Passage
Wherefore the worlde that then was, perished, ouerflowed with the water.
Wherefore the worlde that then was, perished, ouerflowed with the water.
2 Peter 3:4 And say, Where is the promise of his comming? for since the fathers died, all things continue alike from the beginning of the creation.
2 Peter 3:5 For this they willingly know not, that the heauens were of olde, and the earth that was of the water and by the water, by the word of God.
2 Peter 3:6 Wherefore the worlde that then was, perished, ouerflowed with the water.
2 Peter 3:7 But the heauens and earth, which are nowe, are kept by the same word in store, and reserued vnto fire against the day of condemnation, and of the destruction of vngodly men.
2 Peter 3:8 Dearely beloued, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord, as a thousande yeeres, and a thousande yeeres as one day.
The verse centers on "world", "wherefore", "worlde", "perished", "ouerflowed", and "water". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "world" and "wherefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 5's "For this they willingly know not that..." into verse 7's "But the heauens and earth which are...", so "world" and "wherefore" belong inside that flow. In 2 Peter context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "world" and "wherefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.