2 Peter 3:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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."

NIV: They will say, "Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."

NASB: and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue just as they were from the beginning of creation.'

CSB: saying, "Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation."

NLT: They will say, 'What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: 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 creation.”

In the previous verse, Peter warned that false teachers among the Christians would be "scoffers" or "mockers." Here in verse 4, we see what they are mocking: the return of Christ. According to the Bible, Jesus will return in glory to be revealed to all as Lord and to judge the people of the world (John 14:1–3). False teachers dispute this claim.

The essence of this deceptive mocking is the claim that we know better than God. At least, we know when things should occur better than God does. The false teachers seem to be saying, "Jesus promised He would come back, but that was too long ago. The world just keeps going on and on in the same way it always has. So Jesus must not be coming back." As a result, these deceivers convince others that God's other promises are not true. If there is no return of Christ, their argument goes, there must not be a judgment coming for sin. So God must not really care about our sin. So it's acceptable to be "free" and do whatever you feel like doing. This, of course, is both false and dangerous thinking.

The false teachers point back to the deaths—the "falling asleep"—of the Jewish fathers or ancestors. In other words, the men who made the prophecies about the return of Christ were long dead. When Peter wrote these words, even some of the apostles who had predicted the return of Jesus were already passed away. In our modern day, of course, these predictions are even older, and the men who made them even longer dead. Yet the world keeps ticking along in the way it always has.

For all of recorded history, the false teachers argue, the physical world has been operating in a normal, predictable, uniform way. In some disciplines, this perspective is sometimes called "uniformitarianism." Spiritual events may have taken place, but the "real world" never varies. This can lead to a wrong conclusion about spiritual matters: that God will not intervene in the physical world. That God always lets it go along its natural course.

Peter will dismantle this view in the next few verses.

2 Peter 3:1–13 includes Peter’s dismantling of the arguments of the false teachers. They will scoff because Christ’s promised return has not yet happened, and the world continues on as if nothing will ever change. Peter reminds Christians that God made the world and Noah’s flood is evidence that He is willing to alter it in order to bring judgment on the sins of humanity. In the coming judgment, everything will be destroyed and laid bare with fire. Christians look forward to the new heavens and earth which will come after.

Peter dismantles the arguments of false teachers working to mislead Christians in the early church. He counters their idea that since Jesus has not yet returned, He must not be coming. Peter reminds His readers that God created the world. The flood of Noah's day is evidence that He is willing to bring judgment on the earth for sin. God is not late, He is patient and merciful. But the day of the Lord will come eventually. Everything will be destroyed. A new heaven and earth will be established. Christians should live as if that’s true.

After thoroughly condemning the false teachers in chapter 2, Peter now dismantles their arguments. These deceivers scoff that Christ has not returned as promised. We should doubt Christ's return, they say, since the world goes along as it always has and always will. Peter reminds his readers that God is the one who made the world. Noah’s flood is evidence of His willingness to alter the course of nature in order to bring judgment on humanity for sin. Christians should be looking forward to the new heavens and earth, rejecting false teaching, and leading holy lives.

Apparently written shortly before his death in the AD 60s, 2 Peter may have been written to the same audience as 1 Peter, which was Christians scattered by persecution. Peter writes this letter to encourage Christians to live out the purpose of their lives in Christ. He warns readers to beware of teachers who claim to be believers, but present a false version of Christianity. And, Peter calls on all Christians to eagerly watch and wait for the return of the Lord.