The Late, Great Planet Jerusalem: A Historical, Canonical Reading of II Peter 3(Part I)

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you; in them I am trying to arouse your sincere intention by reminding you that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles. First of all you must understand this, that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and indulging their own lusts and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since our ancestors died, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation!" They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago and an earth was formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world of that time was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been reserved for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the godless. (II Peter 3:1-7)[1]
In this passage, the purpose of II Peter 3 is revealed. Peter is writing to combat “scoffers” who question the παρουσία (parousia) of Christ due to its supposed delay. The preponderance of English translations interpret παρουσία as “coming”, but, παρουσία (literally “with being”) would be better translated as “presence”. This may appear, presently, as an argument over epiphoric semiotics, however, translating παρουσία more accurately as “presence” has discursive implications later in this passage particularly in verse 7, where we read that “the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire…”
Reading verse 7 in its canonical context, “fire”, throughout both the Old and New Testaments, refers to the divine presence of God. In the Old Testament, אש (‘esh) refers to the presence of God in the burning bush in Exodus 3:2, in the pillar of fire in Exodus 13:21, consuming the burnt offerings in Leviticus 9:24, God is called a “consuming fire” in Deuteronomy 4:24, Micah 1:3-4 reads that “the Lord is coming out of his place…[and that] mountains will melt under him and the valleys will burst open, like wax near a fire”, and Malachi describes God as a “refiner’s fire” in 3:2. Likewise, in the New Testament the divine presence of God is signified by “fire” (πυρ). In Matthew 3:11, God is symbolized as “unquenchable fire”, in I Thessalonians 5:19, Paul writes “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire (NIV[2]), and in Hebrews 12:29, “consuming fire” is used as a metaphor for God. Therefore, it seems that in this discussion of the parousia in II Peter 3, “fire” can be read as referring to the presence of God.
There is, however, another biblical use of “fire”; to signify God’s judgment. This metaphor is used extensively throughout the Old Testament[3]. “Fire” is also used to signify God’s judgment in the apocalyptic literature of the New Testament including Jude Revelation, and II Peter.
The question, then, is whether this use of “fire” in II Peter 3 refers to God’s judgment or God’s divine presence. However, canonically the use of the word “fire” gives the impression that it can refer both to God’s judgment and to God’s divine presence; for example Malachi 3:1-6 and 4:1-6. Therefore, the use of the word “fire” in II Peter 3 has a binary metaphorical meaning signifying both God’s judgment and God’s divine presence.
This, then, concerning the “day of judgment” of verse 7, begs the questions; when, where, upon what and upon whom is this judging presence of God centered? Traditionally, the answer has been that this “day of judgment” is centered upon the entire Creation at the eschaton. However, if II Peter was written prior to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D. (as I believe that it was), then this judgment would, seemingly, be directed at Jerusalem and the Temple. Upon an initially reading, Peter’s phrase “the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire…” in verse 7 would seem problematic, but, read in their canonical context, they can be interpreted to support this claim. In the Old Testament, Jerusalem “is viewed as a microcosm of the whole world, its Temple representing the very structure of creation.”[4] Perhaps the example of this that is most similar to the present study would be found in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 24:1 reads, “Now the LORD is about to lay waste the earth and make it desolate…” A prominent interpretation of Isaiah posits that when Isaiah refers to judgment on the “earth” he is no longer referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587-586 B.C.E., but is then shifting to an eschatological prophecy. The note on chapters 24-27 in The Jewish Study Bible reads, “These [chapters] form a distinct section within the book of Isaiah. They refer to no specific historical situation but are concerned instead with a future time in which the world will undergo sweeping devastation, after which redemption will come to survivors from all the nations.”[5] However, the text does not seem to support such an anachronistic interpretation. Isaiah 1-39 is a prophetic passage concerning the impinging destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple at the hands of Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar in 587-586 B.C.E.[6]. As Walter Brueggemann writes, “It is Jerusalem that is under judgment and that draws the negating attention of Yahweh.”[7] Elsewhere, Brueggemann writes of chapters 1-39; “In these chapters we are made aware that God will judge the city and its wayward economic and military policies, which are rooted in unfaith.”[8] Jerusalem, in the book of Isaiah, is viewed as a microcosm “representing the whole creation in its hostility toward God”[9]. Therefore, judgment on Jerusalem is judgment on the whole Creation. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 587-586 B.C.E., of which Isaiah prophesizes, will have “cosmic implications.”[10] Thus, when Isaiah writes that ““Now the LORD is about to lay waste the earth and make it desolate…” in 24:1, he has not redirected his focus from his prophecy of Jerusalem’s imminent destruction onto some eschatological event. He has, however, simply articulated the attitude of his contemporary audience concerning Jerusalem and the Temple. Returning to II Peter 3, “the present heavens and earth” that “have been reserved for fire” refers to a similar, but separate, historical and canonical event; God’s judgment upon Jerusalem (“as a microcosm of the whole world”) and the Temple (“representing the very structure of creation”) in 70 A.D. [11].
