Scoffers in the Last Days

 

The Bible warns about scoffers dismissing end-time prophecies. What does this mean for Christians living in the end times?

Peter warned about scoffers in the last days in 2 Peter 3:3-4:

“Scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 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.’”

What is a scoffer?

“Scoffers” in 2 Peter 3:3 is from the Greek word empaíktēs, meaning “a derider, i.e. (by implication) a false teacher:—mocker, scoffer.” Scoffers commonly mix humor with their ridicule. Their razor-sharp wit often dismisses opponents with only a few words.

Peter warns that in the last days leading up to Christ’s return, scoffers will deny and make fun of Christ’s promised coming.

Why do scoffers feel justified? Dates when nothing happened

Some who deny that Christ will return feel justified because nothing happened on previous dates when people thought the world would end.

Consider May 19, 1780: New Englanders awoke to an eerie glow on the horizon. As the day went on, the sky grew darker. Candles were lit around noon. When the animals got quiet, terrified residents went to the church thinking this was the beginning of the time of judgment. Some prayed. Women clutched their children. Some cried. As they sat in stunned silence, all ears listened intently for a sound—the sound of a trumpet, the seventh trumpet of Revelation.

Then, nothing happened. It was not judgment day. When the smoke from forest fires cleared and the fog lifted, the stars were visible that night. It was just another day, and another reason for skeptical people to scoff.

Many have predicted dates for the end of this present age and the return of Jesus to judge the world. Some people approached these dates with great anticipation. And then, nothing happened.

Here are some of the many dates that went by without their predicted events taking place:

• Jan. 1, 1000: Pope Sylvester II’s millennium apocalypse came and went.
• Oct. 22, 1844: William Miller’s 2,300-year calculation became the Great Disappointment.
• Dec. 21, 2012: Mayan Long Count Calendar, which some regarded as signaling the end, counted down to zero uneventfully.

All of these inaccurate predictions of the end of the world have tainted many people’s willingness to believe in end-time prophecy and have encouraged many to scoff.

Now a popular image for depicting a crazy person is a man wearing a placard reading, “The End Is Near.”

Public perception

In spite of previous disappointments, a fairly large number of people in the United States have some belief in the return of Christ. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, 39 percent of U.S. adults say they believe we are living in the end times. And 55 percent believe Jesus will return to earth one day. For more information, see our blog post “Are We Living in the End Times?”

But what does this mean in practice? Even on that Dark Day of 1780, some went to taverns instead of to church. Peter’s warning that scoffers will “walk according to their own lusts” means that this will also be the case when Jesus really does return.

Christ’s warning

Jesus warned His true followers not to think that His return has been delayed: “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 24:44).

Continuing, He noted that an evil servant might make the mistake of thinking, “My master is delaying his coming” if Jesus doesn’t return when he expected. This could be his excuse for turning his focus to wickedness and revelry (verses 48-49). There is great danger in this misguided approach (verse 50-51).

This instruction from Jesus clearly had an impact upon those He trained to preach the gospel to the world, for they likewise taught what their Instructor had said.

Jude records this component of their ministry: “But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts” (Jude 1:17-18).

Modern mockers

Today those who deny or make fun of Christ’s promised return do so in various ways.

Some simply ignore biblical teaching. While a good number of people still give credence to God’s Word, a growing percentage of people—especially young people in Western nations—are becoming irreligious. They have no religious beliefs and are indifferent toward Christianity.

Others are hostile to anything having to do with the Bible, believing that religion is the cause of wars, hostility and suffering.

Still others ridicule all those who believe what the Bible teaches and condemn them as judgmental hypocrites.

We can have great comfort knowing that God is guiding events and that Jesus Christ will return to establish God’s government of peace on the earth.In today’s world the scoffing of all things biblical can be magnified by the reach of the Internet. Research shows that 4.76 billion people are on social media an average of 2 hours and 31 minutes per day. Scoffers’ words can reverberate across the globe as followers repost and comment. Scoffers have increased the polarization in a world where success is measured in the number of followers.

Truth is obscured by a smokescreen of scoffing. In an Internet search for “The End Is Near,” a website for a body piercing shop may rank higher than anything from the Bible. Even attempts to explain the Bible are often dismissed with “the end is near” memes or punch lines.

Advice for believers

Believers need to remember that in the long run God will not be mocked and that all will receive their due reward for what they have done (Galatians 6:7-8). As Paul further explained, “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Romans 14:10).

True followers of Christ need to be preparing to serve in the coming Kingdom of God by growing in the fruit of Spirit, including love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

We must filter out the irreligious perspectives that bombard us.

God’s view of end of the age

As humans, we can wonder why it is taking so long for Christ to return. What we need to remember is that God has a unique perspective on the end of the age. A thousand years is like one day to Him (2 Peter 3:8). Furthermore, God declares the end from the beginning, and from ancient times He has declared things that are not yet done (Isaiah 46:10).

So God doesn’t have to work things out on the fly. He has a plan, and He knows when He will send His Son back to earth (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32).

God is not behind schedule or delayed, but is carefully working to bring many sons to glory. Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

There is coming a day when the mystery of God will be finished (Revelation 10:7).

For more information, see our article “God’s Perspective on Prophecy.”

Peter’s conclusion

After warning that scoffers—sarcastically asking, “Where is the promise of His coming?”—would come in the end time, Peter reminded his readers of what had happened regarding the Flood a long time ago.

Although scores of years passed as Noah preached righteousness and built the ark, eventually “the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water” (2 Peter 3:6).

Judgment eventually comes. And the time of Christ’s return will most surely come.

Peter added in verses 14-15, “Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation.”

We can have great comfort knowing that God is guiding events and that Jesus Christ will return to establish God’s government of peace on the earth.

Study further by downloading our free booklets How to Understand Prophecy and The World to Come: What It Will Be Like.

Are We in the Last Days?

 

Many believe the world will go on indefinitely as it always has, but what does the Bible say? Will there be a set of last days? When will the last days be?

Many people would likely back away from you if you were to say that humanity is now in the last days approaching the end of the age spoken of in the Bible.

The book of Revelation focuses on a time when a conglomeration of nations will be united under a government led by two individuals known as the beast and the false prophet, who will capture the hearts and minds of hundreds of millions of people through spectacular miracles, such as calling down fire from heaven. Their reign and existence will ultimately end at Jesus Christ’s second coming (Revelation 17-19).

The period of time when these and other end-of-the-world prophecies will be fulfilled is sometimes called “the last days.”

It’s a time that God’s servants have eagerly anticipated for thousands of years, but for nonbelievers it’s a target for laughter and mockery and simply more reason to believe that Christians are just fanatics who believe in apocalyptic fiction.  

But are those last days real?

More relevant: Are you now living in those last days?

What does the Bible mean by last days?

Let’s review how the Bible uses the term last days.

The first occurrence of the phrase in Scripture is found in Genesis 49:1, where Jacob called his children to tell them a crucial prophecy. He said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days.”

Under God’s inspiration, Jacob went on to tell his sons about the national traits of the tribes of Israel, who, unknown to most people, are still identifiable. (To learn more about the modern identities of the tribes of Israel, see our booklet The United States, Britain and the Commonwealth in Prophecy.)

Isaiah 2:2 contains another occurrence of the same Hebrew words, this time translated “latter days.” Isaiah prophesied, “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains.” This refers to the time when God’s Kingdom will be established on earth—after Christ’s return.

In Daniel 2:28, Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar, “But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days.” Daniel then went on to prophesy regarding a broad range of time when Babylon would be followed by three successive great empires and then ultimately supplanted by the Kingdom of God (verse 44).

In the New Testament, Paul wrote that “the end of the ages” had come upon him and the brethren—nearly 2,000 years ago (1 Corinthians 10:11)!

The author of the book of Hebrews wrote that God has “in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:2).

By these references in the Old and New Testaments, it is clear that the term the last days is used in different ways and in different contexts to talk about the time when Christ returns, after Christ returns (during the Millennium) and even a time period that encompasses 2,000 years before Christ’s return.

So, the answer is yes, we are in the last days. But are we in the time just before Christ returns?

Jesus’ signs of the last days

There are at least two scriptures that prove conclusively that we are close to the time in which the prophecies of Revelation get underway and the earth is shaken up.

The first is found in Matthew 24.

The chapter opens with Jesus Christ prophesying the destruction of the Jerusalem temple and the disciples asking Him, “When will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (verse 3).

In other words, how will we know when we are at the conclusion of the last days?

Jesus went on to explain how the last days would see the rise of counterfeit religious leaders, wars and rumors of wars, ethnic rivalries, severe food shortages, crippling plagues and devastating earthquakes—all of which, He says, are “the beginning of sorrows” (verse 8).

