Calling all Preppers
2 Peter 3:3-18 The Passion Translation
3 Beloved friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you in which I’ve attempted to stir you up and awaken you to a proper mind-set. 2 So never forget both the prophecies spoken by the holy prophets of old and the teaching of our Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. 3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days mockers will multiply, chasing after their evil desires. 4 They will say, “So what about this promise of his coming? Our ancestors are dead and buried, yet everything is still the same as it was from the beginning of time until now.” 5 But they conveniently overlook that from the beginning, the heavens and earth were created by God’s word. He spoke and the dry ground separated from the waters. 6 Then long afterward he destroyed the world with a tremendous flood by those very waters. 7 And now, by the same powerful word, the heavens and the earth are reserved for fire, being kept for judgment day, when all the ungodly will perish.8 So, dear friends, don’t let this one thing escape your notice: a single day counts like a thousand years to the Lord Yahweh, and a thousand years counts as one day. 9 This means that, contrary to man’s perspective, the Lord is not late with his promise to return, as some measure lateness. But rather, his “delay” simply reveals his loving patience toward you, because he does not want any to perish but all to come to repentance.10 The day of the Lord will come and take everyone by surprise—as unexpected as a home invasion. The atmosphere will be set on fire and vanish with a horrific roar, and the heavenly bodies will melt away as in a tremendous blaze. The earth and every activity of man will be laid bare. 11 Since all these things are on the verge of being dismantled, don’t you see how vital it is to live a holy life? We must be consumed with godliness 12 while we anticipate and help to speed up the coming of the day of God, when the atmosphere will be set on fire and the heavenly bodies consumed in a blaze. 13 But as we wait, we trust in God’s royal proclamation to be fulfilled. There are coming heavens new in quality, and an earth new in quality, where righteousness will be fully at home.Preparation for the Coming of the Lord 14 So, my beloved friends, with all that you have to look forward to, may you be eager to be found living pure lives when you come into his presence, without blemish and filled with peace. 15 And keep in mind that our Lord’s extraordinary patience simply means more opportunity for salvation, just as our dear brother Paul wrote to you with the wisdom that God gave him. 16 He consistently speaks of these things in all of his letters, even though he writes some concepts that are overwhelming to our understanding, which the unlearned and unstable love to twist to their spiritual ruin, as they do to other Scriptures.17 As for you, divinely loved ones, since you are forewarned of these things, be careful that you are not led astray by the error of the lawless and lose your firm grip on the truth. 18 But continue to grow and increase in God’s grace and intimacy with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. May he receive all the glory both now and until the day eternity begins. Amen!
I have read this 3 or 4 times this morning and I still can’t find the verses that say in the end times you must; hoard food, hunker down in fear of all the calamity, and proclaim yourself judge over all the wicked people of the earth. In fact I’m starting to come to the conclusion that those are not biblical responses to the end times…
All jokes aside, if your end time eschatology leads you away from hope and into fear, you're listening to the wrong spirit. There is nothing in the Christian faith that leads a believer into a place of fear or hopelessness. Our theology teaches that we win if we choose Jesus. So what do you think the enemy's chief strategy might be? Probably to get you to choose anything but Him. To me that’s clearly what the enemy is up to. Fear and deception are the devil's only tools. So now it’s more important than ever to be empowered and sober minded by the wisdom of Holy Spirit confirmed by the Word. There is a proper and improper way for our hearts to be prepped for our Lord’s return. Fear is never the lens we see things through, or our motivator for preparing our hearts.
There could be nothing more exciting for a believer than being one of the few who are privileged with seeing actual end time harvest and revival. The idea that God would allow me to live on earth in this hour is mind blowing, and what I consider an immense honor and privilege. So, instead of focusing on the dread and impending doom, I am going to take the advice of Peter in his above letter, focus on Jesus and prioritize these points in my life.
Quit being worried about when He will come back and prioritize living a life of Holiness empowered by Holy Spirit. “We must be consumed with godliness 12 while we anticipate and help to speed up the coming of the day of God, when the atmosphere will be set on fire and the heavenly bodies consumed in a blaze.”
It’s not our business to know when the final hour is. It is our business to look forward to it, as we prepare hearts for life in fullness with Him.
2. Cultivate a desire to see lost souls saved. “And keep in mind that our Lord’s extraordinary patience simply means more opportunity for salvation” If the final hour has not come yet, it is because there is still opportunity for salvation on the earth and the Church needs to be participating in the harvest. Read this verse over and over until your heart breaks for the lost “This means that, contrary to man’s perspective, the Lord is not late with his promise to return, as some measure lateness. But rather, his “delay” simply reveals his loving patience toward you, because he does not want any to perish but all to come to repentance.”
3. Become more intimate with Him and grow in grace. This is what you are made for and also the point of God renewing the Heavens and the Earth, and also why He has prolonged His return up until He decides it’s time. When you begin to understand this you can begin participating with what He is doing instead of fearing it. I understand end-times are not something to take lightly, but you can't properly prepare for it unless you spend time with Him in the secret place. Today I am going full prepper mode. I am pledging to prepare my heart for His end time narrative by spending more time with Him than ever before. Will you join me?
Love,
Pastor John