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(2 Pet 3:6 KJV) Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
There seems to be a common misunderstanding with the above and when viewed in context with the passage below people think there is going to be some future cataclysm wherein the physical earth is destroyed and the universe goes *poof* in flames.
This is all based on ignoring the under lying Greek and such symbolic phrases as "Heavens and Earth".
(2 Pet 3:12 KJV) 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?
Digging deeper into the flood and the underlying Greek:
(2 Pet 3:5 KJV) For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
(2 Pet 3:6 KJV) Whereby the world (Greek - kosmos) that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
Here is what the Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek Lexicon has to say about "kosmos"
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Now generally the Greek word kosmos has been translated as "world"
But as we can see from the above LSJ screen shot it primarily means "order", "states" or "governments" as in #4 above the definition is given as:
4. of states, order, government
If we look into the usage of the Greek word Kosmos where is has been translated as world here:
(John 7:7 KJV) The world (kosmos) cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
So is Jesus really saying the "world" hates him or does he have something more specific in mind when making this statement?
Looking at the context for his statement and the translation of kosmos as "world":
(John 7:1-3 KJV) After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.
(John 7:4-6 KJV) For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly.
If thou do these things, show thyself to the world (kosmos). For neither did his brethren believe in him. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.
(John 7:7 KJV) The world (kosmos) cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
(John 7:8 KJV) Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come.
As can been seen from the above Jesus' brethren are speaking about Jesus showing himself at the feast to the people and the ruling Council - they are not implying the whole world.
And in John 7:7 Jesus is not saying the whole world hated him - who hated him were the ruling council and their supporters because he testified "that the works thereof are evil".
This brings me back to how the Jews understood the "world" or kosmos - when Peter wrote:
(2 Pet 3:6 KJV) Whereby the world (Greek - kosmos) that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
This could quite rightly be translated as:
2 Pet 3:6 Whereby the "order" (Greek - kosmos) that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
The "order" (peoples, rulers) at the time of the flood had totally become corrupt and encompassed the Mesopotamian area.
This is what was destroyed by the flood - to translate "kosmos" as world in 2 Peter 3:6 leads to a wrong impression as it does with translating "kosmos" as world in John 7:1 - 4 when it was the ruling order that is in view.
There in no end of the "world" the destruction in 70AD at the end of the age was the destruction of the Jewish "heavens and earth" represented by the temple and it's priesthood and the close and dissolution of the old covenant economy - never to be seen again.
There seems to be a common misunderstanding with the above and when viewed in context with the passage below people think there is going to be some future cataclysm wherein the physical earth is destroyed and the universe goes *poof* in flames.
This is all based on ignoring the under lying Greek and such symbolic phrases as "Heavens and Earth".
(2 Pet 3:12 KJV) 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?
Digging deeper into the flood and the underlying Greek:
(2 Pet 3:5 KJV) For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
(2 Pet 3:6 KJV) Whereby the world (Greek - kosmos) that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
Here is what the Liddell-Scott-Jones Greek Lexicon has to say about "kosmos"
Now generally the Greek word kosmos has been translated as "world"
But as we can see from the above LSJ screen shot it primarily means "order", "states" or "governments" as in #4 above the definition is given as:
4. of states, order, government
If we look into the usage of the Greek word Kosmos where is has been translated as world here:
(John 7:7 KJV) The world (kosmos) cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
So is Jesus really saying the "world" hates him or does he have something more specific in mind when making this statement?
Looking at the context for his statement and the translation of kosmos as "world":
(John 7:1-3 KJV) After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.
(John 7:4-6 KJV) For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly.
If thou do these things, show thyself to the world (kosmos). For neither did his brethren believe in him. Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is alway ready.
(John 7:7 KJV) The world (kosmos) cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
(John 7:8 KJV) Go ye up unto this feast: I go not up yet unto this feast: for my time is not yet full come.
As can been seen from the above Jesus' brethren are speaking about Jesus showing himself at the feast to the people and the ruling Council - they are not implying the whole world.
And in John 7:7 Jesus is not saying the whole world hated him - who hated him were the ruling council and their supporters because he testified "that the works thereof are evil".
This brings me back to how the Jews understood the "world" or kosmos - when Peter wrote:
(2 Pet 3:6 KJV) Whereby the world (Greek - kosmos) that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
This could quite rightly be translated as:
2 Pet 3:6 Whereby the "order" (Greek - kosmos) that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
The "order" (peoples, rulers) at the time of the flood had totally become corrupt and encompassed the Mesopotamian area.
This is what was destroyed by the flood - to translate "kosmos" as world in 2 Peter 3:6 leads to a wrong impression as it does with translating "kosmos" as world in John 7:1 - 4 when it was the ruling order that is in view.
There in no end of the "world" the destruction in 70AD at the end of the age was the destruction of the Jewish "heavens and earth" represented by the temple and it's priesthood and the close and dissolution of the old covenant economy - never to be seen again.