There’s A Great Day Coming
by Scott R. Bayles, pastor
First Christian Church
When the Apostle Paul was being transported as a missionary prisoner to Rome, his ship docked to the south of Rome in the Italian port city of Puteoli. This was a holiday resort for fashionable Roman society, a spa with nearby hot sulfur springs. Many of the Roman emperors had villas there.
Puteoli laid in the shadow of a great, rugged mountain—Mount Vesuvius —a volcano actually, although it hadn’t erupted in nearly a thousand years. Shortly after Paul’s time, Vesuvius exploded like an atomic bomb. It erupted for forty hours, and while Puteoli was spared, another nearby city was flooded by molten lava, buried before the inhabitants could escape. They were killed by the gasses and the ash, and then preserved by the molten lava, which rolled over them and hermetically sealed them in a gigantic tomb of pumice.
That city was Pompeii, and for many years it remained buried under twenty feet of hardened lava. Excavations have given us a perfectly preserved Roman city, frozen in time, caught in the act of being itself.
The twenty thousand people of Pompeii, it seems, worshipped two gods: Venus, the love goddess, and Mercury, the god of commerce. They worshipped, in other words, money and pleasure. Their worship of Mercury is evidenced by their economic prosperity. Pompeii was a thriving city, a neat grid-like pattern of shop-lined streets wrapped in a gated wall. It pulsed with industry, many of its people working in a winery—Pompeii was world-famous for its wine.
But they also loved pleasure. The city walls were filled with advertisements by prostitutes. Prices indicate that the average call-girl cost about the same price of a modest dinner at a Pompeian tavern. On one hotel, a sign said: "If you’re looking for a girl, ask for Attica—four dollars, high class."
On the walls of brothels were testimonies by satisfied customers. Everywhere were models and carving of the phallus, which in ancient Pompeii was considered the symbol of success. It was carved on sidewalks and houses, drawn on walls and posts.
The statues and sculptures of Pompeii, excavated by archeologists, were hidden for many years in the “off limits” rooms of the Italian museum because they were so obscene. On one Pompeian wall, someone with knowledge of the Old Testament had written some graffiti—just three words: Sodom and Gomorrah!
And, like Sodom and Gomorrah, Pompeii perished suddenly by fire. Judgment came swiftly and without warning, and there was no escape. And, like Pompeii, our world today is drenched in corruption and confusion, awaiting the final judgment. We don’t know when the volcano of God’s judgment and punishment will erupt, but the Apostle Peter says this...
2 Peter 3:3-13 (NLT)
3It is most important for you to understand what will happen in the last days. People will laugh at you. They will live doing the evil things they want to do. 4They will say, “Jesus promised to come again. Where is he? Our fathers have died, but the world continues the way it has been since it was made.” 5But they do not want to remember what happened long ago. By the word of God heaven was made, and the earth was made from water and with water. 6Then the world was flooded and destroyed with water. 7And that same word of God is keeping heaven and earth that we now have in order to be destroyed by fire. They are being kept for the Judgment Day and the destruction of all who are against God.
8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: To the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day. 9The Lord is not slow in doing what he promised—the way some people understand slowness. But God is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to be lost, but he wants all people to change their hearts and lives.
10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The skies will disappear with a loud noise. Everything in them will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up.£ 11In that way everything will be destroyed. So what kind of people should you be? You should live holy lives and serve God, 12as you wait for and look forward to the coming of the day of God. When that day comes, the skies will be destroyed with fire, and everything in them will melt with heat. 13But God made a promise to us, and we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth where goodness lives.
William L Thompson wrote, “There’s a great day coming by and by, when the saints and the sinners will be parted right and left, are you ready for that day to come?” I’ve never really been a fan of hell-fire and brimstone preaching, but let us take a moment this morning to remind ourselves of what the Bible teaches regarding that great and final day. Peter reveals, here, three aspects of God’s judgment which are important for us—and all people—to remember. First, Peter tells of...
