The Mystery of Prayer (continued) - 2 Peter 3:12

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Ed Walsh

Puritan Board Senior
Greetings beloved of the Lord,

Do our prayers affect the future?

2 Peter 3:11‭-‬13 ESV
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,
12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

In verse 12, the word 'hastening' (σπεύδω) is interesting.
Transliteration: speudō
Pronunciation: spyoo'-do

Of the serious translations below, only one has the meaning of "desiring" the Day of the Lord's return.
ESV - hastening the coming
ASV - earnestly desiring
NIV - speed its coming
CSB - hasten its coming
NASB - hastening the coming
NKJV - hastening its coming
MSG - eager for its arrival (just kidding);)

Are we being told that our Godly living and praying can hasten the Day of the Lord? Or is it simply expressing a desire for the Day?
The same questions could be asked of a similar sentiment at the end of The Book of Revelation.

Revelation 22:20 ESV
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

In Acts 22:18, the same word is used as a command.
"and saw him (Jesus) saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’

What think ye?
 
Moses changed the mind of God, in a manner of speaking. Wouldn't be surprising that Christ would come sooner in answer to prayer.
 
Are we being told that our Godly living and praying can hasten the Day of the Lord? Or is it simply expressing a desire for the Day?
Seems so to me. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Surely the church being conformed to God’s revealed will, in our prayers and piety, is a (the?) means He will use to bring about the consummation of all things.
 
@Jeri Tanner speaking of the Lord's prayer...

Westminster Larger Catechism

Q. 191. What do we pray for in the second petition?

A. In the second petition (which is, Thy kingdom come), acknowledging ourselves and all mankind to be by nature under the dominion of sin and Satan, we pray, that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed, the gospel propagated throughout the world, the Jews called, the fullness of the Gentiles brought in; the church furnished with all gospel officers and ordinances, purged from corruption, countenanced and maintained by the civil magistrate; that the ordinances of Christ may be purely dispensed, and made effectual to the converting of those that are yet in their sins, and the confirming, comforting, and building up of those that are already converted: that Christ would rule in our hearts here, and hasten the time of his second coming, and our reigning with him forever: and that he would be pleased so to exercise the kingdom of his power in all the world, as may best conduce to these ends.
 
Seems so to me. “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Surely the church being conformed to God’s revealed will, in our prayers and piety, is a (the?) means He will use to bring about the consummation of all things.

I agree conmpletly. My question had to do mostly with the particular verse in 2 Peter I asked about.

Just this morning I thought of posting a poll to see if the strong crying and fervent prayer level among the members has increased lately over, let's say, the past year. Mine sure has. Wouldn't it be something if it turns out that a large number of us are more strongly crying out to God for His glory and Kingdom expansion than usual???

It was hard to resist the Spirit of prayer interrupting me even as I wrote about the poll idea. My only fear about the poll is if I discovered that I was pretty much alone in this movement.

Thanks,

Ed
 
In answer to one of your questions Ed, I have been of late praying more
and more fervently.

I’ve been thinking for a while about Christ’s coming and how scarce it’s seemed to hear it mentioned from the pulpit. (Since then I have heard it spoken of several times from pulpits!) I do long to hear of it. On prayer for Christ’s return and hastening the day:

Zechariah 12:10– I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications.

And then in Revelation:

Revelation 5:8 (KJV)
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four [and] twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

Revelation 8:3 (KJV)
And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

Revelation 8:4 (KJV)
And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.

It seems we should pray that we will pray.
 
In answer to one of your questions Ed, I have been of late praying more
and more fervently.

I’ve been thinking for a while about Christ’s coming and how scarce it’s seemed to hear it mentioned from the pulpit. (Since then I have heard it spoken of several times from pulpits!) I do long to hear of it. On prayer for Christ’s return and hastening the day:
Excellent news to my ears.

I am very excited about the future return of the Lord and the realization of our final and eternal glorification. I tremble (literally) at the thought of "knowing even as we are known." But, I am not praying for His return at this time. There are two reasons for that. 1) I see too much as yet unfulfilled conquest for Him to whom all power and authority in heaven and earth is given. 2) For the Lord to return today, it would mean that maybe six billion people would drop instantly into hell. The Scripture has persuaded me to expect a far greater wheat harvest than is now germinated in the present world.

An Aside: I have been warned by one particular pessimistic Amill proponent that I do a disservice to the saints by offering hope for yet greater fulfillment of prophecy--of the Great Commission. Don't get me wrong. I am not against the unfortunately named Amill position believing that we are now living when the Revelation calls the Millennium. What I despise with all my heart are the presumptuous "this is as good as it gets, and it's all downhill from here" view of the future. I consider them as I do the 600,000 adults who sinfully believed the bad report of the 10 spies. As much as I accept them as my true brothers and sisters in the faith, there is another side of me that comes out in times of my most ardent yearnings that that generation needs to die off and their children, who they said would be a prey, grow up an actually believe the Great Commission.

Do you know why I am so excited about the mess the world and the Church are in?

Because it is at exactly a time (maybe not this time) like this when a great light overcomes the darkness by a tremendous influx of converts, it seems from Isaiah 49 & 54, etc. that the time of great harvest will not be so much a result of the Church being revived. Rather, the Church's revival will result from a mighty, unprecedented resurgence[1] of converts.
[1] 1. The action or an act of rising again (chiefly in figurative senses); an increase or revival after a period of little activity, popularity, or occurrence.

It will be when Zion says: (Some limit this to the first coming of Christ, but I think that it is a broader principle as well--a pattern)
But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, And my Lord has forgotten me.” (Isaiah 49:14)

Isaiah 49:14–26 (ESV)
14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.”
15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.
17 Your builders make haste; your destroyers and those who laid you waste go out from you.
18 Lift up your eyes around and see; they all gather, they come to you. As I live, declares the LORD, you shall put them all on as an ornament; you shall bind them on as a bride does.
19 “Surely your waste and your desolate places and your devastated land— surely now you will be too narrow for your inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up will be far away.
20 The children of your bereavement will yet say in your ears: ‘The place is too narrow for me; make room for me to dwell in.’
21 Then you will say in your heart: ‘Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away, but who has brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; from where have these come?’ ”
22 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I will lift up my hand to the nations, and raise my signal to the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.
23 Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. With their faces to the ground they shall bow down to you, and lick the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame.”
24 Can the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of a tyrant be rescued?
25 For thus says the LORD: “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued, for I will contend with those who contend with you, and I will save your children.
26 I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with wine. Then all flesh shall know that I am the LORD your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

Again in chapter 54:

Isaiah 54:1–8 (ESV)
1 “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” says the LORD.

2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offspring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities.
4 “Fear not, for you will not be ashamed; be not confounded, for you will not be disgraced; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more.
5 For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.
6 For the LORD has called you like a wife deserted and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your God.
7 For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you.
8 In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer.

Jesus is, after all, the Savior of the World.
 
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