While waiting for Christ's return
- Isaac De Guzman
- Sep 8, 2022
- 2 min read
…it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat. But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:11b-13 CSB
When we arrive to verse 12, we read a very interesting phrase, “as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming.” A question comes to mind is how do believers speed up the day of the Lord? Peter suggests, in combination with the latter half of verse 11, by living in light of the day of the Lord, conducting themselves in holiness and godliness. The word “wait” here is not a passive action, but rather active, as you are waiting here on earth, continue to conduct yourselves in holy manner, pursuing righteousness, and spreading the gospel message on earth, as Christ commissioned before He ascended into heaven (see Matthew 28:18-20). Although we may not know when the Lord will return, we all have a part to play to speed along the process. The time on earth we have is limited, in which even the “heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat.” But, even though there is destruction and impending doom, there is hope in the promise of “new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells,” meaning the home of righteousness, the eternal home of the believer. Although the world may seem to deteriorate physically and spiritually, the hope of the believer is in the promised future of a new one, as mentioned yesterday, where there is no more pain, sadness or fear (Revelations 21:1-4). The challenge, then, to the believers, is that while you are here on earth, you should conduct yourselves holy and pursuing godliness as you share the gospel, so that others may be spared from the coming judgment.
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
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