Tag: 2 Peter 3:4

Light in the Last Days – Day 27

On By KateIn Devotionals, Light in the Last DaysLeave a comment
Photography by Bob Sabo

2 Peter 3:3-9  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,  (4)  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.  (5)  For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:  (6)  Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:  (7)  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.  ( 8 )  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  (9)  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

It’s such a blessing to be alive right now! Watching prophecy unfold in real time is incredible!! Every day brings a new event that points toward the Lord’s “any moment” return and the Rapture of His Church.

The verses for today couldn’t be more timely. We live in an era of constant ridicule—just a few minutes on social media makes that clear. The anonymity of the internet seems to give people a sense of permission to lash out and belittle others without a second thought. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines them as:

SCOFF’ER, n. One who scoffs; one that mocks, derides or reproaches in the language of contempt; a scorner.

The signs of the end times are all around us, pointing directly to the return of Jesus. From the rise of a one-world religious system to the increasing scoffing at conservative believers, the division is undeniable. While Christians face intense persecution abroad, we are seeing heartbreaking splits within our own families and churches here at home—intensified by the recent pandemic. If we’re seeing this much division now, imagine the world five years from today. I’d be curious to read this post then just to see how much more the “convergence” of these signs has accelerated.

I recently shared a post about salvation, only to be harshly attacked by a relative. She mistook my faith for self-righteousness, accusing me of feeling superior. Despite her church attendance, she is misled into believing her “religion” or membership might save her. Her real struggle isn’t with me, but with God’s Word. As today’s verse points out, many are “willingly ignorant.” The world’s scorn for the faithful is only going to intensify as the end approaches.

It’s amazing to think that Peter’s 2,000-year-old prophecy is coming true right before our eyes. The shift really accelerated in the 1800s when the world began turning away from the Flood and toward Darwinism. Thanks to Charles Lyell, people started believing the earth’s layers took millions of years to form, ignoring what the world had known for centuries about the Great Flood. Then came the Big Bang theory, pushed by Georges Lemaître and later icons like Carl Sagan. Even though it’s still just a theory, society has adopted it as fact, exactly as the Bible predicted would happen in the end times.

The scoffers aren’t just “out there”—they are sitting in our pews. Today, many “Christians” have compromised on the truth, accepting things like sex before marriage, homosexuality, and the confusion of gender roles. If it feels like society is falling apart and moral values have vanished, it’s because the world has completely rejected God’s design.

The most heartbreaking description of these scoffers is found in 2 Peter 3:4:

2 Peter 3:4  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.

The division in the Church today is real, especially when it comes to the timing of the Rapture. Even among believers, we see the skepticism that Peter warned would characterize the last days. This “scoffing” doesn’t just create arguments; it steals the comfort and excitement we are meant to have while watching for the Lord’s return. Let’s not let doubt rob us of our hope!

1 Thessalonians 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 5:11  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

True spiritual growth requires more than just sitting in a pew; it requires opening the Book. Without it, we remain “willingly ignorant” of God’s heart. Think of it in terms of survival—if your physical body relied on your Bible reading for sustenance, would you be thriving or starving? It’s time we stop neglecting the very thing that feeds our souls.

Be prepared! God has sovereignly placed you here for “such a time as this” so that you might experience His saving grace. I invite you to click this link to open the page “You Can Be Born Again and Know It” in a separate tab and discover the assurance of your faith.

Light in the Last Days – Day 12

On By KateIn Devotionals, Light in the Last DaysLeave a comment

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10  For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; (10)  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 

Good morning! Looking at this sunrise, it’s easy to imagine the Lord just beyond those clouds, waiting for the Father’s word to come and meet us. I find myself living in daily expectation of the Rapture, looking forward to the day our earthly struggles end and we can finally worship at His feet for eternity.

