Scoffers

II Peter 3:3-4.

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.

Peter desired his readers to be mindful of false prophets. As they have always existed, they will continue to exist. They will proliferate as the end times approach, because more and more people will be drawn to the puffed up promises of these false teachers. The people who follow false teachers will be a huge money source for the unbiblical “prophets” who follow their teaching.

Peter says these false teachers walk after their own lusts. That is, they follow the path of least resistance to gain their own selfish desires. Those desires can cover every aspect of human desire and depravity, all under the guise of their great, spiritually empty but cleverly disguised promises of health, wealth and happiness.

The scoffers will question the truth of the biblical prophesies of the return of Jesus. They will say, “So, where is He? Nothing has changed in this world. He still hasn’t returned to establish His kingdom, and it’s been SUCH a long time! Look how His followers have suffered over the centuries! And still nothing has really changed. He promised to come back, right? Well, WHEN? Look, you can wait for the rest of your lives, but the only way things are going to improve is if you take control of your own lives. Just send me a gift to support this ministry, and I’ll send you a book with step-by-step instructions for living a free and happy life! Send your gift today! Don’t wait one more minute to begin your journey to a better life!”

If. you fall for that pitch, you may as well be sending in cereal box tops for that wonderful plastic decoder ring you coveted as a child. It probably had as much value as the empty claims of wealth, health and happiness that come from false teachers.