We will go back to 2 Peter again, just once more, chapter 3, verse 12, it says:
“...looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.”
The old authorized versions used to say hastening unto. But that’s not a very accurate translation. The right translation is the one that’s used in the modern text, hastening the coming of the day of God. It’s not enough just to be expecting it, we have to be hastening it. How can we hasten it? The Bible tells us very clearly. We’ll look at Matthew 24, the beginning of this chapter, the disciples asked Jesus: “What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And in His answer Jesus lists a number of signs: earthquakes, pestilences, lawlessness and so on. But He hasn’t answered the question till verse 13, where He gives a specific answer:
“This gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.”
When will the end come? When the gospel of the kingdom has been proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all the nations. Who is responsible to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom? We are. So, how can we hasten the coming? By proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom.
On the other hand, if we don’t do it we are not hastening the coming, we’re delaying the coming. And if you consider all the agony and suffering in the world today, to be responsible for prolonging that longer than necessary is a terrible responsibility. But it rests on us Christians if we do not do what we can to hasten the coming of that day.
And then one further answer in Revelation 19:7–8. This is praise that’s going on in heaven.
“Let us be glad and rejoice and give God glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.”
So the marriage cannot take place until His wife, the bride, has made herself ready. The state of the Church affects the coming of the Lord. The Lord cannot come for His bride until she has made herself ready. I’ve lived in a lot of different cultures and nations. I’ve never lived in any culture or nation where a bride did not take some trouble to make herself ready for her wedding day. The same is true of the Church. The Church has to make herself ready.
And then in the next verse it talks about our wedding garment. Verse 8:
“To her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”
It says we have to wear linen, pure, white, shining linen. And the shining linen is the righteous acts of the saints. When you and I believe sincerely in Jesus, and commit our lives to Him, His righteousness is imputed to us. And the Scripture says we are justified, we are reckoned righteous. But that’s not what the Scripture is talking about here. It’s talking about the righteous acts of the saints. We have to translate imputed righteousness into outworked righteousness. And that’s the material from which our wedding garment will be made. It’s the righteous acts of the saints.
Father, what a wonderful privilege that I may be part of the Bride for Your Son Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray You show me what my place is in Your Body, and which gifts and responsibilities You have given me, which works You have prepared for Me beforehand, so I should walk in them, to hasten the coming of Your Son and my Lord, Jesus Christ. In His Name, amen.
