Featured Hastening the Day

" 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?" ( 2 Peter 3:12 ).

https://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/2pe3.pdf

I'm sorry, Van, but according to this ( in addition to what I see in the Greek ), it tells me that believers are hastening themselves to the day of the Lord.
In other words, they agree with John when he said:

" He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." ( Revelation 22:10 ).

Even though we as His people want Him to come quickly, He will come when it is the will of the Father to do so.
Please take a look at it again.

 

Interesting interlinear. I'm glad to see this website, but I've never seen an interlinear using Greek caps. Wonder why they did that. Some profs don't make their students learn the upper case alphabet. Also, the capital sigma is C, not the usual Σ. Odd.

Please share how you arrive at the conclusion that "believers are hastening themselves...." The verb is an active participle; for one way for it to mean they themselves were hastening it would have to be the middle voice, but it's not.

The other way it could mean they themselves were hastening were if it were being used as an intransitive verb, but it is clearly transitive, since "the coming" (τὴν παρουσίαν) is accusative.

 

Interesting. It is called a lunate sigma. And this info is also new to me. Might be Orthodox Church Greek text.

 

New to me also. According to Your Dictionary and Dictionary.net (of whatever authority they might be):

 

I downloaded Like 4 to see if was the OC Greek text it is just a TR. Also downloaded 1 John 5 and so it is a TR.

 

Just for kicks, a Greek Orthodox Church text is HERE:

(It is explained as the 1904 Greek text authorized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.)

 

The King James Bible got it right. [Other] bibles did not. Here is why.


Can man "speed up" the coming of the day of God? [Taught] in Many Modern [Bibles]



Looking for and HASTING UNTO the coming of the day of God

2 Peter 3:12

2 Peter 3:12 KJB - "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.”

ESV (NKJV, NASB, NET) - "Waiting for and HASTENING the coming of the day of God"

NIV - “as you look forward to the day of God and SPEED ITS COMING."

Catholic St. Joseph New American Bible (New Jerusalem) - "looking for the coming of the day of God AND TRYING TO HASTEN IT!" Footnote - "Trying to hasten it: i.e. the day of God, by advancing his kingdom through holiness of life."

Holman Standard, ASV - "as you wait for and EARNESTLY DESIRE the coming of the day of God. The heavens will be on fire and be dissolved because of it, and the elements will melt with the heat.”

Promoters of the modern bible versions insist there are no doctrines of the Christian faith which are affected in any way by the differences between the King James Bible and the new versions. This is blatantly false in several critical areas. This article will address only one of several doctrines which have been changed in such modern versions as the NKJV, NIV, NASB, NET and Holman Standard.

You can see about 40 examples of changed doctrines in this article.

http://brandplucked.webs.com/fakebiblesdoctrine.htm

Puny man, who is but of dust, can do nothing to effect in any way the timetable already established by Almighty God. Man can neither speed up nor slow down God's timetable. This view is contrary to much modern Christian thought, that portrays God as a grandfatherly figure, anxiously wringing His hands, hoping things will turn out for the best, but He just can’t seem to get man to cooperate with His wishes.

I believe the Biblical position reveals a God “who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” When king Nebuchadnezzar’s understanding returned to him, after 7 times had passed over him by the decree of the Most High, he said: “I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou.”

Now, that is the God who is truly worthy of worship.

Let’s look at some Scriptures which reveal who controls time; is it God or man? Acts 1:7 Jesus said unto them “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own hands.”

Acts 17: 26, 31 tell us God “hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation”...”he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness.”

Notice that God alone determined the times, and the day of judgment has already been appointed by Him. It is “circled on His calendar”.

Revelation 9:15 “And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.”

This judgment has already been prepared by God down to the specific hour. While on earth, the Lord Jesus often told His disciples that His enemies could not yet take Him captive, because His hour had not yet come.

When the Lord Jesus talked about his second coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and his angels with him, he says: "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." (Matthew 24:36), he speaks of a definite day and hour that is already known by God the Father. That day will not change, no matter what puny man does or does not do. It is already determined by God.

Daniel 2: 20, 21 “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: He changeth the times and the seasons; he removeth kings, and setteth up kings”

Daniel 8:19 the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel to give him understanding, and he said “Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.”

Daniel 9: 24, 25 "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression... And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself”

Daniel 11: 27, 29, 35 ”yet the end shall be at the time appointed”...”At the time appointed he shall return...” “even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.”

Habakkuk 2:3 “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it: because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

It is just as the Psalmist said in 31:15 “My times are in thy hands.”

Genesis 18:14 “Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee...and Sarah shall have a son.”

In Judges 7:10-14 Gideon is told that if he is afraid, to go down to the host of the Midianites. He goes down, and just as he is there listening, two men relate a dream which reveals that God will destroy the Midianites by the sword of Gideon. Coincidence? No, the timing of God.

