2 Peter 3:10

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Expanded Translation

However long it may seem to be delayed, be assured, the day of the Lord will come. It will come as a thief (that is, suddenly and unexpectedly). At that time the heavens shall pass away, (pass by, disappear, vanish) with a loud, rushing, crashing noise, and the elements or basic components of the earth (atoms?)[77] shall be disengaged, unbound, and broken apart while they are burning intensely, and the earth and the works (accomplishments of man) that are in it shall be burned up (consumed by fire).[78]

[77] or, possibly; heavenly bodies. But see notes.

[78] or, according to other MSS, including the Vatican and Sinaitic, discovered or found out (heurisko). Cp. Ecclesiastes 12:14.

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But the day of the Lord will come as a thief

The expression, the day of the Lord is frequent in the Scripture, and generally points to some great calamity (Isaiah 2:12; Isaiah 13:6, Jeremiah 46:10). The idea of the phrase seems to be: You-'ve had your day (in living according to your own lusts), now I-'ll have mine! However, the expression here may point to the second coming of Christ, as it certainly does in 1 Thessalonians 5:2. But whether Lord here refers to Christ or God, the event spoken of by the expression is still the same: the second coming of the Master and the destruction of the world. In this passage they may be thought of as the same event. That day will come as a thief, that comes quickly, stealthily, and without warning. Suddenly and abruptly, it will be upon us. Compare the teaching of Christ, Matthew 24:42-44.[79]

[79] Many doubt that the Matthew passage refers to Christ's second coming. But the same lesson of preparedness is taught.

in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise

See comments, 2 Peter 3:7. The word hroizedon (great noise) was used anciently of various rushing or roaring noises, as the rushing of wings, the sound of mighty winds, the roaring of mighty waters, the roaring of flames, or the sound of thunder. It is difficult to say with certainty just what kind of noise is meant in this passage, other than it will be loud and roaring.

With such a sound the earth will pass away (parerchomai, to go past, pass by, etc.). This expression, to my mind, precludes the idea that the new heavens will be the old heavens re-made or fixed up, The atmosphere surrounding the world, we are told by scientists, has potentially combustible materials. So Peter says, the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved (2 Peter 3:12). Two age-old fears of man will be present in the skies on that day: (1) A loud noise or blast. (2) A great fire.

It would not be my place to here make a prophecy that God will somehow employ atomic energy or nuclear weapons to destroy the world. But the reader can certainly see in these words of Peter that such is possible.

and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat

Considerable controversy is waged among the critics here as to the proper meaning of the word elements (stoicheion). Two meanings are given as possibilities in this passage: (1) heavenly bodiesplanets, stars, etc., and (2) the basic components or constituent parts of the earth. The first is a possibility, for the word is so used by ancient writers: Diogenes Laertius, Justin, Tryphidorus, and Theophilus. But in other ancient writings (such as Plato's works and the Septuagint Version), it carries the idea of the material elements or components of the universethe primary material of which anything is made. The word is several times in the New Testament used of those things which are primary or fundamental (that is, the A-B-C'S of something). In this sense it applies to knowledge: Hebrews 5:12 (rudiments) or to the basics of any way of thinking or living (Galatians 4:3; Galatians 4:9; Colossians 2:8; Colossians 2:20rudiments). As far as I can see, this word, as it stands in this context, is approximately equivalent to our word atomthe smallest unitary constituent of a chemical element.

I would take, then, the present passage to teach that the very elements which make up all matter shall disintegrate within the mighty furnace of fire that shall envelop the earth in that day.
The verb shall be dissolved, is from luo, literally, to loosen, unbind, unfasten, disengage. In 2 Peter 3:5 we saw that God, by his mighty power, compacted or put together the earth. Now we find that he is also going to pull it apartat its very seams! Precisely what will happen to this globe when its elements break apart is a moot questionnor is it necessary for us to know. Peter's main point here is to show the terribleness of that great cataclysmic day. Let us be warned! Let us be found faithful to our God! Let us be ready! For,

the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up

The word katakaio means to consume with fire, burn completely (Matthew 13:30, Acts 19:19), but does not necessarily carry with it the thought of obliteration or annihilation. If something is burned up, its chemical relation is changed and much of it goes up in smoke. Whether this globe will look like a ball of charcoal, or whether it will exist at all, after this event, is not answered with certainty in this chapter. (See notes under 2 Peter 3:13.)

Paul also speaks of fire in relationship to Christ's second coming: ... at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of his power in flaming fire (2 Thessalonians 1:7).