I have been preaching a lot from 2 Peter 3 recently. The reason is due to encountering many Christ-followers who are discouraged because it seems like Satan is winning. Second Peter 3 predicts God’s sudden judgment against the world’s expanding wickedness and the ultimate triumph of Jesus Christ.
We pray for righteousness to prevail, but it appears just the opposite is happening. The world seems to be spiraling downhill toward disaster. The breakdown of the family, the expansion of abortion rights, the curtailing of free speech, the increase in suicides, the proliferation of pornography, the corruption of political leaders, the incivility of public discourse, the escalation of profanity, the absence of inspirational leadership, the racial unrest, the rise in poverty, the rioting in the streets, the denigration of heroes, the ridicule of the Bible, the disharmony in the church, the declining church attendance, the compromising of the truth by spiritual leaders – the list goes on and on. Plus, we remain in the midst of a global pandemic! It seems as though evil, like a stage-four malignancy, is absolutely consuming us.
Let’s be honest. That is not just a perception. It is a reality. Evil is winning, and the church appears to be losing. The culture is coming unraveled, and the Kingdom of God seems inept. But we should not be surprised. That is precisely what the Bible prophesies will happen toward the end of time. Consider these predictions:
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days” (2 Timothy 3:1).
“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:12-13).
“Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:12-13).
“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:37-39).
“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting, and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:28-29).
“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).
So, we really should not be surprised by the escalation of evil. It is exactly what the Bible predicts will happen.
Second Peter 3 forecasts God’s impending judgment against what seems to be irrepressible wickedness. While scoffers sneer at the idea of judgment, they intentionally ignore the fact that the Lord already punished the world once through Noah’s flood. “By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:6-7).
This passage reminds us that God is patient and grants time for people to repent. However, even God’s patience eventually grows thin. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:10)
Then Simon Peter asks this relevant question in verse 11, “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? How should we live in such a spiritually corrupt environment? Peter instructs us to:
Live distinctive lives. “You ought to live holy and Godly lives.” Be holy. Be different from the world. Don’t get caught up in the greed, the addictions, the hedonism, the angry spirit of the age. Be a light of integrity and peace shining brightly in a dark, unethical world.
Anticipate God’s judgment. Make no mistake about it. Evil’s domination is temporary. God is no wimp. He is eventually going to say, “That’s enough!” “No more!” He will judge the world for its sin. “That day will bring about the destruction of the world by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat” (2 Peter 3:12). Maybe God’s judgment will arrive in the form of the eruption of supervolcanoes or a world-wide nuclear catastrophe. But just as God once cleansed the world with water, He will one day purge it with fire. He always does what He says He will do.
Be encouraged by Jesus’ promised return. Before that universal conflagration occurs, I believe the Lord will rapture believers out of this world. Just as Noah’s family was lifted above the world’s destruction in the ark and Lot’s family escaped Sodom just before fire and brimstone destroyed their city, so believers will be called out of this world and spared God’s judgment.
The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4 that Jesus will descend from heaven with a shout, and the dead in Christ will rise first. “After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:17-18).
Get excited about heaven. “But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13). The reason we get discouraged is our focus is on this world only. That’s misplaced energy. The world and its desires are going to pass away. The Bible says, “Set your affections on the things above and not on earthly things” We’re going to live with Christ. We’re going to be reunited with our Christian loved ones. We’re going to be free from sin and death and pain and guilt and fear. There’s going to be a new heaven and new earth!
There’s an old spiritual:
This world is not my home
I’m just passing through
My treasures are laid up
Somewhere beyond the blue
The Angels beckon me
From Heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home
In this world anymore.
Maybe your present discouragement is an inner reminder that your citizenship is in heaven, and you shouldn’t feel comfortable here anymore.
“So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless, and at peace with him….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. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen” (2 Peter 3:14-17).
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