"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." II Peter 3:9 (kjv)
"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." II Peter 3:9 (nkjv)
"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." II Peter 3:9 (esv)
If you've ever wondered why the Lord hasn't returned yet, this verse answers that. As much as I would love for the Lord to come right now, if it doesn't happen, it's because the Lord is waiting on more people to come to Him before it's too late. How does this characterize the nature of God? Why before it's too late? What happens if you fall under the "too late" category?
The world we live in, has always been influenced by the evil one. From the first recorded murder (Cain and Abel) to ISIS raping and slaughtering children, the world we live in will continue to be in chaos. In my feeble mind and non-prophetic mind, I yearn for the Lord to return now. If I continue to think like that, I wouldn't be taking into consideration that if the Lord came when I wanted Him to, there'd be a whole lot of people who would have to endure their eternity in Hell.
What does this verse reveal to us about God's nature? Easy. He is longsuffering and extremely kind. He loves us so much, that He will allow evil things to happen in order to give others an opportunity to come to Him before it's too late. As cringe-worthy as it is to watch the news and to see what happens to children in this world, I personally have to remind myself that God knows best. God knows exactly how painful and tumultuous Hell is. He also knows that there are no second chances or turning back once there. Remember the story of Lazarus?
“There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried,
and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house for I have five brothers so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’” Luke 16:19-31
The rich man begged Lazarus to bring just an ounce of physical comfort to him because the flames were too much to bare but Lazarus couldn't pass and it just wasn't allowed. Abraham explained to him that there was a "great chasm" that had been fixed to where it was impossible for parties to go back and forth. A chasm is defined as a "cleft in the earth's surface" or "gap or gulf between" something. Once on one side, that's it. You can't go to other side and the other side cannot pass over.
God, knowing that there are no second chances, gives us the opportunity to choose what eternity we would like to experience. He wants us to choose Him. He wants us to follow Him. Because of free will, He had no other option but to create Hell because of Lucifer's fall from Heaven. Lucifer had to have an eternal place to go and so did his followers.
The Lord tarrying is a sign of great grace and patience, but with that being said we have to remember that only God Himself knows when the Lord will return for His true followers. I Thessalonians 5:2 says, "For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." Do you know for sure you will be one of the ones who will go Home with the Lord? What if you passed on tonight? The only one who knows when our time is up, is God alone. What if you thought you were okay but once facing the Lord, He says: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23). If you have any doubts, it's better to call upon the Lord and seek Him. The Bible says that if you call upon Him, He will answer. You too can experience life with the Almighty and wait for the glorious day when He will return to take His children home.
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." Titus 2:11-14
No comments:
Post a Comment