THERE IS A DAY COMING
2 Peter 3:10-13 NKJV
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
I have self-admitted that I am not an expert on end-time events. The subject has never captured my focus. That may stem from my call as a pastor to help people live for God and find their purpose in this life. Another reason may be that I know these events are coming, and my job is to help people get ready before the end comes. But in any case, I can read our verses for today and know that there is the day of the Lord, and it will be quite dramatic.
Peter says the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. So we won’t know when that day will be. And from what I do understand about end times, this day of the Lord will come after the rapture or the catching away of the church. Much discussion and division have taken place over what I just said. There are a lot of opinions as to when this day comes. But it does say the elements, this earth as we know it, will melt with fervent heat. This adds a whole new slant to the term global warming.
The earth will be dissolved, and the heavens will be on fire. I would prefer to miss this event. And Peter adds an interesting take on this day of the Lord. He writes that since we know this day is coming, we should live differently. Peter says we should live with holy conduct and godliness. If we know that the Lord who created the world we live in can dissolve it, then we should live with a healthy respect for God. And a healthy respect will result in a life that is set apart from a darkened culture. A godly life that is conscious of God and His power.
But Peter does leave us with hope. There is a promise from God that He will create a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Currently, there is righteousness in the earth among those of us who love the Lord and have received Him as Savior. But there is a great deal of unrighteousness present as well. But when the new heavens and earth are created, there will be no darkness, death, and unrighteousness. And we will be there. That is the day I look forward to.
APPLICATION
Some people hear of end-time events such as these, and it frightens them. The purpose is not to frighten but to remind believers of what is coming and what is expected of them. I wouldn’t worry about being burned up with fervent heat if you know the Lord. I am confident that I will be a part of the new heavens and earth, but not a part of the destruction. The best position to adopt is to live ready with all holy conduct and godliness.
There may be a lot of end-time events I don’t know. But I do know that I can do my part to live in such a way that I look forward to the Lord’s coming and am not afraid of that day.