Morning Manna | 2 Peter 3:9 | Not willing that any should perish

"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."—2 Peter 3:9

What promise is yet to be fulfilled? There are two in particular that we will focus on: the promise of judgment and the promise of reconciliation.

It is God’s longsuffering that delays His coming because, when He comes, the world will be called into judgment. Every knee will bow, every tongue will confess, and those who have rejected Him will have no choice but to face judgment alongside the devil and his angels. The lake of fire will be a place of eternal torment. Anyone who takes Christ’s words seriously must accept this fact: there are only two destinations—heaven and hell. Jesus Himself warned that it would be better to pluck out an eye or cut off a limb than to be cast into that place (Mark 9:43-48).

Yet the worst torment of hell will not merely be the fire—it will be the eternal hopelessness of being separated from the Giver and Sustainer of life. I remember the hopelessness of being estranged from God and the unspeakable joy of being reconciled to Him. I cannot imagine the horror of enduring that separation for eternity. Death itself would be preferable a million times over to such despair.

Not only will the lost be judged, but even the earth itself will be purified by fire. Just as the world was once destroyed by water in Noah’s day, it will one day be consumed by a fire so intense that even the elements will melt (2 Peter 3:10). Tungsten has the highest boiling point of any element—5,555°C (10,031°F)—a heat beyond comprehension, yet the fire of that day will surpass even this. The heavens will pass away with a great noise. Will the atmosphere that shields us from cosmic forces be stripped away? In Noah’s time, the firmament above was broken, exposing the world to things it had never encountered. It seems that once again, the final layer of protection will be removed, leaving the earth expose to the forces of the solar world.

But do not mistake God’s delay for carelessness. His patience is not slackness—it is mercy. He is not willing that any should perish. This verse alone refutes the idea that everything that happens is God’s will. Clearly, it is not. His desire is not judgment but reconciliation. He longs to extend mercy, to pay for your sins so that you might be forgiven. His patience endures our rejection and mockery. If you doubt it, look at Christ—the express image of the Father—who endured slaps, ridicule, beatings, and crucifixion while praying for His tormentors to be forgiven. This was not a separate will of Jesus apart from the Father, but rather the perfect demonstration of God’s longsuffering. His judgments always follow long periods of patience and repeated calls to repentance. The vessels of wrath are endured with much longsuffering (Romans 9:22).

Then we see the second promise—the one that belongs to the saved. We are told to be "looking for and hasting unto" the day of God. Why? Because beyond the promise of judgment lies the promise of renewal. We look forward to new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). Yes, there is a judgment coming unlike anything this world has ever seen, but there is also a renewal coming beyond anything we can imagine.

Every beautiful thing we know in this life will pass away, just as a forest fire leaves behind only blackened earth. But from those ashes, the forest blooms again, renewed. So it will be with the judgment of this world—everything we know will fall, but from the ruins will rise the new heavens and the new earth. Speculation is unnecessary, for He has already told us that what He has prepared is beyond our comprehension (1 Corinthians 2:9). The greatest glory of the new creation is not in its splendor, but in the One who dwells there—Jesus Christ—and in the fact that we, made righteous by Him, will dwell with Him forever. No sin to tarnish our fellowship, no death to separate us, no Satan to tempt us. All things reconciled—things in heaven, things in earth, and us.

So the Christian lives in eager expectation of two things:

1. Knowing the terror of the Lord, we long to see souls saved before that "great and dreadful day of the Lord" (Malachi 4:5).

2. We groan within ourselves, waiting for the fulfillment of our adoption as children of God (Romans 8:23).

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Let me ask you: What is your honest response to the return of Christ?

• Does it stir in you a desire to preach the gospel and see men repent?

• Does it fill you with longing for the day when all things are made new?

• Or does it fill you with dread?

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If His return terrifies you, perhaps it is for your sake that He delays. Today, you can repent and believe in Christ. Your entire outlook on His coming can change—from dread to delight, from fear to hope.

He tarries for you.