2 Peter 3:10

3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, ¹  the heavens will disappear ²  with a horrific noise, ³  and the celestial bodies ⁴  will melt away ⁵  in a blaze, ⁶  and the earth and every deed done on it ⁷  will be laid bare. ⁸ 

Psalms 50:3

50:3 Our God approaches and is not silent; ⁹ 

consuming fire goes ahead of him

and all around him a storm rages. ¹⁰ 

Psalms 102:26

102:26 They will perish,

but you will endure. ¹¹ 

They will wear out like a garment;

like clothes you will remove them and they will disappear. ¹² 

Isaiah 51:6

51:6 Look up at the sky!

Look at the earth below!

For the sky will dissipate ¹³  like smoke,

and the earth will wear out like clothes;

its residents will die like gnats.

But the deliverance I give ¹⁴  is permanent;

the vindication I provide ¹⁵  will not disappear. ¹⁶ 

Zephaniah 3:8

3:8 Therefore you must wait patiently ¹⁷  for me,” says the Lord,

“for the day when I attack and take plunder. ¹⁸ 

I have decided ¹⁹  to gather nations together

and assemble kingdoms,

so I can pour out my fury on them –

all my raging anger.

For ²⁰  the whole earth will be consumed

by my fiery anger.

Matthew 24:35

24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. ²¹ 

Matthew 25:41

25:41 “Then he will say ²²  to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!

Matthew 25:2

25:2 Five ²³  of the virgins ²⁴  were foolish, and five were wise.

Matthew 1:8

1:8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah,

Revelation 20:11

The Great White Throne

20:11 Then ²⁵  I saw a large ²⁶  white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven ²⁷  fled ²⁸  from his presence, and no place was found for them.

Revelation 21:1

A New Heaven and a New Earth

21:1 Then ²⁹  I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, ³⁰  and the sea existed no more.

[3:10]  ¹ tn Grk “in which.”

[3:10]  ² tn Or “pass away.”

[3:10]  ³ tn Or “hissing sound,” “whirring sound,” “rushing sound,” or “loud noise.” The word occurs only here in the NT. It was often used of the crackle of a fire, as would appear appropriate in this context.

[3:10]  ⁴ tn Grk “elements.” Most commentators are agreed that “celestial bodies” is meant, in light of this well-worn usage of στοιχεῖα (stoiceia) in the 2nd century and the probable allusion to Isa 34:4 (text of Vaticanus). See R. Bauckham, Jude, 2 Peter [WBC], 315-16 for discussion.

[3:10]  ⁵ tn Grk “be dissolved.”

[3:10]  ⁶ tn Grk “being burned up.”

[3:10]  ⁷ tn Grk “the works in it.”

[3:10]  ⁸ tc One of the most difficult textual problems in the NT is found in v. 10. The reading εὑρεθήσεται (Jeureqhsetai), which enjoys by far the best support (א B K P 0156^vid 323 1241 1739^txt pc) is nevertheless so difficult a reading that many scholars regard it as nonsensical. (NA²⁷ lists five conjectures by scholars, from Hort to Mayor, in this text.) As R. Bauckham has pointed out, solutions to the problem are of three sorts: (1) conjectural emendation (which normally speaks more of the ingenuity of the scholar who makes the proposal than of the truth of the conjecture, e.g., changing one letter in the previous word, ἔργα [erga] becomes ἄργα [arga] with the meaning, “the earth and the things in it will be found useless”); (2) adoption of one of several variant readings (all of which, however, are easier than this one and simply cannot explain how this reading arose, e.g., the reading of Ì⁷² which adds λυόμενα [luomena] to the verb – a reading suggested no doubt by the threefold occurrence of this verb in the surrounding verses: “the earth and its works will be found dissolved”; or the simplest variant, the reading of the Sahidic mss, οὐχ [ouc] preceding ἑυρεθήσεται – “will not be found”); or (3) interpretive gymnastics which regards the text as settled but has to do some manipulation to its normal meaning. Bauckham puts forth an excellent case that the third option is to be preferred and that the meaning of the term is virtually the equivalent of “will be disclosed,” “will be manifested.” (That this meaning is not readily apparent may in fact have been the reason for so many variants and conjectures.) Thus, the force of the clause is that “the earth and the works [done by men] in it will be stripped bare [before God].” In addition, the unusualness of the expression is certainly in keeping with the author’s style throughout this little book. Hence, what looks to be suspect because of its abnormalities, upon closer inspection is actually in keeping with the author’s stylistic idiosyncrasies. The meaning of the text then is that all but the earth and men’s works will be destroyed. Everything will be removed so that humanity will stand naked before God. Textually, then, on both external and internal grounds, εὑρεθήσεται commends itself as the preferred reading.

[50:3]  ⁹ tn According to GKC 322 §109.e, the jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ’al) is used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.”

[50:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “fire before him devours, and around him it is very stormy.”

[102:26]  ¹¹ tn Heb “stand.”

[102:26]  ¹² tn The Hebrew verb חָלַף (khalaf) occurs twice in this line, once in the Hiphil (“you will remove them”) and once in the Qal (“they will disappear”). The repetition draws attention to the statement.

[51:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “will be torn in pieces.” The perfect indicates the certitude of the event, from the Lord’s rhetorical perspective.

[51:6]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “my deliverance.” The same Hebrew word can also be translated “salvation” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT); cf. CEV “victory.”

[51:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “my righteousness [or “vindication”].”

[51:6]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “will not be shattered [or “dismayed”].”

[3:8]  ¹⁷ tn The second person verb form (“you must wait patiently”) is masculine plural, indicating that a group is being addressed. Perhaps the humble individuals addressed earlier (see 2:3) are in view. Because of Jerusalem’s sin, they must patiently wait for judgment to pass before their vindication arrives.

[3:8]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “when I arise for plunder.” The present translation takes עַד (’ad) as “plunder.” Some, following the LXX, repoint the term עֵד (’ed) and translate, “as a witness” (cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV). In this case the Lord uses a legal metaphor to picture himself as testifying against his enemies. Adele Berlin takes לְעַד (lÿ’ad) in a temporal sense (“forever”) and translates “once and for all” (Zephaniah [AB 25A], 133).

[3:8]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “for my decision is.”

[3:8]  ²⁰ tn Or “certainly.”

[24:35]  ²¹ sn The words that Jesus predicts here will never pass away. They are more stable and lasting than creation itself. For this kind of image, see Isa 40:8; 55:10-11.

[25:41]  ²² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[25:2]  ²³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[25:2]  ²⁴ tn Grk “Five of them.”

[20:11]  ²⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[20:11]  ²⁶ tn Traditionally, “great,” but μέγας (megas) here refers to size rather than importance.

[20:11]  ²⁷ tn Or “and the sky.” The same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky,” and context usually determines which is meant. In this apocalyptic scene, however, it is difficult to be sure what referent to assign the term.

[20:11]  ²⁸ tn Or “vanished.”

[21:1]  ²⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

[21:1]  ³⁰ tn For the translation of ἀπέρχομαι (apercomai; here ἀπῆλθαν [aphlqan]) L&N 13.93 has “to go out of existence – ‘to cease to exist, to pass away, to cease.’”