Knowing that all things on earth will fade and be destroyed, how should we live our lives? Here’s a profound answer from the writing of the Apostle Peter.

There are a lot of life-changing questions in the Bible. However, sometimes, we stumble upon one of them without giving much thought. Chief among these questions that a lot of us might have ignored is the question asked by the Apostle Peter thousands of years ago.

This question, if you take seriously, will help you set your priority right. It will give you direction to what really matters most in this life. If we let this question, as well as its answer, direct our thoughts, words, and actions, then it will lead us to the Kingdom of God.

The critical question we need to answer

For this reason, brethren, I strongly believe that we must study it further so we can have a better grasp of what God has in store for us.

The question brethren I’m referring to is found in II Peter 3:11.

To gain a better context, let’s start reading verse 10:

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

In the past, God cleansed this world with water, but in the future, it will be cleansed by fire. Everything would be burned and destroyed and that includes all the works that are in it.

All the magnificent works of man, the tall and big buildings, the megastructures, the tourist spots, as well as our house, our possession, our wealth, and all the material things that we consider as precious, will be destroyed by fire.

Now, knowing all these things, brethren, the Apostle Peter continued on to verse 11 where we will find the all-important question we must all ask ourselves:

Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?

I want us to focus on those words, brethren, “What manner of persons ought you to be?”

Since we KNOW that the heavens will be dissolved and the elements will melt with fervent heat, what manner of persons ought you to be?

In other words, how should we live this life knowing that all the things on this earth would soon fade away?

This world isn’t our home yet. In fact, we are called sojourners, pilgrims, and foreigners in the Bible. We are called ambassadors for the coming Kingdom of God.

Like pilgrims and ambassadors, we must NOT settle on this temporary world, but rather, we must look forward to the new heavens and new earth.

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What manner of person you ought NOT to be?

To better answer the question, what manner of persons ought you to be, we must first answer the question, what manner of persons you ought NOT to be.

Peter was very clear on this answer when we read the earlier verses. Peter was telling us not to be scoffers.

Let’s read verse 1:

Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first:

That SCOFFERS will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget.

Scoffers brethren are mockers of God’s truth.

They mock God, His plan of salvation, His Son, and His people. All throughout history, we have seen that it was Satan who was the greatest scoffer of all.

He mocked God even before the world began. He scoffed at God’s wisdom when he tempted Adam and Eve.

Now, in the last days, there will be people like Satan who will scoff at the teaching that Yahshua will return here on earth.

In the mind of these scoffers, and there will be many of them, they have given God enough time to step into the world’s affair.

They say, “Oops, time’s up, God. If you are not coming according to OUR time table, then you just forget returning.”

God’s timing is perfect

We must not fall into thinking that God is delaying His coming.

In fact, God is being patient to all of us. Remember that God’s timing is perfect, He is never early, never late.

When God says that He will resurrect Christ exactly three days and three nights, He exactly did that right at the point when 72 hours had been completed.

It wasn’t 72 hours and a few minutes or seconds or 68, 69, 71 or 71 and 59 seconds. It is exactly 72 hours, right down in the smallest millisecond.

Now, if God has done that before, then we can be confident that He will also send back His Son at the right time.

For scoffers, they abused God’s patience and use their remaining time to walk according to their flesh.

They willfully forget God’s word so that they won’t feel guilty about committing sins. So, that they can continue enjoying the pleasure of sin without thinking of being held accountable.

And I tell you the truth brethren, that’s the main reason that we are seeing a lot of people being atheists not because of lack of evidence of God’s existence, but rather, they want to fulfill the desires of their flesh without feeling guilty about it.

What manner of persons we ought to be?

Now, that’s the manner of person we ought NOT to be, brethren. While scoffers use their remaining time to sin, we as the children of God should use our remaining time to repent and do the will of God in our lives.

Thankfully, God has inspired Peter to also write the answer to the question. We read in verse 14:

Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless.

The word diligent here means that we must make labor, study, and effort.

There’s a work for us to do individually and as an assembly of YAHWEH. Because we know that nothing will last forever here on earth, we strive to do our spiritual work – which will not be dissolved by fire.

We must be diligent in studying the word of God, remembering the truths we have learned, and discovering new ones as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Savior.

Don’t let any day pass you by without doing the work of God.

Be like the profitable servant who went the extra mile. It is not enough to simply do what is required of us.

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It is not enough to simply attend and warm our seats in the Sabbath Service.

It is not enough to simply give our tithes and offering.

It is not enough to simply keep the Feast.

It is not enough to simply keep the letter of the law, but we must as well keep the spiritual intent of the law.

The reward of the diligent Christian

Brethren, this is the answer that was given to us.

What manner of persons you ought to be knowing that the heavens will pass away and the elements will melt in fervent heat?

The answer is for us not to be scoffers, but rather be diligent in doing the work of God.

And when we do this brethren, what will happen?

Peter wrote in II Peter 3:14, which will be found by God in peace.

Why?

Because we have done our duty. We will be at peace because we know we have done our part.

Not only that brethren, when we are diligent, Peter also added that we will eventually be found without spot and blameless.

Brethren, let this message remind us that this isn’t our home yet and there will come a time when Yahshua (Jesus Christ) will return and usher in the glorious Kingdom of YAHWEH.

Don’t be fooled by the illusion that Christ is delaying His coming, but rather, use the time that we have to be diligent and be prepared to meet our God!