2 Peter 3 and My Issue With a Universal, Sudden End

some thoughts on the patience of God

God, you alone know all things. If I but scratch the surface of the wealth of knowledge that is You, I am grateful. I know I am foolish for even attempting to articulate the things I see, and I only have boldness to speak of You because of your grace. May my infantile babbling in this article glorify you despite their ineptitude. Amen.

In my most recent reflection on Athanasius’s work On the Incarnation, I spoke of how God eradicates evil through purifying our desires. I hinted at how this long, slow work of the Holy Spirit might bump up against our usual way of talking about the victory of Christ: a climatic end or transformation of planet earth.

In this article, I’ll be talking about why I find this latter perspective unsatisfactory both exegetically and in relation God’s character as I see it, which will always (in this life) be limited and vanity of vanities.

2 Peter 3 and a Cataclysmic End

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. 2 Peter 3:10

2 Peter 3 is an exciting passage; if you enjoy movies with explosions and a lot of action, then this chapter is for you. However, I think that 2 Peter 3 is also misunderstood, and while I won’t be offering a full commentary here, I do want to share a few reasons why.

In my option, 2 Peter 3 is best understood if it is read as commentary on a “national judgment” of Judah during the Jewish-Roman war in the latter half of the first century, not as a discussion of the sudden end/ transformation of the planet.

The Imminent Expectation of Peter’s Audience

To set the stage for our brief discussion of the content of 2 Peter 3, allow me to take you through several passages in both of Peter’s letters which seem to hint at the imminency of the prophetic events Peter has in mind.

who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:5

In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 1 Peter 1:6

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13

For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 1 Peter 1:20

but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 1 Peter 4:5

This is perhaps the most important one:

The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. 1 Peter 4:7

In this last one, we see that the “little while” of tribulation Peter’s contemporaries were experiencing was interpreted by him as being the beginning of the “appointed time” of judgment.¹

For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 1 Peter 4:17

The above passages are saturated with the idea that God’s eschatological plan was on the verge of being unveiled. Jesus is “ready” to judge, so endure for a “little while” by “preparing your mind for action” because we are living in “the last times” and “the end of all things is near.”

While I have zero judgment towards people who read this and still interpret these things as future to us, it is my own personal conviction that such an interpretation robs the text of its immediate relevance to Peter’s audience, so I just can’t see it, and that might be evidence of my own exegetical shortcomings and limited perspective.

There are two references in 2 Peter:

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Peter 2:1

and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 2 Peter 2:3

Again, I walk away with the impression that the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to actually expect these things to happen very soon from the time he authored them.

There is one passage, though, that seems to contradict what I’m saying here, and it is in 2 Peter 3:

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter 3:3–4

First, this makes it seem like Peter wasn’t writing “in the last days,” but we already know from the first epistle he was. Not only that, but Hebrews 1:1 and Acts 2:16-17 both affirm that Jesus’s ministry and the Day of Pentecost fell during the last days.

Second, the mockers could only ask such questions because of the imminent expectation of judgment inspired by the teachings of Jesus and his apostles.

Third, Jude actually references this passage when he says,

But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. Jude 17–19

So Jude quotes this text and says, “And here they are!”

It is important to keep in mind that Peter didn't expect to see these things himself. Just as he expected the judgment to come soon, he knew that his death was imminent:

I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 2 Peter 1:13–14

But this was no surprise to Peter, for Jesus told him that he would die before the time (John 21:18-23).

2 Peter 3 and Prophetic Langauge

“Well if Peter really did expect those things to be fulfilled within the near future, then obviously he got it wrong because the earth is still here.”

Fair point. I’ve asked the same thing.

Here’s the full text:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:10–13

In a vacuum, these seems pretty clear: the world as we know it will be destroyed. But in the context of the prophets, which Peter explicitly said he was reminding them of, this language is best understood as language of national judgment.

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. 2 Peter 3:1–2

So if we want to understand what Peter is talking about here, it’s best to turn to the prophets.

If you wanted, we could go to Nahum, Isaiah 64-66, Isaiah 24-27, Malachi, Obadiah, Joel, or many of the others to demonstrate how this language was employed in regards to national judgment, return from exile, and the victory of God’s people. It’s hard to read the prophets without encountering this cataclysmic language. But keep in mind that these prophets were always first and foremost addressing their primary audience: the oracle concerning Edom, the oracle concerning Judah, the oracle concerning Damascus, etc., etc.

To me, the most effective passage at demonstrating this truth is Isaiah 13-14, which is “an oracle concerning Babylon” (Isaiah 13:1).