• THE SURETY OF JUDGMENT:
The Bible says, "it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). It also says, "He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed..." (Acts 17:31). There should be no doubt in our minds—there is a Day of Judgment coming!
Back in the days of the Apostles, many people began to wonder if Jesus was really going to return. Peter says, “People will laugh at you…They will say, ‘Jesus promised to come again. Where is he?’” (vs. 3). Certainly, Peter’s predication has been born out. Today most people, and even many Christians, do not believe that Jesus is going to return.
In many places with high crime rates, district attorneys deal out more severe punishment for minor crimes as a deterrent. Rarely does it have any effect though, because no matter how severe the punishment, people simply don’t believe they are going to be caught. If you’re convinced you’re going to get away with it, it doesn’t matter how sever the punishment is. In the same way, the world does not fear judgment, because they don’t believe they are going to be judged. The Second coming of Christ, to them, is just a distant fairy-tale. Peter answered those who doubted Jesus’ return, though, saying, “Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise…He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change” (vs. 8 MSG).
You see, from the vantage-point of the average Christian, it has been two thousand years since Jesus promised to return....but, as far as God is concerned, it’s only been a matter of days. Not only that, but the time that we are given is granted to us out of God’s patience. He has put off the coming Day of Judgment so that we would have time to change our hearts and lives, put our faith in him and be saved.
We should be so thankful for each day that God gives us, because it’s another day that God will allow someone, somewhere, to be saved. But even God’s patience, as infinite as it is, is balanced by God’s perfect justice. And so, his patience is not without end. This world will one day be consumed in a cleansing fire.
Joel Eidsness, pastor for a community church in Bethel, Connecticut, once took his seven-year-old daughter on an unusual date. They visited the town dump. Backing his Oldsmobile up against the mound of refuse, he placed his daughter on the roof, and, with pencil and paper, they began listing all the items they could identify. There was a plastic swimming pool, a barbecue, and several old lawn chairs. There were Barbie dolls, bicycle frames, skateboards, play refrigerators and stoves, radios, televisions—everything that a little girl dreams of and more.
Later he wrote, “That was a day Kristen and I will never forget. It was a powerful reminder that someday everything we own will be junk. In city dumps the things that have captivated our attention and dominated our lives will smolder beneath a simmering flame, amidst stinking mounds of rotting garbage. But the picture portrays not only the end of our lives and that of our children. It also portrays the ultimate collapse of human history as we know it. History is not destined to grind on forever. It awaits—wittingly or unwittingly—the awesome and terrible judgment of God!”
The return of Christ is sure—it’s certain. And when Christ comes, the Day of Judgment will begin! The surety of judgment is the first aspect of the final day that Peter brings to our minds. Furthermore, Peter explains...
• THE SCOPE OF JUDGMENT:
The Bible teaches not only that there will be a Day of Judgment, but that every single one of us will be there! Jesus said that the judgment will include "all nations" (Matt 25:32). Paul wrote that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:10). A time is coming when we will each stand face to face with Jesus Christ and give an account for the way we have lived our lives!
Peter indicated the universal nature of the Day of Judgment, saying, “The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The skies will disappear with a loud noise. Everything in them will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up” (vs. 10). God’s judgment will encompass the entire earth as well as the heavens (referring to the sun, moon, and stars throughout our universe).
The scope of judgment is entire. Every single person will face God on the Judgment Day, and no one can escape it. Paul Harvey’s For What It’s Worth Department once heard of a great escape! Gary Tindle was in a California courtroom charged with robbery. He asked and received from Judge Armando Rodriguez permission to go to the bathroom. While the bathroom door was guarded, Mr. Tindle climbed up onto the plumbing and opened a panel in the ceiling. Sure enough, it was a dropped ceiling with a space. So he climbed up into the crawlspace and headed south. He’d gone thirty-some feet when the ceiling panels broke from under him and dropped him to the floor....right back into Judge Rodriguez’s courtroom!
