What is the meaning of 2 Peter 3:4? Where is the promise of His coming? Scoffers raise this question to cast doubt on Christ’s return. Peter wants believers to recognize the heart attitude behind it: • Doubt aims to erode faith in God’s faithfulness (Hebrews 10:23; Titus 2:13). • It dismisses Jesus’ own words: “I will come again” (John 14:3). • It overlooks that God’s promises are sure, anchored in His unchanging character (Numbers 23:19). Rather than entertain the skeptic’s tone, we cling to Jesus’ assurance that “the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44). they will ask Peter foretells a future chorus of unbelief, showing this skepticism is no surprise to God: • “In the last days scoffers will come, following their own evil desires” (2 Peter 3:3). • The pattern echoes earlier mockery of divine warnings—think of Noah’s day (Genesis 6:5–7, 2 Peter 2:5). • Knowing mockers will arise keeps believers from being shaken (1 John 2:18–19). Believers are equipped by Scripture to recognize and respond graciously (Colossians 4:5–6). Ever since our fathers fell asleep Scoffers appeal to human history to argue that nothing has changed since the patriarchs died: • “Fathers” may refer to Old Testament ancestors or first-generation Christians now deceased (Acts 2:29, 1 Thessalonians 4:13). • The claim ignores God’s past interventions—Flood, Exodus, Exile—moments when He judged and delivered (Psalm 78:12–55; Isaiah 52:4). • It forgets Jesus’ resurrection, the pivotal event of history (1 Corinthians 15:3–8). Peter reminds us that God’s timetable is different: “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:8). everything continues as it has from the beginning of creation. This assertion rests on uniformitarianism—the idea that natural processes never change: • Scripture records decisive interruptions: Creation itself (Genesis 1), the global Flood (Genesis 7), the confusion of languages (Genesis 11). • Jesus foretold future disruptions: wars, earthquakes, cosmic signs (Luke 21:10–11, 25–27). • By denying God’s past acts, scoffers blind themselves to coming judgment (2 Peter 3:6–7). Believers know that “He upholds all things by His powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3); the Creator can step in whenever He wills. summary 2 Peter 3:4 exposes the mindset of last-days scoffers: they question Christ’s promise, presume history is closed to divine intervention, and ignore God’s past acts. Peter counters by recalling Scripture’s record of faithful promises kept and dramatic interventions. For us, the verse is a call to stand firm, trusting that the Lord who spoke the universe into existence will keep His word and return in His perfect time. |
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