"10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."
True holiness is a hard concept to fully grasp, however, it is an essential part of the Christian life. Our finite minds, cannot comprehend the image of an infinite and holy God. If you think about it, even a small glimpse of God drives men to their knees. Isaiah saw a vision of God and cried, "Woe to me for I am undone!" And, when the prophet Ezekiel saw the same vision Isaiah saw, he fell on his face to the ground until God lifted him up. The holiness of God is so far beyond our comprehension.
I’m always amazed at how fascinated everyone is by biblical prophecy, they are drawn to prophecy like moths to a flame, not realizing that
biblical prophecy is a warning to sinners to repent and flee from God’s coming
wrath.
To all of those who truly name the name of Jesus Christ, we long for the day when the Lord will return to take His own to be with Him. But, for those mockers and the scoffers who attack Christianity, He will judge the sinners of the world and establish His kingdom and to bring in eternal righteousness.
One of the major attacks of the false teachers, the mockers and scoffers is the doctrine of Christ's return. So, let's suppose for just a moment, that they're right. Suppose that Jesus never actually rose from the dead and that He is not coming back. What then?
First, this deteriorating and wicked world will continue to grow worse and worse, there would no longer be the hope of a better life, no more anticipation of a better world. Wrong would never be made right. Injustice would never be replaced by fairness and equity. There would be no end to sickness and pain. The curse on this world would never be removed. Life would end at death. And, if all of that is true, Satan wins. The world will just continue on its current path of destruction. This life and the world as we know it, would be little more than a cruel joke. Longing for a better world would be nothing more than an illusion.
I don't know about you, but I cannot bear to imagine such a horrendous belief! I'm not willing to give up on the hope of my heart.
Let us pray
Heavenly Father,
Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for our time together to study these rich truths. We are so blessed to have such a gracious, patient and loving Father. Thank You for Your grace, Your mercy and for making Your revelation available to us so clear,that we are able to understand it. Thank You for this wonderful reminder, that in Your loving kindness, that You desire that not any man should perish.
Lord, we earnestly pray that not one receiving this message, would feel Your wrath of judgement and eternal condemnation. We pray that they would instead turn to Christ, and away from sin to embrace Him as Lord and Savior, before Your justice falls upon the earth. Yet, we know there is an end to Your grace and Your patience. And that some will foolishly and blindly reject Your offer of salvation and will willfully continue to live the way they want with no restraints. Until that final moment comes, in the waiting, we long for Your return.
In Jesus' precious name we pray.
Amen
Today's Message: In The Waiting
God is immortal. He doesn't age nor does He forget. In a glance, He sees all of the events in history and the future. And, although Christ has not yet returned in judgment, that great and terrifying day will come, with disastrous consequences for all who have not repented of their sins.
As we grow older, the faster time seems to go. It just seems like just yesterday I was still in school, or that my children were born. I often wonder, when Jesus comes back and stands again on this earth, if He will say, "It feels like just yesterday that I was here." We should be patient waiting for Christ’s return because He has been patient with you.Whenever, I begin to lose my patience with someone, I always try to remember, just how patient God has been with me.
God is patiently working everything out precisely according to His perfect will, rest assured, He will fulfill His promise. God is faithful, He always keeps His Word, therefore, this world, all of it's inhabitants who are not in Christ, and all that it treasures are going to burn up. So, you need to make a choice, surrender to His sovereign authority now or suffer the consequences of your decision later.
The prophet Isaiah warns in Isaiah 13:13, "Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the Lord of hosts In the day of His burning anger."
In Joel 2:11, it says "For strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the Lord is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it?"
And the Apostle Paul tells us in Philippians 2:10-11, "So that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
In Hebrews 12:25-29, the author writes "See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven." This expression, "Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire."
Peter continues with his theme of the Last Days through this chapter. He has already mentioned the scoffers who mock His people for their faith in the One who is to come. They willfully forget that God created everything and that God will judge everyone. God’s timing is perfect but make no mistake, though it has not yet happened, the time will come.
