Knowing this first: That in the last days there shall come deceitful scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
τουτο πρωτον γινωσκοντες οτι ελευσονται επ εσχατου των ημερων εμπαικται κατα τας ιδιας επιθυμιας αυτων πορευομενοι
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Because, for the salvation of many who are written in the book of the living, the Lord's coming does not follow immediately upon the words, insolent men attack the faithful with mockery. They say, 'Where is the promise of His coming?'
Now Peter prophesies about the future, since they, the apostles, are prophets of the New Testament.
'In the last days' means in the time that follows, in the future. The unchangeability of the laws of nature and the uniform course of human life have always served freethinkers as grounds for disbelief. They do not believe in God's providence, nor in the possibility that the Creator's almighty will can freely change the face of the earth according to His own judgment.
Know this first of all (cf. 2 Pet 1:20 and note). This points to the importance of the subject about which the apostle wishes to speak further. Know first of all, and pay special attention to what you must know before anything else, because of this matter's particular importance.
In the last days, or in the last times, is not a fully definite term of time. It generally means later on. Sometimes this expression denotes the whole time of the New Testament divine economy of salvation until the second coming of Christ and the end of the world (cf. 1 Jn 2:18; 1 Tim 4:1-2; 2 Tim 3:1).
This time is the last time in comparison with the first time, which is the time of the Old Testament, the preparatory time. The last time is final. It is the last period in the ordering of salvation, after which there will be no other such period (cf. 1 Pet 4:7 and note).
Insolent mockers, or scoffers, are people who will not merely deny or reject the teaching about the second coming of Christ and the events joined with it. They will insolently mock this teaching, turn it into ridicule, and lead others also to deride it.
This does not mean only wolves in sheep's clothing, but real wolves in their own form.
According to their own lusts means that they act against the law of Christ and are led by their own impulses and strivings, which are fleshly and sinful. Here is the root of their error, or false teaching: fleshly lusts (1 Jn 2:16).
What sort of people are these? They are a different class of Christ's enemies from the false prophets or false teachers mentioned in the second chapter. They have this in common with those teachers: they sink into filthy fleshly lusts. Yet these are also mockers and scoffers, which is not seen in the former.
The appearance of these mockers and scoffers is indicated in Acts (Acts 20:29) and by the apostle Paul (1 Tim 4:1; 2 Tim 3:2-5ff.). They appeared soon after the apostles. They always have existed and, according to the word of Christ and the apostles, will exist, to their own perdition and to the perdition of those deceived by them.
And saying, and so forth. They say this not only in their corrupted heart or thought, but openly and mockingly. Their very aim is to trouble others, especially the good and pious.
The sources of unbelief concerning the second coming of the Lord are these. By references to the writings of the prophets (Joel 1:15; Obad 15), to the words of the apostles, and also to Jesus Christ Himself, Saint Peter affirms that the end of the world and the second coming of the Lord will certainly take place.
In particular he refers to the apostles of Asia Minor: Paul, Barnabas, and Silas. Hence Peter's expression, "your apostles."
Saint Peter foretells the appearance of unbelieving deniers of this truth. He indicates the source of their unbelief and the arguments on which it will rest.
The source lies in the sensuality, or lusts, of these men, who fear the judgment of God. Their arguments lie in the delay of the Lord's coming and in the unshakability of the laws of the universe's being: "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers began to fall asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."
Having said all that was necessary about heretics in general, the apostle turns special attention to their denial of the second coming of Christ.
On the basis of an incorrect understanding of the Lord's sayings about the second coming, it seemed to the heretics, as also to many during the Savior's earthly life (see Mk 10:37-38) and even to some of the apostles, that it must soon take place.
But since it was not taking place, the heretics said that it would no longer take place at all, and that everything in the world would remain unchanged (cf. 1 Cor 15:12).
So spoke the ancient deniers in Solomon's time: "A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth abides forever" (Eccl 1:4). So also proclaim some modern scholars, the materialists, who preach an eternal cycle of life that allegedly requires neither the Providence of God nor God Himself.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 18 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS