Jesus gives a clarion call to proclaim the gospel of the Kingdom, a Kingdom without end, to the whole world, as a testimony of Jesus to every nation. And so, the return of the King awaits nothing more than the preaching of the gospel to the ends of the earth. Peter concludes that any perceived delay in the Messiah’s returns happens only for the sake of the redeemed, that all should reach repentance. And so, while we eagerly await the return of the King, we wait in patience, knowing the purpose of any perceived delay.
Every generation since Paul expected the return of Jesus. And so, surely, the end is near. And yet God’s accounting of time means we have “just a little while longer” until the birth pangs yield the new heaven and the new earth and the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God. “Just a little while longer” already yielded 2000 years, and so we ought to be careful in our accounting of time.
Rather, we ought give consideration to Jesus’ exhortation that his disciples would live righteously now, bearing up under any persecution and lawlessness, and bringing the testimony of Jesus to every nation. That’s the call. That’s the responsibility. That’s our faithfulness.
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