The Day of the Lord (Our Coming KING)

​Isaiah 9:6-7, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASING FATHER, PRINCE OF PEACE. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end…”
This is what we are waiting for! The eternal kingdom of Jesus! 

Peter’s 2nd letter is written to the churches in NW Asia Minor. Peter is facing death & as he closes this final letter, he brings the return of Jesus as priority in the lives of the believers ~ to live in light of the end ~ eternity is coming! 

Here are four points from 2 Peter 3:8-14 to help us as we wait for the Day of the Lord:

1. Verse 8: “But do not forget this one thing dear friends:  With the Lord a day is like 1,000 years and 1,000 years are like a day.” 

What seems like forever for us is but a moment for God ~ like a child who thinks that an hour feels like an eternity or a woman pregnant in the last month waiting for her baby to be born. 😊

God sees time with a perspective we lack.  He is always & everywhere in space & time!  With God there is neither past, present nor future ~ He is I AM: I AM in the past; I AM in the present; I AM in the future. He is everywhere all the time. 

Psalm 90:4 tells us, “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by.”  Adam Clarke (commentator) says of this idea, “All time is as nothing before Him, because in the presence as in the nature of God all is eternity; therefore nothing is long, nothing short, before Him; no lapse of ages impairs His purposes.”
 
2. Verse 9: “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 

God will keep His promise, according to His timing. He will fulfill all His promises. This verse shows God’s love for the world! He is full of compassion ~ Exodus 34:6, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love & faithfulness…”

God is full of love for the people of the world ~ John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” David Guzik, in his commentary on John 3:16, says this: “We may say there are seven wonders in John 3:16:

God—The Almighty Authority
So loved the world—The Mightiest Motive
That He gave His only Son—The Greatest Gift
That whoever—The Widest Welcome
Believes in Him—The Easiest Escape
Will not perish—The Divine Deliverance
But have eternal life—The Priceless Possession

The love of God is limitless; it embraces all mankind. No sacrifice was too great to bring its unmeasured intensity home to men and women: the best that God had to give, he gave – his only Son, his well-beloved.”

3. Verse 10, “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 in it will be laid bare.” 

Jesus will come back at a time we do not know & it will surprise many.  Verses 3-7 in this chapter tell us what the scoffers are thinking: scoffers say things have always been this way & always will be. They laugh at God and His people.  But we know that Jesus is coming back and He will make all things new!  Many will be surprised at his return.

In the book of Acts, as Jesus was talking to his disciples, he told them about his return, “it is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority,” Acts 1:7.  After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid him from their sight. A few verses later, “two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’,” Acts 1:10-11.

Revelation 1:7 tells us what John saw in his vision of Jesus, “’Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pieced him; and all the peoples on earth will mourn because of him,’ So shall it be.”

The result of Jesus’ coming will be a total transformation of this present world (A new heaven & new earth).  This present world is under the curse because of sin; that will be reversed!  If you want to study this further, take a look at Revelation 16-18 which shows the destruction of the world & its system. 

Revelation 21 & 22 gives us the description of the New Heaven and New Earth. Here are a few of the ideas of what’s to come for those who love Jesus: God lives with His people; no more curse; sin is banished; tears & sorrow gone; earth is remade; Paradise (Eden) is regained; death is defeated; Satan is defeated & destroyed forever. I can't wait! 

4. Verse 11-14, “…what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy & godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming….in keeping with His promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and new earth, where righteousness dwells.  So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.”

While we wait, we are to seek first His Kingdom & His righteousness. Pray the powerful prayer, most famously attributed to the theologian Jonathan Edwards, “Stamp eternity of my eyes”.  This expresses a desire to have a constant and vivid awareness of the eternal reality of life, death, and judgment. It's a plea for a changed perspective that prioritizes spiritual and eternal matters over temporary, earthly concerns; imprinted on one's mind and vision.

Our goal is to gain a deeper sense of urgency for holiness and to be more motivated to share the gospel, because the eternal stakes are so high. There is nothing on earth worthy of our attention & affections.

The King is coming!  Peter says there is a sense in which we can hasten the Lord’s coming!  Pray, “Even so , come Lord Jesus,” Revelation 22:20.

Make your greatest aim to:
1. Seek (continual seeking) ~ make Jesus a priority!
2. Be ready! Grow in the knowledge of God, live in hope, be encouraged!
3. Set your heart on the glory of the new heaven and earth.

If you do this, it will change the way you live, while you wait for the Day of the Lord and our Coming King!