It’s fascinating that nearly 2,000 years ago, Peter (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) wrote about scoffers in the last days.
As we read about these scoffers, we realize that there is “nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). The basic sin nature of man is the same today as it was 2,000 years ago—and as it was approximately 6,000 years ago when our ancestor Adam rebelled against God.
Peter explains that these scoffers in the last days will scorn those who believe Jesus is returning, and will exclaim, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4). The philosophy of the scoffers is that physical processes just go on and on without any miraculous intervention.
We are then told the scoffers will reject creation, reject the flood of Noah’s day, and reject the coming judgment by fire.
“Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist preserved are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:3–7).
The passage in 2 Peter 3 is an apt description of those in today’s world who have adopted the religion of evolution and attempt to brainwash generations of students to deny the existence of the Creator God. In place of God, they teach instead that natural processes over eons brought the universe and all life into existence.
Today’s secularist scoffers indoctrinate generations of students through the education systems, social media, and natural history museums to reject creation, the flood, and of course, the coming judgment by fire. These scoffers teach that the world has continued on and on for millions of years without any intervention by an all-powerful God.
Now Peter goes on to warn, “Take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability” (2 Peter 3:17). The scoffers will try to get each one of us to fall—to reject the truth of creation, the flood, and the coming judgment.
We need to heed this warning.