2 Peter 3:3-13
A Matter of Time

First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!" They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless.

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

New Revised Standard Version

We may want to read this passage as a discussion of the End Time. As such, this passage gives us a dramatic contrast: God destroyed the earth in the time of Noah with water, but next time it will be with fire. However, Peter's point was not so much about what happens at the end of time, as about what we do in our time.

But so much of the Jewish faith had been about waiting for what was to come. The Old Testament is full of cries of "how long, O Lord?" as the people waited for rescue, for redemption, and for the promised Messiah. By this time, early Christians were starting to ask the same question. Many had expected that the second coming of Christ would be while some of the Apostles were still living, but by the time of this letter, years had passed and their hope was fading. For others in the early Church, the delays in the return of Christ led to laziness, lack of discipline, and even blatant immorality, as if they were no longer afraid of "being caught" by Christ the King. After all, if Jesus was taking so long to fulfill his promise, why should they work all that hard at living up to their promises?

To Peter, this kind of attitude was inconceivable! Who are we to set the schedule for God's actions? Who are we to attempt thought in God's timeframes? Even more to the point, who are we to limit the grace, patience, and generosity of God by urging a quick end to creation? After all, God desires and seeks to have a deep personal relationship with every person, and the same Jesus who taught about leaving the 99 sheep to go after the one lost sheep is still searching for those wandering from his flock.

Instead, Peter tells us we should live our lives now as a reflection of the Kingdom of God to come. Yes, we wait for the new heaven and new earth, and Peter urges us never to doubt that Christ will come again someday, when God determines it is time. Until that time, Peter instructs us to live for and in today. We should strive to be holy and God-like, craving the fulfillment of God's will and working to bring others into relationships with God, "not wanting that any would perish." We need to live supported by the patience that God shows to us, and celebrate that the God of Truth and Justice is also the God of Mercy and Love.