In this message and in the message following we shall have a thorough review of all the matters in chapters one through four related to God’s governmental judgment. The concept of God’s governmental judgment is a basic thought in Peter’s composition of this Epistle. God’s judgment as seen in 1 Peter may be likened to the hub of a wheel. If the hub were taken away from a wheel, all the spokes would collapse. Likewise, if the thought of God’s judgment were removed from the books of 1 and 2 Peter, these Epistles would lose their basic structure.
Many Christian readers of these Epistles may not pay adequate attention to the matter of God’s governmental judgment. The reason most readers may pay attention to things other than God’s judgment is that their mentality has not been trained to concentrate on this subject in the Word of God. However, John Nelson Darby was an exception. In his treatment of 1 and 2 Peter he focuses his attention on God’s governmental judgment. Whether or not we pay attention to this matter in the Epistles of Peter depends on whether or not we have a mind trained to pay attention to such a subject.
Many years ago, some of us were having fellowship concerning the main subject of the books of the New Testament. We all knew that Matthew is on God’s kingdom; Mark, on service to God; Luke, on God’s salvation; and John, on life. When someone asked about the subject of the Epistles of Peter, much to my surprise Brother Nee said that these two books are on God’s government. From that time onward I began to consider what God’s government is. I said to myself, “Isn’t the kingdom in Matthew God’s government? What is the difference between the kingdom of God and the government of God?” Gradually I began to understand the difference between kingdom and government.
Of course, in 1 and 2 Peter we cannot find the word “government.” But in these two books we see the means by which God carries out His government. The means by which God carries out His government is by judging. Eventually, after God’s judgment has been completed, there will be a new heaven and a new earth wherein righteousness dwells. The new heaven and the new earth are the consummation of 1 and 2 Peter. We all need to see this.
As we have already pointed out, at the beginning of 1 Peter we have a word concerning the foreknowledge of God before the foundation of the world, that is, in eternity past. In the last chapter of 2 Peter we have a word concerning the new heaven and the new earth in eternity future. This means that the scope of these two Epistles extends from eternity past to eternity future. These two books consummate with the new heaven and the new earth with righteousness as their contents. This is related to the government of God.
God’s judgment began to be exercised in the Old Testament, and it has been continually exercised throughout the generations. Today God is still judging. In the New Testament we see that God’s judgment begins from His own household and ends with the burning of the old heaven and the old earth. That burning will be the last step of God’s judgment. When that last step of judgment has been completed, the new heaven and the new earth will appear. This means that when God has thoroughly cleansed the universe through judgment, there will be a new heaven and a new earth wherein righteousness will dwell. This is a matter of God’s governmental judgment.
I am burdened that all the saints, especially the young ones, have a clear understanding of 1 and 2 Peter. In particular, we need to see that the subject of these two books is God’s government carried out by His judgment.