Beloved, this is now the second letter that I have written to you; in both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of a reminder,
so that you remember the words that were previously spoken by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
Know this first, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, walking after their own ungodly desires,
and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the Fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”
For they willfully ignore this: that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
and by means of these the world back then was destroyed when it was flooded with water,
and by the same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept until the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly people.
But do not forget this one thing, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like 1,000 years, and 1,000 years are like one day.
The Lord is not slow in fulfilling his promise, as some consider him to be slow, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to be destroyed but for everyone to come to repentance.
But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be exposed.
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people do you need to be in your holy way of life and godliness
as you wait for and earnestly desire the coming of the Day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by fire, and the elements will melt because of the intense heat!
But, according to his promise, we wait for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Final Words
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these things, be diligent to be found at peace, without spot or blemish in his sight.
And consider the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom that was given to him,
as he also did in all his letters, speaking in them about these things. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the uninstructed and unstable distort to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures.
Therefore, beloved, since you know these things ahead of time, be on guard so that you are not led astray by the error of immoral people and fall from your own steadfast position.
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and in the day of the age to come.