Scoffers to the End
2/20/2013
“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.” 2 Peter 3:3-4.
It’s interesting to hear the words of scoffers today as their voices
sound hauntingly familiar to Peter’s description of those who will
surface in the last days. What do we think about when we think of
scoffers? Initially when we consider the scoffer, people who have either
given up on God ever returning to earth or those who don’t believe in
God at all come to mind. There are others though who fall into this
arena, but all have one thing in common, they don’t trust God.
In
this age of “Hurry up with my Big Mac and fries”, we have discovered
that humanity has a serious problem when it comes to patiently waiting
the arrival of anything. This is also true among of the followers of
Jesus Christ. The presumption that we, the Ekklesia of Christ, should be
out of here by now has caused much controversy in regards to Biblical
truth. Some professing Christians were so obsessed with Christ’s
imminent return that when He didn’t return as they predicted they grew
weary of waiting. Many people who professed Christ now reject Him as
they have become scoffers. Some have resorted back to their previous
ungodly lifestyles saying “Where is the promise of his coming?”
Peter tells us that scoffers will come not only walking after their own
lusts, but intentionally professing ignorance of earth’s past.
The word in the Greek for “last” in “last days” is “eschatos”,
and when we read the definition of that Greek word, the explanation is
headed up with the word “extreme or uttermost”. Therefore we are obliged
to understand that Peter here is writing about the “extreme/uttermost end
of days” on planet earth. Many believe as I do that planet earth is
currently somewhere in that particular time frame. This is especially
true since scoffers have become not only more vocal, but prolific as
well.
Jude gives us one more detail of these scoffers “But,
beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles
of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be
mockers [scoffers] in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.” Jude 1:17-19.
Jude tells us they are not indwelt with the Holy Spirit. He compares
them to those who the Apostles of our Lord Jesus had spoken of
previously. Peter and Jude are referring to the same lot of people, so
we know that the scoffers Peter mentions are also without the Holy
Spirit.
The Greek word used by both Peter and Jude for scoffer as well as mocker is “empaiktēs”, and this Greek word comes from a root word that means - to deceive.
Once again we are confronted with another attempt by Satan to deceive
the masses. By encouraging the scoffers to promote his lies and deceit
he gains ground among the biblically illiterate while mocking God’s
promises and attempting to destroy the faith of the people who make up
the true body of Christ.
The
Rapture of the Ekklesia is a bone of contention that always brings out
the scoffers and mockers. There are many who just can’t, or won’t, grasp
the concept of the biblical reality of an imminent Rapture. Frankly,
those who believe the Bible clearly indicates an imminent Rapture are in
the minority among professing Christians. Many Christians believe that
because the actual word “Rapture” isn’t in the English versions of our
Bible that it is not biblical. The truth is, hints and indications of
the Rapture are clearly seen throughout the Old and New Testaments,
beginning with Enoch. Another very interesting fact is that the Bible
was translated into Latin some 1400 years prior to being translated into
English. The Latin word “rapiemur” was translated from the Greek word
“harpazō”, which is translated into English as “caught up”. So for
fourteen hundred years the word Rapture was in the Bible – in Latin.
It’s significant to note that we derive our English word Rapture from
the Latin word “rapiemur”.
“…walking after their own lusts…” 2 Peter 3:3. The Greek word “epithymia”
is translated into English as “lust”, which means desire, craving,
longing for. The Greek word also indicates there is a desire for what is
forbidden. These scoffers are overcome with their own lustful desires
which produce uncontrolled longings. As a result they are the scoffers
and mockers Peter writes about. They begin to seek after that which is
forbidden by God. They turn away from a desire to know God and they
begin again to follow the enemy, finally doing everything they can to
corrupt those remaining faithful to God. Yes, there’s more to these
scoffers than ridicule. According to Peter and Jude they are not born
again.
“Little
children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist
shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it
is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for
if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but
they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all
of us.” 1 John 2:18-19. Many who at one time professed to be Christian now mock Christ and deny His deity; this seems a common occurrence in these extreme last days. Are these not those who John writes of who went out from us, but they were not of us?
What became of them? Are they now those who John proclaims as
antichrists? They are the scoffers and mockers of God and the brethren,
and as many of us who believe in an imminent Rapture can attest to
scoffers have begun to proliferate in great numbers in these “extreme”
last days.
Their mockingly scornful attitude towards God is clearly seen in the second segment of those two verses from 2 Peter 3. “Where is the promise of his coming?”
Can we not hear the sneering and see the twisted lips and rolling eyes
of those who doubt God? There is surely a sense of distain in and among
the scoffers of the last days. The statement “Where is the promise of his coming?”
surely must be an affront to God. Will God’s children question Him as
to His timing, or His purpose for that matter? Placing our faith in God
means we trust Him to be perfect in His ways, and that includes trusting
His promises as well. “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen” 2 Corinthians 1:20.
Peter describes quite well those lust seeking scoffers “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.” 2 Peter 3:5-7. With the scoffers statement “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” we see that their ignorance was intentional; they have a purpose.
Therefore we understand from the words above that their agenda was to
deny God’s word thus deny earth’s past history in order to appease
themselves while remaining in their lusts. I’m sure we’ve all heard from
these folks in more recent times.
Those
of us who believe God’s word concerning the worldwide deluge know that
there was nothing that remained the same on earth after that which
occurred during the antediluvian times. But the willingly ignorant Peter
speaks of are those who are wrapped up in their own desire and lusts,
so much so that they are blinded from the truth. They deliberately give
inaccurate accounts of the varying degrees of changes the earth has made
over the last 6,000 years. Just like so many scientists today who are
blinded by their god of mammon, acknowledging God’s truth has become a
foreign concept to them.
Peter goes on to explain to the brethren a very special attribute of God. “The
Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;
but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9. Is God tarrying on purpose? Peter says God is not slack in His promises, not as some men view slackness. The Greek word “bradynō” is
translated as slack and it also means to delay or be slow. God has such
a love for mankind that He is not willing to pull the plug ahead of the
appointed time. He wishes that everyone should have ample opportunity
to go through a change of mind in regards to their seeing the truth and
seeking Him. He does not delay the end. It will come at God’s
appropriate time.
Satan
knows that his time is limited and he must convince people that there
is no such thing as God. Flawed and evil as Satan is, many already
believe his lie. Satan is feverishly working to create doubt in people’s
minds about the existence of an all powerful God. Over the past six
millennia, many have believed Satan’s lies and perished as a result. To
be sure, there are many more willful scoffers who have taken the baton
of their father the devil and began their steep decent down a very
slippery and destructive path.
For
the born again believers in Christ there is no doubting the promises of
God. He’s coming back, first to remove His Ekklesia (the saints) and
then to put an end to the Great Tribulation and establish His millennial
Kingdom. My brethren, humanity is currently teetering on the precipice
of the extreme end of the last days. How do I know? Peter’s scoffers are
increasing and becoming incredibly antagonistic.
God bless you all,
Ron Graham
ron@straitandnarrowministry.com
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