1My dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you. In both of them, I want to stir your honest minds by reminding you of these things.
2Remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets, and the command given to you by us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior:
3First, understand this: in the last days, people will come who make fun of everything and live to satisfy their own desires.
4They will say, "What happened to his promise to return? Ever since our ancestors died, everything has continued exactly as it was from the beginning of creation."
5They deliberately forget that long ago, by God's word, there were heavens and an earth formed out of water and surrounded by water.
6Through this water, the world that existed then was flooded and destroyed.
7But by that same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment and the destruction of ungodly people.
8But don't forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord, one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.
9The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some people think slow. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to be destroyed, but wanting everyone to change their ways.
10But the Day of the Lord will come unexpectedly like a thief. On that day, the heavens will disappear with a loud noise, the elements will be destroyed by intense heat, and the earth and everything on it will be burned up.
11Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? You should live holy and godly lives,
12waiting for and actively looking forward to the coming of the Day of God. On that day, the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the elements will melt from the intense heat.
13But, as he promised, we are looking forward to new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness lives.
14Therefore, dear friends, since you are looking forward to these things, make every effort to be found by him in peace, spotless and blameless.
15Consider the Lord's patience as salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him.
16He writes about these things in all of his letters. Some things in them are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people twist, as they also do with the other Scriptures, leading to their own ruin.
17So then, dear friends, since you know this beforehand, be careful so that you are not led astray by the error of wicked people and fall from your firm standing.
18Instead, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory now and forever. Amen.