time, he'snot limited by time at all.
Now we can apply that on down toour own lives.
And hopefully that would help uswith some issues that we face
from time to time.
I think we struggle with that.
But to God, a thousand years isas one day, and one day as a
(06:30):
thousand years.
What does that mean?
That means God can accomplish inone day what it would take
others a millennium toaccomplish.
And so much more.
You know what God does is He Hewaits to work.
He waits to work.
But once He begins to work, Hegets things done in a hurry.
Once He begins to work.
(06:52):
So these scoffers, these falseteachers, they didn't understand
God's eternality, nor do theyunderstand His mercy.
Why is God delaying the returnof Christ, the coming day of the
Lord?
It's not because He's unable toact.
It's not because He's unwillingto act.
(07:13):
He's not tardy.
He's not off schedule.
And by the way, lest we forget,let me remind you this morning:
nobody on this earth has theright to tell God when to act.
Nobody has the right to decidewhen God must act.
God is sovereign in all things,and he does not need prodding,
and he certainly does not needcounsel from sinful man.
(07:35):
According to Romans chapter 11.
He doesn't.
God delays the coming of Christand the great day of fiery
judgment, the Bible says here,because he is long suffering and
wants to give lost sinners theopportunity to be saved.
Verse 15.
Go over to verse 15 of this samechapter.
(07:59):
Chapter 3, verse 15.
And consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is
salvation.
That the long suffering of ourLord is salvation.
Account for that, he says.
So God's delay, his so-calleddelay, what that really is, is
an indication that he has a planfor the world and that he is
(08:20):
working his plan.
There should be no question inanybody's mind whether God wants
sinners to be saved.
The Bible says God is notwilling that any should perish.
1 Timothy 2 4 affirms that Godwould desire to have all men to
be saved and to come to theknowledge of the truth.
And those verses give both thenegative and the positive side.
(08:42):
And together they assure us thatGod has no pleasure in the death
of the wicked.
Says that very clearly inEzekiel chapter 18.
Says it in verse 23, verse 32,he says it again in Ezekiel 33,
verse 11.
And he demonstrates his mercy.
He demonstrates his mercy to allaccording to Romans 11, verse
32, even though not all will besaved.
(09:06):
It's worth noting that Godrevealed this same long
suffering in the years beforethe flood.
But yet he held back his wrath.
And instead the Bible says hesent Noah as a preacher of
righteousness.
And in the case of Sodom andGomorrah, God patiently waited
(09:28):
until Abraham interceded for thecities, and he would have spared
them had he found ten righteouspeople in Sodom.
Now, did he have knowledge ofthat?
That he wouldn't absolutely.
But don't get too bound up inthat.
See that God's will is merciful.
God takes no pleasure injudging.
(09:50):
Satisfies his holiness.
But he takes no pleasure.
And so if God is long sufferingtoward lost sinners, why this is
a question that's interesting.
Why did Peter write?
Verse 9.
The old King James says the Lordis long suffering to usward.
(10:10):
Us word.
Who is meant by us word?
Now it's interesting.
That's context.
Let me give you a good biblicalprinciple here.
You can't forget this as you'restudying the Bible.
Who's this letter to?
Who's this letter to?
You say, Well, I don't know.
How do I find that?
(10:31):
Well, go back to verse one.
The greeting always has who it'sto.
Right?
Simon Peter, a bondservant andapostle of Jesus Christ, to
those who have obtained likeprecious faith with us by the
righteousness of our God andSavior Jesus Christ.
Longsuffering.
(10:54):
It would appear based on thecontext of the letter.
It would appear based on thecontext of the letter that God
is long suffering to his ownpeople.
Now perhaps, perhaps Peter wasusing the word us in a general
way, meaning mankind.
Mankind.
And I you could make a case forthat.
(11:15):
But also if you take intoconsideration first Peter as
well, he's writing both of theseletters to the same audience.
You go back to First Peterchapter one, verse one, Peter,
an apostle of Jesus Christ, tothe pilgrims, and he names all
the places, to the sojourners,to these temporary residents who
(11:37):
are elect according to theforeknowledge of God the Father
in the sanctification of theSpirit for obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of JesusChrist.
And in verse 10, same book, ofthis salvation, the prophets
have inquired and searchedcarefully.
Now look, who prophesied of thegrace that would come to you, to
(11:58):
you.
He's writing to these pilgrims.
They're in Pontus, Galatia,Cappadocia, Asia, and Bethynia.
We forget sometimes when we readGod's word that the original
author had an original audiencethat he's conveying a message
to.
When we go back to 2 Peter 2,verse 9, we think he's talking
(12:22):
about us or very s and we canpull out those implications,
yes.
But he's writing to these whohave obtained like precious
faith with us by righteousnessof God and Savior Jesus Christ.
