2Pe 3:10-13 | KingComments | STEP | . When you read here about “the day of the Lord”, it is not meant a period of twenty four hours, but a longer period of time. A little further you read about “the day of God” ( ) and in the last verse of this chapter about “the day of eternity”. Needless to say that by that not days are meant as we know them. ‘The day of God’ is the period wherein God is in publicly control and ‘the day of eternity’ is the day without an end. ‘The day of the Lord’ is a period in which the Lord is publicly in control. At present man is still in control. That’s because satan is still the ruler of the world and has power over man. There will come an end to that period and that end is near. The day of the Lord begins when He appears on the clouds and radically beats down the resistance of man against Him and the henchmen of satan will be thrown in hell ( ). Then satan will be caught and thrown in the abyss where he will be locked up for a thousand years ( ). In that time the Lord Jesus will be reigning in righteousness and peace ( ). The dawning of the day of the Lord will be completely unexpected and also undesired to the mockers and all godless people, just as it applies to the visit of a thief ( ; ; ). That day will end with “intense heat” by which “the elements will be destroyed”. At the end of the millennial kingdom the great white throne, on which the Lord Jesus will be seated, will be established. When that happens, the earth and heaven will flee from Him ( ). That will not happen noiseless, but with “a roar”. All the elements of which heaven and earth are consisted of and secured its existence, including all works that were ever done by people, will melt with intense heat. Everything that man has built for his own glory and comfort, will appear to be fuel for the fire of God’s judgment. Nothing will remain hidden, nothing will remain unfindable for that fire. All wicked works and all wicked things “will be burned up” (cf. ). Everything that the flesh has ever put its trust in, will disappear forever. . If you read this and allow the content to penetrate you, it will activate you to a “holy conduct and godliness”, which is a Godly life. What Peter has just described cannot help but arouse a desire to live like that now, that sin in no way has any grip on any part your life. Besides, it is not a request, but you, who confess to be a child of God, ought to . If everything is to be destroyed – and that’s what will happen! – what are you then living for? A holy conduct is a conduct separate from the world. Godliness means that you are focused on God’s honor in your life. Of course, there are a lot of things in life that are fun to do or to have. The world knows nothing better and cannot do any better than seeking for those things. Your position in this is determined by your view on the future. Is it like Peter presents it here? Is it a reality for you that the day of the Lord is at hand ( )? You don’t answer this question with your mouth, but by your way of life. . Your life on earth and the things on earth are temporary. The things on earth will be destroyed, but your life is standing in the perspective of “the coming of the day of God”. On the day of God there will be nothing else to be seen than God and everything that is His ( ). You may expect that day. Your holy conduct and your godly life will stir up resistance and hostility of the world. That can only increase your desire for the day of God. You can reach out for that day, you can expect it. Peter even speaks about the “hastening the coming” of that day. The exact meaning of that is not quite clear to me, but I have some thoughts about it. It may be that by looking forward intensely to that day, it will come sooner. The more you live in connection with God and doing His will, the sooner time will pass and in that way that day will also come sooner. Another thought is that it may be that by your testimony people will repent, whereby the last one will soon be added to the church. When the church is complete, the Lord Jesus will come and then the fulfillment begins of everything which Peter has talked about. In itself, the moment of the dawning of the day of God is fixed in God’s plan ( ). In His sovereignty, however, God has also given the lives of His own a place in His plans. It is the same as with praying. You may say that praying is useless, for everything happens anyway as God has determined it. Nevertheless, you read several times that God lets Himself be entreated ( ; ). God gives the prayer of His own a place in His plans. By praying you can help in hastening the day of God by your way of life. God Himself will let that day come by burning the heavens and making the elements be melted. Still, you do not look forward to the final judgment, but to the day of God. It is necessary for the judgment to have taken place, so that the day of God may come. . What you of course are looking forward to and what you are expecting is the fulfillment of the promise that there will be “new heavens and a new earth”. That is the moment that sin will be taken away from the world ( ). Everything that reminds of sin will