At the time of this writing, controversy recently erupted at the beginning of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, in which a group of “drag queens” appeared to represent the last supper of Jesus and His apostles. (Pictures of this are currently all over the internet, but I decided they were too vulgar to display on this website. Instead, the image above is of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting which was allegedly being parodied.) Depicting this event with the Lord and His apostles in this way makes a mockery of Christ. However, some claim that this was not the intended reference. Yet even if that were true, the entire lewd scene was an insult to Christians and anyone else who holds a Biblical view of morals and sexuality. Sadly, such a display is no longer surprising today.
As a culture becomes more and more godless, believers in Christ increasingly become the targets of ridicule, harassment, ostracism, and, in some cases, even physical violence. This has been the case in various places throughout the world. Yet now, even in places that were once tolerant of Christianity and generally embraced Biblical values, there is a growing antagonism toward God, the Lord Jesus Christ, His church, His word, and His people.
The apostle Peter warned about this back in the first century:
“Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation’” (2 Peter 3:3-4).
We certainly see “mockers” today who ridicule anything that pertains to faith in Christ. Let us consider a few points about this.
What Is Being Mocked?
Peter explained that the “mockers” were ridiculing “the promise of [God’s] coming” (2 Peter 3:4). In particular, this is about His coming in judgment. We know this because Peter went on to warn that “the present heaven and earth are being resaved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7).
Just as death is a certainty for all, so is divine judgment. The Hebrew writer said, “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Paul told the Corinthians, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
However, the “mockers” are calling God’s “promise” into question. After all, according to them, “all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:4). Yet that is an example of the providence of God, not a failure on His part to keep His promises.* God’s ongoing care for His creation – even for the ones who reject Him – is a “witness” of His power and goodness toward us (Acts 14:16-17).
Why Are They Mocking?
The reason why these “mockers” are making light of God’s judgment is that they are “following after their own lusts” (2 Peter 3:3). They want to engage in behavior that is sinful and evil. Yet God has placed in each of us a conscience that, when properly trained, causes one to feel guilt for wrongdoing. Yet Paul warned that by “paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,” one’s conscience can become “seared” (1 Timothy 4:1-2) so that he no longer feels guilt. To use the language of the Lord through the prophet Jeremiah, though they have committed abominable acts, they “were not even ashamed at all” and “did not even know how to blush” (Jeremiah 6:15).
When Paul described the guilt of the Gentiles, he listed a host of sins (Romans 1:29-32), including the “unnatural” and “indecent” practice of homosexuality (Romans 1:26-27). The reason why they were able to go so far into sin was because “they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, [so] God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper” (Romans 1:28). In other words, because they had completely rejected God, He allowed them to take the path they had chosen that would lead to their destruction.
This is the state of many people today, especially those who engage in sexually deviant behavior (Romans 1:26-27) and those who “give hearty approval” to them (Romans 1:32). They have rejected God and His standard in favor of their own depravity, so they mock God and ridicule the thought that they will be held accountable for their sinful deeds and godless lifestyle.
What Are They Overlooking?
As the “mockers” ridiculed the prospect of God’s judgment, Peter explained what they had forgotten:
“For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water” (2 Peter 3:5-6).
God has already proven that He is willing and able to judge the world and destroy the wicked. As Jesus pointed out, this came at a time when there were no obvious signs that this judgment was coming: “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37-39).
Just before that, Jesus explained that His return to judge the world would be completely unannounced: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Matthew 24:36). There will be no signs that would indicate that the end of the world is imminent. Even today, it could come at any time.**
Conclusion
It should be no surprise that “mockers” would come and ridicule God, the Savior of men, the faith of Christ, and all those who are striving to follow Him. They claim that the Lord is either not there, that He has forgotten, or that He will not return in judgment. Yet Peter explained the reason why He has not yet returned:
“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Because the Lord has not yet returned, we have time to repent and get right with Him. Even for those who are openly blaspheming Him and brazenly rejecting His teachings, He is patiently waiting in the hopes that they will “come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil” (2 Timothy 2:26). However, Peter continued:
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).
Someday, God’s patience will run out. Those who are stubborn and unrepentant and “do not obey the truth” will face “wrath and indignation” on that day when the Lord “will render to each person according to his deeds” (Romans 2:5-8).
Paul declared that God “has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31). We do not know when this day will be (cf. Matthew 24:36). Therefore, let us be “on the alert” (Matthew 24:42), ready at all times. And “knowing the fear of the Lord,” let us do all we can to “persuade men” to prepare as well for their appointment “before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
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*For more on this point, see the article, Why Does the Earth Still Stand? Notice especially the comments about providence under the first point: God Made it to Stand.
**For more on this point, see the article, When Will the Lord Return?
