2 Peter 3:10-12 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. 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.”

Most people associate Judgment Day with a day of epic destruction. Even the unbelieving world tells stories of worldwide cataclysm. Mankind destroys itself in a nuclear holocaust. Volcanoes or asteroids blow the planet up. Aliens invade and wipe the world bare.

The Bible tells us the Lord will destroy the world and the universe in which it exists with fire. Peter describes it briefly here. The Old Testament prophets announced God’s final plans the same way. Jesus and the Apostles Paul, James, John, and Jude give a consistent description. Life on this planet, and in this universe, will not go on forever.

But note the application Peter makes: “The earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” We often use the phrase “laid bare” to describe total destruction. A fire might do it to a forest. A hurricane might do it to an island. An army might do it to a city. But Peter’s Greek uses “laid bare” in the sense of “exposed.” There is nowhere left to hide. He is describing a flat and barren landscape where God and man stand face to face.

He wants us to understand that there is no plan B when the last day comes. Unlike the movies, you can’t get into a spaceship and fly away to another world where you can start civilization all over again. You can’t hide underground or move to another continent where the devastation isn’t so severe. We and all our works and all our companions here on earth will stand before God uncovered, exposed. There is no way to escape it.

But that won’t be us. In the meantime, then, we want to live for the day by being the kind of people who can look forward to it. “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.”

Ishmael Shelton had a rapsheet with 34 crimes on it. In 2009 he was paroled from a Colorado prison. He was essentially a free man. That being the case, what was the reasonable path for Mr. Shelton going forward? Should he have concluded, “I am a free man now. I don’t have to serve the rest of my sentence. I should find some more mischief to get into.”

Or should he have concluded, “I have been released from paying the full debt I owed for my crimes. I have been given a second chance. Now is the time for me to turn over a new leaf. I can make a contribution to society instead of being a burden to it.”

You know the right answer. And you can probably guess where this is going. Eight months after Mr. Shelton walked out of prison on parole, he murdered his girlfriend and found himself behind bars once again.

In God’s system of justice, Jesus has won us much more than parole. We don’t serve a day, a minute, for our crimes. The Judge has let us go with no time served, no fines to pay, because Jesus paid it all in our place.

In God’s system of justice, Jesus continues to get us acquitted when we offend again. We don’t have to be afraid to stand before the Judge. We can look forward to our day in court because of God’s grace in Christ.

Is there anything reasonable about using our freedom to pile up more crimes and add to our sins? You know the right answer. Peter concludes, “You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” “Holy” suggests something more than “pure” and “sinless.” These are lives that stand apart from the godless crowd around us. Such lives distinguish themselves, not in a better-than-thou sort of way. They demonstrate unusual kindness and patience, while maintaining a firm commitment to biblical moral standards.

That’s what it means to be the people who look forward to the day of the Lord. May our life and witness speed its coming.