In Esther 6:1 Haman is plotting to kill Mordecai, but the night before Haman requests of the king to slay Mordecai, the king cannot sleep and calls for the chronicles to be read to him. Therein he reads of Mordecai having previously revealed a plot to kill the king, and he saved his life. Whereupon, the king decides to honor Mordecai. Coincidence that the king couldn’t sleep? No, the timing of God.

Jeremiah 29:10 - 12 “For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.”

God sent this judgment upon Israel, and no matter how much or fervently they might have prayed, they would not be delivered from Babylon, till the appointed time of 70 years had passed.
(more to come)

 

You might then ask, What does all this have to do with 2 Peter 3: 12? The verse says: “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.”

This is the reading of the King James Bible, Tyndale 1525 - "lokynge for and hastynge vnto the commynge of the daye of God", Miles Coverdale 1535, The Great Bible 1540, Matthew's Bible (John Rogers) 1549, the Bishop's Bible 1568, the Geneva Bible 1599 - "Looking for, and hasting vnto the comming of that day of God', The Beza N.T. 1599 - "hasting unto", The Bill Bible 1671, Thomas Haweis N.T. 1795 - "hastening toward the coming of God's day", Webster's 1833 translation, The Hewett N.T. 1850, Young's "literal" translation 1898 = KJB - “waiting for and HASTING TO the presence of the day of God, by which the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements with burning heat shall melt.” It is also the reading found in the Douay Rheims 1899, the Douay of 1950 -"Looking for and HASTING UNTO the coming of the day of the Lord, by which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved", the Word of Yah 1993, the 1994 21st Century KJV, Third Millennium Bible 1998, God's First Truth 1999 -"HASTING UNTO", The Tomson N.T. 2002, the Evidence Bible 2003 -"looking for and HASTENING TO the coming of the day of God", the 2009 Bond Slave Version - "HASTING TO to coming of the day of God", Hebraic Transliteration Scripture -"HASTING TO the coming", Conservative Version 2011 - "and HURRYING TO to coming of the day of God", the 2010 Holy Scriptures VW Edition (Paul Becker) - "earnestly HASTENING UNTO the coming", the Work of God's Children Illustrated Bible 2011 - "HASTING UNTO the coming" and the 2012 Interlinear Hebrew- Greek Scriptures (Lanny Mebust) - "HASTING UNTO the coming".

The Pioneers’ New Testament 2014 - “waiting, and HURRYING TOWARD the arrival [coming] of the Day of God, by which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will be melted by intense heat. “


Foreign language Bibles that also teach the same truth as found in the KJB are the Spanish Reina Valera bibles of 1909, 1960, and 1995 = KJB - "esperando y APRESURANDOOS PARA la venida del día de Dios, en el cual los cielos, encendiéndose, serán deshechos, y los elementos, siendo quemados, se fundirán!" = "Waiting for and HURRYING YOURSELVES for (or towards) the coming of the day of God", the Italian Diodati Bible 1649 -"Aspettando, e affrettandovi all’avvenimento del giorno di Dio" = "Waiting for, and hurrying you to the event of the day of God", the Portuguese de Almeida 1861 and the newer Biblia Sagrada - "Aguardando, e apressando-vos para a vinda do dia de Deus" = Waiting and HURRYING YOURSELVES for the coming of the day of God", Luther's German Bible 1545 -"daß ihr wartet und eilet zu der Zukunft des Tages des HERRN" = "that you wait and HURRY TO the future of the day of the Lord"



The King James Bible and many others got it right and many modern versions completely missed the point and confound sound doctrine.

Many new versions have changed the doctrine of the timing of God, by how they have mistranslated the inspired text.

The NKJV, RSV, ESV, NET, NASB and the newer Catholic versions like the St. Joseph New American Bible 1970 and the New Jerusalem bible of 1985 say: “looking for and HASTENING the coming”

The New Living Translation 2015 - “looking forward to the day of God AND HURRYING IT ALONG.”

while the NIV 1984 - 2011 says: “as you look forward to the day of God and SPEED ITS COMING.”

The Catholic St. Joseph New American bible 1970 and the New Jerusalem bible 1985 both say: "looking for the coming of the day of God AND TRYING TO HASTEN IT!"

These versions clearly imply or state that man can do something to speed up the timetable of God. This is a false doctrine and a contradiction. However the NIV footnotes "Or, as you eagerly wait for the day". This suggested translation at least would have avoided the theological error found in the NKJV, NASB, ESV, the newer Catholic and NET versions.



The Pickering N.T. 2005 is typical of today’s shallow and unbiblical teaching on this matter. He translates the passage as “expecting and HASTENING the coming of the day of God”.

