2 Peter 3 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.

Friends, this is now the second letter I'm writing to you. In both of them I've been trying to stir up your honest thinking by reminding you of things you already know.

I want you to remember what the set-apart prophets said long ago, and the command that our Master and Rescuer gave through your ambassadors.

First, understand this: in the last days, people driven by their own cravings will show up and mock you.

They'll say, "So where is this 'coming' he promised? Because ever since our ancestors died, everything has just kept going exactly the way it has since the world began."

But they deliberately ignore this fact: long ago, by God's word, the heavens came into existence and the earth was formed out of water and through water.

And through water and God's word, the world that existed back then was flooded and destroyed.

But by that same word, the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and the destruction of people who reject God.

But don't let this one thing escape you, friends: with the Master, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day.

The Master isn't slow about keeping his promise — not the way some people define 'slow.' No, he's being patient with you because he doesn't want anyone to be destroyed. He wants everyone to completely change direction.

But the Master's day will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the basic elements will be dissolved by intense heat, and the earth and everything done on it will be exposed.

Since everything is going to be dissolved like this, think about what kind of people you ought to be — living lives that are set apart and devoted to God,

as you look forward to and work to speed up the coming of God's day. On that day, the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the basic elements will melt in the intense heat.

But based on his promise, we're looking forward to new heavens and a new earth where justice is fully at home.

So then, friends, since you're looking forward to this, make every effort to be found at peace with him — without stain or fault.

And understand that our Master's patience means rescue. This is exactly what our dear brother Paul also wrote to you about, with the wisdom God gave him.

He talks about these things in all his letters. Some parts of his letters are hard to understand, and ignorant, unstable people twist them — just like they do with the rest of the Scriptures — and it leads to their own destruction.

So then, friends, since you already know this ahead of time, stay on guard so you aren't carried away by the deception of lawless people and lose your own solid footing.

Instead, keep growing in the undeserved kindness and knowledge of our Master and Rescuer, Jesus the One. All honor belongs to him, now and into the age that never ends. Absolutely.