Misdirection and Prophecies

Magicians thrive on misdirection. For example, if they want the audience not to see what their hands are doing, they’ll look at some object or person curiously and intensely. Immediately, the audience, too, will look at that object or person. While they are misdirected, the magicians do what needs to be done with the cards in their hands. Similarly, doing multiple tasks simultaneously misdirects the audience, so magicians have several things happening on the stage. Timing is another form of misdirection. The magicians let the audience forget important details by allowing time to pass – by stories or jokes – after an important step.

With prophecies and future events, we often get lost in descriptions and forget the essential truths. Peter, however, didn’t want his readers to get lost in detail but be focused on what was important. So, he repeated the fleeting nature of the heavens, earth, and elements (Sections A) but concluded with the essential truth (Sections B).

A. “The day of the Lord will come like a thief, at which time, the heavens will flee with a great noise, elements will dissolve by burning, and the earth and its works will flee from sight.

B. Since all will be released this way, who sort of people should you be with a holy and godly lifestyle –

A. expecting and hastening the coming of the day of God, on the day when the heavens will flee, dissolve, and the elements being burned melt, and for a new heavens and new earth,

B. according to his promise, we wait, in which righteousness will dwell.” (2 Pet 3:10–13)

The vital truth was that they needed to be people of holy and godly lifestyle because only righteousness dwells in God’s rule. That truth shouldn’t be omitted in explaining the rest of the detail.

Scholars understand the descriptions – heavens will flee with a great noise, the elements will dissolve by burning, and the earth and its works will flee from sight – in two different ways: as literal, where the present world will be destroyed a new world with new heavens and earth will be recreated; or as figurative, where God will purify this troubled and sinning world into a new and righteous world.

So far, this present world has gone through two purifications. First, the original creation, where God formed an orderly and beautiful world out of formlessness, emptiness, and darkness (Gen 1:2). Peter referred to this in 3:5. Second, during the time of Noah, God recreated a world by purging it of evildoers (3:6). Perhaps the same will happen again, a third time, when God will purify this present world with fire (3:7) – a figure of speech – so that righteousness will rule once again. Whether it would be purifying or complete replacing, Christians were to be prepared with a holy and godly lifestyle since the Day of the Lord and God will come like a thief, unannounced.

We must live daily as if the Lord’s and God’s Day are here, and God’s reign has begun. That way, we won’t be surprised at his coming! Until he comes, we anticipate, wait, and live in holiness and godliness! Whether the present world is purified by fire or destroyed and recreated, we must focus on God and his righteousness, not earthly and heavenly elements.