The Judgment Day
In 2 Peter 3:12, the Apostle Peter said, “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God…” This refers to the idea of “expecting”, “look eagerly for”, “waiting for”, “live expecting”. This great Greek verb describes one who is waiting for something with a sense of expectancy.
Hudson Taylor once said: “Since he (referring to Christ) may come any day, it is well to be ready every day.” Indeed, those who keep watch for the Bridegroom’s arrival (Christ’s second coming) will proclaim His coming when He is very near.
May we be like the Psalmist who cried, “My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning,” (Ps 130:6).
Fanny Crosby (who was physically blind but had spiritual eyes of faith) caught the the idea of expectant living in this line from the famous hymn she wrote – Blessed Assurance:
Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
May God open the eyes of our heart to see the hope of our calling as did Miss Fanny Crosby.
“Looking forward with great expectation to the Day of the Lord” means to look forward to the coming Judgment Day.
J. C. Ryle correctly concludes that “Uncertainty about the date of the Lord’s return is calculated to keep believers in an attitude of constant expectation and to preserve them from despondency.”
John Blanchard commented on the Second Coming of Christ:
“It is a bad sign when people start discussing eschatology instead of preparing for the coming of Christ… When Christ returns, the second advent will no longer be a subject for for discussion…. The certainty of the Second Coming of Christ should touch and tincture every part of our daily behavior . . . Many people will be surprised when Jesus comes again – but nobody will be mistaken. (Quoted from The Complete Gathered Gold A Treasury of Quotations for Christians by John Blanchard).
The Judgment Day is a very special day when God will call all men to stand before Him for judgment of what they have done while they were alive on earth. There is no other day that is called by the term.
“The Day of Judgment is both comforting and discomforting. It comforts those who know that God will make all wrongs right. On the other hand, the Day of Judgment should be terribly discomforting to those who engage in wanton sins and surely they must know that one day they will pay for their evil deeds,” (described in Preceptaustin notes).
Peter in his second epistle tells of the truth about the coming of the judgment day. He solemnly urges all saints to discipline themselves to live godly and holy lives until the Lord shall come again.
How Do We Prepare for the Judgment Day?
First, there is a need to know of the Judgment Day, and then act on what we know.
1. ACKNOWLEDGE
a) We need to acknowledge that there is no escape from God’s judgment. God knows all that is in man : “for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts.” (1 Chron 28:9b).
b) We need to acknowledge who God has appointed as judge at the end of the world. The judge is Jesus Christ: “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead,” (Acts 17:31).
c) We need to acknowledge the standard against which our every thought, word, and deed will be measured. The standard is God’s Word. He will judge as to how man and woman respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. ACT
a) We need to examine ourselves, and to judge the state of our relationship to God. We must understand that we are condemned due to the sinful nature in us. Unless we have received God’s forgiveness for our sins through Jesus Christ and have consequently been born again into a new and righteous relationship to God, we are destined to have our separation from God made permanent. But His love has drawn us to Himself and saved us from condemnation and Hell.
A deeper self examination is needed. How are we serving the Lord who has saved us from the future judgment with the gifts, time and substance that He has bestowed on us?
b) We need to repent of each and all of our sins. To repent of something is not to merely cease from doing it (or not doing it), but to embrace God’s view of it. That is to live a renewed life in Christ and never to return to the old ways again.
Prayer to God is a constant reminder that we have a relationship with Him. Reading His wonderful word opens the mind and heart to know what He has to say to us daily. That is important for a refreshed relationship with Him who has forgiven us of all our sins.
c) We need to continually turn to the Bible in order to better learn and follow God’s will for the rest of our lives. God’s will for us includes a lifestyle of confessing of our sins and applying His forgiveness for them as they occur every day, turning away from those sins, forgiving others for their sins against us, worshipping God, serving one another, and maturing in His Word. We need to ask God to reveal to us exactly how we are to “apply His principles and directions within our own unique circumstances and personal desires.” (ibid. Prove the Bible)
The only thing that will count is how successfully each of us has accomplished God’s will for his or her own life.
May the Lord, who has redeemed us in Christ’s work in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, enable us to be faithful to Him in all things as He has forgiven us of our sins.
Pastor Bob Phee