2 Peter 3:10-13 (NKJV) 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. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
V10 “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.” The Day of the Lord is associated with God’s special, obvious dealing with the earth and its inhabitants. Here it may refer to the Tribulation 7 years, the end of the Tribulation (Zechariah 14), the Millennium kingdom, or the end of the old earth and universe where the new heavens and earth are restored to perfection. The Greek word “great noise” is (4500) ῥοιζηδόν rhoizēdón, which means a whizzing sound, so possibly explosion.
Comments:
(Believers’ Bible Commentary) “In the NT it is a period of time with various stages:
- It refers to the Tribulation, a seven-year period when God will judge unbelieving Israel (1Th 5:2; 2Th 2:2, NU Text).
- It includes His return to earth when He will inflict vengeance on those who do not know God and who do not obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus (2Th 1:7-10).
- It is used of the Millennium when Christ will rule the earth with a rod of iron (Act 2:20).
- It refers to the final destruction of the heavens and the earth with fire. That is the meaning here in chapter 3.”
(Bible Knowledge Commentary) “The day of the Lord describes end-time events that begin after the Rapture and culminate with the commencement of eternity. In the middle of the 70th week of Daniel the Antichrist will turn against the people of God in full fury (Dan 9:24-27; see comments on 1 Thes. 5:2; 2 Thes. 2:2-12).”
The thief in the night refers to the suddenness of when it occurs.
The rest of the verse shows the destruction comes from fire, not water. The universe is judged by fire and what remains will be restored. This is the final step in the new creation (the moment a believer experiences the new birth–2 Corinthians 5:17).
V11 “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness…” The Greek word for “dissolved” is (G3089) λύω lúō, which means to loosen, untie. Here it refers to chemical and physical bonds. Since this will happen, it should motivate all believers to live a Christian life, which when tested by fire survives (1 Corinthians 3;11-17).
V12 “…looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?” Looking for is anticipation, the hope of every believer. How do we hasten? Opinions vary from praying to witnessing.
Comments:
2 Peter 3:11 (Holman Commentary) “Our life on earth as followers of Christ is not intended to be a passive waiting for the final events of prophecy. It is intended to be a time of active cooperation with God in the salvation of the world. In some mysterious way, not entirely explained by Scripture, as the character of Christians’ lives shines in the culture, it impacts the day of the Lord.”
(Henry Morris in Defender’s Study Bible) “That is, “hastening the coming.” From the human perspective, we can hasten the return of Christ by helping to win converts to Him. The reason why He has not already fulfilled “the promise of His coming” (2Pe 3:4) is because He is waiting for all the elect to “come to repentance” (2Pe 3:9).”
(Quoted from Precept Austin comments on 2 Peter 3:12): “Lenski offers a word about trying to understand ‘hastening: We need not labor the sense by taking speudo in the sense of “hasten”, speed up the coming of the day of the Lord so that it will come sooner than it would otherwise come… This verb is widely used in the sense of “to be eager”, which fits perfectly here as the intensifying synonym of “expecting”.”
V13 “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” This is what Christians are to look for, expect, and pray for as well as praying and witnessing for others to be saved and for us to witness by our holy lives the greatest of God’s ways.
All Christians want a world in which righteousness dwells instead of the evil we see and experience today.
We learn:
- Jesus is coming
- Christians need to live a life of holiness.
- We need to witness for Jesus as opportunity arises.
- This present world will be dissolved in judgment
- A new heavens and earth are coming