When I was growing up, I was quite near-sighted. The medical term is “myopia.” After it was diagnosed, it seemed that I was getting a new pair of glasses every year. And in those days when glasses were made of glass and not fancy plastic, my spectacles grew thicker and heavier with each new pair. By the end of high school I was not quite, but nearing, the proverbial “coke bottle glass” glasses. And without those lenses I was so myopic I could barely read a book, let alone see at any distance.
“Myopia” may be a medical term, but it has application to various aspects of life. Some people are so socially nearsighted they can’t see good in anyone but their peers and look-a-likes. Some are politically nearsighted and others are scientifically nearsighted – they refuse to even look at the evidence for divine creation, because that would necessitate a divine Creator. There are many different kinds of myopia. The Pharisees were religiously myopic.
Peter has been describing one of those groups people wearing “coke bottle glasses.” Once again he goes back to those false teachers he referred to in chapter 2, describing them as blindly nearsighted. “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.” This afternoon let’s consider these “myopic mockers.” He describes them as WALKING, TALKING and SQUAWKING.
In the last days there will be flocks of heretics mocking and SQUAWKING.
This is the second time the apostle has said:“knowing this first,” and he is the only one to use this phrase. In chapter 1 he very famously wrote, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” Putting these two statements together, especially in the light of the entire Word of God, we see that he’s not saying that these things are the first we need to know in time and order. He’s not saying, “the first thing you must know before all others is that in the latter days scoffers will scoff.” Rather, this is something very important; it needs to be understood before we can move on to other matters. It is important for every Christian to know that beyond their church and perhaps their family, they are not among friends. And it is extremely important for you know that the Bible was given “by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto good works…”
Peter was NOT living in the last days, but the Lord had revealed to him that those day were coming. I believe that WE are in those last days. But “last days” is a rather nebulous pair of words; they are hard to pin down. God has not given us a calendar with all His important dates marked in red. But in various places throughout the Word we have descriptions of the last days. And what is the single most important event of those special days? It is not a one world government or a single electronic monetary system. It is not the rise of the anti-Christ or the persecution of God’s saints.
Peter tells us here that the most important even of the last days will be the return of our Redeemer. “There shall come in the last days scoffers… saying, Where is the promise of his coming?” The return of Christ should be our focus, our desire, and our longing as we pass through the last days. We need to know this first – above all the incidentals and peripherals – our Saviour is coming again. “Ye men of Idaho, why stand ye gazing at the decay of society the last days? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye had seen Him go into heaven.”
But here are those myopic, squawking mockers. Before we get to their talking, notice their squawking. They are mocking, first and foremost, the TRUTH – they are mocking what the Bible tells us. And you know into whose camp that places them. “Yea, hath God said?” “Did God really say, don’t eat the fruit of this tree? Has God said that Christ’s first coming was not His last coming? Is there anything in the Bible which is guaranteed to be true?” Absolutely ! Christ said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my word shall not pass away” – Luke 21:33. And God the Father said in Ezekiel, “I am (Jehovah); I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged; for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith (Jehovah Adoni)” – 12:25. “Blessed be the Lord… there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised…” And there will never fail a single promise or prophesy of God – I Kings 8:56.
Not only are these squawkers mocking GOD and His WORD, they enjoy mocking those who BELIEVE God. Oh, how the liberal thinkers, laugh at the silly people who take God at His word. “Do you have the audacity to deny what we have to say about evolution? You fools.” “What proof is there that there is some kind of life beyond death?” Well, in addition to the Bible, there is the testimony of human hearts from every corner of creation. “Why do you Christians cling so tightly to the idea of a world-wide flood?” Well, in addition to the Bible, there is the testimony of geology from every corner of creation. “You Christians are a bunch of idiots to think that a man who was crucified two thousand years ago is coming back again as King and Judge.” Let them laugh; let them mock. Their laughter reflects more about them than it does us who believe God.
But Peter knows as well as most of us: to bear up against the hurricane winds of the scoffers is hard. As long as we try to stand on only our two legs, we are going to be blown over. But we are not alone, and we don’t have to only stand on our legs, our minds, and even our hearts. If we are resolved to rest in the Lord and His word, the Holy Spirit will sustain and strength us. He has said, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world confound the things which are mighty.”
You must expect the squawking of the mockers, but there is no reason to lose your faith because of them.
Peter refers to the WALKING of the mockers.
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts.” This must have been something deeply impressed on the Apostle’s soul. The Holy Spirit beat on this drum until it was reverberating through Peter’s head. They are “natural bruit beasts, made to be taken and destroyed” – 2:12. While some pretend to be followers of our Saviour, they “even deny the Lord that bought them” – 2:1. They have “eyes full of adultery, and… cannot cease from sin” – 2:14. “They are exercised with covetous practices.” In chapter 3 Peter merely says they are “walking after their own lusts.”
