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2 Peter 3: The Day of the Lord

Against scoffers who mock his coming, Peter proclaims the Lord's patience, the certain day, and the new heavens and earth where righteousness dwells.

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2 Peter 3 (WEB)

1 This is now, beloved, the second letter that I have written to you; and in both of them I stir up your sincere mind by reminding you;

2 that you should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandments of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior:

3 knowing this first, that in the last days mockers will come, walking after their own lusts,

4 and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

5 For this they willfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth formed out of water and amid water, by the word of God;

6 by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.

7 But the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

8 But don’t forget this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

11 Therefore since all these things will be destroyed like this, what kind of people ought you to be in holy living and godliness,

12 looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, which will cause the burning heavens to be dissolved, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

13 But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

14 Therefore, beloved, seeing that you look for these things, be diligent to be found in peace, without defect and blameless in his sight.

15 Regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote to you;

16 as also in all of his letters, speaking in them of these things. In those, there are some things that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unsettled twist, as they also do to the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

17 You therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware, lest being carried away with the error of the wicked, you fall from your own steadfastness.

18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Summary

In his second letter Peter again stirs up his readers' sincere minds by reminding them to recall the words of the prophets and the commandment of the apostles. He warns that in the last days mockers will come, walking after their own lusts and sneering, “Where is the promise of his coming?” They willfully forget that by the word of God the ancient world was formed out of water and was once destroyed by water in the flood, and that by that same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire on the day of judgment. Peter then unfolds God's perspective on time: one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise; rather he is patient, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Yet the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, when the heavens pass away with a great noise, the elements dissolve with fervent heat, and the earth and its works are burned up. Since everything will be undone, Peter asks what kind of holy and godly people we ought to be, looking for the day of God and the promise of new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells. He urges his readers to be found at peace, blameless, and to regard the Lord's patience as salvation, noting that Paul wrote the same things in letters the ignorant twist to their own ruin. He closes with a final charge and a doxology: beware the error of the wicked, and grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to whom be glory now and forever.

Key Figures

  • Simon Peter — The apostle who writes a second time to remind, warn, and encourage, urging believers to live holy lives in light of the coming day of the Lord.
  • The scoffers — Mockers of the last days who, following their own lusts, deny Christ's coming and willfully forget the word by which God made and judges the world.
  • The Lord — The God whose word created and sustains the world, who is patient toward sinners, and whose day will come surely and suddenly like a thief.
  • Paul — Peter's beloved brother, whose letters teach the same truths and are counted among the Scriptures, though some twist them to their own destruction.

Key Verse

2 Peter 3:13 (WEB)

But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

Lessons Learned

  • Scoffers mock Christ's return by willfully forgetting the word of God that made and judges the world.
  • The Lord's apparent delay is patience, giving room for repentance, for he is not willing that any should perish.
  • The day of the Lord will come suddenly and certainly, dissolving the present heavens and earth.
  • The hope of a new creation where righteousness dwells calls us to lives of holiness, peace, and steadfast growth in grace.
  • Memory guards the soul. Peter writes to “stir up your sincere mind by reminding you” (2 Peter 3:1, WEB). We are kept faithful by recalling the words of the prophets and apostles.
  • God measures time differently. “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8, WEB). What seems like delay to us is not delay to him.
  • Delay is mercy. The Lord is “patient with us, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, WEB). His waiting is grace giving room to turn.
  • The end shapes how we live now. Since all things will be dissolved, “what kind of people ought you to be in holy living and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11, WEB). Hope produces holiness.
  • Keep growing to stay standing. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, WEB). Steadfastness comes through ongoing growth, not standing still.
  1. What do the scoffers claim, and what truth do they willfully forget (3:3-7)?
  2. How does Peter explain the apparent delay of the Lord's return, and what does it reveal about God's heart (3:8-9)?
  3. Peter says the day of the Lord will come like a thief. How should the certainty of that day shape the way we live now (3:10-12)?
  4. What is the hope Peter holds out in the new heavens and new earth, and why does it matter that righteousness dwells there (3:13)?
  5. Peter ends with the charge to grow in grace and knowledge. What would it look like for you to take a step of growth this week?
  1. The scoffers mock, “Where is the promise of his coming?” claiming everything continues unchanged (3:3-4). They willfully forget that God's word once formed the world and destroyed it by flood, and that the same word now reserves the heavens and earth for judgment (3:5-7). Their problem is not lack of evidence but unwillingness to remember.
  2. Peter says God's reckoning of time is not ours and that what looks like slowness is patience: he is not willing that any should perish but desires all to repent (3:8-9). This reveals a God whose delay is driven by mercy. Encourage the group to see the waiting as an open door, including for people they love.
  3. The day will come suddenly and unannounced, dissolving the present order (3:10), so Peter draws a moral conclusion: we ought to live holy and godly lives, looking for and hastening the day of God (3:11-12). The certainty of the end is not cause for fear but a summons to readiness and holiness.
  4. The hope is not annihilation but renewal—new heavens and a new earth where righteousness is at home (3:13). It matters that righteousness dwells there because it means the long ache of living amid corruption will end; the new creation is the world made right. Let this hope steady the group.
  5. This is a personal-application question. Invite members to name one concrete way to grow in grace or knowledge—a practice, a relationship to mend, a fear to surrender. As leader, close where Peter does, with the glory of Christ, reminding the group that growth is the natural fruit of knowing him.

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible (WEB), the King James Version (KJV), and the American Standard Version (ASV), all of which are in the public domain.