to the judgments that fall and the character of the opposition at the time of

the end.  It is the glory of the New Jerusalem that John records:

`And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are

the temple of it' (Rev. 21:22).

In like manner, neither the `temple' character nor the `body'

relationship carries over to the eternal state, the last title of the church of

Ephesians being not `The Body' but `The fulness of Him that filleth all in all'

(Eph. 1:23).  See articles entitled Fulfil (p. 34), and Pleroma3.

Hasting unto The Coming.  The margin of 2 Peter 3:12 reads `or hasting the

coming', and this only makes the passage one of greater difficulty and also, by

reason of its implications, one of great importance.  If we accept the

translation of the R.V. no difficulty remains, for that version reads

`earnestly desiring', but there is a suspicion in the back of the mind that

this translation cuts the Gordian knot, without unravelling it.  The question,

can a believer or a body of believers `hasten' the coming of the day of God?

cannot be dismissed by referring to the fact that Peter is writing to the

dispersion, to the circumcision or to Hebrews, for the problem still remains

`in what way can any man hasten, or delay, the coming of the day of God?' Let

us first of all note the actual word that is translated `hasting'.  The Greek

word is speudo, and as it occurs only six times we give the complete

concordance to its usage.

Luke 2:16

And they came with haste.

Luke 19:5

Zaccheus make haste, and come down.

Luke 19:6

And he made haste, and came down.

Acts 20:16

He hasted if it were possible ... to be at Jerusalem.

Acts 22:18

Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem.

2 Pet. 3:12

And hasting unto the coming of the day of God.

Other forms of this same word are spoudazo `endeavour' (Eph. 4:3),

`study' (2 Tim. 2:15), spoudaios `diligent' (2 Cor. 8:22), spoude `diligence'

(Heb. 6:11), spoudaiws `instantly' (Luke 7:4).  The word is coupled with

prosdokao `to look for, wait or expect'.  At the first advent there were a few

who were `waiting for the consolation of Israel' or who `looked for redemption

in Jerusalem' (Luke 2:25,38), and later in the same gospel we read the

exhortation `Let your loins be girded about ... like unto men that wait for

their Lord' (Luke 12:35,36).  If we ask the question `could men by their

attitude hinder the coming of the day of God?' it will be difficult for us to

deny the possibility, by reason of the fact that the setting up of the kingdom

in the gospel of Matthew and in the Acts of the Apostles is conditioned upon

the repentance of Israel.  We find that by their unbelief, the Lord could do no

more mighty works among them; `they would not' when He desired to gather them,

their house was left unto them desolate by reason of their attitude.  This

postponement of the fulfilment of the prophets is a real problem in this

epistle of Peter.

There would have been no point in writing `For we have not followed

cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of

our Lord Jesus Christ' (2 Pet. 1:16), if that coming had not been denied, and

Peter speaks of scoffers who shall arise in the last days saying `where is the

promise of His coming?' (2 Pet. 3:3,4), and he himself admits that, while not

doubting the faithfulness of the Lord to all His Word, `the long-suffering'