Peter also wrote to the church concerning Noah’s parallel in the last days!
Jesus spoke in Matthew chapter 24:
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, but My Father only.
37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
The apostle Peter the Apostle picks up Jesus’ “days of Noah” theme and adds depth in three key ways—he explains why people missed it, what Noah represents, and what it means for the future judgment.
1. Noah as a “preacher of righteousness” (ignored warning)
Peter wrote by The Holy Spirit in 2nd Peter chapter 2:
4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;
5 and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;
Peter expands Jesus’ point: It wasn’t just that people were distracted, they were being warned—but chose not to respond. Peter is emphasizing accountability. The generation of Noah wasn’t unaware—they rejected a clear witness.
2. God’s patience vs. human indifference
Peter wrote by The Holy Spirit in 1st Peter chapter 3:
18 Christ suffered and died for sins once and for all—the innocent for the guilty—to bring you near to God by His Body being put to death and by being raised to life by the Spirit.
19 He went in the Spiritual realm and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison 20 because of their disobedience of long ago. For during the time of Noah God patiently waited while the ark was being prepared, but only a few were brought safely through the floodwaters: a total of eight souls.
21 This was a prophetic picture of the immersion that now saves you—not a bathing of the physical body but rather the response of a good conscience before God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 Who is now in Heaven at the place of Supreme Authority next to God. The very powers of Heaven, including every angel and authority, now yield in submission to Him.
This adds an important layer: The delay before judgment = mercy, not absence and time was given for repentance. What was the response? Only a few (eight people) entered the ark! So Peter frames the “days of Noah” as a tension between Divine patience and human indifference.
3. The flood as a pattern of future judgment
Peter makes the comparison more explicit than Jesus did.
In Second Epistle of Peter 3:3–7, he warns:
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days mockers will multiply, chasing after their evil desires.
4 They will say, “So what about this promise of His coming? Our ancestors are dead and buried, yet everything is still the same as it was since from the beginning of time until now.”
5 But they conveniently overlook that from the beginning, the heavens and earth were created by God’s Word. He spoke and the dry ground separated from the waters.
6 Then long afterward He destroyed the world with a tremendous flood by those very waters.
7 And now, by the same powerful Word, the heavens and the earth are reserved for fire, being kept for judgment day, when all the ungodly will perish.
8 So, dear friends, don’t let this one thing escape your notice: a single day counts like a thousand years to the Lord YAHWEH, and a thousand years counts as one day.
In the last days, scoffers will come and they will say: “Everything continues as it always has”. That’s exactly the mindset of Noah’s generation: they are assuming stability and are dismissing the idea of coming judgment.
Peter’s key point of comparison: The ancient world was judged by water (the flood) but the present world is reserved for judgment by fire. So the “days of Noah” pattern becomes: past judgment proves future judgment is certain.
4. The ark as a picture of salvation
In First Epistle of Peter 3:20–21, Peter connects the ark to salvation:
20 because of their disobedience of long ago. For during the time of Noah God patiently waited while the ark was being prepared, but only a few were brought safely through the floodwaters: a total of eight souls.
21 This was a prophetic picture of the immersion that now saves you—not a bathing of the physical body but rather the response of a good conscience before God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
The ark carried people safely through judgment. He compares this to salvation (even linking it symbolically to baptism).
Just as there was one means of rescue then, there is one means now
Being “in the ark” parallels being in Christ
5. Why people will miss it again (Peter’s insight)
Peter goes deeper than just behavior—he exposes the heart issue:
In Second Epistle of Peter 3:5, he says:
For this they willfully forget: that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
So unlike simple ignorance, it’s willful blindness, a chosen refusal to acknowledge God’s past acts and future promises.
6. What believers should do in light of this
In Second Epistle of Peter 3:
11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons 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 dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless;
In summary:
The “days of Noah” isn’t just a warning about the world
It’s a call to live differently in the middle of it
Jesus described the conditions of Noah’s days.
Peter explains the Spiritual dynamics behind them:
Warnings were given → but ignored
God delayed → out of mercy
People dismissed judgment → by choice
Judgment came → suddenly and decisively
A remnant was saved → through one provision
The same pattern will repeat—only the final judgment will be even more decisive!