CapitolCommissionGeorgiawww.capitolcom.org/www.pray1Tim2.org

RonJ.Bigalke,Ph.D.P.O.Box244,Rincon,GA31326-0244(912)659-4212ron.bigalke@capitolcom.org TTThhheeeCCCooommmiiinnngggDDDaaayyy

Tuesday,5thofMarch2019

CapitolCommissionBibleStudyTuesday(5thofMarch)@12Noon–12:45pm,123CAP

Member’sBibleFellowshipThursday(7thofMarch)@7:15am–8:00am,107CAP

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The Capitol Commission Bible Study is held every Tuesday. The weekly Bible study is nonpart i san and non-denominat ional . We will be studying the First and Second Epistle of Peter during the 2019 legislative session, and will continue doing so every week on Tuesdays. For archives of past Bible studies (dating from 2010), please visit http://www.capitolcom.org/ georgia/studies.

Capitol Commission provides an open-to-all Bible study every Tuesday from 12:00-12:45pm in 123 CAP (with lunch prov ided). The member’s only Bible Fellowship is held every Wednesday (unless not a legislative day) from 7:15-8:00am in the Governor’s Conference Room (107 CAP), and only for this week will be on Thursday, the 7th of March (Crossover Day).

I pray that this study will be edifying to you. The sole intent of the ministry of Capitol Commission is to serve you, as a resource for pastoral attention, counsel, and prayer. The present Bible study is just one aspect of that desire to serve.

– Dr. Ron J . Biga lke , Georg ia State Minis t er , Capi to l Commiss ion

Capitol Commission Bible Study i s

Tuesday, 5 March 2019

Second Peter 3 – “The Coming Day”

The final chapter of Second Peter concerns the coming day of the Lord, which will be the greatest cataclysm of world history. The Old Testament prophets discussed the coming of Messiah with the Hebrew phrase, yom Adonai , which is translated as “day of the Lord.” The prophets often struggled to find language adequate to describe the cosmological and global upheaval of that day. The prophet Zephaniah described the day of the Lord as follows.

Near is the great day of the LORD, near and coming quickly; listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of

destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers.

One can easily imagine the prophet’s struggle to identify adequate terms for the day of Messiah’s coming because when the Lord comes it will be the worst judgment in the history of the world. The thought is difficult to imagine, especially when one considers the death of all living (except Noah and his family) in the worldwide deluge of Genesis 6—9. Moreover, it was just a few months ago for the special session in response to the cleanup costs associated with Hurricane Michael, which devastated parts of the Florida Panhandle and southwest Georgia.

Perhaps what makes the second coming worse in judgment is that recent calamitous earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes, tropical storms, tsunamis, typhoons, and volcanic eruptions were all so-called “acts of nature.” An act of nature is what God does through mediation – through creation that is experiencing upheaval (nature groaning) – yet judgment associated with the second coming is by God’s wrath being directly and specifically outpoured upon the world.

The nine plagues brought upon Egypt were awful, yet the last plague that God used to deliver Israel was the most horrendous. Exodus 11:1 reads, “Now the LORD said to Moses, ‘One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh and on Egypt.” God said, “I am going out into the midst of Egypt” (v. 4). God did not use an angel or demon, disease or storm, God said, “I will do this,” and He did: “Now it came about at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt” (12:29).

Exodus 15 is the first psalm in the Bible; it is a celebration of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. Praise is given because “the LORD is a warrior” (v. 3). When the Lord Jesus returns to earth, it is said, “He judges and makes war” (Rev 19:11). “From His mouth comes a sharp sword” (v. 15). Jesus will fight directly and personally. The second coming of Jesus will be the greatest calamity in the entirety of human history.

Many use the word “Armageddon” to describe global devastation, yet the word is biblical (Rev 16:16). Armageddon is when the nations are gathered “against the LORD and against His Anointed” (Ps 2:2), yet God “who sits in the heavens laughs” in derision because He will install his King (vv. 4-6) and bless “all who take refuge in Him” (v. 12). None of the nations can withstand the power of God, which is why the day of the second coming will be the greatest cataclysm in history because it is the Lord himself who comes to judge and make war.

The day of the Lord, the second coming, is the focus of 2 Peter 3. The reality of that coming day seized Peter’s thoughts. The admonition is not to focus upon the errors of false teachers, but to focus attention upon the assurance and hope of Christ’s return, when all will be made right.