Open your Bibles with me, if you will, to II Peter chapter 3. In our ongoing study of this third chapter, we come to verse 10. I'd like you to bear in mind, that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is primarily a judgment event. As believers, we anticipate the return of Christ to take His own to be with Him, however, this is really is a special pre-day of the Lord event. Because when we meet Him, it will be in the sky of the first heaven, He actually never comes all the way to the earth for that event. He doesn't come all the way back until He comes to judge. The reason His second coming appears to be delayed, is because of His patience with sinners. He is giving unregenerate people time for repentance.
I
invite you to follow along with me as I read to set the text in our
minds, as we prepare our hearts for a Word from our Lord. Listen for
what the Spirit of God is saying to each of us. II Peter 3:10.
"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up."
Notice, in verse 10, that everything changes. It's the turning point, if you will. The Day of the Lord is referenced many times in the Old Testament. Malachi 4:1 says "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant and every evildoer will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze," says the Lord of hosts, "so that it will leave them neither root nor branch."
And, in verse 5, "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord."
Zechariah 14:1 says "Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you."
It is a day when God will set on fire this earth, and destroy the ungodly. For over a thousand years, through the time of tribulation, to the end of the millennial kingdom when final destruction falls on
Satan after his final rebellion and all those who have rebelled against
the reigning Christ with Him. A day when the world as we now know it, will cease to be and goes out of existence.
Peter says "The day of the Lord will come like a thief." Thieves don’t announce their arrival. They don't announce that they'll be robbing you at 9pm tomorrow night. No matter what the false teachers may claim, the evidence that stacks up against their claims is overwhelming. The Old Testament prophets described the Day of the Lord as unequaled darkness and damnation; a day when the Lord would act in a climactic way to vindicate His name,
destroy His enemies, reveal His glory, and establish His kingdom.
The New Testament writers six times call it "the day of doom" and four times "the day of vengeance." And when the day of the Lord comes, "The heavens will pass away with a roar." By the way, in Hebrew, there's no word for universe. So, when it uses the term heavens, it is referring to the universe. Peter is saying the universe will pass away because it is the day of the Lord. This day will include horrifying judgments from God because of the world’s overwhelming sinfulness. The term roar is an onomatopoetic word, which is a word that sounds just like what it means. When Peter speaks of a rushing sound, or a loud noise, that will be deafening, unlike anything we've ever heard before.
Peter goes on to say "and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat." When God made the universe, He made it out of component atoms in an indescribable act of power creating this universe. The elements which Peter is speaking about are the atomic components into which matter is ultimately
divisible, which make up the composition of all the created matter. This is the picture of fire that is so consistent, a furious, incomprehensible heat.
In Matthew 24:34-35, Jesus warned that on Day of the Lord, "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away."
Yet, even in the midst of this massive destruction, the Lord will protect His own. Scripture is to be believed when it speaks about spiritual things and it is to be believed when it speaks about physical things.
In Closing..
Today we’ve seen God’s patience, God’s eternality, God’s mercy and God’s power.I pray that as you consider today’s passage, it will help you to grow in a deeper, intimate relationship with Christ. The day of the Lord will come, and there isn’t any doubt about it. It has been appointed.
In spite of what some have come to believe, there is no reincarnation, where you get another chance to come back and improve
yourself. There is no purgatory, where if enough of your relatives pray
and light candles and give money to the church, you eventually get into
heaven. Rather, you have an appointment to die and face God in judgment.
However, there is also the coming Day of the Lord, when Christ will return. And, at that point, there will not be a second chance. I pray that no one will walk away today without deeply contemplating God's incredible patience in waiting for you to come to Christ.Today, God is declaring to men that all of mankind everywhere should turn to Christ and repent. He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness. And, if God has fixed that day, and He has, you had best believe that it will come!
The one who hears the truth of Who Christ is and what Christ done, and remains indifferent will be damned to torment for all of eternity in Hell. Christ’s return will be sudden, unexpected, and disastrous for all who have not repented of their sins.Today, you are responsible for your decision. God’s grace and mercy waits for you, but it will not last forever. Don’t waste your your chance today for eternal life! Tomorrow may be too late.
May it be so..
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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