2 Peter 3:10-13

Thy Kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Revelation 21:1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

I have a feeling most people who defy and deny God do so more out of fear than conviction. For all our chest pumping and braggadocio, we’re anxious folk. We can’t see a step into the future, can’t hear the one who owns us. No wonder we try to bite the hand that feeds us.

But God reaches and touches. If he’s touching you, let him. Mark it down: God loves you with an unearthly love. You can’t win it by being winsome. You can’t lose it by being a loser. But you can be blind enough to resist it. Don’t. For heaven’s sake, don’t! For your sake, don’t. Others demote you. God claims you. Let the definitive voice of the universe say, “You are part of my plan!” Max Lucado

2 Peter 3:10-13

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. The New King James Version

Day of the Lord here describes the end-time events, the Second Coming. At the end of this age in the day of the Lord’s judgment, the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements will melt, presumably by fire. Peter’s description requires the unlimited power of God in dissolving the very elements of the universe, from which He will create a new heaven and new earth. The primary purpose of prophetic teaching is not to satisfy our curiosity but to motivate us to change our lives. Rather than working for things that will ultimately be destroyed, we should work for things that are eternal. The NKJV Study Bible

This is an ot concept that describes Yahweh’s full judgment of and reconciliation with the world. Peter’s relation of the Day of the Lord to Jesus’ second coming further adds to the evidence that Peter identifies Jesus with Yahweh Himself. This fits with the imagery from the book of Daniel 

Jesus’ return will be an unexpected event. Jesus also refers to the passing away of the heavens (or the sky), contrasting it with the permanence of His words. The same image is used toward the end of Revelation. The Greek word stoicheia can refer to the physical elements (earth, air, fire, water), the heavenly bodies (sun, moon, stars), or spiritual powers. Peter seems to be alluding to Isaiah 34:4 here. That verse mentions the heavenly bodies, which would make the second option most likely. While some Greek manuscripts read katakaēsetai (often translated “burned up”) here, the more likely original reading is heurethēsetai (often translated “found” or “laid bare”). The implication is that on the day of judgment all of the deeds done on earth will be brought to light. 

Peter is primarily interested in the present-day ethical implications of Christ’s coming rather than trying to explain exactly what it would look like. Here, he refocuses his readers on the issue at hand: living as people who honor God in contrast to the immoral urgings of the false teachers. Peter stresses that his readers are not to sit around idly waiting for Jesus to return, but should instead busy themselves with the work He left for them to do. Peter has now refuted the viewpoints of the scoffers so his audience can be confident in God’s promise to bring justice on the day of the Lord (the day of Jesus’ return). Faithlife Study Bible

True Christians look for new heavens and a new earth; freed from the vanity to which things present are subject, and the sin they are polluted with. Those only who are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and sanctified by the Holy Ghost, shall be admitted to dwell in this holy place. He is faithful, who has promised. Those, whose sins are pardoned, and their peace made with God, are the only safe and happy people; therefore follow after peace, and that with all men; follow after holiness as well as peace. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Isaiah 24:19 The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken exceedingly.

Isaiah 65:17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.

Isaiah 66:22 “For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the LORD,“ So shall your descendants and your name remain.

Micah 1:4 The mountains will melt under Him, and the valleys will split like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.