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Scoffers in the last days

​II Peter Lesson 7 

2 Peter 3:1-9 

return pages 6, 7 & 8 only 

Scoffers in the last Days 

When you pray for an unsaved loved one, how specific do you get? Do you 
go as far as asking Christ to wait to rapture the church until after your loved 
one has been saved? Do you witness with urgency because of Jesus' 
imminent return? Do you know how to witness to those who scoff at the idea 
of a rapture or of a new millennium ruled by Jesus Christ? 


A Sure Thing 

Can we Christians even be sure that Christ will come again? Peter, 
along with the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles, 
said yes! Their affirmation comes in spite of the total rejection of the idea by 
false teachers. Errorists scoff at the thought of Christ's return, for it would be 
a miracle, and miracles are not a part of natural law. Why does God put up 
with such skepticism? Peter answered this question and confronted the false 
teachers' mockery. 


Stirring Up the Mind 

Peter had a pastor's heart. He intended to obey Christ's personal 
command to him and to stir up the minds of his readers so that they-so that 
we-would remember the truth that they (we) have received (2 Peter 3:1). It is 
vital that we remember the truths of God's Word. A memory lapse of the truth 
can result in serious difficulties for us. Christians who forget what God's Word 
teaches often make poor choices in the decisions of life. 

The first readers of Peter's letter had "pure minds" (2 Peter 3:1). Their 
minds had not been tainted by the seductive influence of false doctrine. Our 
minds are very important, for we discern the truth with our minds. Peter was 
constrained to stir up the minds of believers so that they would not be 
polluted doctrinally in their thinking (2 Peter 3:1). It is important that we both 
know and remember God's Word during our pilgrimage through this world. 
We simply cannot afford to be lazy in our study and our remembrance of the 
truth. 



2 Pet 3:3 

3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days 
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 

(KJV) 

Christians should be on the alert to the emergence of scoffers in these 
last days. There is no cause for panic, for GOD's Word supplies us with the 
answers to their skepticism. 

 

Prophets and Apostles 

The prophets and apostles were the human penmen whom God used to 
provide us with His Word (2 Peter 3:2). The words of the text of Scripture are 
God's Word in the first place (2 Timothy 3:16). With his reference to the 
prophets and apostles as the human writers of Scripture (2 Peter 3:2), Peter 
affirmed the inspiration of all the Scriptures. It is imperative that we know and 
remember what is written in God's Word, since God has spoken! 

Both the prophets and the apostles testified to Christ's second coming. 
But false teachers raise the question of His return (2 Peter 3:4). Peter first 
asserted the authority of God's Word; then he addressed the blatant denial of 
false teachers. With his reference to the prophets and the apostles, he drew 
together the testimony of both Testaments, showing the unity of thought in 
the Bible. An understanding of both the Old and New Testaments is essential 
to our full comprehension of God and His plan. 

 

Scoffers Will Come 

Believers must be alert to the presence of scoffers (2 Peter 3:3). Jude, 
as well as Peter, warned believers of this serious threat (Jude 17,18). 

 Peter announced that these mockers would appear in the last days (2 
Peter 3:3). "The last days" began with Christ's first advent (Hebrews 1:2) and 
will conclude with Christ's second advent. One characteristic of these last 
days is the opposition of false teachers to God's truth (2 Peter 3:3; 2 Timothy 
3:1-7). These scoffers are the false teachers of 2 Peter 2. 

While they deride God's Word, scoffers follow after their own lusts (2 
Peter 3:3). They reject the teachings that contradict their beliefs and behavior. 
Second Peter already provides us with sufficient information so that we can 
identify the doctrine and character of these men and women. False teachers 
are with us now in these last days. We must be on the alert! 

 


Denial of the Promise 

While living in self-indulgence, false teachers mock at the idea of 
Christ's return. They are consumed by intellectual arrogance and sensuality. 
It is no wonder that they oppose any suggestion of a future judgment. A day 
of future accountability is inherent in the return of Christ (Isaiah 2:1-4; Jude 
14-16). 

The skeptics argue that the promise of Christ's second coming is 
unreliable (2 Peter 3:4). They ask why He has not returned by now. Their 
question is followed by the reason for their skepticism. They believe that the 
universe operates by natural law, which has been in operation since the 
beginning. "Natural law cannot be violated," they reason; "therefore it is 
impossible for a miracle to occur. For a miracle would be a violation of the 
natural order of things. Christ's return to earth would be a miracle. Since there 
is no possibility for a miracle to occur, we must reject the second advent of 
Christ." 

