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

But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. (II Peter 3:8-10)
In verse 8, Peter alludes to Psalms 90:4 to accentuate that the scoffers of verse 3 ignore that “judgment is God’s business and will be accomplished on God’s schedule.”[1] Peter reassures the reader in verse 9 that God “is patient…not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance” and that, in verse 10, “the day of the Lord will come like a thief”.
Later in verse 10, Peter begins to describe the “day of the Lord”. Peter writes that “the heavens will pass away with a loud noise”. The Greek word that is translated “pass away” is παρέρχλέω (parerchomai) which is better translated as “come near”. This passage seems to be referring to the parousia as opposed to destruction. This can be supported by I Thessalonians 4:16, “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.” If παρέρχλέω is better translated as “come near” then this gives addition support to the thesis that “fire” signifies the presence of the God. The auf/gabe of God “comes near”[2]; God is present.
Peter’s next description of the “day of judgment” is that “the elements will be dissolved with fire.” Here in verse 10, “dissolved” is from the Greek λύω (luo) which literally means “loosed”. In Luke 13:12, λύω is translated as “set free”. Why “set free” in Luke and “dissolved” in II Peter 3:10? This could be explained by returning to the discussion above concerning Paul’s description of “the Day” in I Corinthians 3. This dissolving/loosing fire in II Peter 3:10 may be similar to the revealing/burning fire of which Paul is writing. Either the “elements” are tested and survive the fire and are “loosed” or they are tested, found wanting, and are “dissolved”. If II Peter is referring to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 A.D., as introduced above, we find, historically, that the Temple was destroyed.
In the subsequent phrase, Peter writes that “the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.”[3] Other versions of the Bible translate this passage differently; the New American Standard[4] and the New Jerusalem Bible[5] read, “will be burned up”, the KJV[6], “shall burn up”, and the NIV[7], “will be laid bare.” The Textus Receptus[8] uses the verb κατακαεσεται (katakaesetai) as the Greek word for “burned up” and this is used in all Bible translation of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including the King James Version in 1611. The Textus Receptus translation was soon rejected, due to the discovery and publication of Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, both uncial manuscripts of the fourth century. In these texts, the verb used in this verse is εύρεστεσεται (heuresthesetai), “will be found”.[9] If “will be found” is more accurate, this strengthens the connection between II Peter 3:10 and I Corinthians 3:11-15.
[1] Fred B. Craddock, First and Second Peter and Jude, Westminster Bible Companion, Westminster John Knox Press, 1995, 120.
[2] See Nik Ansell’s commentary on Colossians 3:1f in Third Way, February 1999, 12. “Sometimes, heaven and God become almost synonymous – so Matthew uses the term ‘the kingdom of heaven’ where Mark and Luke refer to ‘the kingdom of God’.”
[3] NRSV text note: “Other ancient authorities read will be burned up”.
[4] New American Standard Bible, The Lockman Foundation, 1995. NASB text note: “Two early mss read discovered”.
[5] The New Jerusalem Bible, Doubleday, 1985.
[6] The Authorized King James Version, 1611.
[7] New International Version. NIV text note: “Some manuscripts be burned up”.
[8] “Received Text”. First published in 1516.
[9]Albert M. Wolters, “Worldview and Textual Criticism in 2 Peter 3:10”, Westminster Theological Journal, 49.2, 1987, 405-413.