This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (3:1–10)

Jesus Christ is coming back.

Throughout the centuries, the reality of that wonderful promise has formed the crux of Christian expectation. It is the church’s blessed hope (Titus 2:11–14), her utmost longing (cf. Rom. 8:23), and the great climax of salvation history (Matt. 25:31–46)—a time of redemption for believers (Eph. 4:30) and a time of judgment for God’s enemies (2 Thess. 2:1–12). It also marks the inauguration of Christ’s earthly kingdom (Rev. 20:6), during which the saints will reign with Him in holiness (2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10). The hope of bodily resurrection (1 Thess. 4:13–18), spiritual reward (cf. Matt. 25:21, 23), and a righteous world system (Isa. 9:6–7) are all tied to Jesus’ return. It is no wonder, then, that the early church found tremendous comfort in the second coming. After all, the readers of this epistle had already endured much persecution from outside the church (cf. 1 Peter 4:12–14). Now they were experiencing internal turmoil from false teachers. Thus, they longed for the return of their Savior—the Judge who would make all things right (cf. 2 Tim. 4:7–8). As one author explains:

Of course, the devil also recognizes how important this doctrine is to the church. When Christians live in anticipation of Christ’s promised return, they demonstrate spiritual zeal and enthusiasm, recognizing that they will soon give an account to their Master (Rom. 13:11; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:5). As the apostle John wrote, it is a purifying hope (1 John 3:3). But, when believers forget about the second coming and begin focusing instead on the things of this world, they become absorbed in the temporal and grow apathetic and cold toward the eternal. Satan knows that if he can get the church to discount the importance of Christ’s return, or even completely deny its reality, he can remove a very significant source of Christian hope and motivation. To that end the devil continually places skeptics and false teachers within the church, men who reject, minimize, or alter Jesus’ promise. Such cynics who plague Christendom today were also around in Peter’s time. (For a more detailed treatment of the Lord’s coming and those who deny it, see John MacArthur, The Second Coming [Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway 1999].)

In 3:1–10, Peter responds directly to the false teachers’ attacks. First, he considers the fallacious arguments they made against the second coming. Second, he answers those allegations, providing counterarguments which support Christ’s return. Finally, he concludes by assuring his readers that, no matter what the heretics say, God’s future judgment is certain.

THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE SECOND COMING

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” (3:3–4)

In their brazen rejection of Christ’s return, the false teachers of Peter’s day began by denying the Word of God. Although they recognized the promise of His coming (see the discussion of vv. 1–2 below; 3:15–16; cf. Matt. 10:23; 24:29–31, 42; 25:31; Mark 8:38; Acts 1:10–11; 3:20–21; 1 Cor. 4:5; Phil. 3:20; 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:23; 2 Tim. 4:1; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; 1 Peter 5:4; 1 John 2:28; Rev. 16:15), they simply discounted it as false. Instead of submitting to God’s self-revelation, the false teachers flatly rejected the reality of Jesus’ second coming—simultaneously, and to their own sinful satisfaction, disregarding any thought of future accountability (cf. 1 Peter 5:1–4). As a result, they ridiculed those who were righteous, flaunted their own immorality, and foolishly clung to a uniformitarian worldview. The apostle addressed each of these three factors (their ridicule, immorality, and uniformitarian worldview) for his readers as he unmasked the true motivation of the false teachers’hearts.

RIDICULE

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, (3:3a)

Throughout church history, false teachers have commonly tried to intimidate people through contemptuous mocking and sarcastic ridicule. In this case, the hope of Jesus’ coming bore the brunt of their derision.

Without question, the early church believed Christ’s return was imminent. The apostle Paul, for example, thought it could occur even within his lifetime (cf. 1 Thess. 4:17)—a view that was probably shared by all of the disciples. As followers of Christ, they longed to be reunited with their Lord and to see His kingdom established on the earth.

But the passage of time soon threatened the church’s sense of expectancy. Apparently, some of the Christians to whom Peter wrote were beginning to doubt if Jesus was even coming back at all. They worried that their hope was not as sure as they had first believed.

