2 Peter 3

The Day of the Lord

Dear friends,^a this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders^b to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets^c and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.^d

Above all, you must understand that in the last days^e scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.^f They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?^g Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”^h But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s wordⁱ the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.^j By these waters also the world of that time^k was deluged and destroyed.^l By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire,^m being kept for the day of judgmentⁿ and destruction of the ungodly.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.^o The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,^p as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient^q with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.^r

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.^s The heavens will disappear with a roar;^t the elements will be destroyed by fire,^u and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.^v

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward^w to the day of God and speed its coming.^x That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.^y But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,^z where righteousness dwells.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless^a and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience^b means salvation,^c just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.^d He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable^e people distort,^f as they do the other Scriptures,^g to their own destruction.

Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard^h so that you may not be carried away by the errorⁱ of the lawless^j and fall from your secure position.^k But grow in the grace^l and knowledge^m of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.ⁿ To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.^o