Much speculation has been made regarding when Jesus might return to the earth.  For his apostles, the expectation was that he would be coming back soon, and yet, here we are nearly 2000 years later with no sign of him.  Some point to this as a reason why he’s not truly God (i.e. it supports the idea that the apostles made the story up about his resurrection), but Peter reminded the readers of his letter that he and the others didn’t fabricate a myth; they shared what they saw and experienced firsthand.  Peter also gave the recipients of his letter another explanation for the delay: the Lord desires that none should perish and that all should reach repentance.  In other words, he wants to give adequate time for those who are going to turn to him to do so.  His desire is not that people would spend eternity separated from him but they would be given ample opportunity to trust in him.  Without making too many theological statements about end times, Peter does seem to indicate that after Jesus returns people will either not have the opportunity to turn to him, or it will be very difficult for them to do so.  The point is this: God’s desire is that people turn to Him, and when Jesus comes it will be completely unexpected as a thief in the night.