2 Peter 3:12 Meaning: Hastening the Day of God

The Greek word behind looking for is prosdokōntas. It means to wait with full expectation, like a family watching out the window for someone they love to arrive. There is no doubt in that watching; there is only the question of when. The second word is harder to pin down. Speudontas can mean either hastening or earnestly desiring. A few older translations chose 'hastening unto,' as if we could make the day come faster. Others say it means eagerness, the way you long for a reunion. Both readings are possible. But the context leans toward action: the next verse says we should be diligent to be found in peace, without spot or blame. So whether we speed the day or simply yearn for it, we are not passive. The waiting itself is alive.

Christians have understood this word differently. Some, like John Wesley and the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown commentary, believe our prayers, preaching, and repentance can actually hasten the day of the Lord. They point to Matthew 24:14, the gospel must be preached to all nations, and then the end will come. In this view, we are partners in preparing for Christ's return. Others, including John Calvin and many modern translations, read speudontas as urgent eagerness. We do not change God's timetable, but we are called to live with such hope that we are not caught off guard. Both traditions agree that the Christian response is not laziness. Whether we hasten the day or just yearn for it, we are to be people of holy lives.

Some readers take this verse as a command to calculate the exact date of Christ's return. If we are supposed to 'hasten' the day, then maybe we can force it by our efforts or predict when it will happen. In fact, Peter has already said the day will come like a thief in the night, without warning (2 Peter 3:10). And Jesus himself said no one knows the day or hour (Matthew 24:36). 'Hastening' here is not about calendar calculations. It is about the posture of our hearts: living in such a way that we are always ready, always pushing against the darkness by sharing the light.

This week, ask yourself a simple question: does the thought of Christ's return make you anxious or eager? If it feels distant, you are not alone. But Peter invites you into a waiting that is not empty. Think of one way you can live today as if that day mattered. Maybe it is praying 'Your kingdom come' with more intention. Maybe it is having a conversation with someone who needs hope. Maybe it is confessing a sin you have been holding onto. The fire that dissolves the heavens is the same fire that purifies. You can let it refine you now, while there is still time.