Old Year: The Longsuffering of the Lord

Rev. J. Van Haaren (1933-1983)

The end of the year speaks to us about the end of this world. That end is not far away because we are living between the first and second coming of Christ. Yea, He who must come shall come, not to suffer and die again but to judge the living and the dead. This chapter, from which our meditation is taken, deals with the second coming of Christ.

Peter admonishes and warns the mockers who say, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation” (2 Peter 3:4). Also today, there are many who dare to mock with God and His service, and they have no respect for even the holiest things. They also mock with the Judgment Day. “It is nothing but fables,” they say.

It is to them that Peter says they should not think that the Day of Judgment will not come because up until now it has not come to pass. The Lord will surely come, for he Himself has said, “Behold, I come quickly” (Revelation 22:7a). He, however, reckons time differently than we do. One day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. We are bound to this time state, but He lives in eternity. He stands above time; therefore, He has time in His hand. He measures with a different rule than we do, for what is short or long when compared to eternity?

No, the Lord does not tarry, and He is not slow in coming. He hastens to fulfill His counsel, but He does not come before He has reached His purpose, and up until that moment He withholds His anger. That is what is meant by His longsuffering. That is why He has so much patience with the wicked.

How often has God’s longsuffering manifested itself in the history of mankind. Also in this past year, the Lord has not made an end of us. Certainly, we live in fearful days, days when we hear of rumors of wars, acts of terrorism, and abductions; yet the Lord has spared this world, which is full of sin and unrighteousness, until this very day. The greatest wonder, however, is that He has spared us and not entered into judgment with us. Instead of rewarding us according to our sins and iniquities, He has daily loaded us with His benefits. Come, give an answer, “Have you lacked anything?”

In addition to these benefits, He has daily walked among us with His Word and knocked on the door of our hearts, but what was our response? Did the goodness of the Lord lead us to repentance? Have we fallen down at the feet of the Lord or called out, “Depart from me, for I have no desire in the knowledge of Thy ways”?

“But,” you may ask, “Why is the Lord so longsuffering? Why did the Lord have so much patience with the world and with us?” The reason for that is that the Lord has thoughts of peace. More souls must be added to the number that must be saved, for His house must be full.

Peter says in our text, “He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Does Peter mean with these words that the Lord will save all mankind? That is what the Remonstrants think. They say that Christ has suffered and died for all mankind and that He wishes to save them all. That belief, however, is not taught anywhere in God’s Word. Although Christ’s suffering and dying is sufficient for the sins of the entire world, He prays not for the world but for only those who the Father has given Him. It has never been the will of God to save all mankind, but if that were true, all mankind would certainly be saved, for who can withstand His will? Should the hand of the Almighty be shortened?

No, this is not Peter’s meaning. Peter wishes to say here that the Lord Jesus is not willing that any will go lost of those whom He has received out of the hand of His Father. It is only when the last of them shall have been brought in that the end of the world will come.

Why does the world continue to exist? Is it so that monarchs, presidents, and other rulers may increase their fame and their might? Oh, no. The only reason is that God has not yet fulfilled His counsel. There are still those who lie under the seal of election and must be gathered with Him. The Lord, therefore, is so longsuffering that He will give you the time to be converted unto Him. He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but therein, that they may turn from their wicked ways and live. It is for this reason that also in this past year He has bestowed so much labor of love upon you. That is why He has sent you His servants who bade you, “For Christ’s sake, be ye reconciled to God.” He loaded you down with His benefits so that they might break your heart. He visited you with all types of trials and afflictions so that you might realize that this is not your home and that you might seek a home with Him.

There are still those who lie under the seal of election and must be gathered with Him. The Lord, therefore, is so longsuffering that He will give you time to be converted unto Him.

Why has the Lord spared you up until today? It is because there was One who said in Luke 13:8, “Let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it and dung it.” How frightful it is if the fruits of faith and conversion are not seen and if you have despised the riches of Gods goodness and longsuffering. If you have done that, you have gathered wrath as your treasure for the Day of Judgment.

That day will come! There will be an end to God’s longsuffering most unexpectedly. That day will come as a thief in the night. When does a thief approach? When no one expects him and everyone is asleep. If a person would know when the thief is coming, a person would take measures to prevent his breaking in, but a thief always arrives most unexpectedly. It will be the same with the day of the Lord’s coming. The Lord has pointed out signs and tokens which speak to us that that day is coming soon. He has spoken about the increase of knowledge and technology, about increasing worldliness and unrighteousness, about wars and earthquakes, and we could mention more things which point to the fact that the end is near; yet that end will come without warning.

What a terrible day that will be. The heavens, that is the clouds and the stars, shall fall with a great noise. The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall be red as blood while the stars will fall from heaven as ripe figs. At the same time, however, the earth under the heavens shall be moved, for the elements shall burn and perish, and the earth and all the things that are therein shall be consumed with fire. Everything that mankind has made shall collapse. Nothing shall remain upright. Everything will be laid even with the ground. Nothing shall remain upright. Everything will be laid even with the ground.

No, all things will not remain such as it was at the beginning of the Creation. Everything has been corrupted by sin; therefore, everything will be purified and refined by fire. What a terrible day it will be for all those who remain strangers of free grace. They shall experience that “it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of a living God! For our God is a consuming fire!” Oh, that we would take into account the seriousness of this day and that we would beg for mercy from our Judge while it is still the day of grace.

That we would have no rest for the sole of our foot until we would find ourselves hidden in Christ. For those who are hid in Christ, this terrible day will be a blessed day. They shall be placed at God’s right hand, and to them it will be said, “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). Come, does not such a joyful expectation appeal to you? Therefore, do not drive in your tent stakes too deeply but set your sights upon that city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God. Guido de Bres experienced something of this, and for that reason he ended his Confession of Faith with these words, “Therefore we expect that great day with a most ardent desire, to the end that we may fully enjoy the promises of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.”

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