2 Peter 3:3-7 KJV – “knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.”
It is nothing unusual for nonbelievers to scoff at what we believe morally, prophetically, or theologically. The real shocker about these verses is Peter’s implication that this is what some in the church will be saying in the last days. We know this simply because all the epistles were written to Christians, not unbelievers, and therefore the only possible understanding of this passage is that in the last days, many in the church will scoff at the possibility of Christ’s return for His bride.
If we look at the Greek words translated into English as “Where is the promise of His coming?” they would read as follows, if translated word for word: “What announces the near return?” If we read carefully Matthew 24 and 25, we see that Jesus moved through the last-days scenario as a whole, discerning the rapture, the tribulation, and even the great white throne judgment.
When Jeremiah warned the children of Israel of God’s impending judgment, they responded, “That is hopeless! So we will walk according to our own plans, and we will every one obey the dictates of his evil heart” (Jer. 18:12). I find this statement to be of particular interest when linked with Jesus’ words that when He comes for His bride at the end of days, it will be as it was in the days of Noah. As described in Genesis 6:5, this is a time when the thoughts and intents of man’s heart will be only evil continually. That sounds a lot like saying everyone will follow the dictates of his or her own evil heart.
Just as Israel did in the days of Jeremiah, so too will many in the church resist the proclamations of impending judgment. But Jesus clearly said in Matthew 24:7–8, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Friends, Jesus is coming soon, so don’t scoff at His return. He warned Noah before sending the flood, He warned Abraham before destroying Sodom and Gomorrah, and he warned the Jews before overthrowing Jerusalem. But on each occasion, most people acted as though nothing was going to happen. In the past, God always forewarned of His judgment, and in the present, He is doing the same. Don’t let anyone talk you out of living expectantly for His return. Whoever denies it, even to protect a particular theology, is denying that the unchanging God has always told man when judgment was coming. The coming tribulation will be no exception, so tell someone about Jesus today!
