What is the meaning of 2 Peter 3:5?

But they deliberately overlook

• Peter is exposing purposeful denial, not innocent ignorance. False teachers choose to ignore clear evidence of God’s past acts (Romans 1:20; John 3:19-20).

• This is the same willful blindness that led Israel astray (Hosea 4:6).

• The warning: dismissing God’s historic interventions sets people up to miss His future judgment (2 Peter 3:7).

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long ago

• Peter points back to the very beginning—events anchored in real history, not myth (Genesis 1:1).

• God’s deeds are ancient, yet still speak today (Psalm 90:2; Hebrews 1:2).

• Remembering God’s timeless work builds confidence that His promises about the future are just as certain.

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by God’s word

• Creation sprang from a verbal command—“And God said…” (Genesis 1:3).

• The universe was “formed at God’s command” (Hebrews 11:3).

• His spoken word remains the sustaining power of all things (Psalm 33:6, 9).

• If that word once shaped the cosmos, it can surely accomplish the coming renewal and judgment Peter describes.

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the heavens existed

• The sky, space, and every celestial body owe their existence to the Creator (Isaiah 40:26).

• Christ Himself is credited with this handiwork (Colossians 1:16).

• Recognizing the heavens as God’s design confronts human pride and undercuts any worldview that erases divine involvement.

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the earth was formed out of water and by water

• Genesis 1:2, 6-10 records God separating the primordial waters, gathering seas, and revealing dry land.

• Other passages echo this watery origin and God’s sovereign boundary-setting (Psalm 104:5-9; Job 38:8-11).

• Water later became the agent of global judgment in Noah’s day (2 Peter 3:6), reinforcing Peter’s argument that the God who once used water to form and judge the world will act again—this time by fire (3:7).

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summary

Peter’s single verse packs a powerful reminder: scoffers who deny future judgment ignore solid, historical facts. Long ago, by nothing more than His spoken word, God brought the heavens into being and shaped the earth out of water. The same God who fashioned creation and once judged it will unfailingly fulfill every promise about Christ’s return and the coming renewal. Remembering God’s past works fuels unwavering confidence in His future actions.