Sometimes after reading all four chapters for the day a theme pops out at me. Other times a passage speaks to me more than any other. And still
other times no thoughts come for quite a while.
Lately, there seem to be some stark coincidences between what is happening to me personally or in the world and the readings for the day. As I did the reading for the day and pondered them something did jump out at me. It had to do with the prediction of one group of Christians that Judgment Day will be today, May 21st, 2011. I found out about this when a friend told me about it last Sunday. Then my daughter mentioned it to me last night, and as we got closer my Facebook statuses were starting to be about it. It wasn’t until I read the last reading, 2 Peter 3, that this jumped out at me. I’m sorry to copy so much of it here but I couldn’t figure out how to pare it down. (And hey, a little extra reading of God’s Word never hurt anyone, I don’t think! If you did the reading you could always skim over…)
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. 6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. 7By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.[a]
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.[b] That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. 18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
I just couldn’t believe that that was my reading for this day!! So I broke down and did some research into this claim. Of course, this chapter in 2 Peter is a very key chapter to the theory.
I personally do not agree that today will be Judgment Day, primarily because Jesus told us that no one knows the day or the hour, not even Jesus himself! To me it is very prideful to claim to have figured out the day when Jesus himself said that we cannot know. It got me thinking about how pride is really at the root of all (or at least virtually all) sin.
Then I went back and re-read the other chapters for today. In Numbers we see how Moses’ pride kept him from leading the people into the Promised Land. He took the credit for bringing water out of the rock, and he struck the rock instead of just speaking the words as God had commanded and giving Him the glory. Isaiah speaks of a prophesy regarding a people who trusted in their own works without giving God the proper glory.
I have mixed feelings about this whole situation in the news today. I see this event driving some seekers away as they see yet another prediction from a Christian group fail. They will continue to be the scoffers Peter warns us about; those who say “Hey, everything has been going along the same for so long, why do you think there will be this apocalyptic event? You all are nuts – why should I ever listen to what you have to say?” But maybe others will stop and think for the first time in a long time and consider that there just may be a Judgment Day, if not today, at least some day. They may think that if there is such a thing that’s pretty huge and they should find out the truth about it! I admit that I don’t stop and think about Judgment Day nearly as often as I probably should. We are told in several places that we should be on guard and that we should live as if Judgment Day could come any moment. Peter tells us that our reaction should be to live holy and godly lives.
Then my thoughts turned to the folks that believe this man’s prophesy. For those that see the light of day on 22 May, how will their faith be affected? I don’t agree with them, but I still pray for them.
In the end I rest in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Some days it’s the only rest I get, and I am so thankful for it.
As one of our other contributors would say, He holds it all together. And that’s the Truth.
Sue
Sixty-six books in a year 