2 Peter 3:10
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
King James Version
Peter's declaration that the Day of the Lord will come suddenly, the present heavens and elements dissolved by fire.
Fulfillment References
2 Peter 3:13 Revelation 20:11 Isaiah 34:4 Matthew 24:35
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalThe Day belongs to the one Lord Jesus; the fiery purging precedes the righteous new creation that motivates holy living (v.11).
JewishDay-of-the-LORD judgment imagery; some Second-Temple texts speak of cosmic conflagration, though views on renewal vs. destruction varied.
CatholicThe purifying transformation of the cosmos at the Day of the Lord, leading to the new heavens and new earth (v.13).
ProtestantThe sudden, fiery Day of the Lord; debated whether the language means annihilation or radical renewal of creation.
OrthodoxThe cosmos purified and transfigured by divine fire, not annihilated — renewed for the age to come.
DispensationalThe dissolution introduces the eternal state after the millennium; a literal cosmic conflagration.
AcademicScholars note Stoic conflagration (ekpyrosis) language reframed within Jewish-Christian Day-of-the-LORD expectation, answering scoffers (3:4).
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Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.