The false teachers, of course, were quick to capitalize on such fears—planting seeds of further doubt and nurturing apocalyptic anxiety. As a first line of defense, Peter exhorted his readers to know this first of all. The phrase first of all is not speaking about chronological sequence, but rather about first priority. Before developing his counterarguments, Peter’s primary goal was to warn his readers about the false teachers’ tactics—namely, that they were purposefully denying the return of Christ in order to indulge their own sinful exploits without facing consequences. (For a discussion on how Paul responded to similar concerns about Christ’s return, see the exposition of 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1–5 in John MacArthur, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody 2002], 123–38, 263–74).

The apostle continued with the common New Testament expression in the last days, a phrase that refers to the entire time between Christ’s first and second comings (cf. Acts 2:17; 2 Tim. 3:1; Heb. 1:2; James 5:3; 1 Peter 1:20; 1 John 2:18; Jude 18). All throughout that long period mockers will come, seeking to undermine the church’s confidence in Christ’s return. Although Peter used the future tense form of erchomai (will come), he was not limiting the mockers’ activities to some far-off future day. Instead, he was indicating the certainty of their presence within the church. There have always been those who mocked the promise of judgment or deliverance (cf. Isa. 5:18–19; Jer. 17:15; Ezek. 12:21–24; Mal. 2:17). And such blasphemies will continue until the end of redemptive history (cf. Jude 18–19).

To further emphasize his point, Peter used the repetitive expression mockers will come with their mocking. By their senseless ridicule, false teachers—even today—attack Christ’s promise and any who believe it. Their argument is neither sound nor logical; rather it is a vicious form of intimidation that derides hope-filled Christians as silly and uninformed.

IMMORALITY

following after their own lusts, (3:3b)

Whether or not they admit it, immorality is the real reason that false teachers deny the second coming. The word rendered following after is a form of the verb poreuomai, which literally means “travel” or “go.” It denotes a course of conduct or long-term behavior (cf. Luke 1:6; Acts 9:31; 14:16). For false teachers, their lifestyles focus on their own lusts and sensuality (cf. 2:10, 13–14, 18). Thus they deny Christ’s return because they hate the thought of divine retribution (cf. Rom. 1:18). They want the freedom to pursue all kinds of lustful pleasures without any fear of future punishment. In the words of Michael Green:

In contrast, believers embrace the fact that the Lord will return (Acts 1:10–11), that they will give account for their lives (Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10), and that He will bestow rewards based on faithfulness (1 Cor. 3:12–15). They also believe that when Christ comes He will reveal the secret things of the heart (1 Cor. 4:5). Those who truly hope in His return have an incentive for holy living (Phil. 3:20–21; 4:1; 1 John 3:2–3) because they realize that “each one of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:12).

UNIFORMITARIANISM

and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” (3:4)

The taunting question “Where is the promise of His coming?” introduced a denial of the Lord’s return based on a revisionist view of history. To support their misguided view, the false teachers claimed that, “ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” Although the fathers could refer to the fathers of the Christian faith or to first-generation believers who had died, neither one of those meanings is likely. Rather, in keeping with other New Testament references (e.g., Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:1), it is probably a reference to the Old Testament patriarchs (cf. Gen. 25:8–10; 35:28–29; 49:33). Fell asleep is a New Testament euphemism for death (John 11:11, 13; 1 Cor. 11:30; 15:51).

The heretics’ argument was simple. If everything continues just as it was from the beginning of creation (meaning that the universe is a divinely created but closed, naturalistic system of cause and effect), then divine intervention—including the return of Christ—must be ruled out a priori. In modern times, that view is known as uniformitarianism. Contending that the present is the key to the past, uniformitarianism asserts that the only natural processes that have ever operated in the past are the same processes at work today. It categorically denies divine intervention throughout world history, most notably opposing both six-day creation and the global Flood.

The rise of modern uniformitarianism occurred largely because of the efforts of the nineteenth-century British lawyer and geologist Charles Lyell. His book Principles of Geology had a profound impact on the scientific community of his day. In fact, Lyell’s uniformitarianism was a primary pillar on which Charles Darwin established his theory of evolution. (Darwin took a copy of Principles of Geology with him during his famous voyage on the Beagle to the Galapagos and other islands off the Pacific coast of South America in 1831–32.) As a result of Lyell’s hypothesis, catastrophism—which had previously been the dominant view among geologists—was largely abandoned for more than a century.

