2 Peter 3

“The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed.”  2 Peter 3:9-10 (HCSB)

I often say there are two things about God that baffle a fool:  1) How long He takes to act and 2) How quickly He arrives.

Concerning Jesus’ return, everything in God’s plan is unfolding right on time. The clarion call of the “Jesus movement” of the 1970s was, “People get ready; Jesus is coming.”  Now, decades later, Jesus still hasn’t returned to redeem His Bride, the Church. As a result, many are laughing at those “Jesus freaks” today. “Where is Jesus?” they taunt. Well, Jesus has delayed His coming because of His desire for all to repent. He is patient, but His patience has a limit.

In the days of Noah, there was plenty of time for the scoffers to inquire about what Noah was doing, building this giant thing called an “ark.”  Surely, they laughed at him as he diligently and faithfully (seemingly nonsensically) followed God’s instruction. They had every opportunity to repent, even as word about Noah’s labors spread. But when the rain-turned-floodwater rose, the time for their repentance had expired. Likewise, turning to Jesus, which seems so convenient today, will be impossible on the Day of the Lord when Messiah returns to judge the unfaithful.

Concerning His quick arrival, there is the story of the three demons standing before Satan. Satan asks, “What will we tell these humans that will send them to Hell?”

One Demon says, “I’ll tell them there is no God.”

Satan answers, “No, they’ll look at creation and figure out it had to come from somewhere.”

The second Demon says, “I’ll tell them there is no judgment.”

“No,” answers the Devil. “There’s too much evil in the world for them to think it will all go unpunished.”

The third Demon smiles, “I’ll tell them they’ve got time, and they can follow Jesus tomorrow.”

“Yes,” answers Satan. “They’ll believe that!”  

Many have said they’ll believe in Jesus “tomorrow,” only to die today. I’m not trying to scare anyone unnecessarily. If you are an unbeliever, I hope you are necessarily scared! Necessary because there is no other name by which men MUST be saved. (Acts 4:12)  The Bible says, “Today is the day of salvation” for a reason. Joshua told the Israelites, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.”  Today is the only day you’re sure of.

A wise man knows Jesus is coming, and he is prepared. Are you? Spread the word. People get ready…