“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.”
2 Peter 3:10 (NIV)
Peter knows about the scoffers - you know the ones who laugh at the idea of the Lord coming in judgment. They imagine that because He has not come back by now - that He will never come back. So Peter points us to the Lord’s character - His timelessness, His patience and His desire for all to repent. God’s patience means salvation, and His character is reflected in the tension we feel when we pray for His return. We ask the Lord Jesus to come back, but at the same time we hope that He won’t come back, until our loved ones repent and receive life from our Lord.
That tension between wanting all things made right and wanting ones we love (God loves all people - we love a few) to come to faith in Christ Jesus is present in God Himself in perfection.
Notice that He will come like a thief, and notice that the heavens will disappear, and the earth will be laid bare. Very similar language to Isaiah 51, and impossible for most people to accept - for how could the earth still exist when the heavens disappear, but a key belief for us who believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Since we eagerly look forward to this Day, may we live holy and godly lives, as we long to see our Lord return in power, to make all things right.
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