2 Peter 3

This is the final chapter of 2 Peter. Following the warning against false teachers in chapter 2, this chapter responds to the "scoffers" who mock the Lord's Second Coming and brings the letter to a close.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 The author identifies this as his second letter and calls readers to remember the words of the prophets and the commandment of the Lord delivered through the apostles.
• Verses 3–7 In the last days scoffers will ask, "Where is the promise of his coming?" The author answers that the heavens and the earth came into being by the word of God, that the former world perished by water (the Flood of Noah), and that the present heavens and earth are reserved for the day of judgment by fire.
• Verses 8–10 With the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow; rather, he is patient, desiring that all should come to repentance. The day of the Lord will come as a thief.
• Verses 11–13 Readers are urged to look for the day of God in holy conduct and godliness and to await new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
• Verses 14–16 Readers are exhorted to strive to live without blemish. The author notes that Paul wrote of the same things, though his letters contain some things hard to understand, which some twist to their own destruction.
• Verses 17–18 Readers are told to be on guard lest they be led astray and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. The chapter ends with a doxology.

Key Verses

• 2 Peter 3:8 "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" — a statement that God's time differs from human time, echoing Psalm 90:4.
• 2 Peter 3:9 "Not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" — accounts for the apparent delay of the Second Coming in terms of God's patience.
• 2 Peter 3:13 "New heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" — a hope that carries forward the promise of Isaiah 65:17–25 and anticipates Revelation 21.

People and Places

• Paul — called by the author "our beloved brother"; his letters are mentioned.
• No specific places are named.

Points for Reflection

• Interpreting 3:9: The Wesleyan and Arminian traditions read this verse as evidence that God desires the salvation of all people. The Calvinist tradition either takes "you" ("us-ward" in the KJV) to refer to the community of believers or distinguishes between God's desire and his decree (see predestination and free will).
• Textual variants in 3:10: The final part of this verse differs among manuscripts, reading either "will be laid bare" or "shall be burned up." The Korean Revised Version follows the former, while the King James Version and others follow the latter. The difference also bears on the debate between the view that the world will be destroyed by fire and the view that it will be purified and renewed.
• 3:8 and chronological calculation: Some interpreters use this verse as a basis for calculating the timing of the millennium or the span of world history, but the text itself is a response to the mockery that the Lord's return is delayed and says nothing about calculating dates.
• 3:15–16 and the canon: The phrase placing Paul's letters alongside "the other scriptures" is frequently cited in discussions of the formation of the canon. The letter has traditionally been attributed to Peter, but many scholars regard it as a later work and cite this passage as one reason.
• Connections within the New Testament: The day of the Lord coming "as a thief" uses the same imagery as 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 and Matthew 24.

In the Korean Church

The phrase in 3:8, "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day," is widely known in the Korean church. It is frequently quoted in sermons on the Second Coming and eschatology to explain the apparent delay of Christ's return.