“Walking” of course is a Biblical word referring to someone’s general manner of life. God said to Abram in Genesis 17 – “WALK before me and be ye perfect.” I John 1 – “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and WALK in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we WALK in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” In Galatians, Paul warns about walking like these people Peter is condemning: “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth WALK NOT as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
What does it mean that “these people are walking after their own lusts?” It is more than that they are living in sinful pleasure and the lusts of flesh – immorality. These people are governed by the philosophy of their God-denying machinations and imaginations. Their lusts and imaginations have become their agenda and purpose. The live, breathe and sleep in them. For example, since they deny creation, they actually live the doctrines of their evolutionary religion – they behave like the animals they believe are their ancestors. Since they deny the actual return of Christ, they live as though nothing about the Lord is true. Since they deny the truthfulness of the Bibe, they live like atheists, despite their denials to the contrary.
These nearsighted unbelievers TALK the TALK of myopic mockers.
“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.” I know that I’m repeating myself, and to some degree I might be accused of circular reasoning. But getting a bit more specific, these Christ deniers deny that God is keeping – or will keep – His word. “Where is the PROMISE of his coming,” is the same as “where is the FULFILLMENT of the promise?”
This is where their myopia is on full display. Focusing on one promise, which they say has been abandoned by the Lord, they can’t see any others. And not being able to see beyond their noses, they can’t bring into focus what is looming just down the road. Not understanding the magnitude and magnificence of God, they picture Him as some sort of man. But God doesn’t wear a watch – not even a Rolex. And he’s not constantly checking His phone to see if He has any appointments in human time. The Lord is not bound to get things done according to our schedule. Trying not to jump too far ahead, but Peter tells us that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years (is) as one day.” We who are but tiny creatures in God’s almost infinite universe – have no more right to tell God when He should do things as we have the right to tell Him what He is supposed to do.
These myopic false teachers don’t know the God whom they are denying. They have created gods like unto themselves – lascivious, neglectful, forgetful gods. Deists, agnostics, Hindus, Mormons, Arminians shouldn’t be talking about Jehovah; they don’t know Him. And if the truth be known – as Peter tells us – these are things of which they are “willingly ignorant.” They don’t want to know the truth. And this explains their attacks on the revelation of God. “The carnal mind is enmity with God for it is not subject to law of God, neither indeed can be” – Rom. 8:7.
“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.” The “fathers” to whom they refer are those people who whom the promises were given – Father Abraham, Father Moses, Daniel, and so many others of the Old Testament. Those fathers “fell asleep” long ago – they died. They went to their “sleeping places” – their “cemeteries.” They died just like Abraham, who at the age of 175 “fell asleep” while still “looking for a city with foundations whose builder and maker is God.” “What a wasted life,” say the mockers. “See – God is incapable of keeping His word.” David, Daniel, Ezekiel and Jeremiah died, having heard God’s promises, but they didn’t see the fulfilment. And “all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”
I got my glasses adjusted the other day. I got new nose pads and the arm pieces were tightened. My glasses are fitting very snugly on my face, and they are not going to accidently fall off. “Hey, Mr. Mocker, you need to get your glasses adjusted. it appears that you have lost your glasses, exposing your myopia.”
Nothing has changed since the beginning? What have you been smoking? You obviously have cut out of your Bible the first eight or nine chapters of the Bible. Are you aware that both the world and life radically changed after the introduction of sin? And have you ever heard of the Noaic Flood. That sort of reshaped a few things. And things changed with the introduction of God’s written law in the days of Moses. Moving away from the Bible, which you mockers deny, there have been other changes throughout creation. I’ve been in this world less a hundred years, but it hardly looks like the world into which I was born. Peace, civility, neighborliness, charity and generosity, aren’t what they used to be.
Oh, and the way, I appreciate your use of the word “creation.” There were no evolutionary ideas when Peter wrote this epistle. Everyone knew God created it all – or some say He didn’t, without any attempted explanation. Oh, but having the idea of creation, you still say, “all things continue as they were from the beginning…” That isn’t even close.
Conclusion:
These scoffers may refer to science so-called, trying to find credibility for their mockery. They may claim to be scientists, or politicians, or educators – whatever. But in reality, they are heathen religionists with a false god and a false faith. They have no Bible, no standard for faith and practice. They are purveyors of “pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of” – 2:2. “It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them” – 2:21.
About all I can do to finish his message is reiterate Peter’s general theme: Watch out brethren, the enemy of the Lord is out there. Therefore, “Be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour.”