The Lord is not slack concerninghis promises, some count
slackness, but as long assuffering toward us, not willing
that any should perish, but thatall should come to repentance to
(12:47):
us.
(13:08):
The people of God, Christians.
God is long suffering towardlost sinners.
Why?
Because some of them willbelieve and are a part of God's
elect people, based on what thescriptures teach.
That's what he's saying.
Now we don't know who that is.
We have no idea who that isamong the unsaved of the world.
(13:29):
Nor are we supposed to know.
Our task is to do what?
Our task, first of all,according to what Peter said,
was to make our own calling andelection sure in 2 Peter chapter
2, verse 10, and to preach thegospel indiscriminately to all
people, to all nations, and tomake disciples of all nations.
(13:52):
But the fact that God has hispeople, his sheep amongst the
lost people of the world oughtto be an encouragement to us to
share the good news and to seekto win others to Christ.
Why?
Because God is going to save hispeople.
SPEAKER_00 (14:23):
Your prayers and financial support help make this
teaching possible.
Thank you for standing with Dr.
Timothy Mann and our entire teamhere at Foundations of Truth, as
together we proclaim truth in aworld that desperately needs it.
If you'd like to give afinancial gift to support this
ministry, you can do so rightnow at foundationsoftruth.net.
(14:44):
That's foundationsoftruth.net.
Now let's return to today'smessage, part one of Answering
the Scoffers.
Here's Dr.
Timothy Mann.
SPEAKER_01 (14:52):
God was even long-suffering toward the
scoffers of that day.
They needed to repent and he waswilling to save them.
Now, by the way, this verseright here, verse 9, repentance.
It's the only place that Peteruses that word in either of his
letters, but that doesn'tminimize its importance.
It's not regret.
Repentance is not regret, whichsimply means I'm sorry.
(15:16):
It's not remorse, which simplymeans some kind of hopeless, dis
hopeless attitude that can leadto despair.
Repentance is a change of mindthat results in a change of
action in the will.
That's what it is.
And so if the sinner honestlychanges his mind about his sin,
(15:36):
he'll turn from it.
If he sincerely changes his mindabout Jesus Christ, he or she
will turn to him, trust him, andbe saved.
The Bible says in Acts 20, verse21, repentance toward God and
faith toward our Lord JesusChrist.
That's God's formula forsalvation.
(15:56):
The word translated, look atthis, look at this.
You need to see this.
That last phrase, but that allshould come, come to repentance.
Come, notice that.
That carries the meaning in theoriginal language of to make
room for.
To make room for.
It's translated contained backover in John 2.6 and 2.15.
(16:19):
You say, Well, big deal.
What does that mean to me?
It means that the lost sinnermust make room for repentance in
his or her heart by putting yourpride aside and meekly receiving
the Word of God.
Yes, repentance is a gift fromGod, but the unbeliever must
(16:40):
make room for this gift.
Must come.
Must make room.
Well, I don't know about you,but as I see Peter's arguments
here, I think his evidence isirrefutable.
He's clearly pointed out thatthese scoffers willfully reject
the evidence so that they mightcan continue on in their sins
and their way of life.
(17:00):
And he's proved from scripturesthat God has intervened in past
history.
He has the power to do it today.
He's shown that they have a verylow view of God.
And by the way, false teachersusually have a very, very low
view of God.
They see him as some some kindof deified Santa Claus.
Truthfully.
A genie in a bottle.
(17:26):
And explains that God does notlive in the realm of human time,
and his so-called delay onlygives the opportunity for lost
sinners, more lost sinners torepent and be saved.
And so, having refuted theseclaims, now what does he do?
We're going to come to the lastfew verses here, the last verse.
He reaffirms the certainty ofthe coming day of the Lord.
(17:47):
Verse 10.
But the day of the Lord willcome as a thief in the night, in
which the heaven, heavens willpass away with a great noise,
and the elements will melt withfervent heat, both the earth and
the works that are in it will beburned up.
He says, Nobody knows the day,but it's going to come.
It's going to come upon theworld like a thief in the night.
(18:08):
That means suddenly, swiftly,unexpected.
Unexpected.
What's that mean?
That means when the world'sfeeling secure, like it's about
to get back on its feet, so tospeak, judgment's going to fall.
Because there's one that's goingto come, I believe, according to
(18:29):
how I understand Scripture.
There's going to be one that'sgoing to come who's going to
have the apparent answer to allof the economic woes that this
world faces.
A unifying figure.
And everybody's going to behappy because they're going to
(18:51):
get their check in the mail.
And when the world is feelingsecure, the judgment is going to
fall.
We don't know when it'll happen,but we're told what'll happen.
Again, Weast gives a verygraphic illustration translation
of these words.
