“The Conflagration Will Happen”
2 Peter 3:1-13

Click for Audio

Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Christ the King Sunday–Last Sunday of the Church Year—November 20, 2022

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Dearly beloved, the conflagration will happen. Conflagration is defined as a large, disastrous fire.  It is the traditional Christian term for what St. Peter describes in today’s Epistle Reading, the final destruction of the heavens and the earth: “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up.”

This really will happen, because the creation is not permanent. St. Peter makes this clear. The creation was made by the Word of God: “Long ago by God’s Word the heavens existed and the earth was formed.”  St. Peter says that the current heavens and earth are likewise being upheld by the same Word of God, yet this is not perpetual: “By the same Word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment.”

God did not create the world to be everlasting, but rather the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire. The current heavens and earth are reserved for destruction by fire, and this fire will take place at the Day of Judgment. 

For, the creation has no independent existence apart from the will and Word of God.  He made it by his own decision, will, and Word, and it lasts only as long as he decides it will last. St. Peter tells us it is being maintained not perpetually, but only until the Day of Judgment, when it will be burned up with fire.

How will this happen? St. Peter gives four details.  First, there will be a great noise: “The heavens will disappear with a ROAR.”  St. Paul says something similar in 1st Corinthians and 1st Thessalonians, describing this final roar like the blast of a mighty trumpet: “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, [and] the dead will be raised imperishable. . .  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.”

Secondly, the heavens will pass away, will burn and be abolished and destroyed: “The heavens will DISAPPEAR with a roar.”  Isaiah also prophesies this final conclusion of the current cosmos: “All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved, and the sky rolled up like a scroll, [and] the starry host will fall.”

Thirdly, not only “the heavens” but also “the EARTH and everything in it” will be “BURNED UP,” in such a way that all these things are abolished or destroyed. “The elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up. . . and the elements will melt in the heat.”  So, it is the very “elements” that will be destroyed, the smallest building blocks of the created cosmos.

We’ve spent time in the basement lately sorting through our children’s things, preparing for our move next month.  One thing we want to keep—for hopeful future grandchildren—is the Legos our children used to play with.  If you have a castle built with Legos, what is being described here by St. Peter is more than just dropping the castle and having it shatter back into separate bricks.  Rather, “the ELEMENTS will be DESTROYED by fire. . . the ELEMENTS will MELT in the heat.”

So, what St. Peter is describing is gathering up all the bricks from that Lego castle and putting them into an oven, to melt and destroy them.  It’s not just the material assemblages of the world that will be destroyed, but the very MATTER they are made of, down to the smallest units.  We might even say the ATOMS will be destroyed, the smallest building blocks of creation, that’s what’s meant by “elements.”

Fourthly, St. Peter says “all these things will be DISSOLVED.”  It’s an odd word St. Peter uses.  The Greek means “to SET FREE.”  How will matter be “dissolved” or “set free”?

Atomic scientists tell us that protons, neutrons, and electrons are bound together into atoms by what they simply call the “strong force,” because, they don’t really know what that force is.  It’s a mystery why all matter doesn’t just fly apart into piles of protons, neutrons, and electrons.

I had a professor in college who had been a leading astrophysicist with the Apollo space program and later became a Missouri Synod pastor.  He had doctorate degrees in both astrophysics and theology.  He concluded that the New Testament solves the mystery of the “strong force,” and tells us the secret of why all things don’t just fly apart.  For, the book of Hebrews declares: “[Christ] sustains the universe by his powerful word.”  And St. Paul says in Colossians:  “For by him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible . . . all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER.”

As both an astrophysicist and a theologian, my professor concluded that the mysterious “strong force” holding all things together, which physics can’t explain, is actually the will and command of Christ that all things should continue to exist: “He sustains the universe by his powerful word. . .  And in him all things hold together.”  And, when Christ no longer wills for the cosmos to continue, when the trumpet shall sound at the Last Day, then the basic building blocks of matter will be “dissolved.”  For, when Christ withdraws his sustaining will from the universe, the protons, neutrons, and electrons that make up all matter will be “set free,” and all things will fly apart.

“Since everything will be dissolved in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. ”

From all this you can see that the conflagration will happen.  The final conflagration of the cosmos is a doctrine taught by St. Peter, and he says that this teaching is also found in other apostles, and prophets, and in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: “Dear friends . . . I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the command given by our Lord and Savior, through your apostles.”

It will really happen, but some people don’t believe in the conflagration. They think this world will continue to exist forever: “You must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this “coming” he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’”

It is especially to such scoffing that St. Peter is responding: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

The cosmos was created from nothing by the power of God’s Word, simply by his command that it be so.  As Genesis says for each day of creation: “God said, ‘Let there be . . .’ and so it was.”  Therefore, Hebrews says, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

As the world was created from nothing, it can be destroyed at any time by God’s power.  The delay does not mean it will not happen. God delays the end of the world due to his patience, to lead you to repentance. But, the conflagration will happen, and happen suddenly: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.”  The delay is due to his patience, he really wants no one to be lost eternally, but for all to come to repentance.

“Since everything will be dissolved in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?”  For us who believe in it, the coming conflagration gives us direction for our lives.  For, St. Peter says that since the world will be destroyed by fire, since all things are to be dissolved:  “You ought to live HOLY and GODLY LIVES as you LOOK FORWARD to the day of God.”

And since this world and everything in it is only temporary, our love should not be attached to it.  As St. Peter says in his First Epistle: “Live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.”  As God’s creation, and gracious gift to us, we care for this world and make use of it as guests.  But, we do not cling to it as our permanent home.  As St. Paul says in 1st Corinthians, “Use the things of the world, [but] as if not engrossed in them, for this world in its present form is passing away.”

Of all the present cosmos there is ONLY THING that will endure, from this world into the next: HUMAN BEINGS.  As today’s Old Testament Reading from Daniel declares: “Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.”

So, that sets your priorities in life.  Don’t focus on THINGS, but on PEOPLE.  For, it is only human beings that will survive the conflagration, by the power of the resurrection.  And so our lives should be directed toward other people: loving our fellow believers, who accompany us in this life, and whose company we will also enjoy in eternal life.  And loving the lost to bring them the Word of salvation, for our Lord does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Far from being a source of fear, the coming conflagration gives us direction and focus for our lives. It teaches us not to put our hope in any creature or material thing, but in God alone.  For, “That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.”  “So we fix our eyes,” St. Paul says in 2nd Corinthians, “not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

“Now when these things begin to take place,” our Lord says in today’s Gospel Reading, “stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Far from being a source of fear, the coming conflagration gives us direction and focus for our lives in this world, and hope in the promise of the new heavens and new earth, and the life of the world to come.

It has been delayed due to God’s patience, due to his love in Christ for all humanity, “not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  But, “The Conflagration Will Happen.”