then be removed. There will be absolutely no remembrance of that anymore. Everything will then completely be made new ( ). Then “righteousness” will “dwell” there. That means that righteousness has come to rest, for there is nothing more left for which justice needs to be maintained. Also in the millennial kingdom of peace there is a new heaven and a new earth ( ). The curse will then be removed from creation which came on it through the sin of man ( ). “The face of the ground” will be renewed ( ). There will be peace everywhere, for the King of peace will reign ( ). Many prophecies speak about it ( ). Still it is not the perfect condition. People can still sin, which will then immediately be punished with death ( ; ). The Lord Jesus reigns and righteousness rules . . If you look forward in that way to the new, the desire will be there to be diligent to meet the Lord in a condition that is according to His heart. “Spotless” means that nothing of the old life, that is your life in sin, can be found with you anymore. It is about you who do not maintain any old, sinful habits anymore. “Blameless” means that other people cannot blame you for anything anymore. Briefly said it means that the Lord Jesus is seen in your life. He was and is the perfect One without spot and Who is blameless. Your efforts to meet the Lord like that will give you inner peace. Then He will not find you in a condition where you are quarreling with others. You will, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men ( ). . “The patience of our Lord” is not slackness or forgetfulness. He will really return. You do not need think that He will forget you if He delays His coming for a longer time. Consider that His patience is “salvation”. You may keep in mind that as long as He doesn’t come He is seeking the salvation of sinners ( ). When He comes to take you up, then the time of grace will be definitely over. To underline his teaching, Peter appeals to “our beloved brother Paul”. It is wonderful to see that Peter writes about Paul like that. You may recall that Paul once opposed him to his face ( ). That did not cause Peter, as it appears here, to have any sense of a grudge or bitter feelings toward Paul. Paul was a wise reprover and Peter had a listening ear ( ). Peter reminds his readers that Paul also wrote to them about patience. He probably means the letter to the Hebrews. Also in other letters Paul wrote about it. He did that, Peter says, “according to the wisdom given him”. He fully acknowledges the ministry of Paul as a ministry given to him by the Lord. It is important that you too acknowledge each ministry that the Lord gives to another person and that you also see the wisdom of the Lord in them carrying out that ministry. . Peter also takes note that “all letters” of Paul, “speaking in them of these things”, are a part of the Holy Scripture. With the words “as also the rest of the Scriptures” – which are the Scriptures of the Old Testament – he puts these letters on par with them. Not everything that Paul has written is easy to understand. Even Peter had some difficulties with some things. But what is hard to understand is therefore not untrue. That must never cause a person to justify his ignorance about the Word of God. Even less should it lead to “distort” it. Nonetheless, it happens by “the untaught and unstable”. An ‘untaught person’ is someone who has not learned because he presumes to know everything better. He who trusts in himself is stupid. He is also ‘unstable’. Such a person has no foothold and wanders through life. He is in fact dangerous, for he is eloquent and pretends to know everything. Such people are trying to get hold of you. . But you are warned. You know everything “beforehand”. “Be on your guard”, watch over yourself and over what you have become and have got in Christ. If you are not steadfast you are in danger to be “carried away”. The “unprincipled men” are erring because they do not take account of God and His Word. Keep them at a distance. Do not consult them with your cares and need. They will only drag you away into their corrupt view on things with the result that you lose “your own steadfastness”. You will then wander together with them and end up in ruin, if you do not return to Him by His grace . . To be kept from that you ought to grow spiritually. ‘To grow’ means to become mature and strong. You must grow “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. It is about you becoming more and more aware of the “grace” of the Lord Jesus, understanding it better and living in it more and more. Just consider it often that He is your Lord and Savior and how that happened. To succeed in that you should read God’s Word. By reading God’s Word you also learn to know Him better, for also by growing in “knowledge” it’s all about Him, “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. He alone is worthy of all glory, “now”, on earth in your life of suffering, and soon it in “the day of eternity”, that is when the everlasting perfection has come. Now read 2 Peter 3:10-18 again. Reflection: What efforts do you make to be found without spot and blameless when the Lord comes?

