In 2 Peter 3, the Apostle Peter was teaching about 3 world earth ages.
Peter said many are "willingly ignorant" of the first earth age that perished by a flood. Now think...
Were the children of Israel willingly ignorant of the flood of Noah's day?? No, of course not, because the flood of Noah's day is well written of in the Book of Genesis. What flood then was Peter saying some are "willingly ignorant" of?
2 Peter 3:5-6
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:
KJV
The first thing the faithful Christian that studies their Bible must do with the above, is to read the simplicity of the above verses, as... written, and do NOT allow a tradition taught by men to replace it. If you really want to know what God's Word teaches, you will always have to be careful of what men teach, because often they do not align with what is actually written in God's Word.
The tradition of men taught about the above 2 Peter 3:5-6 verses men's traditions claim is about the flood of Noah's day. It's not though. Those men teach their tradition on that because they have yet to understand about the 3 world earth ages, and that God's Word actually points to TWO world-wide floods in earth's history. And that above 2 Peter 3 Scripture is actually teaching about the 1st world earth age as written there. Let's break those verses down as written...
1. From 2 Peter 3:5,"that by the word of God the heavens were of old".
God's Word tells us that by His Word were the heavens made, by the breath of His mouth (Psalms 33:6; also Hebrews 11:3).
So here is a Question on that: did God make the heavens and the earth in the days of Noah? No, of course not, because God had already created the heavens and the earth long before Noah's time.
Yet Peter is linking that above "that by the word of God the heavens were of old" to this matter of a previous world flood a long time prior to Noah that some are "willingly ignorant" about. So when was that when God spoke and made the heavens?
It was in the "beginning", at Genesis 1:1...
Gen 1:1
1 In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth.
KJV
1.a. 2 Peter 3:5; "...and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:"
Then in the next phrase, Peter mentions that this particular flood is linked when the earth was standing out of water, and in water. When was that? Genesis 1:6-9.
In Genesis 1:6-9, God shows waters of a flood rest upon the earth that were first mentioned back at Genesis 1:2. And that God takes a portion of those waters that were upon the earth, and moves them up above the earth to create the sky around the earth. The rest of the waters He leaves on the earth, and then moves those waters around upon the earth until the dry land that was already there underneath suddenly appears. That is when the earth was standing out of the waters, and in the waters.
Men's traditions do not properly teach about those 'waters' overspread upon the earth at Genesis 1:2...
Gen 1:2
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
KJV
Many wrongly teach that the earth had not yet been created in the above verse, even though that verse shows those "waters" already existing upon an existing earth. Not only do they reject what that above Scripture actually shows as written, but many also fail to look up the actual Hebrew of that phrase "without form, and void". Per the Hebrew, that phrase actually means the earth had become a literal waste and indistinguishable ruin. How was it in a ruined state? By a world-wide flood, those "waters" mentioned there covering the earth. And you do realize the timing of this in Genesis 1:2 verse is long... before the days of Noah, right?
There is only one other Bible Scripture that uses that "without form, and void" phrase, which is Hebrew tohu va bohu. It is written in Jeremiah 4...
Jer 4:23-28
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by His fierce anger.
The above is describing a time when God did a temporary destruction of His original creation. The earth which had been a fruitful place became like a wilderness, laid waste and in ruin. The cities of that time also were all broken down at God's fierce anger! Even the mountains trembled and all the hills moved.
Was that Noah's day with a flood? No, for there are no such events of destruction written like the earth trembling and the hills moving for the time of the flood of Noah's day. Yet Hebrews 12:25-29 reveals that God once shook... this ancient earth, and will do it once more, and not the earth only, but also He will shake Heaven. He compares that to the "day of the Lord" when Lord Jesus returns to end this present world.
Jer 4:27-28 For thus hath the LORD said, 'The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it."
KJV
Of that destruction of old, God said He would not make a full end (of His creation). But because of it the earth today would mourn, and the heavens above would be black. What does He mean the heavens above would be black? What happens when sky clouds turn dark grey? It means they are full of water, and a storm is coming. And the weather type for this present world can be very violent because of this.