Finally, Peter states that this “day of judgment” is coupled with “the destruction of the godless.” In Paul’s discussion of “the Day” in I Corinthians 3:11-15, he writes,
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire.
Therefore, reading II Peter in its canonical context, following I Corinthians, “the Day” is less a day of destruction of godless humans and more a day of revelation of the quality of humanity’s work. Paul points out that the godless “work is burned up” and that “the builder will suffer loss”, nevertheless, “the builder will be saved”.
[1] All Scripture quotations are from the NRSV unless otherwise noted. New Revised Standard Version Bible, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, 1989.
[2] New International Version, International Bible Society, 1973.
[3] See Genesis 19:24, Deuteronomy 9:3, 13:12-18, 32:15-43, Joshua 6:24, 8:8; 19, 11:6,9,11, Judges 1:8, 2 Kings 2:11, 6:17, Job 15:34, 20:26, Psalm 11:5-6, 18:6ff, 21:9, 50:3-6, 68:2, 78:21, 79:5ff, 83:14-18, 97:3ff, Isaiah 1:7, 5:24-25, 9:5, 10:16-19, 26:11, 29:6, 30:27-33, 31:9, 33:11-12, 33:13-15, 34:1-10, 47:14, 64:1-11, 66:15-24, Jeremiah 4:4, 15:14, 17:1-4, 27, 21:10-14, 34:2, 22, 37:8, 10, 38:17, 18, 23, 43:12-13, 48:45, 50:32, 51:58, 52:13, Lamentations 2:3-4, 4:11, Ezekiel 5:4, 10:2, 15:1-8, 19:10-14, 20:45-49, 21:28-32, 22:17-22, 23:25, 24:9-14, 28:18-19, 30:6-9,14,16, 36:5-7, 38:17-23, 39:6, Daniel 7:9-12, Hosea 8:14, Joel 1:19-20, Joel 2:3,5, 2:30, Amos 1-2:5, 5:6, Obadiah 18, Micah 1:2-7, Nahum 1:5-6, 3:13-15, Habakkuk 2:13, Zephaniah 1:14-18, 3:8, Zechariah 2:5-13, 3:2, 13:9, Malachi 3:1-6, 4:1-6.
[4] Nicholas John Ansell, “An Apocalyptic Appendix”, The Annihilation of Hell: Universal Salvation and the Redemption of Time in the Eschatology of Jürgen Moltmann, ICS, 2005, 413.
[5] The Jewish Study Bible, Tanakh Translation, Oxford University Press, 2004, 829.
[6] Hershel Shanks ed,. Ancient Israel: From Abraham to the Roman Destruction of Temple, Bible Archaeology Society, 1999, 199.
[7] Walter Brueggemann, Isaiah 1-39, Westminster Bible Companion, Westminster John Knox Press, 1998, 2 and Walter Brueggemann, Isaiah 40-66, Westminster Bible Companion, Westminster John Know Press, 1998, 2. Emphasis Brueggemann’s.
[8] Walter Brueggemann, Isaiah, The Renovaré Spiritual Formation Bible, Harper San Francisco, 2005, 982.
[9] Ansell, “An Apocalyptic Appendix”, 415.
[10] Ansell, “An Apocalyptic Appendix”, 413.
[11] Ansell, “An Apocalyptic Appendix”, 413.