BIBLE CHAPTER STUDY
2 Peter 3 — The Day of the Lord and New Creation
Peter warns of end-times scoffers, defends God's promise of judgment by fire, anchors divine patience in mercy, and calls believers to holy living while awaiting new heavens and a new earth.
Scripture
1This is now, beloved, the second epistle that I write unto you; and in both of them I stir up your sincere mind by putting you in remembrance;
2that ye should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandments of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles:
3knowing this first, that in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts,
4and 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.
5For this they willfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God;
6by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7but 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.
8But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness,
12looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give diligence that ye may be found in peace, without spot and blameless in his sight.
15And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote unto you;
16as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; wherein are some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and unstedfast wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17Ye therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware lest, being carried away with the error of the wicked, ye fall from your own stedfastness.
18But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and for ever. Amen.
What this passage means
Chapter 3 opens by identifying itself as Peter's second letter, written to stir the readers' sincere mind (verse 1) and to recall the words of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour delivered through the apostles (verse 2). The chapter's stated purpose is therefore catechetical: it presses memory, not novel teaching, as the foundation for faithfulness.
Verses 3–7 present the threat: scoffers in the last days will mock the promise of his coming (verse 4), arguing that all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. Peter counters by appeal to Scripture-memory — the old heavens, the earth formed out of water and through water by the word of God (verse 5), the world that then was deluged and perished (verse 6), and the present heavens and earth stored up for fire against the day of judgment (verse 7). The same word that created is the word that judges.
Verses 8–18 turn the argument into exhortation. Because one day is with the Lord as a thousand years (verse 8), the apparent delay is longsuffering, not slackness; the Lord wishes all to come to repentance (verse 9). The day of the Lord will come unexpectedly (verse 10); the proper response is holy conduct (verse 11), eager waiting (verse 12), and hope for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness (verse 13). The chapter closes with a call to be found blameless (verse 14), to read Paul's letters alongside 'the other scriptures' (verse 16), to beware of being carried away (verse 17), and to grow in grace and knowledge (verse 18).
Context
The chapter identifies itself as the writer's second epistle, addressed to 'beloved,' and frames the instruction as a reminding of what the prophets and the Lord's apostles had already said (verses 1–2). The following material unfolds as a single sustained argument: scoffers' denial of the promise, the scriptural counterevidence of creation and flood, the theological reframing of delay as patience, and the closing exhortation to holy living and growth in grace. The curated chapter note summarizes the passage under the theme 'Coming of the Lord and watchfulness.'
Within the supplied cross references, the chapter's portrait of divine patience is echoed by Romans 2:4, Psalms 86:15, Isaiah 30:18, and 1 Timothy 1:16; the pairing of the longsuffering of the Lord with salvation in verse 15 is itself a provided cross reference (2 Peter 3:15). The promise of new heavens and a new earth in verse 13 is paired with Revelation 21:1, and the prayer for growth in verse 18 stands alongside Colossians 1:10 and Ephesians 4:15.
Key words in the original
- G1506 Found in verse 1 (εἰλικρινῆ), the adjective describes the mind Peter aims to stir up. Its gloss as 'judged by sunlight' pictures something tested in full exposure and therefore genuine — sincerity that has nothing to hide.
- G1326 Used in verse 1 (διεγείρω), the verb means to wake fully or arouse. Peter's writing is not merely informational but intentionally stirs the readers' memory so that they respond, not merely assent.
- G4396 Appearing in verse 2 (προφητῶν), the term names the spokespersons who previously spoke the words now to be remembered. Its definition as a foreteller and inspired speaker shows that Peter treats 'the holy prophets' as the authoritative source of the older revelation alongside the apostles' commandment.
Related verses
- Psalms 90:4 Echoes verse 8's formula that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, grounding Peter's argument for why apparent delay does not equal slackness.
- 1 Timothy 2:4 Aligns with verse 9's claim that the Lord wishes all to come to repentance, supplying scriptural warrant for reading divine patience as universal in scope.
- Habakkuk 2:3 Underwrites verse 9's defense of the promise against the charge of delay: the vision is for an appointed time and will surely come, even when it tarries.
Common questions
Why does Peter say one day is with the Lord as a thousand years?
In verse 8 the formula reframes the scoffers' complaint in verses 3–4. Because divine time is not measured by human expectation, the apparent delay of the promise does not disprove it; the following verse then defines that delay as longsuffering intent on repentance (verse 9).
How do verses 5–7 use creation and the flood to answer the scoffers?
The scoffers in verse 4 claim all things continue from the beginning. Peter counters that the 'beginning' itself includes a prior judgment: the old heavens and earth were formed by the word of God (verse 5), the world of that era perished by water (verse 6), and the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire until the day of judgment (verse 7). The same word that framed the old order frames and will dissolve the present one.
What is the connection between the longsuffering of the Lord and salvation in verse 15?
Verse 15 explicitly equates the Lord's longsuffering with salvation: the time granted before the day of the Lord is itself the space in which repentance (verse 9) leads to deliverance. The verse also notes that Paul wrote to the same readers along these lines, treating apostolic letters as carrying the same wise instruction the readers already received.