In recent decades, however, there has been a resurgence of interest in catastrophism among secular geologists. It became apparent that there is far too much evidence of catastrophism in the earth’s geologic features to support Lyell’s tranquil, uniformitarian view. But instead of embracing the biblical account of a catastrophic six-day creation and another worldwide catastrophe—namely, Noah’s Flood—the “new catastrophists” opt for countless smaller catastrophes.

To be sure, there is an element of general uniformity in the universe; it is a manifestation of God’s providential care for His creation. After all, if the natural laws and universal processes did not normally function in a consistent manner, chaos would ensue. A biblical view of the universe, then, sees creation as an open system—in which God has ordained a uniform operation of natural causes, but also a universe in which He has intervened and still does intervene. Those who go beyond this, advocating a uniformitarianism so rigid as to preclude God’s involvement in history, have foolishly deceived themselves. Like the false teachers of Peter’s day, they deny the promises of Scripture (including Christ’s return) on the basis of their conveniently devised worldview.

THE ARGUMENTS FOR THE SECOND COMING

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles…. For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (3:1–2, 5–9)

In refuting the blasphemous allegations presented by the false teachers, Peter relied on four primary sources—Scripture, history, eternity, and the character of God.

SCRIPTURE

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. (3:1–2)

Peter’s opening words of this section, This is now, beloved, the second letter, indicate that the apostle also wrote other letters to this same audience. In fact, this expression is probably an implicit reference to 1 Peter, his other canonical letter. The apostle’s pastoral heart and genuine concern for his readers is expressed in the term beloved (cf. 3:8), used so frequently by the apostles Paul and John in their New Testament writings.

Peter wrote both of his inspired letters in part to remind his readers of certain basic doctrinal and spiritual truths (1:12–15; 1 Peter 1:13–16, 22–25). The expression stirring up indicates his effort to disturb any complacency and make clear the spiritual urgency with which he warned his audience about false teachers. The apostle actively and aggressively opposed the heretics, hoping to protect his flock from menacing wolves. To do that, he had to alert the sensibilities of those to whom he wrote, revealing the truth to their sincere mind by way of reminder. At salvation, the Holy Spirit gives each believer a sincere mind, a new understanding that is purified and uncontaminated by the seductive influences of the world and the flesh (Rom. 8:9, 11, 13–16; cf. 1 Cor. 2:12; 3:16; 6:11; Eph. 1:12–14; 2 Tim. 1:7, 14). By reiterating spiritual truths that his readers already knew, the apostle armed them with renewed conviction and rebuttal against false teaching.

Peter’s first reminder concerns the truth of Old Testament Scripture, the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets (cf. 1:20–21). (Peter’s use of the adjective holy provided a sharp contrast between the unrighteousness of the false prophets and the righteousness of the true ones [cf. Jude 14–15].)

Throughout the Old Testament, the prophets continually predict God’s eschatological judgment. For example, Isaiah proclaims:

And the prophet Malachi echoes this theme, announcing:

Thus, from Isaiah to Malachi—from the beginning of the Old Testament prophets to the end—the theme of God’s final wrath (often called “the day of the Lord”) is clearly heralded (cf. Ezek. 30:3; Joel 2:31; Mic. 1:3–4; Zeph. 1:14–18; 3:8; Mal. 4:5).

The commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by the apostles refers to the New Testament (cf. a similar use of entolē [commandment] in 1 Tim. 6:14) and its subject, Jesus Christ. (Peter calls them your apostles in order to denote the special relationship they had with the church.) Twenty-three of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament explicitly refer to the Lord’s return. Of those four that do not (Galatians, Philemon, 2 John, and 3 John), Galatians 5:5 does allude to it: “For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.” And 2 John 8 speaks of the believer’s future reward, a doctrine that finds its ultimate fulfillment after the second coming. In reality, then, only Philemon and 3 John are completely silent on the subject. In the two hundred sixty chapters of the New Testament, there are about three hundred instances in which Christ’s apostles make reference to His second coming.

