2 Peter 3:7 (LSB)

Passage

But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Nearby Context

2 Peter 3:5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,

2 Peter 3:6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being deluged with water.

2 Peter 3:7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

2 Peter 3:8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some consider slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "word", "present", "heavens", "earth", "reserved", "fire", "kept", and "judgment". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "word" and "present", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "through which the world at that time..." into verse 8's "But do not let this one fact...", so "word" and "present" 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 "word" and "present" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.