I do not believe the Christian’s greatest emphasis while “watching and waiting” for the return of King Jesus ought to be on figuring out dates and events that will take place in the end times.
When Peter tells us to “wait earnestly for the coming of the day of God” (2Pet. 3:12), he is not telling us to sit around trying to accurately predict that day. Rather, he is reminding us of the work God has been doing throughout creation and will complete on the day of the Lord.[1]
He’s exhorting us to keep hoping, keep pressing on, keep living holy lives because there are people who will try to lead us astray by saying the Messiah will never come back.
Don’t be fooled, Peter essentially says. The day of the Lord will come. And on that day, the heavens will be peeled back and Yahweh will come forth and expose the earth and all its works. He will remove evil and injustice so a new kind of heaven and earth can emerge; one that is permeated with righteousness, full of God’s love, and people who know and love God and love their neighbors as themselves.[2]
So, what should the greatest emphasis of Christian’s be while we “watch and wait”?
Here are three themes we see not only in 2 Peter, but repeatedly throughout the calling of the prophets and the apostles as they encourage disciples of Jesus to be ready for the day of the Lord.
Remember the Story
Often times, we think we are looking for something in the future when we hear the concept of “watching and waiting.”
And while it’s true that there are future things prophesied about that are yet to happen and that there are a few chapters in books such as Revelation or Daniel dedicated to revealing the mystery and glory of those future events, most biblical authors are calling us to remember the story when they suggest that we “watch and wait.”
As Craig G. Bartholomew and Michael W. Goheen put it in The Drama of Scripture,
The goal of biblical history is a renewed creation: healed, redeemed, and restored. . .Though this vision of the new creation is the climactic conclusion of the last book of the Bible, most of Revelation is not concerned with the future. What it does give us is a glimpse into God’s purposes throughout history, purposes leading to this conclusion.
When we spend our time trying to figure out how those last days events take place, we usually inaccurately predict how it will all go down. One thing I’ve noticed in my generation is that people who hear all these wild speculations about the date Jesus will return and then watch that day come and go eventually begin to mock the concept of Jesus coming again.
Peter tell us, before going into his discourse about the last days,
Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to develop a genuine understanding with a reminder, so that you can remember the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. First, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, living according to their own desires, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” They willfully ignore this: Long ago the heavens and the earth were brought about from water and through water by the word of God. Through these waters the world of that time perished when it was flooded. But by the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:1)
He goes on to emphasize that, “With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance” (2Pet 3:8).
Peter’s emphasis is on remembering the story; not figuring out when the day of the Lord will come.
He’s assuming the reader remembers Yahweh’s promises to Israel and how he was faithful to them even through the exile. Peter points out Yahweh’s patience and heart for all peoples to know him.
Then Peter goes into explaining what the day of the Lord will be like when it happens:
But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for and earnestly desire the coming of the day of God. The heavens will be on fire and be dissolved because of it, and the elements will melt with the heat. (2 Peter 3:10-12)
There are thirteen verses is in this passage, but only three of them speak specifically of end times events. Why? Because the specific events are not the point. Remembering the story and trusting that God is going to keep his promises is the point.
“But based on His promise, we wait for the new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell” (2Pet. 3:13).
What is the story?
I hope by now you’ve gotten to know the gist of it fairly well. We see it all throughout scripture.
Creation began from the overflow of God’s goodness in a space of shalom peace. God made humanity in his image and blessed them with everything they needed for life—even warning them of the things that lead to death (Gen. 1-2).
But then humanity rebelled, severing their relationship with Yahweh God and entering into a trusting relationship with the gods of this world (Gen. 3).
They began filling and multiplying the earth with things reflecting their own images (brokenness, heartache, sorrow) instead of things reflecting God’s (Gen. 4-11).
This rebellion unleashed sin throughout creation, and it has corrupted all of the goodness and beauty originally created. Yes, we can still catch glimpses of God’s goodness and his beauty in this world, but all of creation has been forever tarnished with the ugly stain of sin because of mankind’s rebellion against God (Ro. 8:20-23).