‏ 2 Peter 3:10-13

Grow in the Grace and Knowledge

2Pet 3:10. When you read here about “the day of the Lord”, it is not meant a period of twenty four hours, but a longer period of time. A little further you read about “the day of God” (2Pet 3:12) and in the last verse of this chapter about “the day of eternity”. Needless to say that by that not days are meant as we know them. ‘The day of God’ is the period wherein God is in publicly control and ‘the day of eternity’ is the day without an end. ‘The day of the Lord’ is a period in which the Lord is publicly in control.

At present man is still in control. That’s because satan is still the ruler of the world and has power over man. There will come an end to that period and that end is near. The day of the Lord begins when He appears on the clouds and radically beats down the resistance of man against Him and the henchmen of satan will be thrown in hell (Rev 19:11-21). Then satan will be caught and thrown in the abyss where he will be locked up for a thousand years (Rev 20:1-3). In that time the Lord Jesus will be reigning in righteousness and peace (Rev 20:4-6).

The dawning of the day of the Lord will be completely unexpected and also undesired to the mockers and all godless people, just as it applies to the visit of a thief (Mt 24:43; 1Thes 5:2 ; 4; Rev 3:3 ; Rev 16:15). That day will end with “intense heat” by which “the elements will be destroyed”. At the end of the millennial kingdom the great white throne, on which the Lord Jesus will be seated, will be established. When that happens, the earth and heaven will flee from Him (Rev 20:11). That will not happen noiseless, but with “a roar”.

All the elements of which heaven and earth are consisted of and secured its existence, including all works that were ever done by people, will melt with intense heat. Everything that man has built for his own glory and comfort, will appear to be fuel for the fire of God’s judgment. Nothing will remain hidden, nothing will remain unfindable for that fire. All wicked works and all wicked things “will be burned up” (cf. Jn 3:19-20). Everything that the flesh has ever put its trust in, will disappear forever.

2Pet 3:11. If you read this and allow the content to penetrate you, it will activate you to a “holy conduct and godliness”, which is a Godly life. What Peter has just described cannot help but arouse a desire to live like that now, that sin in no way has any grip on any part your life. Besides, it is not a request, but you, who confess to be a child of God, ought to.

If everything is to be destroyed – and that’s what will happen! – what are you then living for? A holy conduct is a conduct separate from the world. Godliness means that you are focused on God’s honor in your life. Of course, there are a lot of things in life that are fun to do or to have. The world knows nothing better and cannot do any better than seeking for those things. Your position in this is determined by your view on the future. Is it like Peter presents it here? Is it a reality for you that the day of the Lord is at hand (Jam 5:8-9)? You don’t answer this question with your mouth, but by your way of life.

2Pet 3:12. Your life on earth and the things on earth are temporary. The things on earth will be destroyed, but your life is standing in the perspective of “the coming of the day of God”. On the day of God there will be nothing else to be seen than God and everything that is His (1Cor 15:28). You may expect that day. Your holy conduct and your godly life will stir up resistance and hostility of the world. That can only increase your desire for the day of God. You can reach out for that day, you can expect it.

Peter even speaks about the “hastening the coming” of that day. The exact meaning of that is not quite clear to me, but I have some thoughts about it. It may be that by looking forward intensely to that day, it will come sooner. The more you live in connection with God and doing His will, the sooner time will pass and in that way that day will also come sooner. Another thought is that it may be that by your testimony people will repent, whereby the last one will soon be added to the church. When the church is complete, the Lord Jesus will come and then the fulfillment begins of everything which Peter has talked about.

In itself, the moment of the dawning of the day of God is fixed in God’s plan (Mt 24:36). In His sovereignty, however, God has also given the lives of His own a place in His plans. It is the same as with praying. You may say that praying is useless, for everything happens anyway as God has determined it. Nevertheless, you read several times that God lets Himself be entreated (Gen 25:21; Ezra 8:23). God gives the prayer of His own a place in His plans. By praying you can help in hastening the day of God by your way of life.

God Himself will let that day come by burning the heavens and making the elements be melted. Still, you do not look forward to the final judgment, but to the day of God. It is necessary for the judgment to have taken place, so that the day of God may come.

2Pet 3:13. What you of course are looking forward to and what you are expecting is the fulfillment of the promise that there will be “new heavens and a new earth”. That is the moment that sin will be taken away from the world (Jn 1:29). Everything that reminds of sin will then be removed. There will be absolutely no remembrance of that anymore. Everything will then completely be made new (Rev 21:1-5). Then “righteousness” will “dwell” there. That means that righteousness has come to rest, for there is nothing more left for which justice needs to be maintained.

