Bible Study — June 10, 2026
2 Peter 3 (English Standard Version)
I. Remember Christ is Coming Back
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles. — 2 Peter 3:1–2
Beloved: Peter turns his attention back to exhorting the church.
Remember what the prophets have said. Sometimes we forget things, and we look at what is going on and forget there are prophecies made in scripture.
Remember: the prophets spoke of the last days when Christ will return.
II. Remind the Scoffers of the Past
knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation." — 2 Peter 3:3–4
"In the last days" — What are the last days? Biblically, the last days refer to the time between the ascension and the return of Christ. It was last times during Peter's time.
But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: "And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." — Acts 2:16–21
"In the last days," scoffers will say that Jesus is never coming back and that Judgment Day will not come, but Peter refutes their argument by explaining God's mastery over time. The "last days" is the time between Christ's first and second comings; thus we, like Peter, live in the last days. We must do the work to which God has called us and believe that he will return as he has promised.
"Scoffers": Mockers — Scoffers will scoff or ridicule the saints, saying "Where is the promise of his coming? All things are continuing like they have from creation."
For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. — 2 Peter 3:5–7
Peter explains that the earth was formed out of the water and then the same water was used in judgment:
And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. — Genesis 1:7–10
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. — Genesis 7:11–12
It is the Word of God that holds these things in place.
In Noah's day, the earth was cleansed by water; at the Second Coming, it will be refined by fire. John describes this fire in Revelation 19:20 and 20:10–15. Peter does not say that everything will be burned into extinction, but he does say that at God's command all sinful people will be destroyed by his fiery judgment. (For another reference to God's judgment by fire, see Isaiah 66:15–16.)
III. Remember God's Timing is Different
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. — 2 Peter 3:8–9
God may have seemed slow to these believers as they faced persecution every day and longed to be delivered. But God is not slow; he is simply not on our timetable (Psalm 90:4). Jesus is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to him. We must not sit and wait for Christ to return, but we should realize that time is short and we have important work to do. Be ready to meet Christ anytime—even today—yet plan your course of service as though he may not return for many years.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! — 2 Peter 3:10–12
What is the Day of the Lord?
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." — Matthew 24:29–31
But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. — 2 Peter 3:13
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment." — Revelation 21:1–6
The Day of the Lord is the day of God's judgment on the earth. Here Peter is speaking of Christ's return. Christ's second coming will be sudden and terrible for those who do not believe in him. But if we are in a right relationship with God, we will be ready and won't be surprised. (For other prophetic pictures of the Day of the Lord, see Isaiah 34:4; Joel 3:15–16; Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21; Revelation 6:12–17.) Realizing that the earth will go through fire, we should put our confidence in what lasts eternally and not be bound to earthly treasures or pursuits. Do you spend more of your time piling up possessions or striving to develop Christlike character?
God does not desire to destroy all creation but to re-create everything as it was originally meant to be (see Isaiah 66:22; Revelation 21–22). God will purify the heavens and earth with fire; then he will fill them with his new creation. We can joyously look forward to the restoration of God's good world.
Final Words
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. — 2 Peter 3:14
We should not become lazy and complacent because Christ has not yet returned. Instead, we should eagerly expect his coming. This powerful hope encourages us to please him each day. We should make every effort to live faithfully for him. This will help us live peacefully with others. What would you like to be doing when Christ returns?
And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. — 2 Peter 3:15–18
The false teachers intentionally misused Paul's writings by distorting them to condone lawlessness. No doubt this made the teachers popular, because people always like to have their favorite sins justified, but the net effect was to totally destroy the people's interpretation of Paul's message. Paul may have been thinking of teachers like these when he wrote in Romans 6:15, "Well then, since God's grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not!" Peter warns his readers to avoid the mistakes of these wicked teachers by growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. The better we know Jesus, the less attractive false teaching will be.
Peter concludes this brief letter as he began—by urging his readers to grow in the grace and knowledge of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; that is, they were to get to know him better and better. This is the same way we can discern and combat false teaching. The better we know the real Jesus, the less likely we will be deceived by any false teaching about him. No matter where we are in our spiritual journeys, no matter how mature we are in our faith, the sinful, fallen world will always challenge our belief in Jesus. We still have much room for growth. Every day we need to draw closer to Christ so that we will be prepared to stand for truth in any and all circumstances.