Many Christians in the first decades of the early church believed in an imminent return of Jesus. They were longing for Jesus to come and usher in the new heavens and the new earth predicted by Isaiah (Isaiah 65) and they hoped that this would take place in their lifetime. Jesus, however, told his disciples not to expect his return until the Gospel had been preached to the whole earth (Matthew 24:14). As time went on, this expectation made people vulnerable to sceptics who mocked their hope. Peter affirms what the Christians were expecting but reminds them that God is patiently working to save as many as will be saved. He also reminds them that God’s timing is different to theirs. For God, a thousand years is but a day. For us who live two thousand years after Christ it is good to be reminded, both of the certainty of an end of this age, and of the coming of the new heavens and the new earth. The fact that thousands of years have gone by should not cause our hope to wane. Rather, it should fire our urgency to see the Gospel proclaimed throughout the earth, for only when this has been accomplished will Jesus return. In one sense then, it is not so much we who are waiting for God but God who is waiting for us, that is, for us to do our job. As Christians we should think globally and do whatever we can to support God’s work all around the world. But let each of us begin mission where we are. The sum of small efforts makes a great movement.
Reflect on how you are contributing to the task of world mission.
Read 2 Peter 3:1-9
