One of the things which I used to believe was that when the Lord Jesus returns, the present physical universe would cease to exist. That it would be obliterated! And this all prior to the new creation forming out of nothing, ex nihilo as per the Genesis account of creation. I fair while ago I changed my mind on this, and working on last Sunday’s advent sermon (2 Peter 3) confirmed my thoughts.
The first of three metaphors Peter employs to speak of the coming advent of Christ is that of Water. He reminds the scoffers of verse 4, that just as the waters of judgment deluged and destroyed the world of Noah’s time – the judgment coming with Christ’s return will also bring destruction. What is amazing here, is the direct comparison between Noah’s flood of judgment and Christ’s return of judgment. Have a look at these verses (and also 2 Peter 3:10-12):
2 Peter 3:5-7 ”But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”
What are we to make of this comparison? What light does the water metaphor shed on the destruction of Christ’s return and judgment?
Well, whilst we may initially be inclined to take destruction to mean complete the annihilation of all things, this cannot be the case, at least in the instance of Noah.
When the judgment fell on the world in Noah’s time (Genesis 6-7), the world was destroyed in the sense that it was cleansed of its wickedness, and that the evil people of the world were subjected to judgment. The destruction of the world in Noah’s day did not involve an obliteration of all things, and provision of all new things. Note that the mountains and “whole heaven” did not cease to exist, but rather remained (Genesis 7:19). Thus, the destruction of Noah’s day was not a total annihilation.
That part is simple enough, but what are we to make of this comparison to the destruction on the Day of the Lord?
Obviously it is not a 1:1, univocal comparison – for instance, the scope of the flood-judgment is global, whereas the scope of Christ-judgment is universal.
Analogically then, it may be possible to argue that Peter intends that the day of Christ is significantly more physically destructive than the physical destruction of Noah’s day. In other words, annihilation. On the other hand, it may also be possible to argue that Peter intends that the day of Christ is a more significant judgment than Noah’s day. Judgment is the focus, not annihilation. Though possible, both of these are arguments from silence and require further information to confirm either as true.
So then, how do we control this metaphor? The analogical interpretation of the water metaphor seems necessary, but the interpretation needs further data.
Let’s sum up. It seems evident that the Apostle’s comparison between the flood of destruction in Noah’s day and the coming flood of destruction of Christ’s day sheds some light on the levels of discontinuity and continuity between this creation and the next. The water metaphor makes it possible to affirm a complete discontinuity, but is this what Peter has in mind?
Stay tuned for some exegetical thoughts on the next two metaphors: Destruction and Fire. They should help us interpret this metaphor of Water!
