2 Peter 3

1Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. In both letters I have tried to wake up your honest minds by reminding you of things.

2I want you to remember the words spoken long ago by the holy prophets, and the command of our Lord and Saviour that came through your apostles.

3First of all, you must understand that in the last days people will come who make fun of the truth and follow their own evil desires.

4They will say: Jesus promised to come back. So where is he? Ever since our ancestors died, everything has stayed the same, just as it has been since the world was made.

5But they choose to forget that long ago God made the heavens by God's word, and made the earth out of water and through water.

6And by that same water, the world of that time was flooded and destroyed.

7By that same word of God, the heavens and earth that exist now are being kept for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when sinful people will be destroyed.

8But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.

9The Lord is not slow to keep his promise, as some people think of slowness. Instead, the Lord is patient with you. The Lord does not want anyone to be lost, but wants everyone to turn away from sin.

10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will disappear with a roar; everything will be burned up and melt in the great heat, and the earth and all that is in it will be laid bare.

11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, think what kind of people you should be. You should live holy and godly lives,

12As you wait for the day of God and look forward to it. On that day the heavens will be set on fire and destroyed, and everything will melt in the heat.

13But we are waiting for what God promised: a new heaven and a new earth, where what is right will live.

14So then, dear friends, while you wait for this, do your best to be found by God at peace, without sin, and with nothing against you.

15Remember that our Lord is patient so that people can be saved. Our dear brother Paul wrote to you about this too, with the wisdom God gave him.

16Paul writes the same way in all his letters when he speaks about these things. Some of the things in his letters are hard to understand. People who do not know better, and who are not firm in faith, twist his words — and they twist the other Scriptures too — and so they destroy themselves.

17So then, dear friends, since you already know this, be careful. Do not let the mistakes of evil people lead you away and cause you to fall from your firm faith.

18Instead, keep growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.