He says, in which the heavenswith a rushing noise will be
(19:12):
dissolved, and the elementsbeing scorched will be
dissolved, and the earth alsoand the works in it will be
burned up.
This word melt.
This word melt means todisintegrate.
It means to dissolve.
It carries the idea of somethingbeing broken down into its basic
elements.
That's, by the way, what happenswhen atomic energy is released.
(19:32):
Heaven and earth shall passaway, said our Lord.
Heaven and earth will pass away.
Peter said the heavens and earthare stored with fire, and only
God can release it.
For this reason, I'll just tellyou this morning, I do not
believe that God will permitsinful men to engage in an
earth-destroying atomic war.
I think you just need to putthat to rest and not worry about
(19:53):
that.
That's my opinion.
He will, however, I believe,overrule the ignorance and
foolishness of men, includingwell-meaning but unbelieving
diplomats and politicians, sothat he alone will have the
privilege of pushing the button.
He'll be the one.
And dissolving the elements tomake way for a new heaven and a
(20:14):
new earth.
Oh, I wish we had time thismorning to get into Old
Testament passages such asIsaiah 13 and 24 and 34 and 64.
When he wrote these words, thatfirst passage is especially
emphatic that God will bring thejudgment and not sinful men.
He says, And I will punish theworld for their evil and the
wicked for their iniquity, saysthe Lord.
(20:35):
It does not sound as thoughhe'll give the task to some sort
of nervous military leader orsome sort of angry politician.
That's not going to happen.
Now, of course, this greatexplosion is not going to touch
the heaven of heavens where Goddwells, but Peter says here in
verse 10, it's going to destroythe earth, the atmospheric
heavens around it, and theuniverse as we know it.
(20:58):
What's that going to do?
That's going to make room forthe new heavens and the new
earth.
The new heavens and the newearth.
And also, listen, man's greatworks will be burned up.
All the things that we boastabout, our great cities, our
great buildings, our greatinventions, our great
achievements, is going to bedestroyed in a moment in time.
(21:19):
A moment in time.
And when the sinner, when Istand before the throne of God,
I will have nothing to point toas the evidence of my greatness.
Neither will you.
Nothing.
It'll all be gone.
(21:39):
Now I know there is certainly,this is certainly a solemn
truth.
And we dare not study it in acavalier fashion.
And in the remaining verses ofthis letter, Peter is going to
apply this truth to our dailyliving.
We're going to see that.
But it would be wise now topause and consider where will I
(22:01):
stand when God destroys theworld?
It's what I'm living for.
Only destined to go up in acloud, to vanish forever.
Am I doing the will of God?
So that my works will glorifyhim now and forever.
(22:26):
I say to you, make your decisionnow.
Before it's too late.
SPEAKER_00 (22:37):
We are a listener-supported radio program
and podcast, and your donationshelp keep us on the air.
You can give a gift today atfirmfoundations.org.
That's firm-foundations.org.
And thank you so much forlistening.
The grass withers, the flowerfades, but the word of God
stands forever.
We're thankful for AMN Plumbing,a local ministry partner serving
(23:00):
the Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach,Fort Orange, New Sarna Beach,
and surrounding areas withdependable plumbing service.
Their support helps makeFoundations of Truth available
to more listeners.
We have Foundations of Truthwith Dr.
Timothy Mann.
It's supported in part by CatCare Clinic, located in Ormond
Beach, and serving families withthoughtful and compassionate
(23:22):
veterinary care for cats.
We're grateful for theirpartnership in helping carry
biblical truth farther.
Foundations of Truth with Dr.
Timothy Mann is supported inpart by Luther Wright's College
and Seminary, equipping men andwomen for ministry through
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As a leader in online learning,we are grateful for their
(23:42):
partnership in helping carrybiblical truth farther.
SPEAKER_01 (23:45):
Before we close today, I want to tell you about
a resource that I believe willbe a genuine help to you.
I've recently published my firstbook, Saved, Understanding God's
Work in Us.
In over 30 years of pastoralministry, one of the questions
I've encountered more thanalmost any other is this.
How can I know that I am trulysaved?
It is a question that deserves acareful, biblical answer.
(24:06):
And that is exactly what thisbook is designed to give.
Saved, understanding God's Workin Us, walks through what the
scripture teaches aboutsalvation, what God has done for
us, what he is doing in us, andthe assurance that every
believer can have because of hiswork.
If you want to understandsalvation more deeply, stand on
firmer ground in your faith, orbe better equipped to share the
(24:28):
gospel with someone you love,then this book was written for
you.
You can find it on Amazon,Barnes Noble, and Books A
Million, and pretty muchanywhere you buy books.
Just search Saved UnderstandingGod's Work in Us by Dr.
Timothy Mann.
I pray it strengthens yourfaith.
Thanks for being with us today.
God bless you.
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