2 Peter 3

KJV · Chapter 3/3

¹This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

²That 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:

³Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

⁴And 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.

⁵For 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:

⁶Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:

⁷But 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.

⁸But, 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.

⁹The 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.

¹⁰But 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.

¹¹Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

¹²Looking 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?

¹³Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

¹⁴Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.

¹⁵And 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;

¹⁶As 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.

¹⁷Ye 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.

¹⁸But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Peter responds to scoffers who doubted Christ's return, explaining that to God a thousand years are like a day, and that He is patient because He does not want anyone to perish. He describes the expectation of new heavens and a new earth, and urges his readers to live in holiness while they wait.

Explanation

The scoffers questioned the delay of Christ's second coming, arguing that everything had continued the same since creation, and Peter responds by recalling the flood as historical proof that God has already intervened dramatically in history before. The statement that 'one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day' (quoting Psalm 90:4) is not a mathematical formula, but a way of saying that human perception of time differs from God's eternal perspective. Peter openly acknowledges that some of Paul's letters contain things hard to understand, which are twisted by ill-intentioned people — one of the only references in the New Testament recognizing Paul's writings as Scripture. Today's practical application is to interpret the apparent delay of God's promises as merciful patience, not as divine absence or indifference.

Fun facts

This is one of the only places in the New Testament where one apostle (Peter) explicitly refers to the letters of another apostle (Paul) as part of the 'Scriptures' (3:15-16), showing how the New Testament itself began to be recognized as sacred text as early as the first century.

Verse-by-verse explanation

2 Peter 3:1Peter confirms that this is his second letter to the same readers (probably referring to 1 Peter), with the same purpose: to stir up a sincere mind through reminders.
2 Peter 3:2Places side by side two sources of authority his readers should remember: the prophecies of the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus passed down through the apostles.
2 Peter 3:3Announces the chapter’s main subject: people who, driven by their own desires, will openly mock the Christian faith — the text already warns that this will happen, so it should be no surprise.
2 Peter 3:4The scoffers’ ironic question — “Where is the promise of his coming?” — reflects a real doubt faced by the earliest Christians: as Christ’s return kept being delayed, some began to question whether it would happen at all.
2 Peter 3:5Answers the scoffers by recalling creation: the world was already formed by the word of God once before, so it’s not reasonable to think that same word lacks the power to act again.
2 Peter 3:6Uses the flood as historical proof that God has already intervened dramatically in the world before — against the scoffers’ idea that everything remains just as it was from the beginning.
2 Peter 3:7Just as water destroyed the ancient world, the text says the present world is being kept in store for a future destruction by fire, on the day of judgment.
2 Peter 3:8Saying that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years,” a reference echoing Psalm 90, is the letter’s answer to the delay of Christ’s return: the idea isn’t an exact mathematical equation, but a way of saying that God’s patience operates on a different scale of time than ours.
2 Peter 3:9Explains the delay of Christ’s return not as a delay at all, but as intentional patience: God is giving more time so that people still have a chance to repent.
2 Peter 3:10Comparing the coming of “the day of the Lord” to “a thief in the night,” an image that also appears in the Gospels and in Paul, describes a sudden, unexpected arrival, not a predictable calculation of dates.
2 Peter 3:11After describing the future destruction of the world, the text asks what that should change in practical life: living with holiness and devotion, knowing that nothing material will last forever.
2 Peter 3:12Calls for an active posture toward the future: not just passively waiting for the day of God, but living in a way that cooperates with that expectation, even in the face of an intense description of destruction.
2 Peter 3:13The expectation of “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness” echoes language from the prophet Isaiah, describing a complete renewal, not merely the end of the present world.
2 Peter 3:14Closes the section with a practical goal: given the expectation of the end, what matters is being found by Him in peace, without accumulated guilt.
2 Peter 3:15Asks that the delay of Christ’s return be seen as an opportunity for salvation, not a reason for doubt — and cites the apostle Paul as someone who had already taught something similar.
2 Peter 3:16The observation that Paul’s letters contain some things “hard to be understood” is a rare moment where one New Testament book openly comments on another, acknowledging that wrong interpretations were already circulating even among the earliest readers of those letters.
2 Peter 3:17Closes the subject of false teachers with a final warning: already knowing these risks, readers should guard themselves so as not to be swept away along with that kind of deception.
2 Peter 3:18Closes the letter with the same idea it opened with: keep growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ — an invitation to never stop maturing in faith, ending in praise to Him.

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