In proclaiming their great hope, the apostles were merely reflecting the promise of their Savior, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds” (Matt. 16:27; cf. 25:31; 26:64; Mark 13:3–27; Luke 12:40). The apostle Paul, for example, repeatedly confirmed his belief in Christ’s glorious return (1 Cor. 4:5; 15:23–28; 1 Thess. 3:13; 2 Thess. 1:7–8, 10; 2 Tim. 4:1, 8; Titus 2:13; cf. Heb. 9:27–28)—an event that the apostle John described like this:

From Matthew to Revelation, Jesus’ return is reiterated time and time again. Peter understood the weight of this inspired apostolic testimony. As a result, he affirmed the second coming with unwavering confidence.

HISTORY

For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (3:5–7)

The New Testament writers often appealed to Old Testament history to make a point (e.g., 1 Cor. 10:1–13; Heb. 11; cf. Rom. 15:4), as did Jesus on several occasions (Luke 11:29–32; 17:26–32). Thus, it is not surprising that Peter would do the same. In this case, he appealed to Old Testament history to further defend the second coming.

When the false teachers maintained their uniformitarian view of history (see the discussion of v. 4 above), they ignored historical facts. The word translated escapes their notice (lanthanō) actually carries a more negative connotation, expressed better by the King James rendering, “willingly are ignorant of.” The facts did not merely elude such mockers. Rather, those individuals had purposefully shut their eyes to the truth. They willfully ignored the historical evidence, choosing to disregard the biblical accounts of divine retribution. Because they loved their sin, wanting to live as they pleased (cf. Job 20:12–13; Pss. 36:1–4; 73:5–12; Prov 13:19; 14:9; 16:30; 26:11; John 3:20; Rom. 1:21–32; Eph. 4:17–19; 2 Tim. 3:2–4), they made conscious decisions not to consider the final consequences (cf. Num. 15:31; Deut. 7:9–10; Job 36:12, 17; Pss. 34:16; 78:49–50; Matt. 10:28; 13:41–42, 49–50; Rom. 1:18; 1 Cor. 6:9–10; Gal. 6:8; 2 Thess. 2:8–10; Rev. 21:8, 27).

As a result of their self-induced blindness, the false teachers discounted two monumental events in history that disprove their uniformitarian views. The first is the creation when, by the word of God, the Lord instantly brought the universe, or heavens, into being (Gen. 1:1). He needed no preexisting materials (Gen. 1:1–2:1; cf. Isa. 40:28; 45:8, 12, 18; 48:13; Acts 17:24) and no long periods of time. Although God has always existed (Pss. 90:2; 102:25–27; Rom. 1:20; Rev. 16:5), creation marked the beginning of the universe in time and space. Scripture, most notably Genesis 1–2, supports a relatively recent creation and a young earth—one specially created out of nothing in six consecutive, twenty-four-hour days. The phrase existed long ago does not imply a creation billions of years old. Several thousand years would certainly have been sufficient for Peter’s use of that phrase. Moreover, a young-earth view (in which the universe is not more than ten thousand years old) is clearly supported by the larger context of Genesis (see, for example, the genealogies in chaps. 5, 10–11).

As God created the heavens, the earth was divinely formed out of water and by water. God shaped the earth between two areas of watery mass (Gen. 1:6–9; cf. Prov. 8:27–29). On the second day of creation, He collected the upper waters into something like a vapor canopy around the entire earth, and the lower waters into underground reservoirs, rivers, lakes, and seas. Then, on the third day, He separated the land from the water, allowing dry earth to appear (Gen. 1:10). (For a complete treatment of biblical creation and many of the major issues involved, see John MacArthur, The Battle for the Beginning [Nashville: W Publishing, 2001].)

