2 Peter 3 KJV
The Day of the Lord
Echoes & Connections 1 connections
The Day of the Lord
The allusion to Psalm 90:4 in verse 8 reframes the apparent delay of the parousia through the lens of Mosaic creation theology rather than mere human chronology.
1his second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing 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 the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.cf.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
14 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
17 Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
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Did You Know?
The allusion to Psalm 90:4 in verse 8 reframes the apparent delay of the parousia through the lens of Mosaic creation theology rather than mere human chronology.
Verse 16's designation of Paul's letters as 'scriptures' constitutes one of the earliest internal New Testament witnesses to the emerging canonical authority of Pauline writings.
The fiery dissolution of the stoicheia in verse 10 repurposes Stoic ekpyrosis imagery within a Jewish apocalyptic framework to depict irreversible judgment instead of cyclic renewal.
Verses 5-7 construct a deliberate typological parallel between the Genesis flood and future cosmic fire, underscoring that past acts of divine intervention establish the pattern for eschatological destruction.
The statement in verse 9 that God is 'not willing that any should perish' echoes the precise phrasing of Ezekiel 18:23 and 33:11, linking Petrine eschatology directly to Ezekiel's prophetic theology of repentance.
In Acts, the sick were laid in Jerusalem's streets hoping Peter's passing shadow would heal them, reflecting the extraordinary perception of his apostolic authority among early believers.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul details surviving three shipwrecks, a night and day adrift at sea, and being stoned and left for dead at Lystra, hardships that underscore the physical dangers of his travels beyond the more commonly recounted imprisonments.
Post-flood, Noah's nakedness and resulting curse on Canaan (Genesis 9:20-27) forms the biblical etiology for later Canaanite-Israelite conflicts rather than a blanket curse on all Ham's descendants.
Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt not merely for looking back but while fleeing the destruction, and the event is referenced by Jesus as a warning against longing for the past.
Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) · Public Domain now — "This now a second Epistle I write." Therefore he had lately written the former Epistle. The seven Catholic Epistles were written by James, John, and Jude, shortly before the…
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on 2 Peter 3 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: Sureness of Christ's coming, and its accompaniments, declared in opposition to scoffers about to arise. God's long suffering a motive to repentance, as paul's epistles set forth; Concluding exhortation to growth in the knowledge of Christ.
- 1
- now — "This now a second Epistle I write." Therefore he had lately written the former Epistle. The seven Catholic Epistles were written by James, John, and Jude, shortly before their deaths; previously, while having the prospect of being still for some time alive, they felt it less necessary to write [BENGEL]. unto you — The Second Epistle, though more general in its address, yet included especially the same persons as the First Epistle was particularly addressed to. pure — literally, "pure when examined by sunlight"; "sincere." Adulterated with no error. Opposite to "having the understanding darkened." ALFORD explains, The mind, will, and affection, in relation to the outer world, being turned to God [the Sun of the soul], and not obscured by fleshly and selfish regards. by way of — Greek, "in," "in putting you in remembrance" (2Pe 1:12, 13). Ye already know (2Pe 3:3); it is only needed that I remind you (Jude 5).
- 2
- prophets — of the Old Testament. of us — The oldest manuscripts and Vulgate read, "And of the commandment of the Lord and Saviour (declared) by YOUR apostles" (so "apostle of the Gentiles," Ro 11:13) — the apostles who live among you in the present time, in contrast to the Old Testament "prophets."
Read all 18 notes on 2 Peter 3 →