“knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts” (2 Peter 3:3).
The word “first” can be used to mark the beginning of a numerical sequence or denote something of primary importance. The Apostle Peter has that second definition in view regarding the things he will say over the next few verses. Those things relate to blatant scoffers (NET), or mockers (Phillips) who will “…laugh at the truth” (TLB).
A “scoffer” is defined as someone who expresses derision or scorn for another person or thing. (1) The Biblical definition of this word serves to identify someone who derides another person. (2) While many of us are probably acquainted with those who exhibit such traits, “scoffing” actually has a lengthy history that dates back to the Garden of Eden.
For instance, Genesis 3: 1 tells us that the devil (in the form of a serpent) approached Eve with a seemingly harmless question: “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1 NLT).
When Eve stated that consuming the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would bring certain death, the serpent responded with a scoffer’s retort: “’…You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 3:4-5). This episode illuminates an unfortunate reality: those who choose to scoff at God’s Word in the last days are not unlike the one who scoffed at God’s Word in the first days.
That brings us to the difference between the “end times” and the “last days” mentioned here in 2 Peter 3:3. Although these terms are sometimes used interchangeably, the term “end times” commonly refers to the events that will unfold shortly before this era of human history concludes. In contrast, the “last days” began with Jesus’ ascension and will expire upon His return.
For instance, the Biblical book of Hebrews tells us, “…in these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:2 ESV). So this reference to the “last days” pertains to the current period of human history, an era where God has spoken to us through His Son.
So while scoffers have been present in every era, we can expect them to increase in number as we approach the end of this chapter in human history.
(1) scoffer. (n.d.) American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. (2011). Retrieved August 26 2024 from https://www.thefreedictionary.com/scoffer
(2) G1703 – empaiktes – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv). (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1703/kjv/tr/0-1/