By Brandon Smith
In the past few decades, there has been no shortage of speculation about Christ’s return in popular culture. From novels and movies that present elaborate scenarios to Y2K scares and sincere (but misguided) predictions about specific dates, it’s been difficult to escape teaching about the end of the world and Jesus’s second coming. Believers can read the same Scriptures but come to different conclusions about the specifics. That’s okay. Our understanding of the end of days is not a salvation issue. But here in 2 Peter, we find an interesting spin on the end-times debate.
While prediction books and code-cracking movies abound in our day, Peter says that we shouldn’t be in the prediction business. Why? Because Jesus will come “like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:2), in a time or manner we won’t expect. So until then, he says, we should be patient, knowing that God is delaying the end so that more will be saved.
But Jesus didn’t come live a perfect life and conquer the grave so we could sit on our hands. He made us new creations here and now, to be ministers of reconciliation here and now, and to be His mouthpiece here and now (2 Corinthians 5:17–21). He sends us out to mirror what the end of Revelation promises—that God is making all things new. Our lives should shout eternity to the world around us.
The disciples in Acts 2 weren’t merely preaching and living out good morals; rather, they were painting a picture with their lives of the new world God is creating. They were pointing to something bigger. The disciples shared all their belongings because, in eternity, everything broken will become unbroken. There will be no more evil or selfishness or famine. People will live together in one accord under the reign of a perfect King. And so now, “we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).
This is still our call today. We are still ministers of reconciliation. God still uses His people to show the world what redemption looks like. We give because, one day, no one will be in need. We tell the truth because, one day, there will be no more lies. We gather together to worship God and to press one another toward Him because, one day, worship will be the air we breathe. We share the good news because, one day, there will be no more bad news.
Written by Brandon Smith
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