Knowing first, that there shall come in the last days’ scoffers, walking after their own lust – 2nd Peter 3:3

2nd Peter was written a year or two after 1st Peter before Peter’s martyrdom between the dates of A.D. 64 and A.D. 67. Peter wanted to remind his readers of the coming of the Lord and beware of false teachers who were denying His coming.  In today’s time; many are straying away from the Word of God and going into religion and cults. People rather adhere to men’s doctrine rather than the Word of God, Jesus is coming and whatever state we’re in when He comes will determine where we will spend eternity. There’s a great similarity between the second chapter of this Epistle and the Epistle of Jude. Peter speaks of the coming of false teachers  in the future tense whereas Jude speaks of them in being present (Jude 4  For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.  About 64 years ago a secular magazine hired a pollster to survey Protestant seminaries in the United States to see what seminaries believed; the results were this:  Of the ministers in training 56% rejected the virgin birth of Jesus. 71% rejected the life after death, 54% rejected the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. 98% rejected that there would be a return of Jesus Christ to earth.  This pollster was just for the Protestant faith; what about the other hundreds of different religions that don’t believe, but yet they are teaching and preaching to God’s people. These were the scoffers Peter was speaking about in 2nd Peter 3:3 – Knowing first, that there shall come in the last days’ scoffers, walking after their own lust.

Scoffer – Is the one that mock; to treat with scorn or contempt, deride, ridicule, deceive, delude, to imitate, mimic.

Mocker – One that is insulting or contemptuous action or speech;  insincere or contemptible imitation.

Although there are many Christian ministries, television and radio broadcasts, we as Christians need to discern what the true meaning is behind their ministry.  Some are teaching once saved always saved which is a contradiction against what the Bible teaches. Satan is not going to come as Satan, but as a minister of light (2nd Corinthians 11:14 – And no marvel; for Satan, himself is transformed into an angel of light). Satan and his followers will throw in a Scripture here and there to get you caught up believing that he or she is a minister of the gospel when in essence they are followers of Satan.

Too many ministries are about how much money is being donated rather than being concerned if the person has accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord.  Yes, we’re supposed to give our tithes and offerings, but if we’re giving tithes and offering and still envious, jealous, hatred, lying, thievish, murderous, gender confused, fornicator and adulterous, we’re on our way to hell with giving tithes and offerings. Some want you to think once you give, you’re fine, but not according to the Word of God. God has given His law; His written Word which is the Bible whereby we should adjust our life by.

Some are asking you to send a certain amount of money for God to bless you. Some are using handkerchiefs,  holy water. God will use different ways to bless you, but God will never ask you to pay monetarily for Him to bless you.  God doesn’t call ten, twenty, fifty dollar prayer lines. Some are teaching how much God loves you, but they aren’t teaching  – yes, God loves the individual, but He does not comprise with sin. Any time you teach other than what the Bible teaches, you’re teaching a lie. Christians have gotten caught up with sugar-coated messages, and their lives are just as they were before they heard the message. The Word of God changes lives, your circumstance may not change instantly, but you will have faith to endure until God makes a change in you and your circumstance. We need to stop listening to “How good can I make you feel” messages and begin to look into the Word of God for truth.

Money and possessions don’t determine your salvation; Satan will bless you to keep you bound by sin. Yes, money is the answer to all things, but the love of money is a sin. If a ministry basically teaching is about money; BEWARE! Jesus is not coming back for a rich church, He’s coming for a church that has surrendered their will to God’s will, a church where the Word of God abides in them, and they abide in the Word.

We’re living in the last days, Jesus is on His way back for His church, not the building, but for individuals that have surrendered themselves to come subject to the Word of  God. Satan and his followers are trying every trick and scheme they can to bring division and disunity among Christians. We’re fighting about which day is the Sabbath, whether or not one was baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and  Holy Spirit or just in the name of Jesus. What color is your hair,  do we wear make-up, do we wear pants, all of this is a trick of Satan to keep the body of Christ in division because he knows if we’re in a division we’re too busy fighting each other to focus on fighting him!

As Christians, we must be rooted and grounded in the Word of God not only for our spiritual safety, but being able to stand in an adverse world that denies that there is a God. As a true Christian, you will be ridiculed, persecuted, labeled as crazy for your stand as a Christian. Beware of every teaching and don’t let everyone lay hands and speak into your life, know them that labor among you.  ( 1st Thessalonians 5:12 – And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish {instruct} you.

Sunday after Sunday we’re attending church but have we submitted ourselves to the Word of God? Attending church but we still live lifestyles that contradict the Word of God. The works of the flesh are being manifested in our lives (Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies. Envying, murders, drunkenness, revellings and such like. of the which I tell you before as I have told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God – Galatians 5:19-21).

When we attend church, and we still live according to the actions of the world, we’re mockers of the gospels of Jesus Christ. Jesus didn’t die for us to continue to live in sin. That was the purpose of Him dying to deliver us from the power of sin. We are living in the last days, Jesus is returning, and when He returns, He’s coming for His people and with the wrath of God for those that rejected salvation and for those who heard the truth and lived a life of hypocrisy (And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be – Revelation 22:12). Take time to read and study the Word of God, submit yourself to His instructions, don’t be fooled, God is love, but God also has wrath!

We need to know what is the truth and what is a lie but if we don’t know the Word of God how would we be able to discern the truth and lie? Each of us that profess Christianity has a responsibility to know the Word of God. We will not be able to have an excuse the reason why we were bamboozled through lying ministers when God has left His written Word for us to know Him and His Word. Read the Word of God, take time and study it. Allow the Word of God to make a change in you, it’s the only book that will change your life and will assist you to have an encounter with God when you seek to know the truth.