Day 2454 – Anticipation of Christ’s Return – The Day of the Lord – 2 Peter 3:8-13

Welcome to Day 2454 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me. This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom Day 2454 – The Day of the Lord – Daily Wisdom Putnam Church Message – 09/01/2024 Anticipation of Christ’s Return – The Day of the Lord 2 Peter 3:8-13 Last message: we learned we should be about building God’s kingdom on earth and preparing it as much as humanly possible for Christ’s return when He finalizes God’s kingdom, and that in the end, God Wins! Today’s passage is 2 Peter 3:8-13, on page 1896 of your Pew Bibles. Because of the complexities of the subject matter, I will read it from the NLT for clarity of flow.  8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.[a] 11 Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, 12 looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. When I was a younger believer, Bible prophecy was the hottest of all topics. If you wanted to increase attendance at the local church, you just scheduled a prophecy conference or announced your plan to start a sermon series on the book of Revelation. And it seemed like dozens of books on prophecy were coming out every year! It was sometimes hard to keep up. And, yes, I read the entire ‘Left Behind’ series. They were interesting, but as I studied Scripture in more context, I changed how I look at particular ‘end times’ scenarios. Interest in general has cooled over the decades, but you’ll still find fervent fans of end-times teachers. In light of this curiosity about prophecy and the tendency for some to go overboard on the issue, let me interject a few general facts about the future. I want to share a few essential points of counsel briefly. First, while some things are revealed about the future, much still remains a mystery. One of the marks of immaturity in the Christian life is to read more into the biblical text than is actually there. We can be sure of the big picture regarding Bible prophecy, but many details remain shrouded in obscurity. Second, when searching for answers, continue to leave room for questions. Try not to make the agreement on the particulars of future events| a basis for fellowship with other believers. If you agree on the fundamental saving truths of the faith related to the triune God and the person and work of Christ in His incarnation, death,...