2 Peter 3 Lesson

JUDGMENT DAY 

Is Judgment Day something that we should fear/ or something we should look forward to?

The answer to that question depends on whether we are prepared. But regardless of how ready we are, the Bible is clear that Judgment Day is coming, and we all will give an account for our actions, how we lived our lives, and what our priorities were while we were on earth.

The Hebrew writer tells us:

• “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” – Hebrews 9:27.

On that day, we will receive one of two judgments. We will either receive eternal life, and be sent to Heaven, or we will suffer God’s wrath and be sent to Hell.

The following scriptures describe these two possible outcomes:

1. “To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.” - Romans 2:7,
2. “To those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. ” – Romans 2:8.

WHEN WILL JUDGMENT DAY OCCUR?

The Bible says repeatedly that nobody knows when Jesus is going to return, and when the Day of Judgment will be. 

1. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” – Mathew 24:36,
2. “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” – Mathew 24:42-44.

From these two scriptures, we understand that none of us know when Judgment Day will occur. Therefore, the time to prepare is now!

WHAT CAN WE DO TO PREPARE FOR THE DAY OF JUDGMENT?

Where we spend eternity depends entirely on how prepared we are when the Day of Judgment comes. Listed below are five matters of salvation. Focusing our attention on these five items is the best way to prepare ourselves for that day:

1. Believe in Jesus. “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” – Acts 16:31, 
2. Confess our belief in Him. “For with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” – Romans 10:10, 
3. Repent (turn away from) of our sins. “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3, 
4. Be baptized. “Baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ .” – 1 Peter 3:21 and “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” – Mark 16:16, 
5. Obey God’s commandments. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.” – Mathew 7:21. 

If we have failed to complete any of these five items, the time to act is now!

Someday, Jesus will return; and when He does, there will be a new heaven and a new earth.  There will also be judgment.  The Bible tells us that each of us will be judged after we die and that we will either be sent to heaven, or we will be sent to hell.

SCRIPTURES ABOUT JUDGMENT DAY

1. “(God) will repay each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life; but to those who are self-serving and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, He will give wrath and indignation.” - Romans 2:6-8,
2. “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;  for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink;  I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” - Mathew 25:41-46,
3. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 6:23.

CONCLUSION

Judgment Day is coming at a time and place that nobody knows except for God. Whether we fear Judgment Day or look forward to it depends on how prepared we are.

The Bible lists five matters of salvation for us to complete:

1. Believe in Jesus,
2. Confess our belief in Him, 
3. Repent (turn away from) of our sins,
4. Be baptized,
5. Obey God’s commandments.

If we have not completed these items, the time to act is now because none of us are promised another day!

We will conclude today’s lesson with the following scripture. It reminds us of the glory that awaits those who persevere and remain faithful until the end:

• “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people’, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:1-4.