A Second Look: II Peter 3 & The Destruction of The World

ByAlex Franklin March 12, 2022 1 Comment

The Bible tells the story of the restoration of God’s good world, not humanity’s escape from it.
This post is a part of our examination of common passages in scripture that have traditionally been interpreted as communicating the idea that the ultimate goal for humans is to leave the physical world to live in the spiritual location of heaven for all eternity.

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But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

2 Peter 3:10 (NKJV)

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2 Peter 3, verse 10 is one of the more commonly referenced verses used to support the idea of the faithful ending up in heaven for all eternity after death (because earth and the rest of creation will be destroyed). But is that what Peter is saying in this passage?

In this post, we’ll examine the message that Peter is making to determine if he’s pointing to us escaping a doomed planet, or if he’s making a different point entirely.

With that said, let’s begin with a brief overview of the letter we call Second Peter.

The Content of the Letter

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 

2 Peter 3:1 (NIV)

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As Peter himself stated, his reason for writing them was to stimulate them to wholesome thinking (and living). He starts the letter by giving a description of wholesome thinking/living as well as encouraging the church to righteousness. From there, he goes on to warn believers of false teachers that will look to lead them astray in their faith and attempt to have them second-guess their convictions.

Like so many of the other letters in the NT, this letter is written to young groups of believers (churches) as a reminder of the things that they’ve put their faith in as well as an encouragement for them to remain steadfast in the face of adversity.

In life, one of the most effective ways to encourage people to be steadfast in anything is to give them a compelling picture of the “why” behind their efforts — to give them a picture of what they are working toward and why should they look forward to it. And that’s exactly what Peter does in “Chapter 3” of the letter, he gives them a compelling picture of what’s to come for the faithful in Christ.

Word Examination

The third chapter of 2 Peter is full of similar words like “world” & “earth” and lots of talk about fire and melting and destruction. With that being the case, I felt it would be most helpful to look more closely at the words used in the original language (Greek) to get a sense for what Peter was really talking about to clear up any potential confusion within the passage.

To do this, I’ve included most of 2 Peter 3 below (verses 3 thru 18, to be exact) as well as a glossary of the central words in this passage relating to the “destruction” that Peter’s discussing. In the passage included below, the critical words are highlighted in RED with their original Greek word appended to the end of them. You can then reference the glossary (included just below the passage) to get the definition of the original Greek word.

Once you’ve gone through the passage and gotten a feel for the words used, we’ll examine the components individually and begin putting the picture back together.

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Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens(ouranos) came into being and the earth(gē) was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world(kosmos) of that time was deluged and destroyed(apollymi). By the same word the present heavens(ouranos) and earth(gē) are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction(apoleia) of the ungodly.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish(apollymi), but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens(ouranos) will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed(lyō) by fire, and the earth(gē) and everything done in it will be laid bare(heuriskó).

Since everything will be destroyed(lyō) in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction(lyō) of the heavens(ouranos) by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven(ouranos) and a new earth(gē), where righteousness dwells.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction(apōleia). Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

2 Peter 3: 3-18 (NIV)

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Glossary of key Greek words:

  • Apōleia (pron. ah-pole-i-yah) noun
    • ruin or loss
    • damnation
    • destruction
  • Apollymi (pron. ah-pah-loo-me) verb
    • to destroy fully
    • to abolish
    • to put an end to
  • Gē (pron. gay) noun
    • arable land
    • the ground
    • soil
    • the earth as a whole
  • Heuriskó (pron. hyoo-rees-ko) verb
    • to discover
    • to see
    • to find by enquiry, thought, examination, scrutiny, observation
  • Kosmos (pron. kahs-mahs) noun
    • the inhabitants of the world (the human race)
    • the ungodly multitude (the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ)
    • world affairs (anything that seduces the heart away from God)
    • the earth
  • Lyō (pron. loo-oh) verb
    • to loosen or untie
    • to break up
    • to dissolve something into coherent parts, to destroy
    • to release from bonds or set free
  • Ouranos (pron. oo-rahn-ahs) noun
    • the sky
    • by extension, heaven (as the abode of God)

A Poignant Parallel

In Chapter 3 Peter gives a picture of the future destruction of the world. But before he does that, he sets up his point by calling his audience back to an event far in the past: the great flood. (Jesus also used the flood to give insight about what will happen when he returns — surely he is where Peter learned this from)

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world(kosmos) of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

2 Peter 3:3-7 (NIV) [emphasis mine]

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Kosmos is translated “world” 186 times in the NT. And while it can be used to mean the physical earth or creation (see: Acts 17:24), in the overwhelming majority of cases it’s used to speak of either:

So, when Peter speaks of the kosmos being destroyed by the flood, he could be referring to either the destruction of the earth or the destruction of humanity/ungodly human culture. But we know that after the flood the the earth wasn’t exterminated, nor was creation destroyed.