Notice the intensity of the language:

A sound of tumult on the mountains, Like that of many people! A sound of the uproar of kingdoms, Of nations gathered together! The LORD of hosts is mustering the army for battle. They are coming from a far country, From the farthest horizons, The LORD and His instruments of indignation, To destroy the whole land. Isaiah 13:4–5

Wail, for the day of the LORD is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every man’s heart will melt. They will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame. Isaiah 13:6–8

Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash forth their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light. Isaiah 13:9–10

Thus I will punish the world for its evil And the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud And abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. Isaiah 13:11

Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the LORD of hosts In the day of His burning anger. Isaiah 13:13

Okay, so obviously Isaiah is talking about a time when the earth is destroyed, the heavens melt, and the entirety of the human population is judged at a cataclysmic end of everything.

At least, that’s what it seems like until we remember that this is about Babylon:

Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them, Who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold. And their bows will mow down the young men, They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, Nor will their eye pity children. And Babylon, the beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaiah 13:17–19²

Is it too farfetched, then, to read 2 Peter 3 as also talking about a national judgment? One that was on the horizon?

Could his intense language simply be his attempt to really stress that “the end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7)? Perhaps he had in mind what Jesus did in Matthew 24:29-34 when he spoke of the destruction of the temple?

It makes sense to me that Peter, who was baptized in the prophets, would draw from their imagery to describe a calamity that would be especially important to his audience as the “apostle to the circumcision.” As a master rhetorician, Peter employed this dramatic imagery to capture the attention of his audience, stress the importance of faithful living, and encourage them to endure their persecution in light of the imminent day of the Lord.

But there’s another reason why I hold to this interpretation of 2 Peter 3, and it has to do with the character of God. This next part will lay the groundwork for my next article.

This Only Makes Sense in One Generation

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

If 2 Peter 3 is about the end of time (or really any end in our future), how could this passage make sense? If God’s patience is rooted in God’s desire to see that all have space to repent, then how could the day of the Lord ever come?

Let’s just assume for a moment that the “age of accountability” even makes sense—as if adults are any closer to knowing anything than babies (this is called a joke)—then if the world were to be thrown into fiery chaos right now in fulfillment of 2 Peter 3, then someone somewhere is only a few seconds or perhaps a day into the stage of their life in which they “know good and evil” and are culpable for their actions.

Is this person just the most unlucky person alive or what?

Every generation more people are born who need to change their mind about who God is, so God’s patience demands that the day of the Lord be pushed further and further into the future as more mothers give birth.

Instead, I read this passage like this:

“You guys really messed up by crucifying the Messiah. There is no reason at all that you have avoided the cycle of violence for as long as you have except for the patience of God. Unless you repent, you will ‘likewise perish’” (cf. Luke 13:1-5; Luke 19:41-44).³

This interpretation seems to conform to what Jesus said on several occasions:

“To what shall I compare this generation?” (Matthew 11:16)

“An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign” (Matthew 12:39).

“The men of Nineveh [and the Queen of the South] will rise/ stand up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it” (Matthew 12:41-42).

“That is the way it will be with this evil generation” (Matthew 12:45).

“You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you?” (Matthew 17:17)

“Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation” (Matthew 23:36).

“Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass way until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34).

Peter picked up on this language, for he said, “Be saved from this perverse generation” (Acts 2:40).

What this passage in 2 Peter 3 demonstrates is that a global cataclysmic end at a random point in time is a betrayal of God’s patience, for there will inevitably be people who experience divine impatience. Instead, Jesus spoke of a judgment that would take place at the end of a generation and would specifically be about that generation. Certainly, there are cosmic implications of this judgment, and it is not as if our actions go “unjudged” (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:10; Hebrews 9:27), but its specific fulfillment, as I see it, is in the fall of Jerusalem.

This is why I see the Cross as the most important event of all time. It marks the turn from our “descent into nonbeing” to our conformity with the image of God. It is the restoration and reconciliation of all things. It is the healing of the nations. It is the judgment of the satan and the destruction of the works of the devil. And it is from this eschatological pivot that the rivers of living water flow.

In the next article, I’ll offer a few words on how the “middle voice” might help us understand our own role in the healing of the nations and God’s invitation to participation.

1. Since Peter is writing from Babylon (1 Peter 5:13), satan is walking about like a roaring lion (not bound as in Revelation 20), and the saints are living at the appointed time of judgment, could the “little while” of 1 Peter be the “little while” of Revelation 20?

2. Peter also connects the soon-to-come judgment to Sodom (2 Peter 2:6).

3. Notice that “likewise perish” in Luke 13 doesn’t mean a fiery death at the end of the world or in the afterlife; instead, it also pertains to images of national judgment such as violence perpetuated by the Romans and the collapse of buildings.