What Are You Waiting For?


2 Peter 3:10-13
10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

It’s not a matter of if, but when. The promises of God are certain. When Jesus discussed the End Times with His disciples, He left  these words ringing in their ears.

Matthew 24:29-31
29“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

This radical obliteration of the present creation results from Christ’s powerful arrival. His appearance initiates an awesome sequence of events. As he comes, a loud noise ensues, followed by the dissolution of the elements. The image portrayed is a mighty theophany. Peter’s description resembles portions of Revelation, and like John in the Apocalypse, Peter heavily employs OT imagery. Yet this climactic theophany is unprecedented and universal in scope. In the OT era, theophanies involved violent upheavals of creation and acts of judgment, but took place only at some locations and were witnessed by limited populations. At his first advent [His birth], Christ came humbly in the form of a servant. On rare occasions in his earthly ministry, he partially revealed his divine power, but only when necessary to accomplish his mission. The total opposite occurs on the The Last Day: he fully manifests his divine majesty to all, and nothing is hidden from him.
Giese, C. P. ©2012. 2 Peter and Jude. (p. 188). Saint Louis, MO: CPH.

Peter doesn’t mince any words here. This passage begins with “He will come”. Not “maybe”, or “possibly”, but HE WILL. Just because we don’t know when this will happen does not negate the veracity of His Second Coming. Thus, Peter emphasizes Christ’s coming both as certain and not subject to human calculation. When I was younger, it seemed like there was a constant stream ministers publicly declaring that the return of Jesus was going to happen on such and such a day. So far, all have proven to be false prophets, for we’re still here. Jesus second coming is not up to us and there is no amount of Bible Study you’re going to do that will give you a date and time.

But from this passage (and others) we do know a few things about Jesus’ return.
One: “the heavens” will pass away – the sky, the stars, the sun and the atmosphere. John described it as "the heavens will roll up like a scroll and vanish!" That will be an absolutely final event, for we cannot survive without “the heavens
Two: “The elements will be consumed by fire” – There is debate among commentators as to whether this too refers to “the heavens” or to the basic elements that make up the entire universe. Either way, everything is consumed.
Three: “The works” shall be exposed – This includes the works of man – good and evil. Nothing will remain secret. No one escapes God’s divine scrutiny. But also exposed are the good things that God moved us to do in and through His name.


Lest this brings fear to the heart, always bear in mind, those who stand washed in the blood of Jesus will only face God’s blessing. Forgiven sin is not going to be resurrected and used against us, for Satan, that great accuser, will have no voice in God’s throne room. (According to The Revelation, he doesn't even have a voice now!) The elect will be gathered in the presence of God and it will be glorious!

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