“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is
as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 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.”
(2 Peter 3:8-10 ESV)
As we anticipate the
return of Jesus, it’s easy for us to grow impatient. After all, who wouldn’t want to be free of
this world of evil? Who wouldn’t want to be free of these bodies of sin and death?
As time drags on, we want
it to be over. As we watch the wickedness
of man on display each and every day, we want it to end. And as we struggle
with sin and temptation, we long for this to become a thing of the past.
However, in the above
passage, Peter calls on us to take God’s perspective into consideration. For
the Lord, time doesn’t share the same meaning, the same framework, as it does
with us. Even though we’re told that these things are soon to take place, from
the Lord’s perspective, a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a
day.
No matter how it seems to
us, God is not slow to fulfill his promise. He is being patient with mankind.
And this patience is yet another example of his grace.
It’s an example of his
grace because he doesn’t want anyone to perish. Even though the final judgment
and hell itself are realities, they are not God’s desire for anyone. His desire
is for the salvation of all.
For this reason, he’s
displaying his patience. He’s providing time for the gospel to go forth. And he’s
providing opportunity for the lost to look to him in faith that they might be
saved.
The grace of God, given to
us, fills us with the same desire. We long for the salvation of our fellow men.
And, for this reason, we patiently endure our time in this world.
Yet we’re assured that the
end will come. Even if our waiting has led us to question this, it is his
promise. And, as we know, our God is
faithful.
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