The Day of the Lord

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The Day of the Lord
Armando Borja

1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles. 3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 10 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 in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 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. 16 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. 17 Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. 18 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 3:1-18 NIV)


The Day of the Lord refers to the completion of God's kingdom and triumph over his enemies and deliverance of his people. It begins at the Second Coming and will include the final judgment. It will culminate in the new heaven and the new earth. Let's look at 2 Peter 3:1-18 and see what it says about this terrible period of time.


  1. The Day of the Lord will be scoffed by evil men (vv. 3-5).

People who are controlled by their sinful desires, deliberately choose not to believe the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ because it is associated with their judgment and destruction. They even oppose it and laugh at it with contempt and derision. They mock anything that will kill their joy that comes from their sinful lifestyle. They hate the light of Christ's coming because their deeds are evil. They blind themselves to historical events which prove that God does what he said he would do. Their reasoning is distorted by their sinfulness.


  1. The Day of the Lord is sure to come (vv. 5-7).

The events that God made to happen in the past are proofs that the Day of the Lord is sure to come. By God's word, heavens and earth were created. By his word, the world in the time of Noah was deluged and destroyed. There is no reason why the Day of the Lord will not come in the future. We must not rely on what our eyes can see but on the promises of God who is faithful and true. We walk by faith not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).


  1. The Day of the Lord is not yet here because of his patience with people and his desire that they repent (vv. 8-9, 15).

The Day of the Lord is the day when God will not anymore stop himself but will freely pour his wrath on sinful world. A day of waiting for people to repent of their disobedience is like a thousand years with the Lord. But a thousand years is like a day for a God who is loving and patient. God is a God of many chances. The grace period he is giving us is enough time to prepare ourselves for Christ's coming and to win souls for him. God's patience is a chance for unbelievers to be saved. People should appreciate it instead of mocking its slowness.


  1. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (v. 10; see Matt. 24:43-44; 1 Thess. 5:2-8; Rev. 3:3; 16:15).

The coming of God's judgment is like the coming of a thief in the night. It is unexpected for those who are not expecting it. A person who continues in sin and lives away from God is not expecting that the Lord will come anytime. But Christians should not be surprised by this day like a thief since we know that the day will surely come. And since we know this, we can expect that any time could be the time of his coming.


  1. The Day of the Lord includes the disappearance of heavens and the burning of the Earth (vv. 7, 10-12).

God knows that those who are on earth during that time will never repent of their sins. There is no reason for him to wait any longer. The best decision is to burn them up together with the earth and the works of men that are in it. This is necessary for a new beginning. This terrible event should impact the way we live our lives today.


  1. The Day of the Lord should impact your life (vv 11, 14, 17. See 1 Tim 6:11-16)

The judgment of God on earth on that day should make us live a life that is holy and godly. To be holy means to be separated from anything that God detests. Since we are not reserved for God's wrath it is not proper for us to have fellowship with the works of darkness which God hates. To be godly is to have a right fear of God that lead to a righteous life. That life is described in verse 14 as spotless, blameless and at peace with the Lord. When we obey the principles of the word of God we should do it consistently. We should also see to it that when something bad happens, no body can point a finger to you to blame you for it. If we are in the center of God's will, then, we are at peace with him. This is the kind of peace we should long for even though it will make you an enemy of this sinful world. The idea of being spotless and blameless can be more understood as we read 1 Tim. 6:11-16. And since the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, we should always be on guard. Always ask yourself: Will what am I doing now displease the Lord and make me ashamed if he comes at this very moment?


  1. The Day of the Lord is the fulfillment of Gods promise for believers (v. 13; see Rev 21:1-5)

Although the Day of the Lord is the day of God's wrath poured to this sinful world, we who trusted Christ as our Savior are waiting for the new heaven and the new earth. While the unbelievers seek their heaven here on earth, we are looking forward for the coming of this far superior heaven and earth. This hope is a factor why Christians overcome worldliness and greed. This new heaven, according to verse 13, is the home of righteousness. A place where no body will hurt, and do injustices to you anymore. You could live there without fear. Joy will fill your heart and tears of sorrow will be wiped away by God (Rev 21: 1-5).


When you hear the Day of the Lord, are you afraid or are you joyful. The kind of relationship you have with God today will determine the answer to this question.