Gospel Prayer Ministry

📖 Passage

2 Peter 3:1–7 Read 2 Peter 3:1–7 (NKJV)

🧠 Context & Background

Peter begins his final chapter by stirring up the believers’ minds to remember what was spoken by the prophets and the commandment of Christ through the apostles. He warns that in the last days scoffers will come, ridiculing the promise of Christ’s coming.

The scoffers’ argument rests on the claim that history is uniform — “all things continue as they were from the beginning.” Peter answers that they deliberately forget God has acted in history: by His Word He created the heavens and the earth, and by His judgment He destroyed the world with the flood in Noah’s day.

That same Word now sustains the present creation, which is reserved for fire until the day of judgment when the ungodly will be destroyed. This passage stresses both the certainty of Christ’s return and the danger of dismissing God’s promises through unbelief.

🌿 Key Themes

Reminder of God’s Word — Prophets and apostles bear witness to Christ’s return.
Scoffers in the Last Days — Cultural mockery of faith is expected.
Uniformitarianism Refuted — History is not unbroken; God has intervened.
Creation and Flood — Past acts of God guarantee future judgment.
Reserved for Fire — The present heavens and earth await purification and judgment.

📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary

Verse 1

“This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved…”

Reminder as protection: Peter’s purpose is not new teaching but to stir up sincere minds to remember what they already know.
Second letter: Likely referring back to 1 Peter, though some see it as a general reference.
Highlights the pastoral tone — he addresses them as “beloved,” grounding warnings in affection.

Verse 2

“…remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles.”

Authority of Scripture: Old Testament prophets, Christ’s words, and apostolic teaching are unified.
Continuity: God’s Word across generations stands as the foundation against scoffers and false teachers.
Application: Believers safeguard themselves by remembering and clinging to what God has spoken.

Verse 3

“Scoffers will come in the last days…”

Certainty of opposition: Peter assures his readers that scoffers are not a surprise — God foretold it.
“Last days”: The era between Christ’s first and second coming (Heb 1:2).
Driving force: Not intellectual doubt but sinful desires — skepticism often masks a moral rebellion.

Verse 4

“‘Where is the promise of his coming?’”

The objection: Denial of Christ’s return because history seems unchanged.
Naturalism: This reflects the worldview that assumes the world runs on uniform processes without divine intervention.
Biblical counter: God’s patience and past acts of judgment (flood, creation) prove He governs history.

Verse 5

“They deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago…”

Willful ignorance: The problem isn’t lack of evidence but suppression of truth (Rom 1:18).
Creation and flood: Peter cites Genesis — God spoke the world into being and judged it by water. Both show His active involvement in history.
Application: God’s Word is both the instrument of creation and judgment.

Verse 6

“…the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished.”

Historical precedent: The flood (Gen 6–9) is evidence of God’s willingness and ability to judge the entire world.
Parallel: Just as the ungodly denied judgment before the flood, scoffers deny Christ’s coming judgment now.
Lesson: Past judgment guarantees future judgment.

Verse 7

“…by the same word the heavens and earth… are stored up for fire…”

Certainty of judgment: God’s Word preserves the present world, but also reserves it for fiery judgment.
Fire vs. water: Unlike the flood, the final judgment is by fire — symbolizing purification, destruction, and renewal (Mal 4:1; Rev 21:1).
Dual purpose: The ungodly face destruction, but creation will be renewed for God’s people.

🌿 Key Takeaway

Peter assures believers that scoffing and denial of Christ’s return are expected, but history proves God’s involvement. Creation and the flood are precedents that guarantee a future day of judgment by fire. God’s Word secures both the believer’s hope and the unbeliever’s warning.

🔍 Trusted Insight

“Unbelief is never due to lack of evidence, but to the deliberate suppression of it. Men choose to forget God’s works because they love their sin.” — R.C. Sproul

Sproul exposes the heart of scoffing: it is not ignorance but willful rejection of God’s truth.

Summary: God’s past acts of creation and judgment assure the certainty of His promised return. Scoffers deny the truth not for lack of proof, but out of sinful desire.

🌍 Worldviews & Common Objections

Objection: “It’s been 2,000 years — clearly Christ is not coming back.”
- Modern view: Delay is interpreted as denial; the passage of time is taken as proof against the promise.
- Biblical answer: Peter shows this argument is not new (v.4). God’s timing is different from ours (v.8, later in the chapter). Delay does not mean denial — it means patience (v.9).

Objection: “History shows no divine intervention — the world just keeps going.”
- Modern view: Naturalism assumes the universe runs on unbroken, uniform laws.
- Biblical answer: Peter points to creation (v.5) and the flood (v.6) as moments when God intervened decisively. Past judgment proves future judgment is not only possible but certain.

Objection: “Science disproves supernatural creation and flood accounts.”
- Modern view: Many dismiss Genesis as myth or symbolic, undermining Peter’s foundation.
- Biblical answer: Peter treats creation and the flood as real history, not allegory. If God’s Word spoke the world into being, He can also bring judgment and renewal (Heb 11:3). Faith accepts God’s acts even when scoffers reinterpret or deny them.

Worldview clash: “Humans are progressing toward a better future without judgment.”
- Modern view: Optimistic secularism teaches that technology and morality will lead to utopia.
- Biblical answer: Peter asserts the opposite: the world is being “stored up for fire” (v.7). Human progress does not erase sin or judgment; only Christ brings a new creation.

Objection: “Judgment and hell are scare tactics.”
- Modern view: Talking about judgment is seen as manipulative or outdated.
- Biblical answer: Peter shows judgment is grounded in history, not rhetoric. The flood happened; Christ’s return will happen. God warns because He is just and merciful — not to frighten, but to save.

⚖️ Summary: The scoffers’ arguments — whether based on delay, naturalism, science, progress, or denial of judgment — all overlook God’s past interventions. Peter reminds us: the same Word that created and judged the past now sustains the present world until its final judgment and renewal.

🧩 Review Questions

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🙋 Application Questions

How do you see scoffing at the promise of Christ’s return today?
What practices help you remember God’s Word amid cultural doubt?
How does recalling God’s past acts strengthen your faith in His promises?
How can you encourage others to remain steadfast in hope of Christ’s coming?

🔤 Greek Keywords

ἐμπαῖκτης (empaiktēs) — scoffer, mocker.
κατακλύζω (kataklyzō) — to flood, overwhelm.
θησαυρίζω (thēsaurizō) — stored up, reserved.
πῦρ (pyr) — fire, symbolic of judgment.
ἀπώλεια (apōleia) — destruction, ruin, eternal loss.

📚 Cross References

Genesis 6:11–13 — Corruption before the flood.
Genesis 7:11–12 — God judges with the flood.
Matthew 24:37–39 — As in the days of Noah.
Romans 1:18–20 — Suppressing truth in unrighteousness.
Hebrews 11:7 — Noah condemned the world by faith.

📦 Next Study

Next Study → 2 Peter 3:8–13 – The Day of the Lord and the Promise of New Heavens and Earth

2 Peter 3:1-7 - God’s Promise and the Mockery of Scoffers