Sunday, January 4, 2026

PT-1 “Uniformitarianism” (2 Peter 3:4)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/4/2026 5:06 PM

My Worship Time                                                                     Focus:  PT-1 “Uniformitarianism”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                      Reference:  2 Peter 3:4

            Message of the verse:  “and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?  For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’”

            “The taunting question ‘Where is the promise of His coming?’ introduced a denial of the Lord’s return based on a revisionist view of history.  To support their misguided view, the false teachers claimed that, ‘ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.’  Although the fathers could refer to the fathers of the Christian faith or to first-generation believers who had died, neither one of those meanings is likely.  Rather, in keeping with other New Testament references (e.g. Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:1), it is probably a reference to the Old Testament patriarchs (cf. Gen. 25:8-10; 35:28-29; 49:33).”

(e.g. Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:1)

“5  of whom are the fathers, and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.”

“1 ¶  «THE EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE HEBREWS» God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,”

(cf. Gen. 25:8-10; 35:28-29; 49:33)

“8  Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 9  And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, 10  the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife.”

“28  And the days of Isaac were a hundred and eighty years. 29  And Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.”

“33  And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed and breathed his last and was gathered to his people.”

Fell asleep is a New Testament euphemism for death (John 11:11, 13; 1 Cor. 11:30; 15:51).”

(John 11:11, 13; 1 Cor. 11:30; 15:51)

“11  These things he said, and after that he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus is fallen asleep, but I go that I may awaken him.’”

“13  However, Jesus had spoken of his death: but they thought that he spoke of taking a rest in sleep.”

“30  Because of this, many are weak and sick among you, and many are fallen asleep.”

“51 ¶  Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,”

            I continue quoting from John MacArthur’s commentary:  “The heretics’ argument was simple.  If everything continues just as it was from the beginning of creation (meaning that the universe is divinely created but closed, naturalistic system of cause and effect), then divine +intervention—including the return of Christ—must be ruled out a priori.  In modern times, that view is known as uniformitarianism.  Contending that the present is the key to the past, uniformitarianism asserts that the only natural processes that have ever operated in the past are the same processes at work today.  It categorically denies divine intervention throughout world history, most notably opposing both six-day creation and the global Flood.”

            Now as I think about what these false teachers were saying, I have to think about some different things that I have learned since I began studying the Bible some 50+ years ago.  We know that God created the earth in six days and that everything was perfect when He was done with His creation.  Man sinned and so was not allowed to go into the garden of Eden, and then had to begin to really work for a living, and Eve, and all women from then on would have pain in delivering their babies.  We move along in history, probably 2000 years later then God brought about the “Genesis Flood” that covered the entire earth, and only eight people were then left because they were in an ark.  The earth was much different as it was turned on its axis, meaning that the perfect environment would be gone and there would be different weather than before the flood.  Man would not live for hundreds of years like before the flood.  God would then call Abram to begin what is now known as the Jewish race, and eventually Moses was born who would led the Israelites out of Egypt along with writing the first five books of the Bible.  With only a couple exceptions the entire Bible would be written by the children of Israel.  Eventually the promise of a Messiah would come about when Jesus was born, lived, and died for the sins of the world, to those who would accept His provision for sin.  He arose, went back to heaven and is now interceding for those in the Church from heaven.  Next the Church age will end with what is called the Rapture of the Church, and after that there will be a seven year tribulation period with the Antichrist ruling the world.  This will be the worst time to ever happen on planet earth.  Let me go back to the Rapture of the Church to say that all believers who have died in the church age will go first to meet the Lord in the air, and then those who are alive will a split second later go to meet the Lord in the air.  The false teachers in Peter’s time (and continue today) do not believe this will happen, but the Bible teaches us that it will, and it will happen when the Lord deems it to happen.  To an unbeliever this seems like science fiction but to a believer it is our HOPE.  If you are not a believer it would be best for you to realize that you were born a sinner, and sin because that is how you were born.  It is also best for you to understand that Jesus Christ died for you, for your sins, and then it would also be the best for you to then confess that you are a sinner and then invite the Lord Jesus into your heart. By truthfully doing this you will be what the Bible calls a born-again believer, on your way to heaven one day when the Lord comes to the clouds to bring you to be with Him, forever with Him.

1/4/2026 5:47 PM

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