But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

2 Peter 3:10-13

I listen and read a lot of sermons, but I can’t remember the last time I heard anyone speak on the verses above, at least not with the descriptive terms Peter uses to describe the Day of the Lord. We used to call it a fire and brimstone sermon and while it is not comfortable to hear, judgment is coming and everything will be exposed by the Good and Righteous Judge.

And if the Lord will come like a thief, then we should always be prepared and looking for His return, right? After Jesus spoke of His return in Matthew 24, He related the parable of the five wise and the five foolish virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom to appear. Five prepared by gathering extra oil for their lamps. The others did not, so when the bridegroom made his appearance, the foolish virgins who failed to be diligent in their preparations were left on the outside looking in.

These are sobering words. While God is good and patient and longing for mankind to repent, judgment is coming. So the passage above is intended to remind each of us as to how we should live our lives as we look for Christ to return and while we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth. Peter speaks of holiness and godliness as we walk the in the light of day. Could we honestly say that we are growing in holiness and godliness or could it be that our lamps are a bit low on oil? (That’s a question for me).