提要
這一章的主題回到基督再來。在彼得那個時代,已有許多無耐心的信徒和不信主的嘲笑者問到:「主說要再來,祂在那裡呢?」(4節)耶穌升天不過幾十年,但他們已開始懷疑主是否會第二次再來。這些疑問使信徒失望,他們感到耶穌令他們難堪,至少祂遲延了祂再來的應許。
因此彼得解釋此事,他提醒我們,上帝作工不是在我們人類有限的空間內,而是在祂永恆的國度,祂視一日如千年,千年如一日(8節),對上帝來說每件事都是「現在」,這是為何彼得說祂沒有遲延祂的應許。(9節)對我們來說,上帝行事緩慢,就像一個新生兒,當母親在喂奶時,要從右邊換到左邊時,他覺得太慢,他沒有耐心又生氣的哭泣著母親打斷了他的進食,直到母親放置好,他再開始喝奶時,他才會停止哭泣;對一個母親來說,那已是她最快捷的動作了。
對上帝來說,祂想要等待到最後一刻,因祂不願有任何人沈淪滅亡,祂期待有更多的人能加入新天新地,一個公義的家中,一起歡喜快樂(13節)。但我們也別忘了,從上帝的角度來看,耶穌已站在門口,隨時會再來,讓我們舉起手來,因我們的救贖已近。
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Overview
The subject of this concluding chapter is the return of Christ. Already in Peter's day there were impatient believers and outright unbelieving scoffers who were saying, "Where is this 'coming' He promised?" (v4). Only a few decades had passed since Jesus' ascension, but already there were doubters about this much acclaimed "parousia" (second coming). These questioners were disappointed and in some cases disillusioned — Jesus had let them down — or, at least He was pretty slow in fulfilling His promise to return.
So Peter puts things in perspective. First of all, he reminds his readers that God doesn't work within our space-time limitations. In His eternal kingdom, one day has no more quantitative reality than a thousand years (v.8); for God, everything is "now". -..;
That's why He's not "slow in keeping His promise" (v.9a NIV). To us He seems slow, just like a newborn infant thinks its mother slow when she switches him from one breast to the other. He bleats impatiently and angrily at the interruption to his feeding and the length of time until its resumption. To the mother, however, it's no time at all.
If God is waiting even in the least sense, it is because He is "not willing that any should perish". He wants as many as possible to enjoy "a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (v.13). But let's not lose our sense of perspective — from God's point of view, Jesus is at the door. So, let's "lift up our heads, for our redemption is near!
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