Thief in the night
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. Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness. 2 Peter 3:10-11 CSB
As mentioned previously, the “day of the Lord will come like a thief,” meaning that it will be sudden and unexpected. This is undisputable fact. Paul as well wrote about the suddenness of the coming of Christ. “‘The day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘Peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them’” (1 Thessalonians 5:2). Peter then describes in verse 10 the completeness of the Lord’s judgment. The skies will be destroyed, which can mean the entire universe. “The elements,” which could be interpreted as the building blocks of our physical world, atoms, are completely “dissolved.” John also describes the same event in the last days. “The sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up; and every mountain and island was moved from its place” (Revelation 6:14). Peter is alluding to the prophecy from Isaiah. “All the stars in the sky will dissolve. The sky will roll up like a scroll, and its stars will all wither as leaves wither on the vine, and foliage on the fig tree” (Isaiah 34:4). Finally, everything “on the earth and the works on it will be disclosed,” meaning that time and history itself will be destroyed as well. In light of the fact that God’s judgment will be complete in every measure, no one can escape it, and as Peter provided exhaustive discussions as to what will happen to those who are promoting false teachings and how the false teachers will lead others to ruin, it is therefore imperative that the followers of Christ should focus on growing with those who will be in “holy conduct and godliness.” God will wipe everything away, He has promised to create a new heaven and a new earth, where there will be no more tears, pain, and sorrow (see Revelations 21:1-5). We who claim that we are God’s children because of our relationship with Him, should live our lives in light of the coming judgment, withstanding the current trials and tribulations, for in the end, the Lord will make everything new.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
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