The apostle Peter wrote the following: “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. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:9, 10).

The words of Peter are not believed by everyone in the world today. In fact, they have never been believed by all. There has always been doubters.

God’s desire has always been that all men would be saved, but he leaves the choice up to man whether to accept or reject his terms. He gave Jesus to die for all men (John 3:16); he gave the instruction manual to be followed – the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16-17); and he has given man time to obey (2 Cor. 6:2).

His love for his creation is easily seen in what he has done.

God could have justly destroyed man when man sinned in the Garden of Eden, but instead he made a way for man to once again be justified. A savior was promised to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3), and the story of this man and his descendants leads one to the time of Christ.

God gave directions to his people on how to live their lives, yet many times they failed to follow his word. God punished his people for their disobedience.

It is also seen that God blessed them when they followed him and even delivered them from enemies if they followed his commands. God kept his promises to man.

God has prepared the way for man and one would think man would be thankful and simply obey God, but still many fail to follow God. There are those who feel they have no need for God failing to understand that without God they could not even have life.

“But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7).

Some assume that just because things always have been, they always will be, this also is a false. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, 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.

“For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:3-7).

Others seem to think that the way God has prepared needs to be changed, so they seek to add a few things to what God has said. Or they think God has asked for too much, so they want to leave part of it off. In other words, they want to have things their way.

This idea will cost countless millions their souls. God has prepared the way and made salvation accessible for all men, on the same terms. If man will simply study and obey God’s commands he can be saved.

Why not obey God as he desires, since he prepared the way?