As Adam and Eve lived on that pre-Flood world, underneath the vapor canopy that God had created, they were shielded from the sun’s harmful radiation. As a result, they lived much longer than human beings do today (cf. Gen. 5:5). Yet, despite the ideal environment they enjoyed, the spiritual climate of the pre-Flood world quickly worsened. In fact, the wickedness of their descendants grew so great that God decided to judge the world and drown all but eight of its inhabitants (Gen. 6:5–7, 11–13). Therefore the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. Peter’s reference to world is not primarily to the physical earth, because the planet itself was not obliterated, but rather to the sinful world order (1 John 2:15–17; cf. 1 Cor. 1:20–21; 2 Cor. 4:4; Gal. 4:3; Col. 2:8, 20; 1 Tim. 6:17; Heb. 11:7; Rev. 11:15; 18:2–20). The term flooded (katakluzō, from which the English word cataclysm derives) means “to flood,” or “inundate,” implying complete, destructive overflow.

Contrary to the objections of certain skeptics, there would have been more than enough water to cover the entire earth. In addition to the water already on the earth’s surface (which even in today’s post-Flood world covers nearly three-fourths of the planet), two other vast sources of water existed: subterranean reservoirs (the “fountains of the great deep” [Gen. 7:11; cf. 8:2]), and the canopy created on day two (the “waters which were above the expanse” [Gen. 1:7]). Together, those two sources provided enough water to encompass the entire globe with rain for forty days and nights (Gen. 7:12). The language of Genesis 7, where the Flood is described in detail, can be explained only if a global Flood is in view. (For additional commentary on the Flood, see notes on Genesis 7:11–8:4 in John MacArthur, ed., The MacArthur Study Bible [Nashville: Word, 1997], 25–27.)

The false teachers of Peter’s time refused to view world history properly. Due to their self-centered hedonism, they provide a classic example of willful ignorance. Like today’s revisionist historians, the false teachers deliberately denied both the creation story and the Flood—the two catastrophic events that easily disprove their uniformitarian views.

In Genesis 9:11, 15, God promised to never again destroy the earth by means of a universal flood. But that does not mean that He will never again enact global judgment. On the contrary, by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire. While the pre-Flood world system was drowned by water, the present world system will be consumed by flames (Job 21:30; Pss. 9:7; 96:13; Matt. 13:40–42; 25:32; Rom. 2:5; Heb. 9:27; 10:27). That future judgment, as with the Flood, will come by the power and authority of His word.

Scripture often associates fire with the final judgment. The prophet Isaiah wrote:

The New Testament also links fire with judgment. Paul told the Thessalonians:

Just as the abundant presence of water facilitated the Flood, so the pervasiveness of fire makes a future inferno credible. For example, the galaxies consist of billions of burning stars. Even the earth’s core contains a huge volume of molten rock that may be as hot as 12,400 degrees Fahrenheit. Only a ten-mile-thick crust separates humanity from earth’s blazing interior. More significantly, the entire creation, because of its basic atomic structure, is a potential nuclear bomb. The devastating power of nuclear weapons demonstrates the destructive force God has placed within the atom. When He is ready, God will use that kind of nuclear energy in an atomic holocaust that will disintegrate the universe (see commentary on 3:10 later in this chapter and on 3:12 in the next chapter of this volume).

Peter’s warning, then, is clear: God has kept the universe for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. Just as in Noah’s time, that final day of judgment will be for ungodly men and not for believers (cf. Matt. 25:41; Luke 3:17; John 5:29). The Lord will deliver His own out of the world before He unleashes His final wrath (cf. Mal. 3:16–18).

ETERNITY

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. (3:8)

In Psalm 90:4 Moses declared, “For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by or as a watch in the night.” Peter’s paraphrase from that psalm encouraged his readers to not let this one fact escape their notice—that God’s perspective on time is much different from humanity’s (cf. Ps. 102:12, 24–27). The amount of earthly time that passes is of no consequence from God’s timeless perspective. A moment is no different from an eon, and eons pass like moments to the eternal God.

What may seem like a long time to believers, like a thousand years, is actually short, like one day, in God’s sight. In context, Peter is contending that, while Christ’s return may seem far off to human beings, it is imminent from God’s perspective. Finite people must not confine an infinite God to their time schedule. The Lord Jesus Christ will return at the exact moment determined by God in eternity past. Those who foolishly demand that God operate according to their time frame ignore that He is the “High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity” (Isa. 57:15, NKJV). Similarly, those who argue that Christ will not return because He has not yet returned demonstrate the height of folly.

