April 24, 2023: 2 Peter 3:7 - God Preserves Heaven and Earth Till Judgment Day

“But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition [destruction] of ungodly men.” - 2 Peter 3:7

Just as the people in Noah’s day had no say in the destruction of the entire world by the flood that God sent to destroy the ungodly, people will have no say at the time in which God will destroy not only the earth but also the heavens by fire. Everything that is in the entire universe is held in the hands of God. He made it all, and He controls everything; man controls nothing. It is only by the grace of God that He has not destroyed it by fire already. Wickedness in our world is rising, increasing at a pace so rapidly, so that it must be sending a putrid stench up to heaven to God. He is sending us warning after warning, but we are not listening. He sent us His word, which outlines His perfect plan for history and for the one way that we can be redeemed of all of our sins through believing in His Son Jesus Christ so that when God sends His wrath, we who are saved through Him will not be subject to it, just as Noah and Lot were provided a way out of it. However, the majority of people in the world, even many who say they are Christians, do not read God’s word and do not heed it, putting themselves in peril, which they do not believe and which will come upon them suddenly and without warning.

We are quickly coming to, and some would say we are already there, the time in history in which the technology and human depravity described in the books of Daniel and Revelation and other prophetic books in the Bible exist in the world at the end of the age. At that time, a tyrannical ruler will emerge to take control of the world and will be the leader of a one world government: the final antichrist. Satan will empower antichrist. The antichrist will make a 7-year covenant with Israel and other nations, perhaps some sort of peace treaty. Israel will be allowed to build its third temple, upon which they will resume sacrificing of animals for atonement of sin. The false prophet will reign over a one world religion, a false religion that will worship antichrist instead of Jesus Christ. A one world economic system will be in place that will control the buying and selling of every single person on the earth, requiring that every individual take on their right hand or their forehead the mark of the antichrist, also called “the beast,” or the number of his name - 666 - and must worship the image of the beast, perhaps a hologram. Anyone who does not take the mark or the number of his name and who does not worship him will be killed. Ten kings, who are likeminded, will submit to the antichrist and will support his one world government.

At some point, everything will be in place and the start of the 7-year tribulation period will begin. I believe, as do many other Christians, that prior to the start of it, Jesus will call up to Himself in the clouds those who put their faith and trust in Him for our salvation, both those who previously died as believers and those who are alive at the time, an event known as “the rapture.” From that point, time starts clicking for a period of 2,520 days. At the half-way mark at 1,260 days, antichrist will break his covenant with Israel, committing the “abomination of desolation” that Daniel first spoke of and Jesus reiterated in Matthew 24:15, and the time known as the “Great Tribulation” will begin. Jesus said of it, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” (Matthew 24:21-22)

While the Bible does not specifically state when God will destroy the earth and the heavens by fire, many Bible scholars believe it will be after the 7-year tribulation, the return of Christ at His second coming when He defeats antichrist, the false prophet, and all who follow them, and at the end of Jesus’ subsequent 1,000-year reign on earth, known as the Millennial Kingdom. While we may not know the exact timing of it, we know one thing is certain: He will do it. He said it will be done, and it will be done. Just as the flood came and destroyed all that existed on the earth because of human depravity, so will it be burned by fire, along with the heavens. For those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, we look forward to a new heavens and a new earth, as described in the book of Revelation, chapter 21. For the ungodly, they have nothing to look forward to; for them, their time on earth now is the only heaven they will know.

I pray that if you have not turned to Jesus, believing on Him as the One, the only One, who can save you from your sins, that you will turn to Him today. and be redeemed of all sin and shame. This world is just a temporary existence on our way to our true Home, when we are with Him in eternal glory, without sin, as it was meant to be before the fall of mankind in the Garden. We all have a choice to make, and it is the most important decision of your life, for your eternity’s destination depends on it. Choose Jesus today, before it’s too late. ✝️