2 Peter 3
By Pastor Steve
Judgment-Day—or—Liberation-Day?
It seems rather strange to me, but I find that many people today want to focus on the end of the world as we know it. Although this may seem like a modern day phenomenon, it most certainly is not something new. People have been attempting to determine the end of life as we know it for many centuries. As a result of this pursuit to determine when the Lord will close this chapter of life on planet earth, an insurmountable number of books have been written, movies have been made, talk shows are hosted, and debates are common place. Many people want to bring a shock factor and a fear factor to this whole discussion because if they can promote fear, they can motivate people to their personal way of thinking and create uncertainty along with a sense of chaotic insecurity.
In Peter’s second letter to the churches, he reacted and responded to this tactic of creating a sense of fear in the lives of God’s people. Peter said: But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction. Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.
It seems to me that while many people are seeking the answer to the end of time and the judgment of the Lord, Peter, Paul and the Lord Jesus Himself encouraged us to stop worrying and keep on living. Live a life of love, a life of purity, a life of peace; live a life without blame, a life centered on the teaching of the Scriptures; and live a life founded in and on the salvation of the Lord. You see, we should not be concerned about judgment, but looking forward to the day of liberation. If we live the life the Lord desires us to live, we would focus on the joy of liberation-day rather than the fear of the judgment-day. I choose liberation-day! How about you?
