CHAP. III.
Against scoffers denying the
second coming of Christ, he
declares the sudden dissolution
of this world; and exhorts
to holiness of life.
1 Behold this is the
second epistle I write to
you, my dearly beloved, in
which I stir up by way of admonition
your sincere mind:
2 That you may be mindful
of those words which I
told you before from the
holy prophets, and of your
apostles, of the precepts of
the Lord and Saviour.
3 Knowing this first, that
in the last days there shall
come deceitful scoffers, walking
after their own lusts:
4 Saying: Where is his
promise, or his coming? for
since the time that the fathers
slept, all things continue
as they were from the
beginning of the creation.
5 For this they are wilfully
ignorant of, that the heavens
were before, and the earth,
out of water, and through
water, consisting by the word
of God:
6 Whereby the world that
then was, being overflowed
with water, perished.
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 the ungodly men.
8 But be not ignorant, my
beloved, of this one thing,
that one day with the Lord
is as a thousand years, and
a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord delayeth not
his promise, as some imagine:
but dealeth patiently for your
sake, not willing that any
should perish, but that all
should return to penance.
10 But the day of the Lord
shall come as a thief, in which
the heavens shall pass away
with great violence, and the
elements shall be melted with
heat, and the earth and the
works that are in it shall be
burnt up.
11 Seeing then that all
these things are to be dissolved,
what manner of people ought
you to be in holy conversations
and godliness.
12 Looking for and hasting
unto the coming of the day
of the Lord, by which the
heavens being on fire shall be
dissolved, and the elements
shall melt with the burning
heat of fire.
13 But we look for new
heavens and a new earth according
to his promise, in
which justice dwelleth.
-- --
14 Wherefore, dearly, beloved,
seeing that you look
for these things, be diligent
that you may be found undefiled
and unspotted to him in
peace.
15 And account the long
suffering of our Lord, salvation:
as also our most dear
brother Paul, according to
the wisdom given to him, hath
written to you;
16 As also in all his epistles,
speaking in them of
these things: in which are
some things hard to be understood,
which the unlearned
and unstable wrest, as
they do also the other scriptures,
to their own destruction.
17 You therefore, brethren,
knowing these things before,
take heed; lest being
led aside by the error of the
unwise, you fall from your
own steadfastness.
18 But grow in grace, and
in the knowledge of our Lord,
and Saviour Jesus Christ. To
him be glory both now and
unto the day of eternity.
Amen.
Challoner [1752], THE NEW TESTAMENT OF Our LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. Translated out of the Latin Vulgat Diligently compared with the original Greek And first published by the English College of Rhemes, anno 1582. Newly revised, and corrected according to the Clementin Edition of the Scriptures. WITH ANNOTATIONS For clearing up modern Controversies in Religion, and other Difficulties of Holy Writ () [word count] [B12000].
