Where Is the Promise of His Coming – 2 Peter 3:1-7

I watched a video from the Afrikan Village and Cultural center designed to free me and empower me and help me reclaim my greatness. You may not want to listen to it because it is over an hour long, but here a man, a preacher, who claims that Jesus is not coming back and that in fact, the words of the New Testament are not really Jesus’ words. He sounds loud and boastful (2 Peter 2:18), but what he says is false.

He is doing exactly what Peter says false prophets will do.

This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. (2 Peter 3:1-7, ESV)

Peter believes that his readers are sincerely seeking to follow the Lord but he feels the need, as he said before, to remind them of these things concerning false teachers. The prophets of old and the Lord Jesus and his apostles have all predicted the coming of “scoffers,” those who make light of biblical teaching and holy living.

One of their particular heresies will be concerning the coming of the Messiah to his kingdom on earth. They will argue that things have never really changed but always been the same from the beginning and that there should be no expectation of major change, neglecting to take into account the major change that happened at the flood. There was a judgment then by water but the judgment to come will be by fire.

Peter is referring to a particular false teaching going around. We have seen this brand of teaching in our own day, but we have also seen several false teachings centered around a specific date for Christ’s return and day of judgment. When their predicted dates don’t pan out, the result can be somewhat the same as Peter warns against. People give up hope that Jesus is even coming back or that judgment will take place.

God promised that He would never again destroy the world by a flood. He did this to give assurance to us whenever severe rains came that this was not the big judgment. But judgment is assured. What would life be like if in fact there were no judgment coming? What incentive would there be to live a life free of violence, manipulation, controlling of others, utter selfishness. We desperately need to know and believe that there is a judgment coming to right all wrongs. Our inner justice meter, a reflection of God’s own justice, demands that.

So any false teacher who speaks to us of freedom from judgment stands out like a sore thumb and must be rejected.