Then he makes the following comments: “If we can hasten the coming, we can also delay it, or words do not mean anything. The point is, what we do or do not do makes a difference, which is why there will be an accounting. I imagine that there are outside limits or parameters that God’s sovereignty will guarantee, but within those parameters it is up to us (like players on a football field—the score is up to them). So how can we hasten the coming of God’s day? By living our lives to the hilt on behalf of His Kingdom, standing up for biblical values in the society at large, working to get the Gospel to the last ethnic nation.”

Some other versions, like the Revised Version, the American Standard Version, Holman Standard, World English Bible, The New European Version 2010, Hebrew Names Version 2014, and the Contemporary English Version, have yet a different meaning than the others. They say: "EARNESTLY DESIRING the coming of the day of God", or "LOOKING FORWARD TO the day of God" (Weymouth) or "LOOKING EAGERLY FOR the day of God" (New English Bible 1970).

While this rendering is different than that of the King James Bible (leaving us with THREE entirely different meanings of just this one verse), at least it doesn't teach the same false doctrine as do the RSV, ESV, NASB, NIV, NET, St. Joseph, New Jerusalem bible and NKJV.

(more to come)

 

A good question to ask is: "How are we “hasting unto” the coming of the day of God, as the King James Bible and many others have it?"

It is really quite simple. Verse 8 of this same chapter states: “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousands years as one day.”

If you or I should live to be a hundred years old, that would be equivalent to less than two and one half hours of God’s time.

We are on this earth but a very short time and all of us are all hastening unto the coming of the day of God.

Psalm 90:4-6: “For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood: they are as a sleep: in the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth.”

Ps. 39:5: “Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth: and mine age is a nothing before thee.”

Ps. 102:11: “My days are like a shadow that declineth: and I am withered like grass.”

Job 4:20 speaks of man as: “They are destroyed from morning to evening”, Job 7: 6: “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle”

Job 8: 9: “For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow.” Job 9: 25: “Now my days are swifter than a post: they flee away,” Job 14: 1- 2: “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.”

We are all hasting unto the day of God. Our time here is quickly over and we pass away. But that day has ALREADY been appointed by God who put the times and the seasons in His own power, and nothing either you or I do or don't do will change by one second when this appointed day comes.


One well known Christian teacher today is Dr. John Piper of Desiring God Ministries. Unfortunately he does not believe that any Bible or any text in any language is now the inspired and inerrant words of God. He promotes the use of the ESV (English Standard Version), which is basically the old liberal RSV dressed in new garb. The ESV frequently rejects the Hebrew readings and its New Testament is based primarily on the Westcott-Hort Greek text. It omits even more whole verses (18) from the N.T. than does the NIV.

John Piper comments on 2 Peter 3:12, which in the ESV says: "waiting for and HASTENING THE COMING of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fair and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn."

Mr. Piper says: "Verse 12 says that as you look for the coming of the Day of God in this way you will hasten it. Verse 9 said that God is holding back the final Day that you may repent. It follows that repenting and living a life of holiness helps remove the cause for delay. We don't hasten the Day in an absolute sense because Acts 1:7 teaches that the Father has fixed the times and seasons by his own authority and Jesus said in Mark 13:22 that the Father knows the hour of the Son's return. But from our vantage point we can hasten the Day by fulfilling the pre-conditions of Christ's return, namely the preaching of the gospel to all the nations (Mk. 13:10) and the repentance of the full number of the Gentiles who must come in before the end (Rom. 11:25). Evidently Peter believes that lives of holiness and godliness will indeed fulfill these conditions and hasten the Day of God." - Dr. John Piper



[Note - Mr. Piper's comments are essentially the same ones given in the Catholic St. Joseph NAB footnote that reads: "Trying to hasten it: i.e. the day of God, by advancing his kingdom through holiness of life."]

First of all, verse 9 says nothing about God "holding back" the final day of judgment. It merely explains that God's timetable is not the same as ours, and that He is longsuffering to us-ward. Mr. Piper is a well known Calvinist, and he professes to believe that God alone gives repentance and faith to His elect, and none of them will be lost.

Secondly, there is no place in Scripture that supports the idea that by holy living and repenting we will in any way speed up the coming of the day of God. There are no pre-conditions that we can or must fulfill so that this final day will come any quicker than God has already appointed.

Mr. Piper contradicts his own theology and speaks out of both sides of his mouth in his attempt to explain and justify the false doctrine taught in many new versions that we can somehow by our actions move God to change His timetable or speed up the coming day when He will judge the world in righteousness.

Thirdly, I am somewhat amazed that a man like Mr. Piper would say: "Evidently Peter believes that lives of holiness and godliness will indeed fulfill these conditions and hasten the Day of God." Wrong!