Also in the millennial kingdom of peace there is a new heaven and a new earth (Isa 65:17-18). The curse will then be removed from creation which came on it through the sin of man (Rom 8:19-22). “The face of the ground” will be renewed (Psa 104:30). There will be peace everywhere, for the King of peace will reign (Isa 9:5-6). Many prophecies speak about it (Isa 11:6-10 ; Isa 35:1-10). Still it is not the perfect condition. People can still sin, which will then immediately be punished with death (Isa 65:20; Psa 101:8). The Lord Jesus reigns and righteousness rules.

2Pet 3:14. If you look forward in that way to the new, the desire will be there to be diligent to meet the Lord in a condition that is according to His heart. “Spotless” means that nothing of the old life, that is your life in sin, can be found with you anymore. It is about you who do not maintain any old, sinful habits anymore. “Blameless” means that other people cannot blame you for anything anymore. Briefly said it means that the Lord Jesus is seen in your life. He was and is the perfect One without spot and Who is blameless.

Your efforts to meet the Lord like that will give you inner peace. Then He will not find you in a condition where you are quarreling with others. You will, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men (Rom 12:18).

2Pet 3:15. “The patience of our Lord” is not slackness or forgetfulness. He will really return. You do not need think that He will forget you if He delays His coming for a longer time. Consider that His patience is “salvation”. You may keep in mind that as long as He doesn’t come He is seeking the salvation of sinners (1Pet 3:20). When He comes to take you up, then the time of grace will be definitely over.

To underline his teaching, Peter appeals to “our beloved brother Paul”. It is wonderful to see that Peter writes about Paul like that. You may recall that Paul once opposed him to his face (Gal 2:11-14). That did not cause Peter, as it appears here, to have any sense of a grudge or bitter feelings toward Paul. Paul was a wise reprover and Peter had a listening ear (Pro 25:12 ; Pro 15:31).

Peter reminds his readers that Paul also wrote to them about patience. He probably means the letter to the Hebrews. Also in other letters Paul wrote about it. He did that, Peter says, “according to the wisdom given him”. He fully acknowledges the ministry of Paul as a ministry given to him by the Lord. It is important that you too acknowledge each ministry that the Lord gives to another person and that you also see the wisdom of the Lord in them carrying out that ministry.

2Pet 3:16. Peter also takes note that “all letters” of Paul, “speaking in them of these things”, are a part of the Holy Scripture. With the words “as also the rest of the Scriptures” – which are the Scriptures of the Old Testament – he puts these letters on par with them.

Not everything that Paul has written is easy to understand. Even Peter had some difficulties with some things. But what is hard to understand is therefore not untrue. That must never cause a person to justify his ignorance about the Word of God. Even less should it lead to “distort” it. Nonetheless, it happens by “the untaught and unstable”. An ‘untaught person’ is someone who has not learned because he presumes to know everything better. He who trusts in himself is stupid. He is also ‘unstable’. Such a person has no foothold and wanders through life. He is in fact dangerous, for he is eloquent and pretends to know everything. Such people are trying to get hold of you.

2Pet 3:17. But you are warned. You know everything “beforehand”. “Be on your guard”, watch over yourself and over what you have become and have got in Christ. If you are not steadfast you are in danger to be “carried away”. The “unprincipled men” are erring because they do not take account of God and His Word. Keep them at a distance. Do not consult them with your cares and need. They will only drag you away into their corrupt view on things with the result that you lose “your own steadfastness”. You will then wander together with them and end up in ruin, if you do not return to Him by His grace .

2Pet 3:18. To be kept from that you ought to grow spiritually. ‘To grow’ means to become mature and strong. You must grow “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”. It is about you becoming more and more aware of the “grace” of the Lord Jesus, understanding it better and living in it more and more. Just consider it often that He is your Lord and Savior and how that happened. To succeed in that you should read God’s Word. By reading God’s Word you also learn to know Him better, for also by growing in “knowledge” it’s all about Him, “our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”.

He alone is worthy of all glory, “now”, on earth in your life of suffering, and soon it in “the day of eternity”, that is when the everlasting perfection has come.

Now read 2 Peter 3:10-18 again.

Reflection: What efforts do you make to be found without spot and blameless when the Lord comes?