I've said before there are more opinions regarding the end times than I can keep up with. And there is plenty in this chapter that could support many of those opinions. But I think it's most helpful to focus on what we do know, and what we're told to do about it.
Peter says in verses 10 that "the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed." Well it's easy to get caught up in all those statements, and miss the very first one: the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. We can debate about all the other stuff, but we know two things for sure: (1) the day of the Lord is coming, and (2) we don't know when it will come.
So in light of those two things, what sort of people ought we to be? Peter says to lead lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God (vs 11). God is going to return one day, and we don't know when. This might make you feel a little like the kids did after the cat in the hat had just trashed their house, and their parents are on the way home. But that's not the picture Peter is giving. He says we are to wait for and hasten God's return. That means we're not scared of his coming back, we're thrilled at his coming back! And we're so excited he's coming, we want to be ready.
If you've got the kids-in-the-messy-house-and-parents-coming-back-are-gonna-be-angry mentality, it's time to adjust your thinking. Some children may be terrified of their parents coming home, but God's children look forward to nothing more. It will be out of your love and desire for him that your life will be holy as you wait for God's return.
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