2 Peter 3:1-10 NKJV
3 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
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.
Pastor Peter delivers a strong and clear message in today’s reading. First, he reminds his hearers/readers to be mindful of the words of the prophets and the apostles who prophesied and preached about Christ, the Messiah, and how He came to pay for the world’s sins. As Christians we are thankful for all of God’s Word as, basically, it is all about Christ’s coming, His Incarnation, His life, death, resurrection, and His coming again in glory to take His Bride, the Church to Himself on the Last Day.
We are also reminded by Peter that “scoffers will come in the last days” and make a mockery of the predictions of Christ’s Second Coming. “Well, He hasn’t come yet after all these years, so He probably never will.” And that was the attitude in the first century! Think of how much more ridiculous the teaching and preaching of Christ’s second Advent sound to scoffers today! “Well, He hasn’t come for over 2,000 years, so why are you still talking about it?!?”
But we do not listen to those people. We are not to be taken in by their mockery of Christian truths. We know and believe by God-given faith that Christ will come again; we confess it boldly every week in the Creeds of the Church. We know and believe that “the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…” It will be a terrible surprise to those who do not watch and wait for Christ, but it will be a joy to those who believe and who have been waiting patiently for the fruition of Christ’s promise.
Finally, we are comforted by Peter’s words when he says that the Lord “is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” God is waiting, but He will not wait forever. His Day will come and has been set. We pray that He would use us to speak this offer of Christ’s forgiveness to those around us so that they too may not perish but come to faith and the certainty of eternal life in heaven with our Lord. Let us pray: Lord Jesus, give me the courage and the words to speak of Your love to others. Amen.