Not a popular message, continued

We're talking about II Peter 3:10 this week...... not a popular message in today's world, but a necessary one!

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. (II Peter 3:10)

There are no "ifs, ands, or buts" here, are there?
Peter is telling us today the same message he told his readers centuries ago -- the return of Christ is absolutely certain.
There are two prongs to this, just as if we were holding a branch with a fork in it, and two smaller branches leading away from that fork. The first is that when we say "the day of the Lord will come" we are talking about the day that we die. There isn't any doubt about it; it will be up close and personal.

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,  (Hebrews 9:27)

It's for certain. We have an appointment.
Are you like me? Are you finding it more necessary as the years go by to keep an appointment book? (Grin) Of course, I console myself by telling myself that it's a long-time habit of mine, and was oh, so necessary when we had three kiddos attending homeschool activities and church meetings, too. But yes, we have appointments with doctors, and we have appointments with accountants. We make sure we are on time to church, and to meet friends for a cup of tea.
We don't like to talk about it, but we also have an appointment with death. We don't have it noted in our book, because we don't know that date and time. But it's there. Nobody except for Enoch and Elijah has been able to dodge that appointment! Reincarnation? No, we don't get another chance to improve ourselves. Purgatory? No, there's no need for our relatives to pray, light candles, and give money to a church to get us into heaven. Instead, we have an appointment to die and face God in judgment. Praise God, when we go, those of us who are Christians will be covered by the blood of Christ! But is everyone we know ready for that appointment?
That was the first branch of the "day of the Lord."
The second one is this: there is also the coming day of the Lord when Christ Jesus returns. At that point, there will not be a second chance. Oh, you say, that sounds so harsh!! It comes into perspective when we read the words of Paul. He was proclaiming the gospel to all of the gathered philosophers on Mars Hill:

 ...God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:27-31)

Did you notice verse 28? Paul was quoting from a philosopher that his audience would recognize, Epiminides. And in the second part of the verse, he quoted another ancient philosopher, Aratus. He was showing them that even their secular philosophers nodded to the fact that the knowledge of God was in every man. He later repeated this in his letter to the Romans:

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20)

Wow. The idea of "no excuse" doesn't appeal to people today. They want to make all kinds of excuses for people's sins, from poor family life to the evils of society. And yes, those things are hard to overcome, but as we studied when we looked at the lives of a couple of Jacob's sons, these things can be overcome!
God has "fixed" that day, and we need to be aware of the certainty that it will arrive.

Peter also said that this absolutely certain event will be sudden, unexpected -- and disastrous for those who have not repented of their sins. He quoted Jesus' words:

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:42-43)

Paul echoed this in his letter to the Thessalonians:

for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,”destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (I Thessalonians 5:1-2)

In the days and months leading up to the flood, the people around Noah were going about their lives with very little thought of impending judgement. Perhaps they asked him what he was doing, and why, but then they raised their eyebrows and scoffed at him, disbelieving.
"Hey, have you seen what ole Noah is up to?"
"Oh, sure, I stopped in to see him the other day. He's a strange and crazy bird. Never has fit in with the rest of us in the neighborhood."
"That's for sure. Now he says a great flood is coming to judge all of us. Can you believe it?"
"Oh, don't let him bother you. Like I said, he's just a crazy ole guy."
It will be the same way when Jesus returns. He told us:

 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:36-42)

People may have heard that Jesus will come again. Maybe they have seen a movie. Maybe they picked up one of the Left Behind books and skimmed through it. But human beings are creatures of procrastination! They push those thoughts aside, and don't do anything to get ready for Christ's return.

The Bible's message is certainly clear. Don't procrastinate about getting right with God. This is where we can temper that message that is unpopular! We have a gospel to proclaim to others. Because dying without Christ will be disastrous. We must do all we can to make sure we and others are prepared....
More tomorrow.