“Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?”
The full verse · 2 Peter 3:12 · KJV
Looking unto the of the of , the being on shall be , the shall with fervent ?
Asked by
Peter: the apostle, writing his "second epistle" to stir up his readers' "pure minds by way of remembrance" (2 Peter 3:1)
Asked to
Reader: Peter's "beloved" first readers, who "look for" the day of God (2 Peter 3:12, 14), and every believer since who waits for the Lord's coming
The Scene
Peter has said that "the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night" and asked, since all these things shall be dissolved, "what manner of persons ought ye to be" (2 Peter 3:10-11).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThis verse finishes the question of 2 Peter 3:11. Peter describes the kind of person his question is calling for: someone "looking for and hasting unto" the day of God. Scoffers were asking, "Where is the promise of his coming?" (2 Peter 3:4). Peter answers by turning the question back on his readers: not when the day will come, but how they should live as they wait. Barnes says "Looking for" describes a mind in a state of expectation, believing the day will come and ready for it at any moment.
The Response
What Scripture recordsPeter answers with the believer's hope: "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13). Then he draws the practical answer: "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless" (2 Peter 3:14).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe word "hasting" is speudō. Barnes, citing Wetstein and Robinson, says it "means to urge on, to hasten; and then to hasten after anything, to await with eager desire." The ESV renders it "hastening the coming." Gill explains that though the day is fixed, "it becomes the saints to pray earnestly for it."
Barnes says it is called "the day of God" "because God will then be manifested in his power and glory." Gill adds that it is called the day of God "in distinction from man's day." Peter had also explained the delay: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise... but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyPeter's question shows that the end of the world is not meant to fill God's people with dread but to shape how they live now. The same God who will dissolve the heavens has promised "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13). His delay is not forgetfulness but patience (2 Peter 3:9, 15).
The fire Peter describes makes clear what lasts and what does not. If "all these things shall be dissolved" (2 Peter 3:11), then the things worth living for are holiness, godliness and the coming of the Lord. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary puts it plainly: "Never expect to be found at that day of God in peace, if you are lazy and idle in this your day."
Look Closer
Why does Peter say the Lord has not yet come?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, You have promised new heavens and a new earth; what in my life would change if I truly lived looking for the day of God?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Does thinking about the day of God stir more fear or more hope in you, and why?
- Share how the hope of Christ's coming has helped you, or someone you know, live differently today.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Waiting for Christ is not sitting still. Peter calls you to look for His coming and to long for it, and that longing shows up in "holy conversation and godliness" (2 Peter 3:11). Pray for His coming, and live now the way you will want to be found then: "in peace, without spot, and blameless" (2 Peter 3:14).
This doesn't mean you should try to set a date or live in fear. The day "will come as a thief" (2 Peter 3:10), and God's delay is His patience, giving people time to repent (2 Peter 3:9). Hope in His promise, and grow while you wait: "But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources