Monday, November 29, 2021

When the Heavens are Silent

 

Monday, November 29, 2021

This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory.  I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.  Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.  They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?  From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.”  They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water.  Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood.  And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire.  They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.  But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends:  A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.  The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think.  No, he is being patient for your sake.  He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.  But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief.  Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.  Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along.  On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.  But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.  And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.  2 Peter 3:1-14

Peter, ever the blunt, no-nonsense communicator, stated his case right out of the opening gate…he wanted to stimulate wholesome thinking, and remind his flock of what’s coming (judgment), how mocking fools act towards the holy, and how people who would be godly must act.  Peter leaves little wiggle room for waffling.

Then he used that phrase that has stuck in a lot of minds:  a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day…with the LORD.  It’s clear the flock were constantly bleating about how long their suffering seemed, and questioning the Apostle why it was so.  And why it should be.  And why God was silent on the issue.

And the answer, both in heaven, and to earth, is the same – PATIENCE!  We on earth, whether suffering, or weary, or just plain eager for the coming of the LORD to clean up the mess…should be patient.  On the other hand, God IS patient; He’s long-suffering the sins of the earth, giving all who would be lost time to repent and be saved.  So, it’s not a flaw in God’s compassion – rather the fact that He is patiently withholding judgment is a demonstration of His compassionate grace. 

So Peter, virtually exploding with grace and the compassion of Jesus Christ, booms-forth the message…live godly lives…the judgment is coming, and you don’t want to be on the wrong side of history when that hits!  Accept Christ now and be saved.  There’s a life full of righteousness and joy awaiting; don’t miss it!

For You Today

If you’re human, there’s a tendency to whine to God about how tough things are here.  It’s advisable to bring your troubles to God…but remember Who is the judge, and who needs mercy. 

He’s not silent for no reason…our need of repentance is the reason.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title and Other Images:  Pixabay.com  Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©   

For another post on this text see A Prayer From the Hourglass

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