Underlying this view of natural law is the scoffers' rejection of a 
sovereign God Who created and controls the operation of the universe. 
Therefore they not only deny Christ's return and a future judgment, but they 
also reject the existence of the God of the Bible. They are not irreligious, 
however, for they do worship the creation (Romans 1:21-23). 

 

Willful Ignorance 

Peter responded directly to the underlying reason for the scoffers' 
question, then he gave his answer to the question (2 Peter 3:4-7). The 
underlying reason for their skepticism is their deliberate choice to reject God's 
Word (v. 5). They have chosen to reject the idea that God has a relationship 
to or with this world. Peter provided four subjects about which skeptics are 
willfully ignorant: the Creation, the Flood, the present world, and the judgment 
of fire. 

 

The Creation 

First, Peter described the heavens and the earth after the dry land 
appeared on the third day of the creation week (Genesis 1:9, 10). This 
particular creative act is an example of all of God's creative activity 
accomplished by His authoritative decree and power (v. 9; Psalm 33:6). God 
called all things into existence, including the laws of nature. Natural law, 
therefore, cannot be used to explain how this physical universe came into 
existence. The origin of all things is God, not natural law-a fact that scoffers 
willfully ignore. 

 

 


The Flood 

Second, Peter referred to the inundation of the earth by the waters of 
the universal Flood (Genesis 7:11-24). While the Flood was a divine judgment 
on men (6:5- 7), an interruption of the operation of the laws of nature took 
place in the pre-Flood world. Since God has intervened in the affairs of the 
word by judgment once, disrupting the laws of nature, He can certainly do so 
again. He will do so again when Christ returns! Another fact that the skeptics 
willfully discount. 

 

The Present World 

Third--distinguishing between the present world, which is "now" (2 Peter 
3:7), and the pre-Flood world, which is the world that then was" (v. 6)-Peter 
pointed out that there has been a uniformity in the operation of the laws of 
nature in the present world. God promised to maintain the agricultural cycle, 
climatic changes, annual seasons, and the cycle of day and night for this 
present world (Genesis 8:22). 

God will maintain the operation of these present processes in nature 
until the future judgment, which is still another fact that mockers deny. 
Assurance of this fact, of this continuation of the present processes, is found 
in Peter's first statement in verse 7: "But the heavens and the earth, which are 
now, by the same word are kept in store." 

The "word" is God's authoritative word by which the universe was 
created (v. 5). God will bring all things to a climax in fulfillment of His own 
purpose in HIS own time. This is as fixed as the Day of Judgment for ungodly 
men (v. 7). 

 

The Judgment of Fire 

God is in control of all things. Someday He will judge ungodly men (2 
Peter 3:7). False teachers and their followers react negatively to this divine 
intervention in the affairs of men, because reacting positively to it would bring 
them into accountability. As far as those who live in error are concerned, 
there is no coming judgment. They, therefore, reject the doctrine of Christ's 
return. For this rejection, they bring the righteous judgment of God upon their 
own heads (2:1). 

 

God and Time 

Obviously, time has value to God. Even though He is above time and is 
not controlled by it, He works within time to accomplish His purpose. 

We find God's perspective on days and years in Psalm 90:4. His 
dwelling place throughout all generations is outside time. For this reason, a 


day might as well be a thousand years and a thousand years as brief as one 
day. Peter reminded us that God is timeless! 

 

God's Desire 

God is not as slow in fulfilling His promises as some men might think (2 
Peter 3:9). Peter wrote in his first letter that the end of all things is near (I 
Peter 4:7). The flaw in misjudging God resides in the minds of those who 
think about God from a human perspective. Men simply cannot measure 
God's activities on their own time scale. When they try, the result is a total 
misrepresentation of God. 

Neither is God slow in fulfilling His purposes in the world (2 Peter 3:9). 
The seeming delay in Christ's return is due to God's long-suffering. God is 
patient with men (Exodus 34:6; Romans 9:22). 

God is long-suffering because He desires that all men be saved (2 
Peter 3:9). This is God's "desirative" will (1 Timothy 2:4). He has not decreed 
the salvation of all human beings, but He desires all people to turn to Him in 
repentance and faith. God is always ready to show His mercy to all (Romans 
11:32). 

 God's long-suffering does not mean that all men will be saved. God has 
determined that He will judge the ungodly (2 Peter 3:7). Christ's death is 
sufficient to save all (John 3:16), yet only those who believe will be saved 
(5:24). God's patience awaits those who will respond to the gospel by faith. 
Believers must use the time to witness to the unsaved. ​
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