The Second Coming, God's Patience and a Call to Holiness and Godliness--2 Peter 3:1-13

​2 Peter 3:1-13 English Standard Version (ESV)
The Day of the Lord Will Come
1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But 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.

11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting 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! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Peter makes the point here to not mistake God's patience and mercy to not execute immediate judgement on the wicked and ungodly as a sign that His judgement is never going to come.  Peter refers back to the Flood as an example when God was patient and let the world reach a point where the people did only what was evil all the time before He poured out His judgement on the Earth.  God promised in the Noahic covenant that the world would never again be destroyed but water, but Peter tells us that in the final judgement it will be destroyed by fire with such fervent heat that "the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved."  Another version says that "the elements will melt."  I'm not going to try to guess what this is or if it is a natural phenomenon.  Let it suffice to say that nothing in this creation will survive the coming judgement.

However, Peter lets us know that God gets no pleasure out of this and He wishes for all to come to repentance and that His long-suffering is a form of grace whereby He is giving more people an opportunity to repent and believe.  However, there will be a day that will come upon us suddenly when His patience will run out and He will execute His righteous judgement because He is a just God who cannot let sin go unpunished.

Do not mock the mercy of the Lord or His patience and never teach people that the second coming of Christ is not a real event.  The coming judgement is just as real and even more severe than that of the Flood and it is our duty to carry the gospel to all nations and make disciples of all people groups.  Like in the Flood, God has provided a way of escape for those that believe and trust in His way and His plan, but they must take refuge not in the security of an ark, but in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross--His incarnation, sinless life, his death on the cross where He died in our place, His bodily resurrection to show His victory over both sin and death, His ascension into heaven where He rules at the right hand of the Father, and His second coming where He will judge the wicked and set up an everlasting kingdom that will literally be heaven on earth for all who believe--but for those who do not believe they will be cast into the lake of fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.

In light of this, how should we live?  Peter calls us to live a life of holiness--this means to be set apart for a special calling an purpose, not ordinary or common (like the silverware and fine china that you only use on special occasions, or more specifically the instruments of worship used in the temple and tabernacle that were holy to the LORD and were not to be used for any other common purpose).  We too are to live uncommon lives that bring glory and honor to God, even more now that we see the end times approaching because this is part of our testimony that shows the world that we really believe what we say and that God has actually done something in us and is now doing something through us so that they too can be saved.  We are left with two choices.  Give our lives to Christ now and live forever in his presence to give eternal praise, glory and honor to God, or to live forever in separation from God in what is described as "utter darkness" and "fire that cannot be quenched" where "there is weeping and gnashing of teeth" (great pain and suffering), but people still curse God and refuse to give Him the glory He deserves, yet in either case, God is glorified and proved righteous, just and holy.  Which path will you choose?