2 Peter 3:1-18 KJV
1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

Some of Peter's last words recorded in scripture was his letters found in second Peter. We looking today at the last chapter of second Peter. He leaves the church with hope and warning of corruption within the church. That a day was coming that would be like the time of Noah when the whole earth was destroyed by flood but this time it would be destroyed by fire and it would literally destroy the heaven and earth. Most would believe this information is prophetic. However if we look at the ancients studying the stars they would of discovered missing stars in the galaxy even if they understood not why it was no longer there. They also knew when new stars appear. The shepherds the astrologers, and any good story teller that told the stories of the stars would of known of these changes. The adverage person on the street might not of, beyond the fact the stars are more brillant outside the fire light and lamp lights. Were people in fear of this phenomon that occured, not understand what perhaps that their home was a planet. Yet we know even in our own centuries, there have been planets that come close to our own, how much is visible to the naked eye to know something was special about these planets, or that they were different from regular stars, I could not tell you. However I can tell you the first telescope as we know it was not made until 1600s. Meaning the naked eye alone could tell you may things about our own planet as well as seeing from a distance that these planets even after thousand of years were still existing. Did the story of the sky is falling plague people at the time of the Bible to the point Jesus used it as a warning to society, or was this knowledge spoken of based on Noah and the ark, when flood waters rose up to the highest known mountain in the world, Mt Ararat.

Why is any of this important, when you teaching something, it will shed light on where the original theory came from as well as why it might of been taught. If we view Christ in humanity and not who he is as part of the godhead bodily. We see something happening, and we see him teaching some strange things that would occur in time, sound prophetic for our day even. When you realize this scoffers, people who had doubts about words of Christ and even the Old Testament will use these things to destroy faith. How can this be a faith builder and not a theory to destroy faith. It has to do with faith comes with seeing often times, but it also comes with knowledge. Christ is clear no one but God the Father knows the time of earth destruction. However what is clear is no doubt the earth will probably begin to sing and start destroying itself with storms, and weather changes. Could this have been known at the time of Christ, probably not, or not with my limited research, the ancients may of known something we did not. Christ talks about it in relation to Noah ark, as well as Peter in his writings. If we knew the hour of our own destruction would we change our fait. Some say you can know the time of your passing, but I will say is that God's design for you to know the time of your demise. Did he not create you for a purpose?

Had the ancients watch destruction, had Egypt not see the plagues at the time of Moses and understood this was super natural, despite Pharaoh tried hard not to believe with each passing of plagues, his own magicians could not duplicate, to his own demise as the chariot ran into the middle of the red sea and drowned him. Jesus taught not let these warning of destruction bother you that they had to come before the great and terrible day of the Lord. Instead to focus on the promise of Christ returning to his people. Had the cross set so much fear that the day of resurrection, brought joy to his people. Promise of a new time period with the crucifixion, only also bring hope to the people after Jesus leaves the earth, that their was something greater beyond our own knowledge of day after for the believers of faith, just like at the time of Noah. Noah may not of understood all about the flood, but knew a day of hope came when God opened the door of the ark, and Noah, his family and all the animals came running right out of the ark. Imagine, that day of what first sight of the new world looked like. God's protection had been on Noah. As water receded over time, he knew the flood had come up to the heighth of the tallest mountain, but had he known it was the highest in the world in which he lived, probably not, without God's word being proclaimed. With science the migration of people off that one mountain is seen even with the story of Ancient Babel, who own destruction came, when man thought he was superior to God.

Do we look around and see the world as how many claiming God like status and are definitely not, to only see the demise of the world yet to come, and the time of confusion. Our own world changing by just one pandemic that lead into multiple pandemics, a new threat but not in high numbers yet is a new strain of hepatis that is killing children. Don't be to concern about monkey pox they say, but had the news told of the hepatist? I am not sure, it maybe just newly release and I caught on the CDC sight looking around. Yet all things that come and go, even in my early years the warnings of aids caused fear to our nation, and though it still not complete controlled, the knowledge of its destruction can be controlled by protective sex practices as well as limit on blood transfusions, only if you got to have one, and also knowledge of you can not catch through the air means it is not as communitable as they once thought. Hepatist also is not air born.

What I am saying these plagues are only wiping out huge amount of people, but is a part of what the stories of the ancient world, the stories of how even government tried to destroy cultures like Indians and small pox with or without knowledge. Yet we live in a time period when we see Biblical scripture and we talk of end times coming, only to the amazement of the world around us of the comic relief of chicken little the sky is falling. What then do we only see destruction or do we see the door of the ark opening and stepping out into a new beginning, a new opportunity of survival and faith. Without God ever acting with man would man not know God existed, perhaps only through the evidence of creation. Yet would we know to worship him?

A new hope we see the ark as evidence of that hope of protection, that safety in the middle of the fire, the hope of being taken off the earth before final destruction coming. Yet does our world understand that science says Nasa and God's people say God's power, not without the potentiality of space craft? I do not have all the answers. however I know the dead in Christ will rise first meaning that the dead have not risen beyond the time period of Christ own resurrection and resurrection common by CPR or prayer. What does this mean, we live in a world we have to hope in the reality that God going to provide either the means to be rapture up out of this world, the same way he left, or he going to provide another means of travel. Yet we understand the throne of God is also destroy, meaning Heaven being his throne and earth his foot stool.

With people of all age beginning to find out they can go up in a rocket in time to come, we have to ask is this destroying our own ozone layer. If it is, then using solar and electricity for equipment and cars only part of our understanding how to protect the environment, yet if we believe we leaving like Jesus, then we have no fear of the destruction rockets cause to the ozone layer of our own planet right?

Come on people, there some that fret about the least little thing and yet why worry, you can not change what the rich will do with rockets, or the contraversy of the need to care for our environment. Once we all look for a time of destruction let us strive for peace and love and not war. Believers let us keep our garments without spots, without mildew and without destruction of any kind of our own making, called sin. Let us hold to faith and live holy unto God knowing that he will provide for us in the storms to come, that whether we die in the storm we have hope, if we live to see a brighter day as Noah, that we have hope of Christ coming and taking us to a new home.

Let us not loose faith because God's word is ever present in the believers life, even if we become blind for a time to it, it's reality is ever so, as we strive to live by his word. The scriptures being the most precious gift to the church world. This week I am taking time off, but I plan to be back Lord willing on Memorial Day. No I am not continue in the book of Acts, because you already discovered the greatest gift and blessing to the church was the hope that Peter continued to preach of Christ return. The hope of new day, a hope of promise. With that Peter would go to his own cross, not of his chosing but the will of God, because standing in faith and facing consequences for obeying Christ is equally important as fleeing from town to town as Paul did, though willing to face the higher government concerning laws, knowing it would help Christians of the Roman Empire the most. He understood both religious and political law. He often used political world to escape persecution, yet it did not stop him from being beaten or stoned. However Paul would know a new day after each event.

Point being hope after injury, persecution, struggles and more will come if we live to see it. I am one that live in that reality, that hope for a better tomorrow will come not that my life will remain as it is even at 53. Where is your hope young people, I hope in Christ. Where is your hope old people I hope in Christ. Where is your hope people in between I hope in Christ.

I be back On Memorial Day.

Dear Heavenly Father, give us that continual hope in Christ, that he will come for his people and take us out of this world into the New Jerusalem that we see coming down from heaven, the great ship called the new heaven and earth before the final destruction. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: Matthew 24:29-30 KJV
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.