Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to 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 creation.” (2 Peter 3:3-4)

Scoffers Will Come

There are more people worried about global warming than about the coming of the Lord. Scientists prognosticate that the end of the world will come through rising temperatures, declining oxygen levels, rising sea levels, food scarcity, asteroid impacts, or the Sun drawing closer to Earth, making life on Earth impossible. Since the beginning of the nuclear age, the threat of annihilation by a nuclear holocaust is another cause for concern, pointing toward the end of the world. Whatever the reason or analysis, most people fear the end of civilization through natural disasters or human involvement. The green initiative’s economic model drives the false notion that man controls his destiny and can either destroy the earth or save it. Human wisdom has become the god that believes there is no greater force than humanity, and through advanced technology and science, the human question can be answered by the will of man.

A scoffer is someone who mocks another. They scorn others’ ideas, believing they have a superior view. Scoffers have been around since the beginning of the world. The philosophy of the scoffer is to deride, reproach, and ridicule with contempt. Peter writes that there will be scoffers who will come and put down the teachings of the gospel, declaring that the Lord has not come. They laugh at the idea that the world will come to an end in a flaming ball of fire brought about by the word of the Lord. They reason that life continues without interruption and shows no indication of the appearance of Divine judgment. For them, life continues as it has for centuries. One of the outcomes of two thousand years removed from the writings of Peter is the continued fulfillment of those who mistakenly believe the world will continue on its path.

Human wisdom is the height of human folly. The wisdom of man is limited to his micro-sphere of knowledge. Only God can see the whole story of the human equation because He is the Creator and Maker of all things. What God has placed into motion is what God will bring to an end. There is nothing in the arsenal of human wisdom that will destroy the earth. The idea of global warming or a nuclear winter destroying the earth is preposterous at best. Peter declares that the end of the world will come through the divine hand of the One who holds the world together by His word. God destroyed the population of the world with a flood in the days of Noah. By grace, God saved Noah and his family. Everyone else died. Noah did not destroy the world – God did.

Scoffers walk according to their own lusts and wisdom. They mistakenly believe they control the world. Nothing is further from the truth. Believers know where their destiny begins and believe that one day, the Lord God will send His Son with His mighty angels. The heavens and the earth will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. That is God’s will. His will is not going to change. Everything in the universe will be dissolved. Man does not control the end of the world. Scoffers will realize too late their foolishness.