The Bible is NOT about what "Peter evidently believes", though WE know better! There are numerous other verses of Scripture that contradict what Mr. Piper says Peter "evidently believes".

The true Holy Bible, the King James Bible, is the inerrant words of Almighty God, and it does not contradict itself, as do the modern versions like the NKJV, NASB, NIV, NET, St. Joseph, New Jerusalem and ESV.

The doctrine found in the King James Bible is consistently true and harmonizes with the rest of Scripture on any given topic. This cannot be said of many modern versions. "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Luke 8:8

All of grace, believing the Book - the Authorized King James Holy Bible - Accept no substitutes.

 

At its entry for hasting, the 1828 Webster's Dictionary has the spelling hastening under it, seeming to suggest that they are two spellings of the same word.

It also lists Haste and Hasten together as two spellings of the same word.

 

All,
I'll make one more stab at this to see if anyone picks up on it...
Respectfully,
Hastening unto ( to ) the coming of the day, is not the same as hastening the day itself.

To hasten to it, is to run towards it ( perhaps with anticipation ), is it not?
Compare this with actually hastening it ( making it arrive faster ).
That is not what the verse says.

It says,
" 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?" ( 2 Peter 3:12 ).

In the above,
it clearly tells me ( when I take all of the words individually ) that we as believers are both looking for, and hastening to ( running towards ), the coming of that day.


That said, I wish you well and take my leave of this thread.



May God bless you in your studies,
and may He always remind you of His great grace shown to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

 

All,

I think that Van has raised a valid point above, and I felt that one more set of replies was in order.
Also, one of my former college professors in tech school always emphasized the importance of, and always reminded me to, show my work.

I agree.

" σπεύδοντας" = "hastening".
Greek Concordance: σπεύδοντας (speudontas) -- 1 Occurrence

But it can also mean "to-hastening", or "hastening to"..."urging on", "desiring earnestly"
Strong's Greek: 4692. σπεύδω (speudó) -- to hasten, urge on

Not in this verse, no.
So I agree with you in this instance.

However,
I see that the understanding of "unto" in the verse, is from the Greek word "σπεύδοντας"...
which in English can mean "hastening to" or "hastening unto".

I disagree.

" παρουσίαν" = "coming".

2 Peter 3:12 Interlinear:
https://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInterlinear/NTpdf/2pe3.pdf <---- Beside-being, presence, etc.
2 Peter 3:12 Greek Text Analysis

 

I disagree.
The word " παρουσίαν" seen above, which can mean "presence", can also mean, "coming", "beside-being", "arrival", "advent".

G3952 - parousia - Strong's Greek Lexicon (KJV)
King James Bible Dictionary - Strongs Number - G3952
G3952 παρουσία - Strong's Greek Lexicon


Here is 2 Peter 3:12 in the Greek:

"Textus Receptus":

" προσδοκωντας και σπευδοντας την παρουσιαν της του θεου ημερας δι ην ουρανοι πυρουμενοι λυθησονται και στοιχεια καυσουμενα τηκεται" ( Stephanus 1550 ).
" προσδοκωντας και σπευδοντας την παρουσιαν της του θεου ημερας δι ην ουρανοι πυρουμενοι λυθησονται και στοιχεια καυσουμενα τηκεται" ( Beza 1594 ).
" προσδοκωντας και σπευδοντας την παρουσιαν της του θεου ημερας δι ην ουρανοι πυρουμενοι λυθησονται και στοιχεια καυσουμενα τηκεται" ( Elzevir 1624 ).
" προσδοκωντας και σπευδοντας την παρουσιαν της του θεου ημερας δι ην ουρανοι πυρουμενοι λυθησονται και στοιχεια καυσουμενα τηκεται" ( Scrivener 1894 ).
" προσδοκωντας και σπευδοντας την παρουσιαν της του θεου ημερας δι ην ουρανοι πυρουμενοι λυθησονται και στοιχεια καυσουμενα τηκεται" ( Byzantine Majority 2000 ).

WH / Nestle-Aland / UBS:

" προσδοκῶντας καὶ σπεύδοντας τὴν παρουσίαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμέρας δι’ ἣν οὐρανοὶ πυρούμενοι λυθήσονται καὶ στοιχεῖα καυσούμενα τήκεται"

2 Peter 3 - Interlinear Westcott & Hort WH Original Greek New Testament GNT Literal English Translation Strong's Concordance Online Parallel Bible Study <------ Notice in verse 12, it can mean "to-hastening" or "hastening to".
2 Peter 3:12 Interlinear: waiting for and hasting to the presence of the day of God, by which the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the elements with burning heat shall melt;

To me, the problem is not one of the Greek words, no matter which collated Greek text is used;
The problem is a matter of exactness in translation.