Patience
When is this day of judgment coming, they ask?
This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you; in them I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles. First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!” They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless. But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. - Second Letter of Peter 3:1-10
The best answer is that we don't know.
Some may become impatient, saying this should have come long ago if it is coming at all, and so they will scoff and turn away, thinking it all a lie or fantasy.
Patience is the key to understanding and wisdom.
God's time is different from ours, and maybe that is a good thing, for us. We are not in a hurry, are we?
We have grown so accustomed to this life, we fight tooth and nail to hold onto it. And we have also grown accustomed to schedules, calendars, planning and time itself.
Everything we do in life is planned or tracked by some device that can show us where we are and what comes next in our day.
The end-time judgment is not on my calendar, nor is it on yours. We have no concept of it, though we do get hints each day that the time could be getting close.
Still, we plan our day, our week, our vacations and our special events.
And why wouldn't we?
If we were to stop living and wait, what good would it do? If it doesn't bring us closer to God, it is probably going to have little or no value in our lives.
So, while we are waiting, let us be fruitful and useful.
It makes sense. And it keeps us from going crazy.
More to come...