ACC ~ 2 Peter 3 v7

DESTRUCTION BY WATER AND FIRE. DIDYMUS THE BLIND: Many people think that these words refer to changes and revolutions which will take place here on earth. They say that heaven and earth were once both water and that they were formed out of water by the Word of God. What had been the world up to then perished in water, and what are now the heavens and the earth are based on the Word but are being kept for destruction by fire. By these words the preacher is saying that what we now see before us will be consumed by fire. For he says that the day of judgment will come as a thief in the night, and that on that day the heavens will implode, and the elements will be burnt by the resulting fire. Afterward there will be new heavens and a new earth, in which the righteous will possess righteousness and the promises of God in their own dwellings. However, it must not be forgotten that this letter is counterfeit, and although it may be published, it does not form part of the earliest list of recieved writings. COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

HEAVENS AND EARTH THAT NOW EXIST. BEDE: Beyond the present heaven and earth there is also an outer universe, but whether it too will perish by fire, or only those parts which once perished in the flood, is a topic much debated among specialists. ON 2 PETER.

KEPT UNTIL THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. OECUMENIUS: If someone asks why God created the world if all he intends to do is to destroy it, the answer is that the world will be renewed at the end of time. COMMENTARY ON 2 PETER.

2 Pet