2 Peter 3
Today's Passage: 2 Peter 3
As Jesus hung on the cross, think of the insults heaped on him—"If you are the Son of God,
come down from the cross.” “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel;
let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” “He trusts in God; let God
deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
As with Jesus, Peter reminds us, “scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.” If Jesus suffered insults, so shall we. We are reminded, however, “by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”
When we see suffering, when we see evil people prosper, when we see wickedness go
unchecked in the world, often we are tempted to ask, “God why don’t you (fill in the blank)?” To
this question Peter encourages us, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count
slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”
When God’s judgment appears slow in coming, the repeated stories in Scripture remind us
this amounts to His grace. In His amazing grace, God delays judgment on the wicked and
righteous alike, giving the maximum opportunity for repentance.
One day, judgment will come, and all the scoffers will reap destruction. However, for those
of us in Christ, “according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in
which righteousness dwells.” This is our hope. We often speak of “heaven” as our eternal resting
place. However, this is imprecise. In reality, our eternity will be spent in the New Creation. It
will be a real, physical place—think of it as a return to the Garden of Eden. We will experience
an unimaginable world in glorified bodies. In that day, “Awesome” will be a poor description of
what we will behold.
Questions for reflection:
What problems or issues of the world cause you impatience waiting on the Lord’s timing?
When you think of our hope for eternity, what encourages you most?
Written By: Tyler Short
As Jesus hung on the cross, think of the insults heaped on him—"If you are the Son of God,
come down from the cross.” “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel;
let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.” “He trusts in God; let God
deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
As with Jesus, Peter reminds us, “scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.” If Jesus suffered insults, so shall we. We are reminded, however, “by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”
When we see suffering, when we see evil people prosper, when we see wickedness go
unchecked in the world, often we are tempted to ask, “God why don’t you (fill in the blank)?” To
this question Peter encourages us, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count
slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”
When God’s judgment appears slow in coming, the repeated stories in Scripture remind us
this amounts to His grace. In His amazing grace, God delays judgment on the wicked and
righteous alike, giving the maximum opportunity for repentance.
One day, judgment will come, and all the scoffers will reap destruction. However, for those
of us in Christ, “according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in
which righteousness dwells.” This is our hope. We often speak of “heaven” as our eternal resting
place. However, this is imprecise. In reality, our eternity will be spent in the New Creation. It
will be a real, physical place—think of it as a return to the Garden of Eden. We will experience
an unimaginable world in glorified bodies. In that day, “Awesome” will be a poor description of
what we will behold.
Questions for reflection:
What problems or issues of the world cause you impatience waiting on the Lord’s timing?
When you think of our hope for eternity, what encourages you most?
Written By: Tyler Short
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