Beyond the general sense of a thousand years meaning a long time as opposed to a day meaning a short time, there is also here the specific indication that one thousand years actually lies between the first phase of the day of the Lord at the end of the time of tribulation (Rev. 6:17) and the last phase at the end of the millennial kingdom. At that terminus, the Lord will destroy the universe and create the new heavens and new earth (Rev. 20:1–21:1).

THE CHARACTER OF GOD

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. (3:9)

Peter’s support for the second coming culminated in an appeal to the character of God. The thrust of his argument is this: The reason Christ’s return is not immediate is because God is patient with sinners. Any waiting is attributable only to God’s gracious longsuffering. It is not that He is indifferent, powerless, or distracted. Instead, it is just the opposite. Because He is merciful and forbearing, He delays so that elect sinners might come to repentance (1 Peter 3:20; cf. Matt. 4:17; 9:13; Mark 6:12; Luke 15:10; Rom. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:25; Rev. 2:5).

Despite the ridicule of the scoffers, the Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness. Slow (bradunō) means “delayed,” or “late,” implying the idea of “loitering.” None of that applies to God; His seeming slowness is not due to lack of ability, forgetfulness, or apathy. In fulfilling His promise, God is working everything precisely according to His perfect plan and schedule (cf. 2 Sam. 22:31; Ps. 111:5, 7–8; Isa. 25:1; Jer. 33:14; 2 Cor. 1:20). That same principle applied to Christ’s first coming: “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law” (Gal. 4:4).

Patient translates a form of the verb makrothumeō. It is a compound word combining “large” with “great anger.” Peter used it here to show that God has a vast capacity for storing up anger and wrath before it spills over in judgment (cf. Ex. 34:6; Joel 2:13; Matt. 18:23–27; Rom. 2:4; 9:22). While that judgment is inescapable and deadly, God’s merciful patience beforehand gives the chosen the opportunity for reconciliation and salvation (see 3:15). His wrath toward the individual sinner is immediately appeased whenever that person repents and believes the gospel (cf. Luke 15:7, 10; Acts 13:47–48).

You refers both to Peter’s immediate readers and any who will ever come to faith in Jesus Christ (cf. John 10:16). Some have argued that you implies the salvation of all people. But the immediate context and comments about “the destruction of ungodly men” (v. 7) clearly limits the you to believers. The letter is addressed to “those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ…. He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature” (1:1b, 4a; emphasis added). From then on, the use of you is directed at believers (2:1–3; 3:2). The you of 3:1 are “beloved.” The words of verse 8, “do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved” (emphasis added), again link the you to the beloved. The you with whom the Lord is patient are therefore the same beloved ones He waits to bring to repentance.

Those who perish— “utterly destroyed” in eternal hell—suffer damnation because they are dead in their sins and refuse God’s offer of salvation in Christ. At the same time, it is clear from Scripture that the Father takes no delight in the death of the lost: “‘For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,’ declares the Lord God. ‘Therefore, repent and live’” (Ezek. 18:32; cf. Jer. 13:17; Matt. 23:37). In fact, God actually offers salvation to all (cf. Isa. 45:21–22; 55:1; Matt. 11:28; John 3:16; Acts 17:30; 1 Tim. 2:3–4; Rev. 22:17).

Scripture clearly states that God thoroughly hates sin (Deut. 25:16; 1 Kings 14:22; Pss. 5:4–6; 45:7; Prov. 6:16–19; 15:9; Hab. 1:13) and therefore its potential consequences for every person, including eternal punishment in hell. Yet, in order to display His own glory in wrath, God chose to save some and not to save others. As the apostle Paul explained:

The context indicates that any and all are limited to the elect—namely all those whom the Lord has chosen and will call to Himself. Put another way, Christ will not come back until every person whom God has chosen is saved. By using the term you (a reference to Peter’s believing readers), the apostle limits any and all to the realm of elect human beings.

