By telling us that God is outside of time (not within the limitations or confines of time), Peter explains that God is patient with all of us, not wanting anyone to be condemned. But the sad news is that not all will want to repent, perhaps they think there is still more time and will at the last moment repent. Maybe that is why Peter goes on to remind us that judgment day is indeed coming.
3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Peter uses a phrase that regularly appears in Biblical prophecy, but it can have two meanings so you need to review the context carefully. In the Old Testament the phrase “the Day of the Lord” can be used to describe a time when God will punish for disobedience such as the judgment or destruction of Babylon (see Isaiah 13:6-22), the judgment of Egypt (see Ezekiel 30:1-4), as well as several other warnings (see Amos 5:18-20; Obadiah 15-16; Zephaniah 1:7-18, etc.), these are referring to national or ‘local’ events. However, the phrase is most often used in the Bible to refer to an event in the future, even for us, namely the period of final judgment (also known as the end times, last days, latter days, etc., see Isaiah 2:2-21; Joel 2:28-32; Zechariah 14:1-21; Malachi 4:1-6, etc.) It is also important to understand that this phase (or similar) does not point to a single day, this is indeed a specific period of time where a number of events will take place, but it will likely occur over a number of days, not just a single day. The Bible also uses terms like, “the day of wrath,” “the day of doom,” “the day of vengeance,” and “the day of God,” fairly interchangeably, but we will see in verse twelve a similar phrase that may include the period after the day of the Lord is complete.
The events of that day or period of time will come like a thief. This is an odd expression unless you remember Jesus’ words describing the end times in what has been called the “Olivet Discourse” (see Matthew 24:36-44) and Paul’s first letter to the church at Thessalonica (see 1 Thessalonians 5:2). Thieves generally come quietly and are unexpected, so the idea of waiting for the last moment to seek repentance is definitely not a good idea! Peter continues to say that during that time the heavens (same word used in verses five and seven, referring essentially to all things we know to exist) will be destroyed with a loud noise. No problem here, since I doubt if the sound of all things being pulled apart on a molecular level at the same time will be quiet, somewhat like the “Big Bang” in reverse!
The heavenly bodies (the earth and everything in the skies) will be burned up and dissolved. The word translated here as ‘dissolved’ is in this verse and the following two verses (which accounts for all three times this word appears in this epistle), it means to break up, loosen or break apart, it is not referring to a large ‘cold tablet’ being dissolved in a glass of water, here no water is needed! Interestingly, elsewhere in the Bible this same Greek word is often translated as: ‘untie’, ‘untying’, ‘loosed’, ‘destroy’, ‘breaking’, ‘broken’, ‘free’, and ‘released’.
The verse ends with a statement that the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. This is the standard word for ‘works’ (Greek ‘ergon’ used 169 times in the New Testament, things and products made by people, nations, and kingdoms, all built by people’s actions) and these works will all be made known. Some manuscripts; such as the “Textus Receptus” (Latin for “received text”) which is a collection of Greek texts used as the New Testament base for the King James Version, Luther’s German Bible, and several other Bible translations; use a different Greek word that indicates that the works will be ‘burned up’ instead of being ‘exposed’.
Simply put, Peter wants all believers to know that Jesus WILL return. We are not to fall for any ploy those mockers or scoffers might use to attempt to lure us into doubt. However, it is a different story for them, they will be subjected to a horrific judgment (see Revelation 20:10-15). In the future, all things (the universe and everything we know that exists) will be completely destroyed. But you can’t use that as an excuse to get out of your chores, get out of going to work, or not fix that squeaky floorboard in the hallway! Some scholars point out that the following verse is not a question, but an exclamation of astonishment, even so, I still think it’s a great question to ask ourselves.
3:11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness,
Since everything we know and everything we have done will be destroyed, what sort of people should we be? The question focuses on our lives of holiness and godliness. Regarding holiness, remember Peter wrote extensively on the subject (see 1 Peter 1:15-16; 2:9), stating that we should be people dedicated to serving God and not the world. Peter also appends godliness to the question, this is one of the seven qualities found in chapter one (see 2 Peter 1:3, 6). If we continue to live like an unbeliever, we will taint our witness for God, we simply are not to be part of the world’s system (see Philippians 3:20; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 Corinthians 5:9-10; Ephesians 4:1)!
3:12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
As we wait for and the hastening the coming of the day of God. The phrase “the day of God” is very similar to the “the day of the Lord” found in verse ten, however many scholars point out that this phrase refers to more than the beginning of the final days or judgment. It is used as a title for the period that follows the end of time (literally when time ends and eternity begins, for us it would be like verse eight when time is no longer relevant (or possibly measured) and we see time the same way God does). But what does Peter mean when he says that we can hasten the coming of the Lord? There are two popular viewpoints.
The first viewpoint is that we can expedite Jesus’ return through effective evangelism and prayer (remember the “Your kingdom come” petition in the Lord’s Prayer, see Matthew 6:10). This idea could tie to verse eight as we help people to accept Jesus as their Personal Savior and come to repentance. In addition to this, Jesus also stated in the Olivet Discourse, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14) pointing to the same sequence of events, when the gospel message is fully proclaimed then comes the end. But we must understand that we could only expedite His return from our (human) perspective, since God already knows when Jesus is coming back (see Acts 17:31; Matthew 24:36). Man’s point of view is still based on time while God’s point of view is not, since He is outside of time as Peter noted earlier. Several English translations support this view with phrase like: “speed its coming” (NIV) and “hurrying it along” (NLT).
The second way to interpret this verse is by looking closely at the Greek word Peter used. It could also mean to “expect with anticipation”[1] rather than fearing that Jesus is coming back, we are to look forward to it coming quickly, which is in alignment with several other passages in the Bible (see 1 Corinthians 16:22; 1 John 2:28; Revelation 22:20). Other English translations supporting this view include: “look forward and eagerly wait” (GW) and “wait for and earnestly desire” (HCSB). Perhaps a good way to interpret would be to combine both viewpoints and challenge ourselves to evangelize with greater intention and intensity while eagerly anticipating His return!
Peter again points to the fact that the heavens will be set on fire and broken apart while the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn. Repetition is a good way to remember, we may want to only teach and preach God’s love and compassion, but the truth is that God is a just God and will judge those who have not accepted His plan of salvation.
3:13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
However, as Christians we wait with anticipation looking forward to new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (see Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; Revelation 21:1-4, 22-27). We will be where He is, forever! How are we to wait? We must be prepared; we need to be ready! (see Luke 12:35-40; 1 Corinthians 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Titus 2:13; Jude 21) Does the righteousness part bother you? You don’t think of yourself as being righteous or perhaps not righteous enough? Peter addresses that issue next as he concludes.
⇐Previous Chapter (Introduction/Index) Next Chapter⇒
[1] Strong, J. (2001). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software. Strong’s Greek No. 4328