I invite you to share your own excitement for the Rapture in the comments below. While some teach that the Church must face the Tribulation, I find that view leaves little room for the comfort we are called to give one another. If there is no escape from that period of judgment, then the promise of Luke 21:36 loses its power. I choose to look forward to the surprise of His appearing, knowing that He has provided a way for us to stand before the Son of Man instead of facing the wrath to come.

Luke 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to ESCAPE all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

What does it mean for the Rapture to be ‘imminent’? It means it’s ‘at the door’—ready to happen at any time! Even way back in AD 51, Paul was emphasizing this truth to his readers. I encourage you to look at today’s verses and put yourself in Paul’s shoes. He knew the Thessalonians were being shaken by false reports that the Day of the Lord had already arrived. To settle their hearts and remind them of the truth, he sent them this message:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,  (2)  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. (3) Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Paul’s original teachings were being twisted by deceivers, a struggle that feels incredibly modern. Today, the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is a frequent target of criticism and doubt. This wave of skepticism shouldn’t surprise us, though; it’s the very thing the Apostle Peter warned would happen in

2 Peter 3:4  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.

Before the Tribulation can begin, the ‘Man of Sin’ must be revealed (Daniel 9:27). But unlike the Tribulation, the Rapture has no countdown. This reminds me of Noah’s Ark. Noah spent years building a ship for a storm no one believed was coming because it had never even rained (Genesis 2:5-6). The Ark wasn’t built for navigation; it was built for preservation. Noah didn’t know the day the fountains of the deep would burst open, but he was ready. When the time was right, God took control, shut the door, and kept those eight souls safe and sound until the judgment passed.

Consider how Jesus serves as the ultimate Ark for His Church. The moment we are saved, we step into His divine protection. Because He paid the price for our sins on the cross, we are granted entrance into His ‘Ark’ of safety, shielded from the coming wrath. Through the Rapture (Revelation 3:10, 4:1), He will shelter us in heaven until the day we return with Him at His Second Coming. After He judges the earth, we will enter the Millennial Kingdom together, while the Tribulation saints who survive His return will begin to repopulate the earth!

Why does the timing matter? Because a Rapture that follows a set timeline isn’t ‘imminent’—it’s scheduled. Mid and Post-Tribulation views provide a definite calendar: either three and a half or seven years after the treaty is signed. However, as we see in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, the early church lived in a state of constant watchfulness. Their confusion about whether the Day of the Lord had already begun proves they weren’t looking for a mid-point or an end-point; they were looking for Jesus to appear at any moment.

Matthew 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Christ Himself commands us to watch because the exact hour of His return is unknown. This uncertainty is what keeps our spiritual focus sharp! If we believed the Rapture was tied to a mid or post-Tribulation schedule, that sense of urgency would vanish because we’d be watching the calendar instead of the clouds. Without the hope of His ‘any-moment’ return, one might be tempted to say, ‘I’ll live for myself now and get right with God just before the deadline.’ But a Pre-Tribulation view inspires us to live for the Lord today, ensuring we are never caught off guard.

It’s inspiring to see how the Thessalonians lived every day as if Christ could return at any moment. Paul reassured them that they didn’t need to obsess over prophetic timelines or ‘times and seasons.’ Instead, he reminded them of our unique position: we aren’t appointed to the coming darkness, but are promised deliverance from the global judgment described below:

1 Thessalonians 5:1-9  But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.  (2)  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.  (3)  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.  (4)  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  (5)  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  (6)  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  (7)  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  ( 8 )  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  (9)  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

The church is not waiting for the appearing of the Antichrist, but for the redemption of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Does this excite you, reader? It surely does me! But to the one who is not saved, it is a different story. Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Any Day Now – Day 12

On By KateIn Any Day Now, DevotionalsLeave a comment

1 Thessalonians 1:9-10  For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; (10)  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. 

Good morning! As I look at today’s picture, I can almost see the Lord at the sunrise, behind the cloud, eagerly awaiting the go ahead from the Father to meet us there! Can’t you? I look for the Rapture daily in eager anticipation that our earthly trials will one day be over! I think of spending eternity with Christ and being able to worship at His feet!