So, when Peter speaks of the destruction of “the world at that time” he clearly was referring to humanity and wicked human culture (as all humans, except righteous Noah and seven of his family members, were destroyed). And what he’s doing by bringing up the effect of the flood was setting up a parallel with the future destruction by fire; The parallel being that wicked humanity — not the earth — will be destroyed.

And this is further supported by Peter’s very next statement:

By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and the destruction of the ungodly.

2 Peter 3:7 (NIV)

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Notice he says that what is to come is “the destruction of the ungodly,” not the destruction of the earth/creation.

And this brings us to the next important point of examination…

The Destruction

In this passage, there are three different words that are translated “destroy”/”destruction”.

As you can see by referencing the glossary above, apōleia (a noun) and apollymi (a verb) both communicate literal destruction. But lyō (a verb), while also being translated “will be destroyed,” doesn’t mean destruction as much as it means de-construction (its actual definition is: “to loosen, untie, unbind, or to dissolve into coherent parts”).

Think about it this way: Lyō destruction is what happens when you throw a house made of Legos onto a hardwood floor, while apōleia/apollymi destruction is what happens when you toss that Lego house into a blast furnace.

And here’s something interesting to note when considering the usage of with these words in this passage: the true “destruction” words (apōleia and apollymi) are only used in relation to humanity/wicked human culture, while the word for loosening/untying/dissolving (lyō) is what’s used when talking about the physical creation (earth and skies).

Now, let’s take a look at the fire that Peter says is coming…

The Fire

It’s easy to think of fire as a purely destructive force, as we fairly frequently talk about the fires of hell, and so on. And while God certainly uses fire to destroy on occasion, if you look broadly across the examples of holy fire in the Bible, you’ll notice that there are quite a few important moments in the story where fire isn’t destructive at all.

In these watershed moments of the story God uses fire (or something hot) as:

  1. a symbol or tool of purification
  2. an indication of His presence

Consider these moments:

  • The burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6)
    • The bush was burning but “was not consumed” and Moses was instructed to remove his sandals because the ground on which he was standing was holy. The burning bush signified God’s presence which, in turn, made that place pure (holy).
  • The pillar of fire leading the Israelites (Exodus 13:20-23)
    • God’s guiding presence was manifested in a pillar of fire as the Israelites travelled in the wilderness toward the promised land.
  • Mt. Sinai experiences (Exodus 19 & 24)
    • When God’s presence rested on Mt. Sinai we’re told the mountain appeared as if on fire, with smoke rising from it like from a furnace. In addition, no one but Moses could approach the mountain because it was a pure (holy) place for which only Moses was deemed worthy to approach.
  • God’s presence on the tabernacle (Numbers 9:15-16)
    • When God’s presence would rest on the tabernacle after its construction, it would do so in the form of a cloud and that cloud “looked like fire.” In the tabernacle, no one could approach God’s presence in the Holy of Holies because it was a pure space for which only the High Priest was deemed worthy to approach.
  • Burnt offerings
    • God commanded His people to offer burnt offerings. And, while these offerings necessitated the destruction of animals by fire, they were ultimately for the purpose of atoning for the sins of the Israelites…providing them with (temporary) purification.
  • God’s presence in the temple (2 Chronicles 7:1-3)
    • When the temple was dedicated, Fire came down and consumed the burn offerings that had been prepared and God’s glory filled the temple. And just like in the tabernacle, no one could approach God’s presence in the Holy of Holies because it was a pure space for which only the High Priest was deemed worthy to approach once per year.
  • Isaiah’s vision of the throne room of God (Isaiah 6:1-7)
    • Isaiah’s response to a vision of being in the presence of God was dread — because he (rightfully) considered himself unworthy/unclean. In response, one of the seraphim took a burning coal from the altar of God, touched Isaiah’s lips with it, and declared him pure, thus allowing him to be in God’s presence and commissioning him for God’s prophetic work.
  • Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4)
    • On the day of Pentecost, the apostles were all gathered together and the Spirit of the Lord filled the house where they were and rested on them, and the Spirit was manifested as “tongues of fire.” Now, it’s the presence of the Spirit that signifies God’s presence and holiness (purity) in the world.

What Peter seems to be doing in this passage is weaving another thread into to the existing theme of fire and intense heat as a purifying force in the story of God, His world, and His people. This is made even more clear by our next area of examination….

Creation Exposed

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed(lyō) by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare(heuriskó).