But God, in his goodness, his love, and his great mercy did not let humanity destroy itself and all he had made. Instead, he has been working throughout history to bring about a full restoration of all things. He initiated this work of redemption when called Abraham (Gen. 12), and accomplished the work of redemption through the life, death, and resurrection of his son Jesus (Jer. 31:31-34, Col. 1:11-13, Eph. 2:1-10).
Look for the Full Restoration of Creation
To again quote Bartholomew and Goheen,
When God set out to redeem his creation from sin and sin’s effects on it, his ultimate purpose was that what he had once created good should be utterly restored, that the whole cosmos should once again live and thrive under his beneficent rule.
God’s plan all along has been to walk in relationship with humanity, the crown of his creation. In the Garden of Eden, he enjoyed uninhibited relationship with Adam and Eve—both being naked with him (Gen. 2:25).
But when they rebelled and sin entered the world, God could no longer dwell with them. He is holy and cannot dwell where sin reigns.
The rest of cosmic history from Genesis 3 until today has been about God working to cleanse humanity and his creation from sin so that he can again dwell with his people.
This is what we see taking place in Revelation 21:3-4:
Look! God’s dwelling is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things have passed away.
This will be the culminated fulfillment of Jeremiah 31:33, Ezekiel 14:11, Zechariah 8:8 (which are each referenced in 2 Corinthians 6:16 and Hebrews 8:10). “Heaven, the dwelling place of God will come ‘down’ to the earth in a dramatic image of restored unity and harmony between the Creator and what he has created.”[3]
Participate in the Birthing of the New Creation by Living Holy and Godly Lives
It’s important that we understand the Biblical story paints a picture of creation completely restored to its original goodness and not a picture of everything getting destroyed and being completely remade.
Colossians 1:19-20 tells us,
For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross — whether things on earth or things in heaven.
This concept implies major connection between the world we know and live in today and the world yet to come. “Human beings were created to enjoy fellowship with God in the full context of creational life.”[4]
What does that look like?
What would the story of have looked like if Adam and Eve would have resisted the temptation to decide good and evil for themselves and trusted God, faithfully carrying out their responsibilities accordingly?
In other words, they would have been gardening. They would have been filling the earth not only with more humans (who make up societies and cultures), but with “cultural artifacts” that reflect the goodness and beauty of God as well.
Participating in God’s work of reconciliation is not just preaching the Gospel to people and converting souls. It’s also living within society, having careers and doing work that reflect God’s standard of goodness and beauty.
Your everyday choices present you with the decision of whether you are going to participate in God’s work of reconciliation or not.
I think it’s also important for us to remember that the biblical narrative warns us that the work of redemption is excruciating. If we’re not careful, we can think this is some kind of magical process that happens almost automatically.
But it’s not.
Paul says even those of us filled with God’s Holy Spirit feel the “birth pangs” of creation being restored (Ro. 8:18-25). We’ll be confronted on a daily basis with the same choice Adam and Eve faced: trust what God says is good to actually be good and what he says is evil to actually be evil or decide what is good and evil for ourselves.
And the biblical narrative tells us that it will be easier to go the way of our flesh—deciding good and evil for ourselves. Living holy and godly lives which will bring about the restoration of creation is going to feel like “suffering” (Ro. 8:18).
But we can endure this suffering and stay faithful through it because we know God uses it to work all things for good—restore creation (Ro. 8:28).
Yes, we eagerly wait for the coming of Jesus Messiah. But our waiting looks like remembering the redemption story, watching for the full restoration of creation, and participating in the work of restoration by living holy and godly lives.
Come, King Jesus. Come!
How does this impact the way you view your life today? You can share about it in the comments below.
[1] Throughout the biblical narrative, “the day of the Lord” is the day of salvation. We see it in the OT and we see it in the NT. Sometimes, we skew a biblical understanding of “the day of the Lord” by calling it “judgment day.” Yes, there is judgement on “the day of the Lord.” But “the day of the Lord” is ultimately a day of salvation. It’s the day believers in the coming Messiah eagerly wait for. Check out this video for more understanding of the theme “the day of the Lord” in scripture.
[2] See The Bible Project video for 2 Peter, here.
[3] Bartholomew, Craig G. & Goheen, Michael W. The Drama of Scripture (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), p. 208.
[4] Ibid., p. 211-212.