Are you as excited as I am? Please go ahead and leave a comment so we can anticipate His return together! Many, however, don’t believe that the Church will be spared from the Tribulation. How sad for them! I joke around and reply, “Well, won’t they be pleasantly surprised when we are”! But what is there for the believer to look forward to or encourage one another with if all there is is seven years of the horrible judgment of God’s wrath? Why would Jesus say what He did in Luke 21:36? If the Church is to go through the Tribulation period, there is no escaping!

Luke 21:36  Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

We believe that the Rapture is imminent. This word means literally means hanging over, impending, threatening. It can happen at any time. The Apostle Paul taught it in AD 51, reader! So go ahead and re-read todays two verses and imagine Paul’s motivation when he wrote about the Rapture. The Thessalonians were side tracked by deceivers by those who were saying that the Rapture had already happened and that they had entered the Tribulation period. When Paul heard this, he wrote to them:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-3  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,  (2)  That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. (3) Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Paul had taught them properly and they were being deceived; much like today! The belief in the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is being attacked today. People scoff exactly like the Apostle Peter warned of in:

2 Peter 3:4  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.

The Tribulation cannot start until a great falling away first comes and the Antichrist is revealed. The Antichrist is revealed at the signing of a peace treaty with Israel, as we see in Daniel 9:27. All these things have a timing. The Rapture does not. God did not have Noah build the ark when it first started raining. No! It took Noah about 55-75 years to build it. The ark kept the judgment waters from Noah and his family. That same ark didn’t have a stern, helm or bow. Noah didn’t know when the rain was coming until it began to rain! Remember, it had never rained until then; this is why the people mocked Noah! (See Genesis 2:5-6) All these things were totally under God’s control. In fact, God Himself shut the door to the ark, locking the eight survivors inside safe and sound. After the waters abated, Noah and his family were left to populate the earth.

Now look at how our Ark, Jesus, provides for His Church. Once we are saved, we enter into His protection. His payment on the cross for our sins gives us the entrance into His ark and He will protect us from the wrath to come. He takes us in the Rapture, (Revelation 3:10, 4:1) and shelters us until it is time to return to earth at His Second Coming. Christ judges the earth and we enter the millennial period into His earthly Kingdom! Tribulation saints who are alive at His coming, will populate the earth!

The imminence of the Rapture can only be seen using the pre-Tribulation view. There is no timing, as we’ve seen with the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2. But if you have a different view, there is a definite time. If you think the Rapture will occur in mid tribulation times, then you have a definite timing because the Tribulation will be seven years. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that half of seven years is three and a half years. As well, if you think the Rapture will occur post Tribulation, you see that seven years of judgment have occurred and it’s time for the Rapture. Why then would the Thessalonians be afraid that it had already occurred?

Matthew 24:42  Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

We are told by Christ Himself that we should watch because we don’t know the hour that He will come. If we don’t know when He will return for us, it keeps us watching. However, if we know it’s mid or post Tribulation, we don’t have to be watching because we know the day. What stops a person from saying, “I will live how I want and the week before the Rapture, I will get right with God?” With a pre-Tribulation Rapture view, the believer is watching and living for the Lord so he is not caught of guard!

So we see that the Thessalonians were living in expectation of Christ’s return. The Apostle Paul instructed the believers at Thessalonica that they did not need to heed signs and times, because the New Testament believer has been promised redemption from the “day of darkness” that shall overcome the whole world (1 Thess. 5:1-9).

1 Thessalonians 5:1-9  But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.  (2)  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.  (3)  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.  (4)  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  (5)  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  (6)  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  (7)  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  ( 8 )  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  (9)  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

The church is not waiting for the appearing of the Antichrist, but for the redemption of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Does this excite you, reader? It surely does me! But to the one who is not saved, it is a different story. Friend, it is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!