CapitolCommissionBibleStudyCapitolCommissionBibleStudy

• TUESDAYS@12NOONin123CAP(BASEMENTOFGEORGIA’SSTATECAPITOL)

Members’BibleFellowshipMembers’BibleFellowship

• THURSDAY,3/7@7:15AMin107CAP(GOVERNOR’SCONFERENCEROOM)

Tuesday,5March2019

NEXT CAPITOL COMMISSION BIBLE STUDY: Tuesday, 12th of March @ 12 Noon in 123 CAP

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http://www.kennickell.com

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CREATION GROANS ( II Pet er 3 :1-9) The majority of 2 Peter 3 concerns the second coming of Jesus Christ. Emphasis is given to the fact that believers do not wait passively for the Lord’s return; rather, God’s people are to live differently as they wait. Peter said his intent was to stimulate “your sincere mind by way of reminder” (v. 1). Wholesome thinking is the best antidote to false assertions and teaching. Many wrongly focus upon emotional experiences that neglect the mind, resulting in mindless “Christians.” Scripture wants to reverse that trend.

False teaching contaminates one’s thinking, which is why believers need to “remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets” (v. 2). God’s people needed to reject the false teaching that the second coming would not occur, and also to protect themselves from the contamination of the false teachers by heeding “the commandment” to love one another while awaiting the second coming of the Lord.

WHOLESOMETHINKING ISTHEBESTANTIDOTETOFALSEASSERTIONSANDTEACHING.

Similar to how things are today, many people in Peter’s time listened to false teachers and considered biblical teachings, such as belief in the second coming to be foolish. When false teachers cannot accomplish their devious purposes with lies, they will mock the Word of God, the Bible (vv. 3-7). The mocker’s question (“Where is the promise of His coming”) is not an actual desire for information; it arises from evil desires and caters to “their own lusts” (vv. 3-4).

Scripture responds by reminding one that creation was God bringing everything into existence from nothing (Lat. ex n ih i lo , “out of nothing”). God created a watery mass that formed a canopy around the earth, and separated it from the lower waters that were in reservoirs of the world itself. The Lord created water above the earth and below its surface, “through which the world . . . was destroyed, being flooded with water” (vv. 5-6). God’s past act of judgment assures that He will bring a judgment of fire to an ungodly world (v. 7).

In view of the impending judgment, Christ’s command to love is especially vital (vv. 8-9). The apparent delay of the second coming is explained in a twofold manner: (1) God has a different perspective with regard to time (v. 8); and, (2) God is patient for his beloved, “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (v. 9). God’s apparent delay is not because He is indifferent or impotent; it is based upon his grace in salvation.

CREATION RENEWED ( II Pet er 3 :10-18) Verses 10-12 describe the day of the Lord as a time of the burning of the earth. God will use various judgments to purify the heavens and earth from the effects and source of sin and thereby transform it (v. 13). Notwithstanding the destructive methods of the Lord’s judgment, the Christian hopes for the renovation of creation. Just as the ancient world was destroyed by the flood (2:5; 3:6), resulting in the present order, so also will the current world undergo divine judgment (3:7) by which God will bring the new creation into being.

Second Peter 3 concludes with an appeal for godly living (vv. 14-18; cf. v. 11). Believers are not passive in their identity with Christ (v. 18): “be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” (v. 14). God’s patience toward his beloved is in agreement with Paul’s letters, which likewise affirmed the doctrine of justification by grace through faith (vv. 15-16; Rom 3:5-8, 21-31; 6:1). Scripture alone reveals hope for the future as motivation for life today (2 Pet 3:14, 17).

The promises of Christ’s return and the renovation of creation should stabilize God’s people and motivate believers to pursue holiness. The question to ask is whether you will be counted among those who shall inherit such things. Do you have reason to anticipate the climactic events revealed in 2 Peter 3? The blessed destiny associated with the coming of Christ is reserved only for those who trust in Christ, that is, those who have their sins forgiven and have the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed by grace through faith to them. Jesus’ invitation is as follows: “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” (John 5:24).

Thank you for the pr iv i l eg e in prov id ing you wi th the Capi to l Commiss ion Bib le s tudy . I f we can serve you in any manner ,

p l ease ta lk wi th us , or contac t by emai l or phone .

AboutCapitolCommissionCapitol Commission state ministers are pastors-missionaries who teach weekly verse-by-verse Bible studies for legislators, lobbyists, and staff members. The Bible studies are hand-distributed to each legislative office, emailed, and made available throughout the capitol community. With the Bible as our foundation and authority, the mission of Capitol Commission is to provide a pastoral presence in the capitol communities of our nation.

The church is instructed to submit and to honor government leaders (Rom 13:1-7), and to pray for their eternal salvation (1 Tim 2:1-4). The desire of Capitol Commission is to witness God transform the hearts and lives of elected officials, lobbyists, and staff members. We apply this mandate to four major areas of making disciples: (1) evange l ize those who have not experienced saving faith in Jesus Christ; (2) es tab l i sh those who desire to grow in their faith and knowledge of Scripture; (3) equip those called to spiritual leadership; and, (4) encourage churches to participate as partners with us in ministry.