Jesus often spoke to the disciples about His second coming. Not only did He give them advance notice of His death, resurrection, and ascension, He also promised that He would return to the earth in great power and glory. It’s an exciting hope! But two thousand years later, we are still waiting. So how should we think about this unfulfilled promise of our Lord? In 2 Peter 3 we are foretold that “scoffers will come in the last days.” They will mock believers, saying, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again?” (NLT). The “last days” began with the first coming of Jesus, and the scoffing has only intensified from the first century until now. Often the objections are based on an anti-supernatural bias which assumes we live in a closed universe, with no possibility of intervention from an outside power. The world never changes, they figure, and never will. Unbelievers may advance their arguments with a smug sense of intellectual superiority, but Peter points out that there are always moral dimensions to their skepticism. The bottom line is, they would rather follow their own “sinful desires” than believe they will answer to God on a day of judgment (v 1-4). In response to the claim that the present will always be like the past, Peter points out two events which should not be overlooked: the creation itself, and the flood. By His word God brought order to the earth out of the primordial waters (Gen 1:1-2), then by that same word and water, He brought judgment upon the earth in the days of Noah (Gen 6-9). So why doubt His word when God says He will destroy the wicked in a future cataclysmic judgment? (v 5-7). Besides, the time separating Christ’s first and second comings may seem to us like a long delay, but God views it differently. From His eternal perspective, 21st century believers have only been waiting for a couple of days or so! And the longer we wait, the greater will be the display of God’s amazing patience, for He is giving everyone a chance to repent and be saved (v 8-9). The patience of God will not last forever, though. When Christ does return, His appearance will be sudden, unmistakable, and devastating for those not prepared. It will mark the end of the universe as we know it. As God’s people await the new creation, we are compelled to live holy and godly lives, pursuing His purposes and devoting ourselves to that which will last forever. Peter’s instruction is consistent with Paul’s (though even Peter thinks Paul can be hard to understand!). Anyway, his concluding exhortations are to stay grounded in the gospel and growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (v 10-18). For further meditation: