Embracing God's Perspective of His Own Coming

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2 Peter 3:8–10 (NKJV) — 8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, 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 which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

Introduction:

Background:

The importance of remembering continues in the present paragraph. In vv. 1–2 the readers were exhorted to remember the words of the prophets and the commands of the apostles. Such remembrance was crucial because scoffers had emerged who doubted the future coming of Jesus Christ. Indeed, these scoffers had forgotten (v. 5) and not perceived the significance of God’s works in history. They had forgotten these things because they had strayed from God and repudiated the gospel. Peter feared that they could influence his readers. But he also was concerned that the faithful might forget (v. 8) important truths, not because they were rebelling but simply because the false teachers might sow confusion in their minds. Hence, he gave them two further arguments about the coming of the Lord. First, the apparent failure of the Lord to appear within a certain time frame should not dampen their faith. The Lord does not reckon time as we do (v. 8). A thousand years is like one day to him. What seems like a long time to us is not long to him. The fact that he has not arrived, therefore, says nothing about whether he will come in the future. Second, the Lord is not slow in fulfilling his promise to return (v. 9). He delays his coming to give opportunity for all to repent. Finally, in v. 10 Peter reiterated with confidence that the day of the Lord will arrive. It will come suddenly, and when it does, the world as we know it will be dissolved.

Proposition: Christians must have God’s perspective of the His coming.

Interrogative: What perspective does God want us to have?

I. God’s Timing Differs (3:8)

2 Peter 3:8–10 (NKJV) — 8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

A. The exhortation not to forget

My beloved

2 Peter 3:1 (NKJV) — 1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),

2 Peter 3:14 (NKJV) — 14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;

2 Peter 3:17 (NKJV) — 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked;

2. Do not forget

2 Peter 3:5 (NKJV) — 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,

Acts 26:26 (NKJV) — 26 For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things; for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner.

B. God’s perceptive vs. Ours

that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years

2. and a thousand years as one day

3:8 The next section of the letter is marked by “dear friends” (agapētoi), as in 3:1, 14, 17. For the significance of this term see the comments under 3:1. The verb “forget” (lanthanō) is repeated from v. 5. There we saw that the opponents had forgotten about the implications of God’s work at creation. The world has not always been marked by regularity and order. God in his creative work shaped the chaotic world so that it was habitable for human beings. Peter exhorted the beloved believers not to forget a crucial truth about God, a truth they were liable to forget since they were under pressure from the teachers, who quite likely argued that too much time had elapsed for the promise of Christ’s return to be credible. Peter reminded them of the truth that “with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”43 Peter alluded to Ps 90:4, where the psalmist said, “A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.” In Psalm 90 the eternity of God is contrasted with the temporality of human beings (cf. also Sir 18:9–11; 2 Apoc. Bar. 48:12–13). The lives of human beings are short and frail, but God does not weaken or fail with the passage of time. In one sense the marking of time is irrelevant to God because he transcends it. Peter applied this insight to the coming of the Lord. If the passing of time does not diminish God in any way and if he transcends time so that its passing does not affect his being, then believers should not be concerned about the so-called delay of Christ’s coming. The passing of a thousand years, after all, is like the passing of a single day to him. Bigg nicely captures the idea: “The desire of the Psalmist is to contrast the eternity of God with the short span of human life. What St. Peter wishes is to contrast the eternity of God with the impatience of human expectations.”44 Peter had not surrendered the imminence of Christ’s coming here.45 He was scarcely arguing that Christ would not come until a great amount of time had elapsed. Second Peter 3:12 indicates an expectation that Christ would return soon. But Peter, like all the New Testament writers, did not prescribe when Christ returns or set a certain date. He preserved the tension between the imminence of Christ’s coming and the uncertainty about when he will come.46

The phrase also could be interpreted literally to say a day with the Lord is a thousand years. This interpretation was occasionally used in interpreting Genesis to say that human history would last six days (i.e., six thousand years), which would culminate in the millennium (the last thousand years—cf. Barn. 15:4; Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 5.28.3). Such an interpretation fails on two grounds. First, the text does not say that one day with the Lord is a thousand years. It says one day with the Lord is like a thousand years.47 We do not have a literal statement here but a comparison, an analogy. Second, the proposed interpretation does not make sense in context. Peter would then have been saying that the day of judgment lasts one thousand years, which is a rather strange notion. Finally, such an interpretation does not fit well with Peter’s response to the false teachers.48 What Peter did say cogently responds to the teachers. Even though the Lord has not returned yet, one should not conclude from this that he will never arrive.49 The Lord does not reckon time as humans do. What seems agonizingly long to us is a whisker of time to him.

Illustration: Its like 3 hours in a car vs. 3 hours at an amusement parks. Or how time feels to a child verses an adult. Or how long it feels on Christmas morning when you’re child vs. how short it feels before your kids are expecting you to get up.

Transition: God’s timing differs from ours, but his Attitude differs as well.

II. God’s Attitude Differs from Ours (3:9)

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

A. What God’s Attitude is Not

The Lord is not delayed concerning His promise

1094 βραδύνω (bradynō): vb.; ≡ Str 1019—LN 67.124 be slow in, delay, hesitate (1Ti 3:15; 2Pe 3:9+)

1 Timothy 3:15 (NKJV) — 15 but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

2. As some count being delayed

Habakkuk 2:3 (NKJV) — 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry.

B. What God’s Attitude Is

1. Long suffering toward us

Romans 2:4 (NKJV) — 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Romans 9:22 (NKJV) — 22 What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,

1 Timothy 1:16 (NKJV) — 16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

James 5:10 (NKJV) — 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.

2. Not willing that any should perish,

3. but that all should come to repentance

Joel 2:12–13 (NKJV) — 12 “Now, therefore,” says the Lord, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.

Romans 2:4 (NKJV) — 4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Exodus 34:6 (NKJV) — 6 And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,

Numbers 14:18 (NKJV) — 18 ‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’

Nehemiah 9:17 (NKJV) — 17 They refused to obey, And they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. But they hardened their necks, And in their rebellion They appointed a leader To return to their bondage. But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness, And did not forsake them.

God ordains some to be saved

John 6:37 (NKJV) — 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

John 6:44–45 (NKJV) — 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.

John 6:65 (NKJV) — 65 And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

John 10:16 (NKJV) — 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

John 10:26 (NKJV) — 26 But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you.

Acts 13:48 (NKJV) — 48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

Romans 8:29–30 (NKJV) — 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Ephesians 1:4–5 (NKJV) — 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

God wants all men to be saved

1 Timothy 2:4 (NKJV) — 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

decretive vs. desired will

Ezekiel 18:32 (NKJV) — 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,” says the Lord God. “Therefore turn and live!”

3:9 The first part of v. 9 draws an implication from v. 8. If God does not reckon or indeed experience time as we do, then it follows that he is not slow about keeping his promise (cf. Hab 2:3). The promise (epangelia), of course, hearkens back to v. 4 and refers to the promise of the Lord’s coming. God, that is, the Father, is not dilatory in fulfilling the promise uttered about his Son’s coming again. The Son will come as promised, but the apparent slowness should not be misunderstood. The phrase “as some understand slowness” could possibly refer to those in the churches wavering under the influence of the false teachers.50 More likely the reference is to the false teachers themselves, referring to them negatively as “some” who lack an understanding of God’s ways.51 The verse may be highly ironic. The false teachers use God’s patience as an argument against God, when it should lead them to repentance.52

Peter explained why the coming is delayed. God is patient with his people. Notice that the verse says “patient with you” (eis hymas). The reason for his patience is then explicated. He does not want “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” The idea that God is patient so that people will repent is common in the Scriptures (Joel 2:12–13; Rom 2:4). That he is “slow to anger” is a refrain repeated often ( Exod 34:6; Num 14:18; Neh 9:17; Pss 86:15; 103:8 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 3:10; 4:2; Nah 1:3), but he will not delay forever (see esp. Sir 35:18). We should note at the outset that perishing (apolesthai) refers to eternal judgment, as is typical with the term. Repentance (metanoia), correspondingly, involves the repentance that is necessary for eternal life. Peter did not merely discuss rewards that some would receive if they lived faithfully. He directed his attention to whether people would be saved from God’s wrath. We must also ask who was in view when he spoke of “anyone” (tinas) perishing and “all” (pantas) coming to repentance. One option is that he considered every person without exception. Some understand 1 Tim 2:4 similarly, “God … wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”53 We do not have space to comment on the text in 1 Timothy here, but we should note that debate exists over the meaning of “all men” in 1 Tim 2:4 as well. Or we can think of Ezek 18:32: “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!” (cf. also 18:23). In this latter instance God’s regret over the perishing of anyone is clear. Nevertheless, we have to ask whether the verse in 2 Peter has the same meaning as the texts in Ezekiel. If it does, how does this fit with the teaching that God has ordained and decreed that only some will be saved? Many scholars, of course, doubt that the Scripture teaches that God ordains that only some will be saved, but in my estimation the Scriptures do clearly teach such an idea (cf. John 6:37, 44–45, 65; 10:16, 26; Acts 13:48; Rom 8:29–30; 9:1–23; Eph 1:4–5, 11, etc.).54 Space does not permit a full answer to this question, but an answer that has a long pedigree in church history suffices. We must distinguish between two different senses in God’s will. There is a decretive will of God and a desired will of God. God desires the salvation of all in one sense, but he does not ultimately ordain that all will be saved. Many think this approach is double-talk and outright nonsense.55 Again, space forbids us from answering this question in detail, but this view has been recently and convincingly argued by J. Piper.56 He demonstrates that such distinctions in God’s will are not the result of philosophical sleight of hand but careful biblical exegesis.

Having said all this, 2 Pet 3:9 may not relate to this issue directly anyway. The “anyone” and “all” in the verse may be an expansion of “you” (hymas) earlier in the verse.57 Peter did not reflect, according to this view, on the fate of all people in the world without exception. He considered those in the church who had wavered under the influence of the false teachers. God desires every one of them to repent. But even if this solution is correct, it does not solve the issue theologically, for Peter probably reflected on God’s desired will instead of decreed will in this instance. That is, he was not teaching that all of those in the church whom God desires to repent will actually repent. Even if the verse is restricted to those influenced by the false teachers, Peter referred to what God desires, not to what he ordains. At the end of the day, restricting “anyone” to church members is not the most satisfying solution in this text. By extension we should understand 2 Pet 3:9 in the same way as Ezek 18:32. It refers to God’s desire that everyone without exception be saved. It follows, then, that Peter spoke of the desired rather than the decreed will of God. God has not ordained that all will be saved since many will perish forever.58 Still, God genuinely desires in one sense that all will be saved, even if he has not ultimately decreed that all will be saved. Many object that a desire that is not decreed is nonsense and theological double-talk. I would reply that such a view is rooted in biblical exegesis, that the Scriptures themselves, if accepted as a harmonious whole, compel us to make such distinctions. Such complexity is not all that surprising since God is an infinite and complex being, one who exceeds our understanding. In other words, such exegesis is not a rationalistic expedient but an acknowledgment of the mystery and depth of God’s revelation. Neither dimension of the biblical text should be denied. God really and truly desires that every person repent and turn to him. We should not retreat to God’s decreed will to nullify and negate what the text says. Nor should we use this verse to cancel out God’s ordained will. Better to live with the tension and mystery of the text than to swallow it up in a philosophical system that pretends to understand all of God’s ways. God’s patience and his love are not illusions, but neither do they remove his sovereignty.

9 The fact that God’s time is not our time means that we cannot judge whether or not God is delaying. Yet our author is not content to leave that issue as a mystery, but goes on to argue that “the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise.” The promise theme hooks back to the promise of his coming mentioned in 3:4, but also the “great and precious promises” of 1:4. The idea that “the Lord” is not slow is probably an allusion to Hab 2:3: “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” In some Greek translations of the OT exactly the same word is used for “delay” that 2 Peter uses. Furthermore, one could understand the Greek as saying, “He will not be slow” or “He will not delay.” While a similar thought is expressed in Isa 13:22, Sir 35:19 (LXX; 35:22 in the NRSV) is closer to our thought here, “Indeed, the Lord will not delay, and like a warrior [or “upon them”] will not be patient until he crushes the loins of the unmerciful.…” The central issue is not whether the author of 2 Peter depends directly on Hab 2:3 or is instead dependent on Sir 35:19 (LXX),35 but that he is in fact dependent on a theme that is found in both the Scriptures that he knew and in later Jewish and Christian writings dependent on those Scriptures.

But why might the “scoffers” have used the “delay” argument? In the texts cited the issue is the sureness of God’s judgment. It will indeed come, and it will come, at least from God’s perspective, promptly. But in the world of 2 Peter the Epicureans were arguing that the delay of the judgment was in fact an argument against the idea of God’s providence. Thus Plutarch in his work De sera numinis vindicta (Moralia 548–68) begins his critique of the Epicureans with, “The delay and procrastination of the Deity in punishing the wicked appears to me the most telling argument by far.”36 Thus this argument of delay was being used against the idea of divine providence. It is no wonder that Matt 24:48 characterizes the wicked servant as saying, “My master is staying away a long time,” using the same word for “staying away a long time” that the LXX uses for “delay” in Hab 2:3, the point being that he never expects to be called to account for his actions because the delay indicates that the coming will never happen.37 Whether Matthew was interacting with Epicurean thought or not (Syria and Palestine were certainly not immune to it, so whether we think of Matthew as the redactor or Jesus as the originator of the saying, such ideas could lie in the background) is not a matter for discussion here, but it is likely that such ideas are behind the thought of the “scoffers” in 2 Peter. Here they are characterized as “some” in the phrase “as some understand slowness.” Our author asserts that delay is emphatically not what is happening.

Instead of delay, what is happening is mercy. God is patient or longsuffering. This is part of his self-revelation in Exod 34:6, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.…” The phrase “slow to anger” is represented in the LXX by the same Greek root as our term here. Moses calls upon this characteristic in Num 14:18 when he asks God to forgive Israel: “The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion.” Jonah complains about it in Jonah 4:3, “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” And this theme is repeated elsewhere in the Jewish Scriptures: Neh 9:17; Pss 86:15 (LXX 85:15); 103:8–10 (LXX 102:8–10); 145:8–9 (LXX 144:8–9); Joel 2:13; Nah 1:3; Wisd 15:1 (“But you, our God, are kind and true, patient, and ruling all things in mercy”; NRSV). Naturally the same idea is repeated in the Dead Sea Scrolls and in a number of other pieces of literature from the Second Temple Period. Interestingly enough, 1 Pet 3:20 attributes this characteristic to God with relation to the generation of the flood. This divine characteristic also underlies the virtue of patience or long-suffering that is required in followers of Jesus, for they are to be like their Father: 2 Cor 6:6; Gal 5:22; Eph 4:2; Col 1:11; 3:12; 1 Tim 3:10; 4:2; Heb 6:12. One cannot properly claim to follow a Father who is patient and slow to anger if one is herself impatient and quick to anger, which is one reason why the control of anger is such an important topic in the NT, as is the command not to judge.38

While the characteristic of patience demonstrates the honorable magnanimity of the divine ruler (over against those who slander him by claiming that the slowness of the coming judgment is a delay or a failure to fulfill his promises), it is not a purposeless magnanimity. The goal of God’s patience/long-suffering/slowness to anger is human repentance, as Wisd 11:23 states, “But you are merciful to all, for you can do all things, and you overlook people’s sins, so that they may repent” (NRSV). Of course, that is just the point of the Joel and Jonah texts cited above, the former calling on Israel to respond with repentance and the latter complaining that the repentance of the Ninevites is just what he had feared would happen. In this vein Rom 2:4 asks, “Do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?”

Naturally, this desire for repentance rather than judgment applies not only to the intermediate judgments of history but also to the final judgment. In support of this we have, of course, our own passage in the NT but also Revelation, where it appears that the final judgment is held back in the hope that people will repent. There is a repeated lament that instead of repenting people either kept on sinning or cursed God (Rev 9:20, 21; 16:9, 11). (Of course the same reluctance to judge is applied to the church, which is given an opportunity to repent: Rev 2:5, 16, 21, 22; 3:3, 19.) This view of history was also that of Jewish works. 1 Enoch 60.5–6 quotes Michael as saying, “This day of mercy has lasted until today; and he has been merciful and long-suffering towards those that dwell upon the earth. And when this day [of judgment] arrives … it will become a day of covenant for the elect and inquisition for the sinners.” The delay of the final judgment, then, is for the purpose of mercy. Since delay of judgment is an important theme in apocalyptic literature, it is also an important theme in other apocalyptic works, such as 2 Apocalypse of Baruch (1:3; 12:4; 21:20–21; 24:2; 48:29; 59:6; 85:8).

Yet if repentance is the purpose of God’s slowness of anger (which, of course, has its downside in that some people take it as an indication that he will not execute justice and that they therefore can do evil and get off free), does that repentance have any influence on the timing of the end? There is a passage in b. Sanhedrin 97b–98a that, if authentic, shows a late-first-century rabbinic discussion of this issue of whether repentance actually influences the timing of the end or whether the time is set and repentance does not influence it:39

This matter is disputed by Tannaim: R. Eliezer said: If Israel repent, they will be redeemed; if not, they will not be redeemed. R. Joshua said to him, If they do not repent, will they not be redeemed? But the Holy One, blessed be He, will set up a king over them, whose decrees shall be as cruel as Haman’s, whereby Israel shall engage in repentance, and he will thus bring them back to the right path. Another [Baraitha] taught: R. Eliezer said: If Israel repent, they will be redeemed, as it is written, Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. R. Joshua said to him, But is it not written, ye have sold yourselves for naught; and ye shall be redeemed without money? Ye have sold yourselves for naught, for idolatry; and ye shall be redeemed without money—without repentance and good deeds. R. Eliezer retorted to R. Joshua, But is it not written, Return unto me, and I will return unto you? R. Joshua rejoined—But is it not written, For I am master over you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion? R. Eliezer replied, But it is written, in returning and rest shall ye be saved.… (Soncino translation)

Later rabbis seem to side with R. Eliezer, but in 2 Peter we are not in a later period but the period when this topic was still under discussion. In Revelation it looks as if repentance will change God’s plans, although the prophet does not hold out hope of repentance (then, neither did Jonah in the word he preached in Nineveh). In 2 Peter it also looks as if the human response can change at least the timing of the end, as we shall see when we get to 2 Pet 3:12.

However one decides the effect of repentance on the final judgment, it is clear that, according to 2 Peter, if God had his way no one would come under condemnation in that judgment. “The Lord” (while in the tradition this refers to God, it is not clear whether or not 2 Peter means it to refer to Jesus in that he often uses “Lord” to refer to Jesus) is patient with “you” (i.e., the addressees), and they can be glad of his patience, for he has freed them from entrapment in desire and enabled them to take part in the divine nature (so 1:3–5). He has done this not wanting (or not willing) “anyone” to perish (as the generation of the flood did; 2 Pet 3:6), but “everyone” to attain repentance (as the addressees of the letter had). There is a play here between the “anyone” or “some” (earlier in our verse) and “everyone” or “all.” “Some” (probably the “scoffers”) understand God to be slow in keeping his promise, but God does not want “anyone”/“some” (they are the same pronoun in Greek) to perish. What he wants is “everyone”/“all” to come to repentance. It looks as if 2 Peter is saying that God does not wish even the “scoffers” to perish (although our author does not have any expectation that they will repent) but rather wants even them to repent. God’s will may not be done, but it will not be for lack of trying on his part.

We see here a concept closely related to Jesus’ command to pray for one’s enemies (Matt 5:43–48 par. Luke 6:27–28, 32–36): “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons [sic] of your Father in heaven.” God’s will is that no one will perish in whatever form of judgment. Those who are really his children will have a heart or character like his. (After all, we are partakers in the divine nature.) So the followers of Jesus pray for the good of those who persecute them. He or she wants God to turn insurgent leaders like Saul (a self-described zealot who wanted to purify Israel by getting rid of the followers of Jesus, which followers of Jesus thought that the revolution had already happened and so would not join in against the Romans) into great leaders of his people, that is, Paul. They do not rejoice in the death of any evil person, but rather hope against hope for their repentance. This should set them off from the culture around them. Unfortunately, it is often the culture that co-ops the followers of Jesus into sharing their national and cultural hatreds and rejoicing in the destruction of people whom God wished would have repented. The Day of the Lord may indeed come, but the desire of God and of his people is that it finds no one whom God has to judge (even if there is little hope in Scripture that that will actually be the case).

Transition:

III. God’s Promise will be fulfilled literally (3:10)

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

A. The Manner: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night

1. But the day of the Lord

Malachi 3:2–4 (NKJV) — 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire And like launderers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, And purge them as gold and silver, That they may offer to the Lord An offering in righteousness. 4 “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem Will be pleasant to the Lord, As in the days of old, As in former years.

Malachi 4:1–2 (NKJV) — 1 “For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.

1 Corinthians 1:8 (NKJV) — 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:14 (NKJV) — 14 (as also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV) — 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Philippians 1:10 (NKJV) — 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,

Philippians 2:16 (NKJV) — 16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

In the New Testament the day of the Lord also is the day of Christ 1 Cor 1:8; 2 Cor 1:14; Phil 1:6, 10; 2:16

2. Will come as a thief in the night

1 Thessalonians 5:2–3 (NKJV) — 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

Matthew 24:42–44 (NKJV) — 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Revelation 3:3 (NKJV) — 3 Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.

Revelation 16:15 (NKJV) — 15 “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”

3:10 Peter did not want to give the impression that there was any hesitation about the coming of the Lord.59 Hence, he asserted that “the day of the Lord will come.” The verb “will come” (hēxei) is first in the Greek text, emphasizing that the day will certainly come. The day of the Lord is familiar from the Old Testament, where it often is used to refer to God’s judgment and salvation. In the Old Testament such days occur in history, but ultimately the day of the Lord points to the final day, when God will definitively judge his enemies and vindicate the righteous.60 ). Peter emphasized that the day of the Lord will arrive “like a thief.” He depended on tradition here, and we know from 3:15–16 that he was familiar with the Pauline letters. In 1 Thess 5:2 Paul informed his readers, “For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” Indeed, the Lord will come, according to 1 Thess 5:3, when people least expect it, thinking that they are safe from all harm. Paul most likely derived his image from the historical Jesus, for Jesus warned his hearers to be ready for his coming, noting that he would arrive when people were not anticipating his coming, as a thief breaks in at night (Matt 24:42–44; cf. Rev 3:3; 16:15). The image of the day coming like a thief is notable in Peter, for the readers are reminded to be ready. Circumstances may suggest that the day will not arrive. The false teachers may have scorned the notion of a sudden change in history. The day of the Lord, however, will arrive suddenly, and so no definite signs of its coming can be trumpeted. The signs that precede it, apparently, are ambiguous enough to lead to other conclusions. The teachers will be humiliated and judged when it comes, and Peter implored his readers to be ready.

Three things will occur when the day arrives, and all of them together indicate that the physical world as we know it will be destroyed. It is much more difficult, however, to understand the details. We will look at each in turn. First, we are told that the heavens “will disappear with a roar.” The “heavens” reverts back to vv. 5 and 7, where in tandem with the earth it refers to all that God has created in the universe. The word “roar” (rhoizēdon) refers to a rushing sound, whether the whizzing of an arrow, the rush of wings, or the hissing of snakes.61 In this context we should think of the crackling sound of fire, destroying the heavens. Bauckham thinks it could possibly refer to “the thunder of the divine voice,”62 but the term seems to be associated with physical phenomena. Jesus himself, using the same verb, parerchomai (“pass away”), said that heaven and earth would “disappear” (Matt 5:18; 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17; 21:33). Isaiah 34:4 pictures the sky being rolled up like a scroll, and John in Revelation picks up this picture (Rev 6:14; cf. also Heb 1:10–12).

The second part of the picture is that “the elements will be destroyed by fire.” The word “elements” (stoicheia) refers to the building blocks or basic stuff of which things are made. It can refer to the ABC’s or the notes of a musical scale or often to the (presumed) basic elements of the world—earth, air, fire, and water. In post New Testament times the term also began to refer to spiritual beings, and scholars debate whether Paul used the term with such a meaning in Gal 4:3, 9 and Col 2:8, 20. In Heb 5:12 it refers to the basic elements or teachings of the Christian faith. Three different interpretations have been proposed for the meaning here. First, the “elements” may be angels or spirits that rule over the natural world.63 This view has not been accepted by many commentators, for it does not fit well in the context. Peter referred to the dissolution of the physical universe and betrayed no interest in whether spiritual powers inhabit stars or planets. Second, he may have referred to the heavenly bodies, that is, the sun, moon and stars.64 This meaning for the term is attested in the second century.65 Bauckham thinks Peter may have been depending on a text from the Septuagint, which says that “all the powers of the heavens will melt.”66 This is certainly a possible reading of the text, and it fits the context well. Third, “elements” refers to the stuff of which the physical things in the world are made. I think this view is the most likely, for it represents the common meaning of the term “elements.”67 Such a meaning also seems to be attested in the Sibylline Oracles (3:80–81; cf. 2:206–7; 8:337–39). Some wonder if this fits since Peter proceeded to speak of the earth and the works done in the earth as “found.” We will discuss the meaning of this controversial and difficult phrase below. Here the focus is on the consequences of the destruction of the heavens and the elements of the world. When they are burned up, the result is that the earth and all the works performed on the earth will be, as the NIV says, “laid bare.” Verse 12 supports the notion that the heavens and elements together comprehend all that exists.68 Together they will be destroyed by fire. It is difficult to know if Peter thought of the purification and renovation of this world by fire or if he had in mind the complete destruction of this present world and the creation of a new one.

B. The Events:

1. In which the heavens will pass away with a great noise.

a. The heavens

b. Will pass away

Matthew 5:18 (NKJV) — 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

Matthew 24:35 (NKJV) — 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Mark 13:31 (NKJV) — 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Matthew 24:43–44 (NKJV) — 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Luke 16:17 (NKJV) — 17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.

Luke 21:33 (NKJV) — 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

Revelation 6:14 (NKJV) — 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

Hebrews 1:10–12 (NKJV) — 10 And: “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; 12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.”

c. With a great noise

2. The elements will melt with fervent heat

a. The elements

Galatians 4:3 (NKJV) — 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.

Galatians 4:9 (NKJV) — 9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?

Colossians 2:8 (NKJV) — 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

Hebrews 5:12 (NKJV) — 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

NAC/Schreiner

Third, “elements” refers to the stuff of which the physical things in the world are made. I think this view is the most likely, for it represents the common meaning of the term “elements.”67 Such a meaning also seems to be attested in the Sibylline Oracles (3:80–81; cf. 2:206–7; 8:337–39).

PNTC/2 Peter 3:10

The second suggestion not only has second-century examples to call upon46 but also argues that 2 Peter is dependent on Isa 34:4. The Hebrew text differentiates between the “hosts of heaven,” which will “decay” or “rot away” (NIV, “dissolve”), and the heavens themselves (NIV, “sky”), which will be rolled up like a scroll. Thus the text clearly differentiates between the heavens (the “expanse” of Gen 1:6–8 that God calls “sky” [NIV], the same word as for “heavens,” and created on the second day) and the heavenly bodies (the “lights” of Gen 1:14–19, which are “in the expanse of the heavens” and are assigned to the fourth creative day). The Septuagint (LXX) condenses the Hebrew of Isa 34:4 (which mentions the heavenly bodies in two parts of the verse), dropping the first reference to the heavenly bodies, but still keeps the same distinction. In at least one manuscript of the LXX the first line of Isa 34:4 is translated, “all the powers of the heavens will melt.” The author of 2 Clem. 16:3 appears to know this version, for he writes, “The day of judgment is already coming like a blazing furnace, and some [or, with J. B. Lightfoot and Bauckham, emend to “the powers”]47 of the heavens and all of the earth will be melted as lead melts upon the fire, and then the hidden things will be manifest and the hidden works of people.” Interestingly enough, the verb for melting that appears in the LXX manuscript of Isa 34:4 and in 2 Clement also appears in 2 Pet 3:12. Thus, it is argued, what 2 Peter is describing is the disappearance of the sky and the destruction of the heavenly bodies.

3. Both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

a. Both the earth

b. and the works that are in it

c. Will be burned up

The word “found” in Hebrew (māṣāʾ) has judicial overtones (Exod 22:8; Deut 22:28; Ezra 10:18),

We also are told whether someone is found out as a sinner or righteous before God (1 Sam 25:28; 26:18; 1 Kgs 1:52; Ps 17:3; Jer 2:34; 50:20; Ezek 28:15; Zeph 3:13; Mal 2:6). Bauckham rightly says that the verb could be construed as roughly synonymous with “will be made manifest” (phanerōthēsetai and phanera genēsetai—Mark 4:22; John 3:21; 1 Cor 3:13; 14:25; Eph 5:13).

2 Peter 3:14 (NKJV) — 14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;

1 Corinthians 4:2 (NKJV) — 2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

Revelation 20:11 (NKJV) — 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

Revelation 21:1 (NKJV) — 1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

NAC Commentary:

The last phrase in the verse is the most difficult, which the NIV translates, “And the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” A literal translation is, “And the earth and the works in it shall be found.” But what does it mean to say the earth and its works “shall be found” (heurethēsetai)? Some scholars despair of finding any meaning.69 We are not surprised to discover that textual variations and even conjectural emendations exist, as scholars try to discern the meaning of this last phrase. We can say immediately that the external evidence decisively favors “shall be found,” but alternates have been pursued because, as Metzger notes, the text as it reads “seems to be devoid of meaning.”70 We will canvass other options to note the difficulty.

1. One version (Sahidic) adds the negative so that the text reads that the earth and its works “shall not be found.” This yields better sense but lacks adequate textual support.71

2. An early papyrus (𝔓72) adds the word “destroyed” (luomena), so that the verse says that the earth and its works will be destroyed.72 Again the meaning is clear, and one wonders why it is, therefore, so poorly attested. A scribe more likely inserted a form of the verb luō (“destroy”) to clarify the text.

3. The Majority text reads “shall be burned” (katakaēsetai), and this reading is found in many English versions, “The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (KJV; cf. also NKJV, RSV, NASB). If this reading were original, it is difficult to see how “will be found” would have come to be in its place.

4. Another text (C) reads “will vanish” (aphanisthēsontai). The meager external evidence betrays that it is a scribe’s conjecture.

5. Scholars also have conjectured a number of possibilities, suggesting the verbs “will run” (rhyēsetai, Westcott/Hort), “will run together” (syrryēsetai, Naber), “will be burned in fire” (ekpyrōthēsetai, Olivier), “will be taken away” (arthēsetai, Mayor),73 and “will be judged” (krithēsetai, Nestle). Other suggestions have been made, but none have commended widespread support.

We return to the most likely idea, which is that Peter wrote “will be found,” and we must try to discover what he meant by it. Kelly thinks we must understand the text as a question, “and the earth and the works it contains—will they be found?”74 It is hardly evident, however, that a question is intended, and hence this solution must be rejected. Fornberg sees a reference to what was created by God, including all that is in heaven and on earth.75 It is not evident, however, what it means for such to be found, and hence we are not surprised to see that Fornberg amends the text. More promising is the notion that human beings will be found before God at the judgment.76 This could be the meaning of the NIV and of the NRSV’s “will be disclosed.” The word “found” in Hebrew (māṣāʾ) has judicial overtones (Exod 22:8; Deut 22:28; Ezra 10:18), and the Greek word “found” (heuriskō) is used to depict one’s relationship before God (Sir 44:17, 20; Dan 5:27; Theodotion; cf. Acts 5:39; 24:5; 1 Cor 4:2; 15:15; Gal 2:17; Phil 3:9; 1 Pet 1:7; Rev 5:4). We also are told whether someone is found out as a sinner or righteous before God (1 Sam 25:28; 26:18; 1 Kgs 1:52; Ps 17:3; Jer 2:34; 50:20; Ezek 28:15; Zeph 3:13; Mal 2:6). Bauckham rightly says that the verb could be construed as roughly synonymous with “will be made manifest” (phanerōthēsetai and phanera genēsetai—Mark 4:22; John 3:21; 1 Cor 3:13; 14:25; Eph 5:13).77 Perhaps 2 Clem. 16:3 represents an early interpretation of 2 Peter: “But you know that the day of judgment is already coming as a blazing furnace, and some of the heavens will dissolve, and the whole earth will be like lead melting in a fire, and then the works of men, the secret and the public will appear [phanēsetai].” If Clement was alluding to 2 Peter, which seems likely, he understood it as referring to divine judgment.78 The phrase refers, then, to the consequence of the burning of the heavens and the earth in the first part of v. 10. The earth and the works performed in it will be laid bare before God, and so the NIV translation effectively communicates the notion of divine judgment in the divine passive verb “will be found.” We should observe that in v. 7 the same pattern exists. The heavens and earth will be burned, and judgment will come upon the ungodly. The problem with this interpretation is that “earth” (gē) in the context is physical and does not refer to human beings. But again Bauckham rightly interprets the verse, suggesting that “it can easily mean the physical earth as the scene of human history, the earth as the dwelling place of humanity.”79 It seems that this is the most satisfying way to explicate this remarkably difficult phrase.

Wolters understands the term in light of “the day of judgment,” which is portrayed “as a smelting process from which the world will emerge purified.”80 The world that emerges from the fiery judgment will be one purified by fire.81 As background he posits Mal 3:2–4, where the Levites will be purified and refined on the day of the Lord (cf. also Mal 4:1–2). Hence, he understands “to be found” to refer to the eschatological world that survives the smelting process. The advantage of this interpretation is its explanation of the meaning of the word “earth.” It is less clear, however, how this interpretation integrates the term “works.” Nor does the Malachi background provide evidence for his interpretation since it does not refer to the purification of the cosmos but the refining of human beings. Furthermore, Wolters’ view does not explain as adequately the parallel in 2 Pet 3:14. Therefore the interpretation presented by Bauckham should be preferred.

PNTC Commentary:

When this Day comes, three things will occur: (1) the heavens will pass away with a roar, (2) the “elements” will be dissolved by fire, and (3) the earth and all that has been done in it (the NIV leaves out the idea of “the deeds in it” that is clearly in the Greek text) will be disclosed or discovered. We need to look at these three things in order.

While Jesus said that the law would remain until heaven and earth “disappear” or “pass away” (Matt 5:18 par. Luke 16:17), he also said that “heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mark 13:31 par. Matt 24:35 par. Luke 21:33). Rev 21:1 (using a slightly different verb) pictures that passing away of the heavens and earth as having already taken place. Naturally, this idea is also found in Jewish sources (e.g., 1 Enoch 91:16, “The first heaven shall depart and pass away; a new heaven shall appear; and all the powers of heaven shall shine forever sevenfold”), for it depends on OT images, especially the description of the judgment of Edom in Isa 34:4, “All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree.” This is picked up more literally in Rev 6:12b–14: “The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” Here in 2 Peter the sky simply disappears or passes away. The roar or loud noise (the word for this is unique in the NT) may refer to the Lord’s shout (i.e., the thunder of the Lord in 1QH 3:32–36)41 or to the noise of the heavens passing away. Given its parallel structure to the burning of the elements, it is likely that it indicates the latter.

Along with the passing away of the heavens there is a second event, the destruction of the elements (Greek stoicheia). What happens to the elements is clearly pictured in that they will be “broken up” or “destroyed”42 as they burn. The question is, “What are the elements?” 2 Peter has used various terms for the universe, especially as he has paralleled creation, the deluge, and the coming Day of Judgment (see the table on p. 284). We see that the earth is reserved for fire, but, when the fire comes, it is the elements that burn, not the earth, but then we do not learn of new heavens and new elements, but new heavens and a new earth.

Commentators have offered a series of suggestions explaining this language. (1) The elements are the four basic elements, earth, air, fire, and water. This was a normal meaning for stoicheia.43 (2) The elements are the heavenly bodies, the sun, moon, and stars. This meaning for stoicheia is clearly found in the second century.44 (3) The elements are angelic powers, a meaning that many scholars believe is found in Paul (Gal 4:3 [“the basic principles of the world” (kosmos, which can mean “universe”)]; Col 2:8, 20). All three of these suggestions have a prima facie validity and fit the culture in which 2 Peter was written.

The first suggestion fits the cosmology of that day in that many philosophers argued that the whole universe was made up of earth, air, fire, and water, and, as we saw above, in Stoic thought fire was viewed as the chief element into which the others dissolved in periodic cycles. This would fit with the ending of the first age of creation by water in 2 Pet 3:6 (perhaps alluding to an alternative Greek conception of the universe in which the periodic cycles ended with all dissolving in water). More importantly, it seems to parallel Jesus’ statement in which heaven and earth pass away, not heaven and the elements. It would also explain why a new heavens and new earth were needed in 2 Pet 3:12. If this is the proper understanding, we are talking about a total dissolution of the creation as we know it.45

The third suggestion in a sense builds on the second. It points out that (a) Paul believed in angelic/demonic powers that controlled human beings before conversion and that he called stoicheia, (b) many Jewish writings believed that the heavenly bodies either were or were controlled by spiritual beings and that is how at least some of them interpreted Isa 34:4,48 and (c) the author of 2 Peter also believes in fallen angels, who were, or, perhaps in some cases, are, connected to the stars (2 Pet 2:4, especially if he connected it to other OT passages referring to “gods” or “the sons of God”). Thus what our author is talking about is the destruction of these angelic powers.49

How shall we evaluate these suggested interpretations? In our view, in the light of the role that “elements” plays as the only thing other than “the heavens” that is to be burned up or melted, and in the light of the fact that the earth is mentioned separately, the second position appears to be the best argument, although we would not want to say that too dogmatically. Is there, then, the possibility of combining it with the third?50 Given that this is an eschatological judgment and that it is not material things per se that God judges, but people and powers that use or abuse these material things, that is possible. Yet the reference to “the elements” refers primarily to the heavenly bodies, and any beings connected to those bodies remain an unspoken assumption of our author. The point is that to bring about judgment the Lord must peel back all that stands in the way, and this means removing the heavens (or the sky) and burning up the bodies that are in those heavens (or that sky).

The third event of “the day of the Lord” is that “the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” There is a textual problem in this verse that has to do with the term “will be laid bare” or “will be discovered.” If, however, our reading makes sense, it is the preferable one, since none of the others has as strong support, nor can they explain how our reading arose.51 And “will be laid bare” does make sense. The picture is indeed that of stripping off everything that stands between the eye of God and the earth. When the sky and the heavenly bodies are gone, “the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.” And that is the goal: to expose all that has gone on and is going on on the earth so that all those things that human beings thought that they were getting away with or thought that that God did not see are suddenly exposed to his unblinking eye. Probably our author believes that this process will do damage to the earth and its structures, but the point is the uncovering and exposing and thus the purifying of the earth. This uncovering is similar to the point of the flood, namely, to destroy human evil; in the process of doing that many animals and plants were also destroyed. In this case what is destroyed is the heavens, and perhaps with them spiritual forces that are influencing evil on earth. Yet 2 Peter does not dwell on the spiritual forces, assuming that he believes in them, but rather on the stripping away of the protective covering from earth.52

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

Concluding Applications:

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