Behold, I Am Making All Things Renewed – EGP Blog post from November 26, 2012
2 Peter 3:10–13 (NASB)
[10] But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its° works will be burned° up. [11] Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, [12] looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! [13] But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:10a Lit the works in it
2 Peter 3:10b Two early mss read discovered
The word translated “destroyed” (λυω [G3089], luo, pronounced loo’-o) is the same word translated “loosed”, so symbolically here “released from bondage”. In verse 12 it talks about “burning,” which in the Greek is the word “puroo” (πυροω [G4448], poo-ro’-o), where we get our word “pure” as in “purified by fire.”
You may be asking “what about the new heaven and earth?” The word translated “new” here is “kainos” (καινος [G2537], kahee-nos’) and literally means, “renewed, refreshed, or restored.” It seems “kainos” could be split into two parts, “kaio” (καιω [G2545], kah’-yo, “to set on fire”) and “neos” (νεος [G3501], neh’-os, “new”), to give you “made new by fire.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB)
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a [renewed] creature; the old things passed away; behold, [renewed] things have come.
Revelation 21:5 (NASB)
And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I Am making all things [renewed].” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”