It’s difficult to escape even man’s judgment, it’s impossible to escape God’s. David Marks was one of the most powerful evangelists in early American history. He was born to godly Connecticut parents in 1805, and his awareness of God began fairly early in life. The incident that started him thinking about his relationship with God was a day when he was watching some flax burn. He remembered his preacher’s sermon about the fires of hell, and as he watched the flames, he thought how awful even one moment in hell would be.
"What would I do if the wrath of God fell on the earth?" he asked himself. After serious thought, he decided that should the Day of Judgment come, he would climb into the well and hide there. Running to his mother, he shared his plan; but she replied, "The water will boil and the earth will burn."
Then he told her that he would run to a spot he knew in the rocks where he could hide. She said, "But the rocks will melt." He was so overwhelmed with fear that he told his mom he would just die and escape the wrath of God in the grave. But she replied, “My child, when Christ comes, the dead will awaken and come out of their graves.”
So young David went outside and walked through the fields, pondering at length the reality of that coming day and his being unprepared for it. Putting his hand over his heart, he looked toward heaven and said, "God, be merciful to me—a sinner."
That young boy grew up to be a powerful preacher. He understood the scope of judgment—that we are all accountable. Finally, Peter shares...
• THE STANDARD OF JUDGMENT:
Peter asks the question, since everything is going to be destroyed in this way, “what kind of people should you be?” (v. 11). In other words, what will be God’s standard of measure? Peter, of course, answers his own question—he says, “You should live holy lives and serve God!” Jesus put it another way: “So you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5:48).
The fact of the matter is—not one of us actually measures up. Peter or Jesus might as well have said, “Thou shalt jump so high that you tough the moon!” It’s impossible. We just can’t do it. And so every one of us is guilty before God. The Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). If we are honest with ourselves, we know that to be true.
The Bible says, “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Rev. 21:8 NLT). How many of us fit into those categories? You might have thought you were doing good until that last category, huh? How many of us have told a lie? That makes us liars. And that makes us guilty.
Jesus said, "Everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28). How many men have looked at a woman with lust? The Ten Commandments directed, "Thou shalt not steal" (Exodus 20:15). Have you ever taken something that doesn’t belong to you? A pencil? A pen? A peanut? The fact is—we are all guilty. And no matter how good we try to be—or how hard we work—nothing can change our guilt. And that leaves each one of us standing in the path of eternal judgment. But that doesn’t leave us without hope.
Several years ago, a father and his daughter were walking through the grass on the Canadian prairie. In the distance, they saw a prairie fire devouring the field and eventually, they realized, it would engulf them too. The father knew there was only one way of escape. Quickly he started a fire right where they were and burned a large patch of grass. When the huge fire drew near, they then stood on the section of grass that they had already burned. When the fire actually did approach them, the girl was terrified by the raging flames. But her father assured her, “The flames can’t touch us, honey. We are standing where the fire had already been.”
The same is true of God’s judgment. You see, Jesus has already gone through the flames before us. And if you’ve trusted in him and put your faith in Jesus Christ, then you are standing where the fire has already been. As long as we are in Jesus, we never have to fear the fire of Judgment.
Conclusion:
There’s a lot that we can learn from the citizens of ancient Pompeii. Living in the shadow of a long since dormant volcano, it was easy to become comfortable—to believe that life will just march on forever—to continue in their godless ways. But then, suddenly and without warning, everything changed. And, Pompeii was no more—burned to cinders. The Bible says that Jesus’ return will take place "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Cor. 15:52). Let us remember, then, as we go through life...
• The Surety of Judgment: no matter how distant or far-removed it may seem, that day will come.
• The Scope of Judgment: on that day the entire universe will be destroyed by fire, and each and every person will stand before God.
• The Standard of Judgment: It isn’t our good deeds or doctrinal correctness that will save us, but our relationship with the One who has already taken our punishment for us.
Invitation:
"There’s a great day coming by and by, when the saints and the sinners will be parted right and left, are you ready for that day to come?" If not, we urge you to get ready, to put you faith in Jesus and commit to follow him! If that is your decision, then please come forward as we stand and sing...