Because I've had pilot training, we had to take a Weather course. The main cause of our violent weather system today is all the holes in our sky atmosphere around the earth allows the mixing of hot air from the sun beading down upon the earth, evaporating waters on the earth, and mixing with the cold air in the high altitudes. It gets the winds churning, and can lead to tornadoes, hurricanes, cyclones, etc.
And God says the earth will "mourn" because of that? Yes.
In Romans 8:18-25, Apostle Paul showed that God made His creation "subject to vanity", and in "bondage of corruption", and that the creation, like us, is in hope of its release from that bondage at the manifesting of the sons of God (i.e., at Christ's coming and thereafter).
Rom 8:18-22
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him Who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
KJV
What does Apostle Paul suggest about the history of this earth by that? It suggests that there existed a time before, when the earth was NOT made "subject to vanity" nor put in "bondage of corruption". That suggests God had made a previous 'original' perfect creation. And that was at Genesis 1:1 in the "beginning."
1.b. 2 Peter 3:6; "Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:"
Thus God destroyed His original perfect creation that was NOT made subject to vanity, nor in bondage of corruption, and He did because why? What had happened back in His original perfect creation "in the beginning"? And by the time of Genesis 1:2, the earth had become a waste and a ruin, with waters overspread upon the ancient earth?
Some Bible scholars call this a 'Gap Theory'. It is because the Scriptures suggest an unknown gap of time existed between God's original perfect creation "in the beginning" at Genesis 1:1 and the time at Genesis 1:2 when He laid the earth a waste and a ruin with waters of a flood. It's that world 'of old' that Peter in the above 2 Peter 3:5-6 verses is suggesting when there was an ancient flood and the world than then was, perished.
What kind of event could have happened that would make our Heavenly Father bring that ancient destruction upon His original perfect creation, and thereby end it?
It was because of Satan's rebellion against Him.
Continued...
Peter said many are "willingly ignorant" of the first earth age that perished by a flood. Now think...
Were the children of Israel willingly ignorant of the flood of Noah's day?? No, of course not, because the flood of Noah's day is well written of in the Book of Genesis. What flood then was Peter saying some are "willingly ignorant" of?
2 Peter 3:5-6
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:
KJV
The first thing the faithful Christian that studies their Bible must do with the above, is to read the simplicity of the above verses, as... written, and do NOT allow a tradition taught by men to replace it. If you really want to know what God's Word teaches, you will always have to be careful of what men teach, because often they do not align with what is actually written in God's Word.
The tradition of men taught about the above 2 Peter 3:5-6 verses men's traditions claim is about the flood of Noah's day. It's not though. Those men teach their tradition on that because they have yet to understand about the 3 world earth ages, and that God's Word actually points to TWO world-wide floods in earth's history. And that above 2 Peter 3 Scripture is actually teaching about the 1st world earth age as written there. Let's break those verses down as written...
1. From 2 Peter 3:5,"that by the word of God the heavens were of old".
God's Word tells us that by His Word were the heavens made, by the breath of His mouth (Psalms 33:6; also Hebrews 11:3).
So here is a Question on that: did God make the heavens and the earth in the days of Noah? No, of course not, because God had already created the heavens and the earth long before Noah's time.
Yet Peter is linking that above "that by the word of God the heavens were of old" to this matter of a previous world flood a long time prior to Noah that some are "willingly ignorant" about. So when was that when God spoke and made the heavens?
It was in the "beginning", at Genesis 1:1...
Gen 1:1
1 In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth.
KJV
1.a. 2 Peter 3:5; "...and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:"
Then in the next phrase, Peter mentions that this particular flood is linked when the earth was standing out of water, and in water. When was that? Genesis 1:6-9.