2 Peter 3:10 (NIV)

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If you research 2 Peter 3:10, you’ll discover that over the years there has been a fair amount of disagreement as to how the end of the verse should be translated. Some older Greek manuscripts include the word “heuriskó” (which is translated in this verse: will be laid bare, will be exposed, or will be revealed), whereas more of the later Greek manuscripts tend to include the word “katakaió” instead (which is translated: will be burned up).

But I don’t believe using one word as opposed to the other has a significant effect on the passage. As, when properly viewed through the immediate context of the text around it, both phrases (i.e., revealed or burned up) get you to the same place.

Let me explain what I mean.

In this passage Peter consistently uses language relating to fire, intense heat, and melting. When taking into account 1) his use of fire/intense heat language, and 2) the fact that (as we’ve explored previously) the “destruction” that will happen to creation will, in actuality, be a de-construction where things will undergo some type of separation — the imagery that comes to my mind is that of smelting.

And smelting involves both burning things up and laying things bare.

Metals are valuable, but in order to realize their full value and potential, they must first be refined. When unrefined metal (also called “ore”) is mined from the earth, it isn’t pure — it’s naturally infused with slag (which is smelting terminology for dirt, rocks, and other undesirable elements). And the only way to effectively remove the slag within ore is to melt it … or said another way: burn it up.

When intense heat is applied to metal it will eventually reach its melting point, at which point it will change from a solid to a liquid. Once in its liquid state, the metal will unbind from the impurities within it; and at this point the slag can be easily removed and discarded — thus leaving behind (or exposing) the much more valuable bare metal.

Sound familiar?

Things being burned up/melting in heat, unbinding, and being exposed/laid bare … the smelting process seems to be a note-for-note parallel of what Peter is saying will happen at the return of Jesus.

What he’s telling the readers of his letter is that creation doesn’t look forward to obliteration by fire, it looks forward to purification by it. Similar to how an unrefined metal needs to be intensely heated in order to have its impurities removed, likewise, God’s creation needs to be intensely heated to remove its impurities (sin and all of its effects).

The New, Pure World and Creation

Since everything will be destroyed(lyō) in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction(lyō) of the heavens(ouranos) by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven(ouranos) and a new earth(gē), where righteousness dwells.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

2 Peter 3: 11-14 (NIV)

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With everything we’ve gone over to this point, we can now see more clearly what Peter’s communicating. Here’s what he’s saying in a nutshell:

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God is eventually going to purify his world. While he did so in the past by water, the future cleansing will be with fire. This time he will melt the creation in the intensity of his righteous presence. And where the flood of the past did not completely cleanse the earth of wickedness, the fire to come will be perfect in its cleansing.

Now, in light of the fact that in the end all wickedness, impurity, corruption, and sin will be destroyed and only the things that are righteous and pure will remain — make sure that you live lives that, unlike slag, will withstand the coming purification. If you want to be a part of the new, pure, world that is to come, then live pure and Godly lives to reflect that future purity now.

As the body of Christ, you are to be God’s purifying presence in this world. So, don’t give up on living pure lives as you (the church) anticipate the coming purification of all things.

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Notice when you read Peter’s letter, he never says: “live a good life so that your good deeds will warrant leaving the earth and living in heaven forever,” or anything to that effect — we read that message into the passage only because that’s the already-held belief we filter the passage through. No, what he says is that the ultimate result of the dissolving of the present heavens and the earth will be a NEW heaven and a NEW earth.

And what’s the point of a new earth if its primary inhabitants will have been relocated to heaven? It doesn’t make sense to have a new earth created just to remain empty. Besides, scripture tells us that it’s not God’s will for earth to be uninhabited:

For this is what the Lord says—
he who created the heavens,
    he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,
    he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,
    but formed it to be inhabited—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
    and there is no other.

Isaiah 45:18 (NIV) emphasis mine

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And Peter’s message of humans living forever — not in heaven, but in a new earth — is also perfectly in line with the picture that John was given in Revelation:

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:1-4 (NIV) emphasis mine

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The Bible tells us plainly that when it’s all said and done, the end state will be God coming to dwell among His people, not us leaving to live forever with him in heaven. Heaven and earth are destined to be united — they will again perfectly overlap as they did in the beginning.

But we know that God only dwells in pure spaces. So, in order for Him to come and dwell among us, the world and everything in it must be made pure.

And that is exactly what Peter says will happen in the end: purification…not obliteration.

Brothers and sisters, we look forward to a new beginning.

We look forward to a time when the whole earth will, again, be holy ground. A place where the righteous dwell with Righteousness.

Now that is something to look forward to!

Your brother in purity,
Alex

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