The Return of the King – Part 2
The Return of Christ: What Every Believer Should Know
Have you ever watched those videos of military fathers surprising their children after deployment? There’s something deeply moving about seeing someone who’s been gone for so long finally return home. This powerful image gives us just a glimpse of what awaits believers when Jesus Christ returns.
In 2 Peter 3:3-13, the apostle Peter addresses this important topic – the return of Christ. He reminds us that Jesus, who ascended to heaven, will one day descend again. This passage connects Christ’s return with the Old Testament concept known as “the Day of the Lord,” when Jesus will bring our salvation to completion, usher in His kingdom, and seal His final victory.
Every believer should know and contemplate these truths about Christ’s return. Let’s explore what Peter teaches us about this momentous future event.
Why Is Christ’s Return Unspecified in Timing?
Peter begins in verse 10 by saying, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.” This comparison isn’t unique to Peter. Paul makes a similar statement in 1 Thessalonians 5:2, and Jesus Himself used this illustration when teaching His disciples about His return in Matthew 24:42-44.
Think about what happens when a thief breaks into a home. It’s sudden and unexpected. No one knows when it will happen. That’s precisely the picture Peter is painting about Christ’s return. Jesus will return suddenly and unexpectedly, at a time when no one anticipates it.
Jesus clarified this in Matthew 24: “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. For this reason you also must be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”
The New Testament never gives us the exact year, month, week, day, or hour when Jesus will return. No one knows when that day will be, and no one can predict it. It’s certain that it will happen, but it will happen unexpectedly and suddenly.
This is why we should be wary of those who claim to have received special revelation about the timing of Christ’s return. The Bible clearly states that no one knows the exact timing. Instead of focusing on predicting when it will happen, we should focus on being ready for whenever it does.
How Will Christ’s Return Bring Everything to Completion?
Peter continues in verses 10-13 to explain that Christ’s return will mark the consummation of God’s redemptive plan. It will bring to completion God’s plan of salvation history in two significant ways:
Judgment Will Be Consummated
When Christ returns, it will set in motion God’s judgment upon this physical world. Peter describes it vividly: “the heavens will pass away with a roar, the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”
Just as God destroyed the world once through water in the flood of Noah’s time, He has reserved this world for destruction by fire. This will be both a physical judgment upon the world and a spiritual judgment upon “ungodly men” – those who have rejected Christ’s offer of salvation.
According to Revelation 20, this final day of judgment will mean eternal separation from God in a literal place of punishment called the lake of fire for those who have rejected Christ.
Salvation Will Be Consummated
While Christ’s return will be a day of judgment for the wicked, it will be a day of reward and salvation for believers. Peter says in verse 13, “But according to His promise, we are looking for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
God has promised that this world, currently under the curse of sin, will be replaced by a new heaven and a new earth. In this new creation, righteousness will dwell. There will be no more sin, suffering, death, or Satan. Only God’s will and ways will be accomplished.
When we see Christ, we will be changed to become like Him. In the new heaven and new earth, we will dwell in perfect righteousness. This is the hope that will one day be reality for believers.
How Should We Live Knowing Christ Will Return?
Peter asks a profound question in verse 11: “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?”
Knowing that Christ will return and bring judgment to this world while ushering in a new creation should transform how we live now. It should motivate us to:
- Prioritize the spiritual over the material
- Take obedience seriously and avoid sin
- Choose the eternal over the temporal
For those who don’t know Christ, this is a sobering wake-up call. Judgment is coming upon this world, and the only escape is through Jesus Christ and faith in Him. God sent His Son to suffer in our place on the cross, to take the judgment we deserved, and to offer us forgiveness and escape through His resurrection.
The Bible calls us not to live for the things of this world, which are passing away, but to run after Jesus. We must admit our sin, trust in Christ, and commit our lives to Him. This is the only way to escape the coming judgment.
How Do Believers Anticipate Christ’s Return?
In verse 12, Peter says believers are “looking for and hastening the coming day of God.” These two verbs describe Christians as those who anticipate what God will do when Christ returns.
We Anticipate by Desiring His Return
The verb “looking for” describes someone who is expecting, waiting for, or thinking about something in the future. Christians who love Jesus don’t dread His return – we welcome it! We say with the early church, “Even so, Lord Jesus, come!”
Our hearts cry out with Paul that “it is far better to be with Him than to be apart from Him.” Christians who are in love with Jesus passionately and earnestly desire His appearing.
If you find yourself not desiring Christ’s return, it may be because you’re too full of the things of this world and not full enough of the things of Jesus. Paul tells us in Colossians 3:2 to “set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” As we intentionally think about the things of God, He will renew our minds and transform our desires.
We Anticipate by Hastening His Return
The word “hastening” means to cause something to happen or to strive for it. Peter suggests that somehow, in God’s sovereignty, our actions can speed up the day of Christ’s return.
How can we hasten Christ’s return? In at least two ways:
- By witnessing: Jesus said in Matthew 24:14, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” As we faithfully share the gospel with others, we are speeding up the day of Christ’s return.
- By praying: In Matthew 9:37-38, Jesus tells us to “beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” As we pray for God to raise up workers to share the gospel, we are helping to hasten the day of His return.
God works through the faithfulness of His church to accomplish His purposes. As we take the Great Commission seriously and share the gospel with others, we are bringing closer the day when Christ will return.
Life Application
The late Adrian Rogers once compared our wait for Jesus’ return to taking a walk along the edge of the ocean. The ocean’s edge symbolizes the return of Christ, and our feet are in the sand, just about to touch the water. That’s how close we are to the edge of eternity. Jesus is not far away; He’s very close.
In Revelation 22:12, Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming quickly.” The question is not whether Jesus is coming back, but whether you are ready for His return.
Ask yourself these questions:
- Am I living each day as if Jesus could return at any moment?
- Does my life reflect holy conduct and godliness, knowing that this world is temporary?
- Am I actively sharing the gospel with others to hasten Christ’s return?
- Do I genuinely desire Christ’s return, or am I too attached to this world?
This week, commit to living with an eternal perspective. Make choices that reflect your belief in Christ’s imminent return. Share the gospel with someone who needs to hear it. And pray daily, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!”