Saturday
2 Peter 3:8-13

What was the first question the disciples asked when Jesus started talking to them about the end times (See Matthew 24)? By the time Peter wrote the words of this epistle, he had a great deal of time to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the masterful explanation of exactly why the question “When will this happen?” is sooooo not the point of any of the eschatological discourses and writings in both the Old and New Testaments.

As evidenced in 3:8, Peter knew from personal experience the preoccupation with “the when” of Christ’s second coming tended to originate from a place of self-concern instead of a selfless concern for others. Other than to create a sense of urgency, we must abandon our need to constrain God to the confines of earthly time because to do so humanizes him.

The reason why God wanted us to know about Christ’s return is grounded in his infinite compassion for mankind, which Peter states in 3:9: “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”