Week 4 Day 3

February 01, 2023 | Be On Mission

The Day of the Lord is Coming

Scripture: 2 Peter 3 (NIV)

¹Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. ² I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

³ Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ⁴ They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” ⁵ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. ⁶ By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. ⁷ By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³ But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. ¹⁶ He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Devotional

Peter wrapped up his second letter with an eye toward the return of Christ. Nobody knows when that day will be. So, what should we do? We should live our lives as if He is going to return tomorrow AND as if He is going to return in thousands of years. That tension will lead us to both inward purity and outward ministry at the same time.

As such, Peter challenges us to “live holy and godly lives” so that we will “be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.” Think about it. If you knew that Jesus were returning in one week, what adjustments would you make in your life? Would you make any changes to your viewing habits? Your social media posts? Your family interactions? Your friend group conversations? Your spending patterns? Your time in Scripture and prayer?

When Peter wrote this, it was only thirty-five or so years after Jesus had ascended. He could not have known that we would be reading and studying his words two thousand years later. But using his math that a day is like a thousand years, it has been only two days since Christ ascended to heaven! He is coming back, but we just don’t know when.

With that, here is another perspective. If you knew that Jesus were not returning until long after you are dead, what changes would you make in your life? Would you take the long view in developing relationships with nonbelievers? Would you be more intentional about sharing your faith with others? Would you invite more people to church? Would you make a better effort to develop lifelong community in your congregation? Would you make sure that your church had a heart for prayer? Would you contend for the faith against false teaching?

Jesus is coming back. We don’t know WHEN He is coming back, but we do know THAT He is returning. Speaking about His own return, Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” It’s a great question. How do you answer it?

Poem

Blindfolded
2 Peter 3: 8

At birthday parties of the young
A blindfold starts the game
Of “pin-the-tail”
“Pinata” whack
The goal of hidden fame

With “hide and seek” and you are “it”
“Thousand-one, now two, now three”
Your eyes are closed
Your hands block peek
While facing base-spot tree

But when the blindfold’s taken off
And eyes darkness escape
You see missed mark
You find your friends
Reality reshaped

And so it is in life, this truth
If we have blindfolds still
We’ll miss the “pin”
The truth will hide
The goal, we’ll not fulfill

Do not allow God’s truth to hide
But daily seek clear vision
Though “Thousand-one,
Now two, now three”
God’s timing, God’s decision

So little one, don’t doubt the claim
Of Mystery’s long story
Instead by day
Vigil by night
Expect to see God’s glory

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