THE WORLD THAT WAS – 2 Peter 3:6

From Man’s creation to the Flood of Noah’s day. This first time period witnessed the vain efforts of both men and angels to solve the problem of sin and its penalty – death. The word world signifies the social arrangement which God destroyed by a flood.

THE PRESENT EVIL WORLD – 2 Peter 3:7 - Galatians 1:4

From the Flood to the present time. In this second period of time God has permitted man, under Satan’s influence, to devise every form of self-government that he could imagine. 2 Corinthians 4:4 speaks of Satan as the god of this world who has blinded the minds of man with his evil designs. Ephesians 2:1 refers to Satan as the “ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” God has allowed men to experience the results evil brings in order to make him realize that only by turning to God can he have life and His blessings. Things will continue to worsen until Jesus Christ returns to set up God’s earthly Kingdom, binding Satan as Revelation 20:1 tells us. This present evil world has within it three ages: 1) The Patriarchal Age in which God dealt exclusively with faithful individuals of old from Noah to Jacob; 2)The Jewish Age when God dealt only with the nation of Israel through their prophets. It ended when the Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah; 3) During the Gospel Age, which began with Jesus’ ministry and continues even to this day, the Gospel is being preached to the world while God calls out a people to be joint-heirs with His Son.

THE WORLD TO COME – 2 Peter 3:13

The Apostle Peter tells us “...keeping with His (God’s) promise we are looking forward to a new heavens and a new earth, the home of righteousness.” This is referred to as the Millennial Age when the kingdoms of this world will become the Kingdom for which Jesus taught His disciples to pray in Matthew 6:10: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.” God’s Kingdom will be under the rulership of Jesus Christ, the “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords” (Rev. 19:16). God has promised a resurrection of all the dead and a restitution of all things to their former perfection, as at creation (John 5:28-29; Acts 3:21). During this period of time, Jesus and His Bride will bless all the families of the earth by teaching them to love and live righteously. Revelation 21:3-5 says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” A preview of this finished Kingdom has been described as follows:

“Close your eyes for a moment to the scenes of misery and woe, degradation and sorrow that yet prevail on account of sin, and picture before your mental vision the glory of a perfect earth. Not a stain of sin mars the harmony and peace of a perfect society; not a bitter thought, not an unkind look or word; love, welling up from every heart, meets a kindred response in every other heart, and benevolence marks every act. There sickness shall be no more; not an ache nor a pain, nor any evidence of decay -- not even the fear of such things. Think of all the pictures of comparative health and beauty of human form and feature that you have ever seen, and know that perfect humanity will be of still surpassing loveliness. The inward purity and mental and moral perfection will stamp and glorify every radiant countenance. Such will earth’s society be, and weeping bereaved ones will have their tears all wiped away, when thus they realize the resurrection work complete.”

The Ages that will follow this time period are not described for us in the Bible, but we believe it is safe to say that God’s divine program doesn’t end here but goes on through eternity, yielding continued blessings and opportunities to all His creation.

If you would like to know more about God’s Plan, send a request for the free booklet, “God’s Plan of the Ages” to:

CHRISTIAN DISCIPLING MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL

32 Chapel Lane, Somersworth, NH 03878