2 Peter 3
18 verses
Scoffers mock the promise of Christ's coming, asking where is the promised parousia and demanding to know where God is when the world continues unaltered from creation's beginning, revealing their willful ignorance of the cosmic interventions at creation and flood. The Lord is not slow in fulfilling his promise but is patient, waiting and not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance—the delay of the parousia is an expression of divine mercy and longsuffering. The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, accompanied by a great noise as the heavens pass away and the elements melt with fervent heat, when the earth and the works upon it are exposed to judgment. Yet the promise of new heavens and new earth where righteousness dwells—not merely renewed but recreated—provides the framework for Christian hope and ethical behavior in light of coming dissolution. Since all creation will be dissolved in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness? The letters of Paul, containing things hard to understand that the untaught and unstable distort to their own destruction, demonstrate the reliability of apostolic testimony while acknowledging genuine theological difficulty requiring spiritual maturity to understand.
VERSES IN THIS CHAPTER
1
This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
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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:
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3
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
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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.
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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:
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6
Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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11
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
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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?
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13
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
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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.
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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;
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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.
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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.
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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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