SCOFFERS WALKING AFTER THEIR OWN LUSTS-An Underestimated Last Day Challenge to the Church??

By Derrick Gillespie
Often the Bible or the Scriptures can be fulfilled in such profound and mind-boggling ways that
even the Bible believer is unprepared to appreciate the depth and impact of its true fulfilment
when it happens. One of the often read last days prophecy, but, I fear, a largely
underappreciated last days prophecy in terms of its impact on and challenge to the work of
the end time Church, is the one featured in 2 Peter 3: 3-6:
2 Peter 3:3-6 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. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens
were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished -KJV
In the above prophecy are so many profound truths and so many strikingly fulfilled realities in
our day and time that it boggles the mind. And yet in this simple prophecy was predicted to
arise a certain movement of people that has not only already arisen (true to the prophecy), but
has grown by such leaps and bounds in the past two centuries especially that I am wondering if
the Church has not underestimated the formidable nature of its new challenge called scoffers
[i.e. mockers of Christianity], who would be walking after their own lusts [i.e. be largely
hedonistic and humanistic]? History tells us that after the first millennium or so, Christians
largely settled down to a life of quiet expectancy in terms of the second coming of Jesus,
which was earlier preceded by the first few centuries of Christians largely fired up with zealous
preaching about the immediate return of Jesus. But, just as Jesus had indicated via many
parables while he was on earth, there would be such a seeming delay (e.g. see Matthew
24:42-51) that even the followers of Jesus could be lulled into a state of unpreparedness due to
the seeming delay. Even in the 2 Peter 3 prophecy before us, we see Peter making plain in
verses 8 and 9 that the seemingly delay of the Second Advent has a certain divine object (i.e.
God is longsuffering to sinners), yet he affirmed that the second coming is sure to come, and
will come when most unexpected; like a thief in the night, i.e. suddenly and, to the
unsuspecting sinful world, most unexpectedly. Its fierce fiery wrath will be global just as the
Flood of Noah and sounds an ongoing sobering warning to all (see 2 Peter 3:10-14 and
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).
What the above described does indicate is that the scoffers walking after their own lusts will
have a seemingly credible time-lapse argument on their side. There will be a seemingly logical
ground of argument to speak of a certain time lapse between the first century preaching about
the soon coming of Jesus, and our day and time, when nearly two thousand years have gone
by and yet since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from

the beginning . I have watched so many Christians themselves seemingly becoming wait
weary that no wonder Jesus had told a parable in Matthew 25 of 10 virgins (a symbol for the
waiting Church) who all eagerly waited, yet eventually they ALL slumbered and slept. It is
plain that Jesus did NOT hide it from his disciples that there would be a seeming time-lapse
that would certainly precede his second coming; a time-lapse which would not only try and test
his waiting saints (who certainly would have to exhibit patient endurance while waiting; see
Revelation 14:12), but it would become the ammunition needed by the scoffers to poke fun
at Christians in the very last days. What is predicted is certainly a trying time for Christians as
they await their Lords seemingly delayed second coming. But I want to bring to your
attention an even more profound truth in this prophecy that many Christians do not seem to
appreciate, or maybe even underestimate.
It is only within the last 200 hundred years that the science of archaeology (the study of
ancient artifacts) and paleontology (the science of digging for fossil remains) has really given
Christians the solid scientific and faith-building evidence that the Flood of Noah did take place,
and has now even spurred the growth of a brand new movement in science called creation
science. Both Christians and the unbelieving world now have real or concrete scientific
evidence that Creation and the Flood are not just myths, as often deemed to be such by the
scoffers, but the same Science that has seen the growth of Darwinism and evolution theories
in the last 200 years (the foundational philosophies of the scoffers), has also seen remarkable
evidence being unearthed and formulated by renowned scientists debunking the Darwinian and
evolutionary claims of the scoffers. Thus it is plain that it is only within our day and time (i.e.
since the 1800s) that the scoffers could be really deemed to be without excuse to doubt the
Creation and the Flood, and therefore they are willingly ignorant that by the
word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the
water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being
overflowed with water, perished
It is a profound truth being fulfilled right before our very eyes, that the atheistic and
agnostic movement has grown by leaps and bounds in the last 200 hundred years since the
Darwinian or and evolution theories arose, and those very same adherents of atheism and
agnosticism have brought to the forefront a homosexual (or LGBT) movement like no other
ever known in all of world history; except as exemplified by the city/culture of Sodom and
Gomorrah in Bible times. Since the 1970s, just a generation ago, the LGBT Movement has
now become such a world-wide phenomenon that it is only matched by the growing numbers
of atheists or humanists, who scoff at all things religious. Those very same persons who are
scoffers at Christianity and all things religious (including the notion of an approaching
Judgment day and the second Coming of Jesus), are not just largescale members/supporters
of the LGBT movement and its lifestyle of aberrant lusts, but at the same time many are
wholesale disciples of Darwinism or evolution theories, and refuse to take into account (i.e.
they are willingly ignorant of) the growing scientific evidence that indeed intelligent design
(or Creation) is the only logical answer to the origins of life, that a global flood is evidenced
everywhere you turn in the rocks and fossils of the entire globe, that dinosaurs did not die off
so-called 65 million years ago, but, anciently called dragons, have lived side by side with
humans in all of past world history; just as the Bibles model of creation would have shown.

Yet, despite all of this, the new atheists and agnostics have begun to forge such a seemingly
formidable opposition to Christianity that many Christians are totally unprepared to deal with
this new threat to its evangelistic work. Atheists and agnostics are ensuring via the old and the
modern technologies (like the Internet) that not only is the Bible and religious faith
undermined, ridiculed, and become outlawed in the arena of modern and progressive
thought, but religious and Christian practices are likewise outlawed and frowned upon.
Christian philosophies related to abortion, heterosexual sex, heterosexual marriage, child
discipline via physical punishment, freedom to publicly preach and proselytize converts, etc.,
etc., etc., are all being challenged and outlawed in increasing fashion in democracies across
the globe. Churches are losing their members in increasing fashion to the growing ranks of the
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and many Christians are at a loss as to how
to respond.
I believe that the Church need not fear. Once we understand the nature of the fulfilling
prophecies involving the scoffers, that alone should be a faith builder. It was all prophesied to
happen!! Expect the persecution (i.e. the misrepresentation, opposition, hatred even) thats
forthcoming from them, but at the same time never be afraid to use the knowledge of the
present generation (i.e. archaeology, paleontology, micro-biology, etc.,) to sow seeds of truth
in their spirit about the Bible that they scoff at; but always done in a loving way, however).
Christians should use the same modern technologies being used by the scoffers (along with
the traditional methods) to spread Bible truth, as well as educate themselves with the growing
scientific knowledge thats affirms the Bible truths of Creation and the Flood (since these are
the two main targets of the scoffers). Do not expect them to readily accept the truths being
shared with them. Expect them to trample on and ridicule, but be ever ready to share despite.
Christians are not called to convert, but to preach as a witness. God does the converting and
the germinating of seed; not humans!! Satan has indeed launched an all-out war against the
last stage or the remnant stage of the Church, but the same book of Revelation which gave
the prophecy of that all-out war against the Church in Revelation 12:17, has also shown us
the end of the story. Gods Church will triumph even over the scoffers. It will patiently
endure the wait for the seemingly delayed second coming, and the faithful remnant of
that waiting Church will be faithful to Gods commandments in all their forms, as seen
prophesied in Revelation 14:12. It will at long last enter in through the gates into the city (i.e.
the New Jerusalem in the earthly Paradise), where outside are the lost who will be those very
same scoffers who , as seen in Revelation 22:14-15, are (among other things) the
whoremongers or the sexually immoral, the idolaters or those who reject God and served
self, and those who loveth and maketh a lie or those who chose to deceive themselves and
others via new age philosophies.
Until that day, however, Christians are called to love, pray for and witness to the scoffers
walking after their own lusts, but who fail to realize that Jesus delayed coming is all for their
own benefit, since:
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count
slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but
that all should come to repentance.