Hebrews 10:35-36
"Cast not away therefore, your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise."
Now here's another warning, part of the forth for our consideration and understanding. That of casting aside our confidence and patience after having done the Will of God, which will we've revealed throughout this study. Of course, to a Hebrew, the ‘Promises’ were everything, I guess, from Abraham on up through the Old Testament and flowing on into Christ’s Kingdom reign not in the future but active now. How? Because within His resurrection and ascension He inaugurated and instituted the New and Better Covenant in Himself as the God Man and Son of man.
Hebrews 10:37
"For yet a little while, and he that shall come (what?) will come, and will not tarry."
Now Paul expected it in his lifetime. And he didn’t have any idea that it was going to go 2,000 plus years now. But here we are now, some 2,000 years after the fact and what can I stand here and say? "He that is coming will come!"
Don’t you ever doubt it for a minute. Let the scornful scoff all they want. In fact, I can show you a verse - if that isn’t exactly what we’re seeing today. Go forward a few pages in your New Testament to II Peter chapter 3, and let’s drop down to verse 3.
II Peter 3:3a
"Knowing…"
See this is what I like about Scripture. There are things that we are supposed to know. Not guess or hope so. For the truth of the matter is that in Christ our hope is made complete and through Him we realize its reality. In fact God requires it of us to know and then to do. Peter says:
II Peter 3:3a
"Knowing this first that there shall come in the last days…"
Remember, when Peter wrote of the last days, what was he talking about? Within the next ten years. Now I say ten because they knew there was a seven-year tribulation or Jacob's troubles ahead of them. So within ten years they expected all of this to be consummated. Why? Because of Israel's nationalistic, superior attitude, solidarity of religiousness, and rebellion to Roman rule and authority over them. The apostles could see that soon there would be a major shift and military squelching of the insurrection ahead. Just as the Lord Jesus had told them would happen.
II Peter 3:3b
"…that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lust," (or desires) We’re in that world, they’re all around us and they're fleshly practical and earthy. Now this is what the scoffers will say. Does it ring a bell?
II Peter 3:4a
"And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep,…"
Remember who are we dealing with here? Hebrews. So who were the fathers? Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets, see? And so these Hebrews of Peter’s day and Paul’s day are saying the same thing. Why, ever since the fathers they’ve been talking about the Lord’s coming. And they had. Every Hebrew that had any knowledge of the Old Testament was looking for the Messiah. The Hebrews today that have any knowledge of their Scriptures are looking for the Messiah. All right, so this is what the scoffers said then, "Why you’ve been talking about the Lord coming, the Messiah coming, ever since Abraham." Israel as a nation and because of its religious leaders rejected their Messiah and therefore are still looking for His appearing for their anticipated redemption and salvation from their enemies. Not knowing that they are the enemies onto themselves. Now finish the verse.
II Peter 3:4b
"…all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."
Isn’t that exactly what people are saying today? Oh, I read articles almost an average of once a week where some writer, some editorial writer who scoffs at our idea of apocalyptic judgments and so forth, and they just scorn it. Hey, they’ve been talking about this for centuries. Nothing different has ever happened. The world’s going to keep going. This isn’t just the end. Religion and those of a Jewish persuasion are blinded, Paul says in Romans chapter 11 and verse 25 that a partial blindness has over taken Israel. Why is it only a partial blindness on God's part? Because she has chosen not to believe on her part so He just adds to the partial His partial so it is a complete blindness and therefore He has given them up to a deceiving spirit to believe the lie.
Well, I’ve got news for them. This is the beginning of the end. We’re seeing it; but with God, of course, His wheels grind slowly. All right, so come back to Hebrews 10 again. Verse 37, repeating it.
Hebrews 10:37
"For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry."
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