How Should You Live If Jesus Is Coming Back? | 2 Peter 3:11–13

Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. — 2 Peter 3:11-13

Peter has just described the coming day of the Lord. The present heavens and earth will not last forever. Everything we treat as permanent will eventually be dissolved. Then Peter asks the only question that matters:

"What sort of people ought you to be?"

Peter does not give us an end-times prophecy merely to indulge our curiosity. He gives us end-times prophecy to transform our conduct.

If Jesus is returning, then we should live lives marked by holiness and godliness. Holiness means being set apart for God. Godliness means living with a continued awareness of him. Together, they describe a life that increasingly reflects the character and priorities of Christ.

Like other theologians, I can become more interested in understanding the details of the end times than in becoming the kind of man who is ready to meet Jesus. You see, it is possible to study timelines, debate interpretations, and still avoid the repentance God is asking from me today. Peter does not want us to do that. And he is not about to do that either.

The purpose of comprehending what is coming is to change how we are living.

We are waiting for "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." Our future home, here on earth, will not be marked by deception, corruption, exploitation, or rebellion. Righteousness will reign.

And if that is where we are going, and what we should expect, then it should begin shaping us now. We should tell the truth because righteousness is coming. We should practice purity because righteousness is coming. We should forgive, serve, give, and obey because righteousness is coming.

It is time to loosen our grip on temporary possessions, positions, and pleasures because the present world will not last.

This does not mean we withdraw from life or neglect our responsibilities. It means we live in the present with our hearts anchored in God's promised future. Christians are not waiting passively for escape. We are actively preparing for the King.

So before making your next decision today, ask yourself: What would someone waiting for a world of righteousness do?

Your answer may change the conversation you have, the temptation you resist, the money you spend, the apology you make, or the person you choose to serve. Prophecy was not given merely to inform your timeline. It was given to transform your life.

Choose one decision you need to make today and ask: What would someone waiting for a world of righteousness do?