The Day the World Ended

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 2 Peter 3:10

There are events in our lives that will forever be seared into our memories. I can clearly recall the playground in middle school where I first heard about the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. I remember walking into work as I learned of the airplane attacks on 9/11. I’ve got a similar, but far more personal memory of the day that my world stopped. Oddly enough, on 9/11 of 2014, I had to resign my job as an ER physician, due to the discovery of my opioid addiction. I’d kept my secret hidden for years, but as details came to light, my life absolutely came apart. I stopped being an ER physician. My career was possibly over. My family was falling apart. My world stopped.

It was not the end of the world, but it was a day of reckoning. I’d pursued my self-destructive appetite above all and suddenly, the terrible consequences came due. It was made very clear to me that my life was not going to go on if I continued to use drugs. Thankfully, I got another chance with both my family and career, and both are now far better than they were before. In recovery, I’ve been able to experience the new life that God offers as I follow him instead of myself.

In today’s passage though, Peter spoke of a day when the world shall truly end. This will be the final day of reckoning, after which there are no more second chances. I must admit, I find it hard to believe. All I’ve ever known is a world without end. It’s not easy to conceive of this apocalypse described by Peter. I’ve got to realize that this can be said about anything though. I never thought 9/11 would happen. I never thought I’d lose my job due to my addiction.

Eventually though, the end will come for all of us. One day, we will all stand before God, explaining ourselves. That this has never happened before will be no protection on that day. Peter said that this knowledge should radically affect our behavior, causing us to pursue lives of holiness and godliness (2 Peter 3:11). Our lives may seem to be endless now, but we know they are not. Our days on this Earth are numbered and one day, we will all meet God. Today then, this knowledge should motivate us to consider our lives, causing us to pursue that which is of eternal importance.