Of course, once all of the elect are accounted for, God’s patience will run out. Having given the world as much time as He has sovereignly determined, God will pour out His wrath upon the earth. While His patience currently holds back His judgment, the time of grace that mankind now enjoys, however long it seems by human standards, will not last forever (cf. Gen. 6:3).

THE ASSURANCE OF DIVINE JUDGMENT

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. (3:10)

Based on his preceding arguments, Peter confidently asserts that the day of the Lord will come. No matter what the false teachers may claim, the evidence against them is overwhelming.

In Scripture the day of the Lord signifies the extraordinary, miraculous interventions of God in human history for the purpose of judgment, culminating in His final judgment of the wicked on earth and the destruction of the present universe. The Old Testament prophets viewed the final day of the Lord as a day of unparalleled judgment, darkness, and damnation, a day in which the Lord would completely destroy His enemies, vindicate His name, reveal His glory, and establish His kingdom (Isa. 2:10–21; 13:6–22; Joel 1–2; Amos 5; Obad. 15; Zeph. 1:7–18; Zech. 14; Mal. 4). The New Testament writers also foresaw that day as an awesome and fearful event (2 Thess. 2:2; cf. Matt. 24:29–31). According to the book of Revelation, it will transpire in two stages: during the tribulation (Rev. 6:17) and after the millennium (Rev. 20:7–10). Afterward, God will establish the new heavens and earth (Rev. 21:1).

A deeper look into the phrase the day of the Lord reveals nineteen indisputable Old Testament references and four in the New Testament. The Old Testament prophets used the expression to describe both near historical judgments (Isa. 13:6–22; Ezek. 30:2–19; Joel 1:15; Amos 5:18–20; Zeph. 1:14–18) and distant eschatological judgments (Joel 2:30–32; 3:14; Zech. 14:1; Mal. 4:1, 5). Six times they call it “the day of doom” and four times “the day of vengeance.” The New Testament writers name it a day of “wrath,” “visitation,” and “the great day of God, the Almighty” (Rev. 16:14). These are horrifying judgments from God (cf. Joel 2:30–31; 2 Thess. 1:7–10) rendered because of the world’s overwhelming sinfulness.

Peter described the day of the Lord as arriving like a thief, meaning that it will be unexpected, without warning, and disastrous for the unprepared. The apostle Paul used the same comparison when he wrote to the Thessalonians: “For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2).

With the culmination of the final phase of the day of the Lord, the heavens will pass away with a roar—a universal upheaval that Jesus Himself predicted in the Olivet Discourse: “Heaven and earth will pass away” (Matt. 24:35). Heavens refers to the visible, physical universe of interstellar and intergalactic space. Like Christ, Peter foresaw the disintegration of the entire universe in an instant “uncreation,” not by any naturalistic scenario, but solely by God’s omnipotent intervention.

The term roar (rhoizēdon) is an onomatopoeia—a word that sounds like what it means. It speaks of “a rushing sound,” or “a loud noise,” and also connotes the whizzing, crackling sounds that objects emit as fire consumes them. On that future day, the noise from the disintegrating atoms of the universe will be deafening, unlike anything mortals have ever heard before.

As Peter continues, he expands his earlier statement from verse 7: the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. The word elements (stoicheia) literally means “ones in a row,” as in letters of the alphabet or numbers. When used in reference to the physical world, it describes the basic atomic components that make up the universe.

The intense heat will be so powerful that the earth and its works will be burned up. God’s power will consume everything in the material realm—the entire physical earth—with its civilizations, ecosystems, and natural resources—and the surrounding celestial universe. Yet even in the midst of that mind-boggling destruction, the Lord will protect His sheep.

At the moment, mockers may ridicule and false teachers may scoff. But their disparaging comments and outright insults are only shortlived. One day, Christ will return and God’s judgment will be displayed—a fact that is guaranteed by His promise and undergirded by His power. After He returns, the entire present universe will cease to exist. It will be replaced by a completely new heaven and earth where the righteous will live with God forever (Rev. 22:5). The unrighteous, on the other hand, will face the eternal consequences of their sin (Rev. 20:10–15).

In light of all this, believers are to wait with eager expectation. After all, Jesus Christ is coming again, and His return is right on schedule.