Picking up with 2 Peter 3 and our comment on it.
II Peter 3:10-12
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements (that is all the things that make up this and other planets) shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things (that is the things of this earth) shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness. Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?"
These statements are in agreement with Jude 6, 14-15, Isaiah 2:12, Joel 1:15, 2:1, 31, 3:14, Malachi 4:5 and with the vision as recorded by Enoch in his second parable. But don’t give up - don’t despair, because that’s not the end. Let’s look at the next verse:
II Peter 3:13
"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
Which of course is looking all the way past the 1,000 year Kingdom Age, and into eternity. So now if you’ll come back to Hebrews 12 once again we know that God is going to deal harshly with this planet someday. And the day will come, and many feel, that it will be totally melted down and destroyed and made over for the eternal earth that’s still coming. At the consummation of the ages. That maybe, now verse 28:
Hebrews 12:28
"Wherefore…"
Seeing that the Creator God can do whatever He wants to do, and yet we are under His protective care –
Hebrews 12:28
"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, (cannot be destroyed) let us have grace, (the favorite term of the Apostle Paul and those who willingly come into or under its control) whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:"
Remember, for us as believers, we don’t shake in our boots in the presence of God. Quite the opposite. We are instructed to come boldly into His presence because He has already removed everything that stood between Himself and us. That’s been done through the blood and the finished work of the cross. We are now made as one in Him. We are, as we saw, joint heirs with and in Christ. Never forget that. So we don’t have to serve Him, shaking in our boots with fear (as in terror of) - but it is a reverential and loving fear knowing that He is still the God of all creation. And then verse 29, as we’ve already seen from Peter.
Hebrews 12:29
"For our god is a consuming fire."
This was said in chapter 10 verse 27 and as revealed in Exodus 24:7 and then again in Numbers chapters 11 and 16 and Deuteronomy 4 and 9. Then Paul ties it all together in 2 Thessalonians 1:8. He’s going to destroy this earth with fire one day and prepare everything for the eternal. Alright, now we will go into chapter 13. He says in verse 1:
Hebrews 13:1-2
"Let brotherly love continue (that is between the believers). Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: (one of the earmarks of true Christianity is hospitality) for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
Now, I think there’s two ways you can look at this. We know that back in Biblical history, angels were entertained by mortal man. The first time was Abraham in Genesis 18 as recorded within our standard KJV Bible. This is without such books as Enoch, Jasher and those called the lost books. Through which we can gain much wisdom and understanding of the things revealed through those earlier writters. Now back to our thought on Abraham. When he saw three men coming down the path and he hasted out to meet them, having no idea who they were. They were just wayfaring strangers, so far as Abraham was concerned. He set the table, killed the fatted calf and come to find out, and offered them something to eat. Who were his three visitors? One was the Lord Himself and the other two were angels. So he actually entertained angels unawares. We know that Lot did, not realizing who was escorting him out of Sodom the same two who had been with Abraham.
I don’t think that the Scripture teaches that if we’re hospitable, that we’re actually going to have angelic creatures visiting our abode - but I think I can testify to the fact that you know when people stop in from all parts of the country (total strangers), it’s like having had angels in our attendance. One evening while I was working as a desk clerk for a motel chain here in town. I remember having such a stranger come into the lobby. We talked for a while and he said something like this, “the peace of God and His presence is very strong here and with you” then he left, just walked out the front doors and was gone. It was a joyful experience and I think that’s what the Apostle Paul is talking about here. Don’t close your door to strangers. Be hospitable, because you might be experiencing an angelic experience, even though it won’t be of the winged variety. It will just simply be a fellow believer or will he? Take no thought of it, it'll just happen. Alright, so "some have entertained angels unawares." Now then, verse 3, and this was especially appropriate in Paul’s day and, of course, in some areas of the world now - and will also be appropriate in the Tribulation period, the very period that we're possibly now passing through in the enigma of the interim, when he says:
Hebrews 13:3
"Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body."
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