We do not know when the Day of the Lord will happen, but we are told what will happen. Kenneth Wuest gives an accurate and graphic translation of 2 Peter 3:10: “The heavens with a rushing noise will be dissolved, and the elements being scorched will be dissolved, and the earth also and the works in it will be burned up.”

For this reason, I do not personally believe that God will permit sinful men to engage in an earth-destroying atomic war. He will, I believe, overrule the ignorance and foolishness of men including well-meaning but unbelieving diplomats and politicians, so that He alone will have the privilege of “pushing the button” and dissolving the elements to make way for a new heaven and a new earth.

Of course, this great explosion and conflagration will not touch the “heaven of heavens” where God dwells. It will destroy the earth and the atmospheric heavens around it, the universe as we know it; this will make room for the new heavens and earth (2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).

Man’s great works will also be burned up! All of the things man boasts about—his great cities, buildings, inventions, achievements—will be destroyed in a moment of time. When sinners stand before the throne of God, they will have nothing to point to as evidence of their greatness. It will all be gone.

Let us pause and consider, where will I be when God destroys the world? Is what I am living for only destined to vanish forever? Or am I doing the will of God so that my works will glorify Him forever?

Scripture for today: “Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the Day of God and speed its coming…. But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:11-13, NIV).
Also read: 2 Peter 3; Revelation 21:1; Matthew 24:43; 1 Thessalonians 5:3.
Action assignment: This is a timely topic. Get a firm grasp on it, enough to discuss it with a friend. Look at your life in light of this coming event.