2 Peter 3:5-12: How well understood is it?

[Zao is life]

2 Peter 3:5-7
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens (ouranós) were of old, and the earth [gē] standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world (o kósmos) that then was, being overflowed with water, perished."

Peter used different words for "the earth" and "the world" when he mentioned the fact that the world perished. So this leads to the question:

Was it the heavens [οὐρανός ouranós] and the earth [γῆ gē] that perished in the flood, or was it the world [O kósmos] and all flesh in it that perished?

The Old Testament uses the Hebrew word [H776 erets] interchangeably throughout the Old Testament in references to

(a) the land; and
(b) the earth (the planet earth).

For example:

Genesis 2:12
The gold of that land [erets] is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there.

The Greek New Testament does the same, for example:

Matthew 2:6
And thou Bethlehem, in the land [ge] of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

The Hebrew uses word [erets] for "land" (not the planet earth, but the land) throughout the flood narrative:

Genesis 6:12
12 And God looked upon the earth [erets] (the land), and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth [erets] (the land).
13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth [erets] (the land) is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth [erets] (the land).

Just as Peter said, God used the water of the planet earth to destroy the ungodly world (the ungodly in the world) that were upon the land:

2 Peter 3:5-6
For this is hidden from them by their willing it, that the heavens [ouranos] were of old, and the earth [ge] out of the water, and through water, being held together by the word of God

- through which the world [kosmos] that then was, being flooded by water, perished.

Note: The word Kosmos in the Greek = "world" - it does not mean "universe" or "Cosmos" ("the heavens") - as it does in English.

Many believe that Genesis 9:11 uses the Hebrew word [erets] both in reference to the earth (the planet earth) AND as a synonym for the Hebrew word [tebel]. (Tebel = the world, the equivalent of the Greek kosmos),

but Genesis 9:11 is referring to the land [erets] after God used the water in and surrounding the planet earth [erets] to destroy all flesh upon the land:

"And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth [erets] (the land)."

It takes us back to Genesis 6:12-13:

"And God looked upon the earth [erets] (the land), and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth [erets] (the land). And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth [erets] (the land) is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth [erets] (the land)."

Genesis 9:11 is NOT referring to the earth (the planet), but to the land (the planet earth was not destroyed in the flood).

It's just as Peter said in 2 Peter 3:5-6.

We also should bear in mind that like the Greek word [kosmos[, the Hebrew word [tebel] always refers to the world (not the erets - not the earth or the land)

- and out of the 26 times the word [tebel] is used in the Old Testament, some of the verses use the words erets (earth) and tebel (the world) in the same verse, making a distinction between the earth and the world - just as Peter does in 2 Peter 3:5-6, for example:

1 Samuel 2:8
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth [erets] are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world [tebel] upon them.

1 Chronicles 16:30
Tremble before him, all the earth [erets]! The world [tebel] is established, it cannot be moved.

Many interpreters who teach how to interpret 2 Peter 3:5-7 are not accurately reflecting what Peter was saying, IMO - 2 Peter 3:5-7 is not referring to the annihilation of the planet earth in the flood or in the Day of Christ:

(Part 2 in the next post).

 

[Zao is life]

If we read how these words are used in every other scripture where the words are used, then it brings into question whether 2 Peter 3:10-12 is understood correctly:-

Revelation 1
3 Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is [G1451 eggus] near.

Mark 13
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near [G1451 eggus].

Luke 19
11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was near [G1451 eggus] to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately [G3916 parachrema] appear.

PASSING BY, AND TIME THAT WILL SOON HAVE PASSED BY (WILL HAVE BECOME PAST TENSE)​

Matthew 8:28
And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass [G3928 parerchomai] by [G1223 dia] that way.

Mark 6:48
And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed [G3928 parerchomai] by them.

Mark 14:35:
And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass [G3928 parerchomai] from him.

Matthew 24
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass [G3928 parerchomai], till all these things be fulfilled.

Matthew 5
18 For verily I say unto you, Till the heaven and the earth pass [G3928 parerchomai], one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all come to pass [G1096 ginomai].

Matthew 14:15
And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past [G3928 parerchomai]; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

G3928 parerchomai
from 3844 and 2064; to come near or aside, i.e. to approach (arrive), go by (or away), (figuratively) perish or neglect, (causative) avert:--come (forth), go, pass (away, by, over), past, transgress. see GREEK for 2064

G2064 erchomai
middle voice of a primary verb (used only in the present and imperfect tenses, the others being supplied by a kindred (middle voice) eleuthomai el-yoo'-thom-ahee, or (active) eltho el'-tho, which do not otherwise occur) to come or go (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively):--accompany, appear, bring, come, enter, fall out, go, grow, X light, X next, pass, resort, be set.

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 [G3928 parerchomai] with a great noise

and the elements [G4747 stoicheion] shall melt [G3089 luo]

1. stoicheîon: The word is referring either to the rudiments or principles of this world, or to the principles of the oracles of God in each of the other five verses where the same word is used.

2. lýō (or luo): Always refers to something that was bound or restrained, being loosed (i.e loosed from having been bound):

Revelation of John 20:7:
"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed [lýō] out of his prison."

3. 4. érgon ("the earth and the works [érgon] that are therein"): In an extremely long list of verses, érgon ALWAYS refers to the works of men.

At times it's referring to the works of Satan, and often it's referring to the works of God. Ergon = works in the New Testament: "the earth and all the works that are therein".

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 [G3928 parerchomai] away with a great noise, and the elements [stoicheîon] shall melt [luo] with fervent heat, the earth also and the works [ergon] that are therein shall be burned up.

The word away does not appear in the text. It's the principles and rudiments [stoicheîon] of this present world and the works [ergon] of the ungodly that is the subject:

2 Peter 3
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

By the Word of God the heavens and earth were kept in the days of Noah when the land / the world was destroyed in the flood - the day of judgment of ungodly men.

The planet earth was still there, the air was still there, seeds in the earth were still there etc etc - when the ark rested on Mt Ararat.

Peter is showing that the above is the precedent to the judgment and perdition of ungodly men when the time for this present world has passed and the rudiments and principles of this world and the works of the ungodly will be burned with fire.

It does not mean that the planet earth itself will be destroyed or that it will not be regenerated in the regeneration of all things.

 

[Zao is life]

Post 2 turned into introduction post and post 1 into the conclusion post after first creating this thread (to make the subject more clear).