Shalom,

Today I want to share our partner, Rick Renner's, "Sparkling Gems From The Greek Volume 2" devotional:

WAITING FOR THAT LAST PERSON TO REPENT

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. — 2 Peter 3:9

Today I want to encourage you to remember something about the patience and longsuffering of our Lord. Jesus Christ is still on the throne as King of kings and Lord of lords, regardless of the events that are occurring around the world. We may not see exactly how He is moving — or know everything that He is doing — but Christ is fully in charge and is moving by His Spirit around the planet to take us toward final prophetic fulfillments. As we will see in Second Peter 3:9, God is presently holding back His judgment until one last person repents. Just think of it. One last person will repent before that moment on God’s prophetic timeline begins, and then judgment will fall on this planet and God will deal with a world gone astray.

To our natural eyes, it seems like society is degenerating at an ever-increasing rate. Laws are being implemented that are antagonistic toward people of faith, and Christians are increasingly labeled as intolerant because they refuse to endorse the activities of a morally bankrupt world. Therefore, it is important for us to remain aware that Christ is still seated on His throne in Heaven, ruling over the affairs of mankind. No matter how turbulent the waters around us may seem, Christ has never moved from His highly exalted seat of authority. The Day of Judgment is near, but Christ waits lovingly and patiently for one more soul to repent before that prophetic moment occurs and judgment falls.

While we wait for that final moment of God’s reckoning with the affairs of men, it can be discouraging to see ungodly men run the transactions of government. So we must remember the fact that God’s Word promises a day will come when every man will stand before the throne of judgment. We must pray for ungodly men to come to the knowledge of the truth, but we must also never forget that those who resist and oppose the truth will not escape the consequences of their actions. A time will inevitably come when every man will be called into Christ’s high court of reckoning.

Only mercy restrains Christ from taking immediate action against evildoers. He is well-equipped to eliminate those who oppose the truth, but His mercy endures forever. This truth is very clear in Second Peter 3:9, where Peter wrote, “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

I want to look at that word “longsuffering” with you. It is the Greek word makrothumeo, which is a compound of the words makros and thumeo. The word makros depicts something that is long, and thumeo is the word for anger. When compounded, the new word makrothumeo is the picture of the long restraint of anger — thus the reason it is often translated as patience or longsuffering. But it is actually the picture of God holding back His anger.

Why does God hold back so long when it seems that judgment should come more quickly? Peter wrote the reason: God is “…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” He is holding out for one last person who will repent before the clock stops ticking and time runs out.

From the signs around us, it would seem that this event will happen during our lifetime. I personally expect to see the Rapture — the “catching away” (see 1 Thessalonians 4:17) — of the Church during our lifetime. Afterward, great bowls of God’s judgment will be poured out upon the earth. But God is loving, patient, and kind. He longs for one more person to repent before that prophetic moment in history begins, so He restrains His anger toward the godlessness in the world as He patiently waits.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you were the one who led that last person to the Lord before the judgment cycle begins on the earth? Consider the joy of knowing that God used you for such a historic moment. Don’t say it couldn’t be you, because it’s going to be someone who brings that last soul into the family of God! And when this grand moment occurs and the very last person repents in this current age, the long-awaited judgment will begin. To be honest, it could happen anytime.

AMEN! I am SO glad that our God is SO patient! Here is Hillsong with "Echoes - Til We See The Other Side":

Shalom in Him!