In the last days
Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their own evil desires, saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter 3:3-4 CSB
The phrase “in the last days,” refers to the time period between Christ’s ascension and His eventual return, prophesied in Revelations. Now, we do not have an exact day to when Christ will return, but we are challenged to be ready at any time, as seen in Matthew 24:36, “36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son —except the Father alone.” This timeframe, then, means that we are in the “last days,” so it should be no surprise when scoffers abound in our present day. Peter urges the believers to be on alert and on guard against the scoffers. These scoffers are familiar with the Scriptures and they have become habitual mockers of God and His Word. They’re goal is to lead people to willfully reject God and His teachings. Although the false teachers may trick people, their own objective is to do whatever it takes to fulfill their “own evil desires.” They will create arguments to try to disprove Christ’s impact in the world, saying that people have lived and died, yet nothing has changed, as seen in verse 4, “Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” Their argument is that if Christ’s appearance, to them, did not change anything, then why should they worry about His second coming? These two verses show two key characteristics of these false teachers: that they are cynical about life and others and that they are self-absorbed and only care about their own desires. These individuals, Peter strategically places these two verses after he reminds believers of the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ, which were to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39). Even though they might be focused on themselves and may not see the value of Christ’s presence in their lives, believers are called to love them as well, because “God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Blessings,
Isaac De Guzman
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