“The day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day heaven will pass away with a roaring sound. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and be destroyed. The earth and everything that people have done on it will be exposed” (2 Peter 3:10 GW).
The twenty-fourth chapter of the gospel of Matthew is dedicated exclusively to the subject of end-time events. That portion of Scripture also records a message from Jesus to His disciples regarding the importance of being prepared for His eventual return. A closer look at that message reveals an analogy followed by a warning…
“But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Luke 12:39-40).
The Apostle Peter drew upon this imagery of an unexpected thief here in 2 Peter 3:10. As mentioned earlier, Paul the Apostle made use of a similar illustration in the New Testament epistle of 1 Thessalonians, as did the Apostle John in the book of Revelation. These references serve to remind us that we should live in anticipation of Jesus’ return whenever it might take place. As one source observes, “Knowing how to live in preparation for the Lord’s return is more important than knowing the timing of His return (Acts 1:6–7).“ (1)
Here in 2 Peter 3:10, we’re told that the constituent elements that make up the physical universe will dissolve when that day arrives. This reference to “Everything that makes up the universe…” pertains to the elemental components of physical matter. This probably alludes to some type of dissolution in the atomic structure of material things.
Finally, two sensory events will accompany this cataclysmic event: fire and sound. Taken together, this seems to reflect an event of tremendous explosive power, one that will be seen, heard, (and likely) felt. As with our earlier reference to an unexpected thief, there are other Biblical allusions to this event in the Old Testaments books of Haggai (2:6-7), Isaiah (13:13), and the New Testament epistle to the Hebrews.
2 Peter 3:10 thus completes a quartet of four Biblical witnesses who testify to the reality of this all-encompassing, catastrophic event. Therefore, these passages should inform our thinking regarding the investments we make today with respect to our time, our relationships, our finances, our material possessions, and other aspects of our daily lives.
(1) Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (1 Th 5:1). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.