In Genesis 1:6-9, God shows waters of a flood rest upon the earth that were first mentioned back at Genesis 1:2. And that God takes a portion of those waters that were upon the earth, and moves them up above the earth to create the sky around the earth. The rest of the waters He leaves on the earth, and then moves those waters around upon the earth until the dry land that was already there underneath suddenly appears. That is when the earth was standing out of the waters, and in the waters.
Men's traditions do not properly teach about those 'waters' overspread upon the earth at Genesis 1:2...
Gen 1:2
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
KJV
Many wrongly teach that the earth had not yet been created in the above verse, even though that verse shows those "waters" already existing upon an existing earth. Not only do they reject what that above Scripture actually shows as written, but many also fail to look up the actual Hebrew of that phrase "without form, and void". Per the Hebrew, that phrase actually means the earth had become a literal waste and indistinguishable ruin. How was it in a ruined state? By a world-wide flood, those "waters" mentioned there covering the earth. And you do realize the timing of this in Genesis 1:2 verse is long... before the days of Noah, right?
There is only one other Bible Scripture that uses that "without form, and void" phrase, which is Hebrew tohu va bohu. It is written in Jeremiah 4...
Jer 4:23-28
23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.
25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.
26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by His fierce anger.
The above is describing a time when God did a temporary destruction of His original creation. The earth which had been a fruitful place became like a wilderness, laid waste and in ruin. The cities of that time also were all broken down at God's fierce anger! Even the mountains trembled and all the hills moved.
Was that Noah's day with a flood? No, for there are no such events of destruction written like the earth trembling and the hills moving for the time of the flood of Noah's day. Yet Hebrews 12:25-29 reveals that God once shook... this ancient earth, and will do it once more, and not the earth only, but also He will shake Heaven. He compares that to the "day of the Lord" when Lord Jesus returns to end this present world.
Jer 4:27-28 For thus hath the LORD said, 'The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.
28 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it."
KJV
Of that destruction of old, God said He would not make a full end (of His creation). But because of it the earth today would mourn, and the heavens above would be black. What does He mean the heavens above would be black? What happens when sky clouds turn dark grey? It means they are full of water, and a storm is coming. And the weather type for this present world can be very violent because of this.
Because I've had pilot training, we had to take a Weather course. The main cause of our violent weather system today is all the holes in our sky atmosphere around the earth allows the mixing of hot air from the sun beading down upon the earth, evaporating waters on the earth, and mixing with the cold air in the high altitudes. It gets the winds churning, and can lead to tornadoes, hurricanes, cyclones, etc.
And God says the earth will "mourn" because of that? Yes.
In Romans 8:18-25, Apostle Paul showed that God made His creation "subject to vanity", and in "bondage of corruption", and that the creation, like us, is in hope of its release from that bondage at the manifesting of the sons of God (i.e., at Christ's coming and thereafter).
Rom 8:18-22
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of Him Who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
KJV
What does Apostle Paul suggest about the history of this earth by that? It suggests that there existed a time before, when the earth was NOT made "subject to vanity" nor put in "bondage of corruption". That suggests God had made a previous 'original' perfect creation. And that was at Genesis 1:1 in the "beginning."
1.b. 2 Peter 3:6; "Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:"
Thus God destroyed His original perfect creation that was NOT made subject to vanity, nor in bondage of corruption, and He did because why? What had happened back in His original perfect creation "in the beginning"? And by the time of Genesis 1:2, the earth had become a waste and a ruin, with waters overspread upon the ancient earth?
Some Bible scholars call this a 'Gap Theory'. It is because the Scriptures suggest an unknown gap of time existed between God's original perfect creation "in the beginning" at Genesis 1:1 and the time at Genesis 1:2 when He laid the earth a waste and a ruin with waters of a flood. It's that world 'of old' that Peter in the above 2 Peter 3:5-6 verses is suggesting when there was an ancient flood and the world than then was, perished.
What kind of event could have happened that would make our Heavenly Father bring that ancient destruction upon His original perfect creation, and thereby end it?
It was because of Satan's rebellion against Him.
Continued...
