2 Peter 3:3–9

God wants all of His creation to come to Him through Jesus Christ. John 3:16

We need one another.
More than ever.
No one is on this journey alone.
We need (and we can be) sanctuaries of listening, presence, grace and redemption. Terry Hershey “Sabbath Moments”

And when Jesus says, “You are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31), you can trust him. He knows the value of every creature. When Jesus says, “In my Father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:2), count on it. He knows. He has walked them. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish” (John 3:16). Trust Him. Max Lucado

2 Peter 3:3–9

3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 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.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. The New King James Version

Peter is referring to things happening in his own day. This phrase describes the time between Jesus’ ascension to heaven (shortly after His resurrection) and the time when Jesus will return again. Scoffers refers to people disputing the truth of Jesus’ return (His second coming); this may be a reference to the false teachers or to a larger group (perhaps the false teachers and those who followed them). It seems that Peter is emphasizing Jesus’ teaching that false prophets would emerge who would lead many people astray. Jesus had noted that false prophets would even perform signs and wonders for the ultimate purpose of leading others astray. This appeal to the tradition of Jesus may be intended to rebuke the myths mentioned by Peter. The false teachers and their followers acted like they had a form of godliness, but they were lacking the transformative power of Jesus in their lives; their decision to repeatedly choose and condone sin showed that they did not understand Jesus.

Peter departs here from the material it shares with the letter of Jude to elaborate on the false teachers’ comments about Christ’s return. Peter also explains Christ’s purpose in waiting for a later day to return. In doing so, Peter addresses the concerns that originally contributed to the false teachings. The scoffers (or mockers) point to the fact that Christ has not yet returned as evidence for their understanding of the world. In the scoffers’ view, God is not going to intervene and judge. It seems that the false teachers have taken advantage of Peter and the apostles’ unfulfilled claim that Christ will come again soon. Using this as leverage, they may have argued that the community of believers should be organized according to their teachings. The scoffers are claiming that Jesus’ return will not come to pass because, in their limited perspective, things have essentially been the same since creation. Peter counters the argument of the scoffers by claiming that the world came into being by God’s word and God has continued to speak since that time. Peter uses the example of God sending the flood (in response to humanity’s great wickedness) to show that contrary to the scoffers’ beliefs, things have indeed changed since creation. Faithlife Study Bible

A primary motivation for righteous living was the expectation of Christ’s return. However, the unforeseen delay in that coming would soon produce scoffers who would mock the coming, because they desired to live in ways that fulfilled their self-indulgent desires. The suggestion is that the scoffers here and the heretical teachers are one and the same. The apostles had predicted that such scoffing would occur. The last days refers to the present age. Throughout the centuries, scoffers have denied the Second Coming whenever hedonism and humanism have prevailed in the church. 

The basis for denying the supernatural reappearance of Jesus is that nothing of that nature has occurred in the past. The fathers who fell asleep refers to the OT patriarchs. The scoffing teachers would choose to overlook events such as creation and the Flood. The people of Noah’s time did not believe in Noah’s warning because they had never experienced a flood. They forgot, as the false teachers later would, that God created the entire universe by His word, something that they also had not experienced. Just as creation was by His word, the world is being sustained by His word. Likewise, the world’s judgment and destruction would be by His word.

God is in control, no matter what happens to this world.  God will surely accomplish His purposes and promises, even though it may appear that He is slow in doing so. His timing is always perfect. The delay of God’s judgment is not due to slackness, but to the Lord’s longsuffering attitude toward His people. not willing that any should perish. The reference here is not to God’s decree, but to His desire. Obviously everything that a sovereign God decrees will occur. Here Peter is describing the sovereign God’s desire that all people would turn to Him and turn away from unprofitable lives. The NKJV Study Bible

Though, in the account of men, there is a vast difference between one day and a thousand years, yet, in the account of God, there is no difference. All things past, present, and future, are ever before him: the delay of a thousand years cannot be so much to him, as putting off any thing for a day or for an hour is to us. If men have no knowledge or belief of the eternal God, they will be very apt to think him such as themselves. How hard is it to form any thoughts of eternity! 

What men count slackness, is long-suffering, and that to us-ward; it is giving more time to his own people, to advance in knowledge and holiness, and in the exercise of faith and patience, to abound in good works, doing and suffering what they are called to, that they may bring glory to God. Settle therefore in your hearts that you shall certainly be called to give an account of all things done in the body, whether good or evil. And let a humble and diligent walking before God, and a frequent judging of yourselves, show a firm belief of the future judgment, though many live as if they were never to give any account at all. This day will come, when men are secure, and have no expectation of the day of the Lord. The stately palaces, and all the desirable things wherein wordly-minded men seek and place their happiness, shall be burned up; all sorts of creatures God has made, and all the works of men, must pass through the fire, which shall be a consuming fire to all that sin has brought into the world, though a refining fire to the works of God’s hand. What will become of us, if we set our affections on this earth, and make it our portion, seeing all these things shall be burned up? Therefore make sure of happiness beyond this visible world. Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Psalm 136:6 To Him who laid out the earth above the waters, for His mercy endures forever;

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.