Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
that there.
1 Timothy 4:1,2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; …
2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
scoffers.
Proverbs 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
Proverbs 3:34 Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
Proverbs 14:6 A scorner seeketh wisdom, and findeth it not: but knowledge is easy unto him that understandeth.
walking.
2 Peter 2:10 But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities.
2 Corinthians 4:2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.
Jude 1:16,18 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage…
Peter places this warning among the essential truths believers must grasp in order to remain steady in faith. Spiritual understanding receives God’s revealed truth with discernment and lives in light of it, rather than being carried away by persuasive unbelief (Ephesians 1:17–18).
2Ti 3:1 But understand this: In the last days…
1Th 5:1-2 Now about the times and seasons, brothers,…
2Th 2:3 Let no one deceive you in any way, for it will not come…
that in the last days
The last days began with Christ’s saving work and continue until His visible return in glory (Acts 2:17; Hebrews 1:2). God’s promises are being fulfilled during this age, yet opposition to Christ and His people also increases as the final judgment approaches.
Act 2:17 In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit…
Heb 1:2 But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son…
1Jn 2:18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard…
scoffers will come,
Mockers reject God’s authority and ridicule the hope of His people. Their appearance confirms the warnings given by the prophets and apostles, including Jude’s warning that such people would arise in the last time (Jude 18). Peter will specifically address their contempt for the promise of Christ’s return.
Jud 1:18 In the last times there will be scoffers who will…
Pro 1:22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways?”…
2Ch 36:16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despising His words…
scoffing
Their ridicule is deliberate and persistent, not an honest search for truth. By treating God’s patience as proof that He will not act, they ignore His past judgments, including the flood, and deny the certainty of coming judgment (2 Peter 3:5–7).
Pro 9:7-8 He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself;…
Pro 21:24 Mocker is the name of the proud and arrogant man…
2Ki 2:23-24 From there, Elisha went up to Bethel, and as he was walking…
and following their own evil desires.
Their rejection of Christ’s return is joined to a life governed by sinful desires. Denial of judgment removes moral restraint and permits rebellion to appear justified. Scripture repeatedly connects such self-indulgence with rejection of God’s truth and love for pleasure rather than love for God (Romans 1:24–25; 2 Timothy 3:1–4).
Jud 1:16 These men are discontented grumblers…
Rom 1:24-25 Therefore God gave them over to impurity…
Eph 2:3 All of us also lived among them at one time,…
Peter opens with urgency: “Most importantly…” (2 Peter 3:3). He is highlighting that what follows is not a side issue but a truth believers must keep at the forefront.
• The apostle has already stirred his readers to “recall these things” (2 Peter 1:12–15), and now he elevates the coming warning to highest priority.
• Scripture often uses similar language when underscoring vital truths—“Above all, love each other deeply” (1 Peter 4:8) or “Above all else, guard your heart” (Proverbs 4:23).
• By prefacing the statement this way, Peter is signaling that vigilance against spiritual complacency is essential for a faithful walk until Christ returns (cf. Matthew 24:42).
The responsibility shifts to the reader: “you must understand.”
• Faith is never passive; it involves attentive, informed discipleship (Acts 17:11).
• Peter is echoing Jesus’ command, “See to it that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24:4).
• Knowing the truth arms believers against error (Ephesians 4:14), so Peter urges intentional awareness rather than casual familiarity.
Peter places the warning in a time frame: “in the last days.”
• Biblically, the “last days” began with Christ’s first coming (Acts 2:17; Hebrews 1:2) and stretch to His return.
• This means Peter’s words applied to his readers and still apply today.
• Paul gave a parallel list of last-days dangers—“difficult times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1)—reinforcing that believers should anticipate opposition throughout this entire era.
Opposition is personified: “scoffers will come.”
• Jude offers an almost verbatim warning: “In the last time there will be scoffers” (Jude 18).
• Scoffing goes beyond disagreement; it is a mocking, dismissive attitude toward God’s promises (Psalm 1:1).
• Their arrival is certain (“will come”), proving God’s foreknowledge and reminding believers not to be shaken when ridicule surfaces (John 15:18).
Peter doubles the word, indicating persistent derision.
• These mockers question the promise of Christ’s return (2 Peter 3:4), mirroring how people in Noah’s day ignored the coming flood (Luke 17:26–27).
• By repeating “scoffing,” Peter shows that ridicule can be relentless, yet it is ultimately powerless against God’s timetable (Psalm 2:1–4).
The root issue is moral, not merely intellectual.
• Unbelief is tied to “evil desires,” echoing Romans 1:18–25 where people suppress truth to pursue sin.
• James 1:14 explains that desire gives birth to sin; scoffers prefer autonomy over submission.
• Earlier Peter warned of false teachers who “follow the corrupt desire of the flesh” (2 Peter 2:10), showing a consistent pattern: they reject divine authority so they can indulge self-centered cravings.
Peter’s concise statement alerts believers to an ongoing reality: persistent mockers will emerge throughout the church age, driven by self-serving passions, deriding the very hope that sustains God’s people. Recognizing this foretold pattern keeps us anchored in confidence that Scripture is reliable, God’s timetable is unshakable, and steadfast faith is both necessary and victorious until the Lord’s promised return.
SECOND PREDICTION: Scoffers shall throw doubt on Christ’s return.(3) In the last days.—Comp. 1Peter 1:20; Hebrews 1:2; and the parallel passage to this, Jude 1:18. “Know this first, children, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts” is quoted in a homily attributed on doubtful authority to Hippolytus. (See above on 2Peter 2:1.)
Scoffers.—The best authorities add “in scoffing,” intensifying the meaning by repetition (as in Ephesians 1:3...
Verse 3. - Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers. (For the irregular construction of γινώσκοντες, see Winer, 3:63, 2, a.) St. Peter has the words, "knowing this first," in 2 Peter 1:20, where he is speaking of the interpretation of prophecy; he repeats them now when referring to the scoffers who mocked at the long delay of the Lord's coming foretold by the prophets. (For "the last days," see note on 1 Peter 1:20.) The Revised Version has, "Mockers shall come with mockery." This represents the words ἐν ἐμπαιγμοπνῇ, found in nearly all the best manuscripts, which give emphasis to the expression after the Hebrew manner. The word ἐμπαιγμονή occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, and ἐμπαῖκται, scoffers, only in the parallel passage, Jude 1:18. Walking after their own lusts. Self-indulgence often leads to skepticism. This verse is quoted in a homily ascribed to Hippolytus.2 Peter 3:3 NIV
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NT Letters: 2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first that in the last (2 Pet. 2P iiP ii Pet)