The Day of the Lord

3 Dear friends,^(A) this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders^(B) to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. ² I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets^(C) and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.^(D)

³ Above all, you must understand that in the last days^(E) scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.^{(F) 4} They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?^(G) Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”^{(H) 5} But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word^(I) the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.^{(J) 6} By these waters also the world of that time^(K) was deluged and destroyed.^{(L) 7} By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire,^(M) being kept for the day of judgment^(N) and destruction of the ungodly.

⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.^{(O) 9} The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,^(P) as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient^(Q) with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.^(R)

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.^(S) The heavens will disappear with a roar;^(T) the elements will be destroyed by fire,^(U) and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.^[a](V)

¹¹ Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ¹² as you look forward^(W) to the day of God and speed its coming.^[b](X) That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.^{(Y) 13} But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,^(Z) where righteousness dwells.

¹⁴ So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless^(AA) and at peace with him. ¹⁵ Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience^(AB) means salvation,^(AC) just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.^{(AD) 16} He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable^(AE) people distort,^(AF) as they do the other Scriptures,^(AG) to their own destruction.

¹⁷ Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard^(AH) so that you may not be carried away by the error^(AI) of the lawless^(AJ) and fall from your secure position.^{(AK) 18} But grow in the grace^(AL) and knowledge^(AM) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.^(AN) To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.^(AO)

The Incarnation of the Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning,^(AP) which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,^(AQ) which we have looked at and our hands have touched^(AR)—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared;^(AS) we have seen it and testify to it,^(AT) and we proclaim to you the eternal life,^(AU) which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard,^(AV) so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.^{(AW) 4} We write this^(AX) to make our^[c] joy complete.^(AY)

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

⁵ This is the message we have heard^(AZ) from him and declare to you: God is light;^(BA) in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness,^(BB) we lie and do not live out the truth.^{(BC) 7} But if we walk in the light,^(BD) as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all^[d] sin.^(BE)

⁸ If we claim to be without sin,^(BF) we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.^{(BG) 9} If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins^(BH) and purify us from all unrighteousness.^{(BI) 10} If we claim we have not sinned,^(BJ) we make him out to be a liar^(BK) and his word is not in us.^(BL)

2 My dear children,^(BM) I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate^(BN) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,^(BO) and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.^(BP)

Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers

³ We know^(BQ) that we have come to know him^(BR) if we keep his commands.^{(BS) 4} Whoever says, “I know him,”^(BT) but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.^{(BU) 5} But if anyone obeys his word,^(BV) love for God^[e] is truly made complete in them.^(BW) This is how we know^(BX) we are in him: ⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.^(BY)

⁷ Dear friends,^(BZ) I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.^(CA) This old command is the message you have heard. ⁸ Yet I am writing you a new command;^(CB) its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing^(CC) and the true light^(CD) is already shining.^(CE)

⁹ Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister^[f](CF) is still in the darkness.^{(CG) 10} Anyone who loves their brother and sister^[g] lives in the light,^(CH) and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.^{(CI) 11} But anyone who hates a brother or sister^(CJ) is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness.^(CK) They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.^(CL)

Reasons for Writing

On Not Loving the World

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world.^(CX) If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[h] is not in them.^{(CY) 16} For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh,^(CZ) the lust of the eyes,^(DA) and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away,^(DB) but whoever does the will of God^(DC) lives forever.

Warnings Against Denying the Son

¹⁸ Dear children, this is the last hour;^(DD) and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming,^(DE) even now many antichrists have come.^(DF) This is how we know it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They went out from us,^(DG) but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.^(DH)

²⁰ But you have an anointing^(DI) from the Holy One,^(DJ) and all of you know the truth.^{[i](DK) 21} I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it^(DL) and because no lie comes from the truth. ²² Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.^{(DM) 23} No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.^(DN)

²⁴ As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning^(DO) remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.^{(DP) 25} And this is what he promised us—eternal life.^(DQ)

²⁶ I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.^{(DR) 27} As for you, the anointing^(DS) you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things^(DT) and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.^(DU)

God’s Children and Sin

²⁸ And now, dear children,^(DV) continue in him, so that when he appears^(DW) we may be confident^(DX) and unashamed before him at his coming.^(DY)

²⁹ If you know that he is righteous,^(DZ) you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.^(EA)

3 See what great love^(EB) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!^(EC) And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.^{(ED) 2} Dear friends,^(EE) now we are children of God,^(EF) and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,^[j](EG) we shall be like him,^(EH) for we shall see him as he is.^{(EI) 3} All who have this hope in him purify themselves,^(EJ) just as he is pure.^(EK)

⁴ Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.^{(EL) 5} But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.^(EM) And in him is no sin.^{(EN) 6} No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.^(EO) No one who continues to sin has either seen him^(EP) or known him.^(EQ)

⁷ Dear children,^(ER) do not let anyone lead you astray.^(ES) The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.^{(ET) 8} The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,^(EU) because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God^(EV) appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.^{(EW) 9} No one who is born of God^(EX) will continue to sin,^(EY) because God’s seed^(EZ) remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God^(FA) are and who the children of the devil^(FB) are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love^(FC) their brother and sister.^(FD)

More on Love and Hatred

¹¹ For this is the message you heard^(FE) from the beginning:^(FF) We should love one another.^{(FG) 12} Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one^(FH) and murdered his brother.^(FI) And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.^{(FJ) 13} Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters,^[k] if the world hates you.^{(FK) 14} We know that we have passed from death to life,^(FL) because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.^{(FM) 15} Anyone who hates a brother or sister^(FN) is a murderer,^(FO) and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.^(FP)

¹⁶ This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.^(FQ) And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.^{(FR) 17} If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,^(FS) how can the love of God be in that person?^{(FT) 18} Dear children,^(FU) let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.^(FV)

¹⁹ This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: ²⁰ If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹ Dear friends,^(FW) if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God^{(FX) 22} and receive from him anything we ask,^(FY) because we keep his commands^(FZ) and do what pleases him.^{(GA) 23} And this is his command: to believe^(GB) in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,^(GC) and to love one another as he commanded us.^{(GD) 24} The one who keeps God’s commands^(GE) lives in him,^(GF) and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.^(GG)