“Unless those days were shortened”

Notice the key scripture in verse 22: “And unless those days [the last days] were shortened, no flesh would be saved.”

J.B. Phillips New Testament translates this verse, “If those days had not been cut short no human being would survive.”

The implication here is that mankind’s ability to cause himself to become extinct would define, or at least introduce, the last days.

Think about it. At what point did man develop the capacity to actually obliterate himself? This prophecy could not be realized until the arrival of the 20th century, with the development of nuclear bombs and other weapons of mass destruction.

The lesson is that we must continue to pray and watch what takes place on the world scene—observing how those events relate to being in the last days—and to be spiritually prepared at all times.There are about 13,000 nuclear warheads in the world today. Mankind now possesses the capability to extinguish human life several times over.

Scripture is clear: If the last days were not shortened—if God did not intervene to save His creation—humanity would ultimately use such armaments to blast itself off the face of the earth.

There has never been another time when the technology has been available to do that, so this is a sure indicator that we are in the last days and getting close to the return of Christ—when the idea of “no flesh would be saved” is a very real possibility.

Gospel preached in all the world

Another scripture that shows that we are in the last days is found in the same chapter, verse 14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

That means the true end of the age would be preceded by the preaching of the gospel on a global scale.

Make no mistake about it, the original apostles and evangelists were zealous men who did the most they could with the transportation methods and the technology of their day. But were they able to reach “all nations”?

Not at all! At that time, the gospel message moved on foot and spread by word of mouth, and it was only available in a few languages. People on the opposite side of the planet during the first century would have lived and died without ever hearing a peep about anyone named Jesus of Nazareth.

That is in stark contrast to what may be accomplished today, when the ability to preach the gospel has reached unprecedented heights.

Thanks to the ubiquitous usage of smart devices and access to the vastness of the Internet, a video can be uploaded from New York City, seen in Australia within minutes and garner billions of views around the world.

Think about what that portends for the spreading of the good news of the Kingdom of God!

Paul, Peter, James, John and the rest of those men would be ecstatic to see the sheer force in how powerfully the gospel can be transmitted today.

Now and only now can the gospel truly be “preached in all the world.” The Church of God today takes this mission very seriously and zealously strives to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Mark’s parallel account, when read in the King James Version, provides another aspect to this passage. He wrote, “And the gospel must first be published among all nations” (Mark 13:10).

To this very day, the Bible is the most published and most read book in the world, with billions of copies distributed in many different languages.

In fact, according to “2021 Scripture Access Statistics,” the complete Bible has been translated into 717 different languages, serving 5.75 billion of the world’s population. Although there are still over 2 billion people, speaking 6,661 languages, that do not yet have access to a full Bible in their native language, those numbers are decreasing with time.

Is the Bible, which includes the gospel message, on its way to being published in all nations? Few would deny that.

From these two verses, along with many others, we can confidently infer that we are in the last days.

We are in the last days, but now what?

Being in the last days does not mean that all the events of the book of Revelation and the return of Jesus Christ will unfold tomorrow. There are still other dominoes that need to be set and arranged before we’ll see the string of events that will culminate in the end of the age. (For more details about the sequence of end-time prophecies, see our booklet The Book of Revelation: The Storm Before the Calm.)

In the meantime, we need to learn from the parable of the fig tree.

Christ warned, “When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!” (Matthew 24:32-33).

The lesson is that we must continue to pray and watch what takes place on the world scene—observing how those events relate to being in the last days—and to be spiritually prepared at all times (Luke 21:34-36).

We are in the last days, but no one knows how many last days there are.

For further study, especially about what we should be doing now, see our online article “When Will Jesus Return?”

The Man of Sin and the Mark of the Beast

 

Bible prophecy tells us that an end-time system will require people to have a “mark” to conduct business. Do recent events suggest how this might occur?

“The World Is on Fire,” screamed a recent headline. But what to do about it is the big question facing leaders, and the options are fraught with danger.

Bible prophecy, however, tells us that a far more sinister threat looms on the horizon—a savior-type leader, welcomed universally with open arms. What could be wrong with that? Long ago God warned through His prophets that this powerful man will control the world, compelling a blinded humanity to persecute the righteous and ultimately engage in a war against Jesus Christ at His return!

Will you be able to recognize “the man of sin” and how he operates?

Your life may depend on it!

Pandemic and war

First, let’s look at the world’s current fires and how they relate to biblical prophecy.

Even as nations were optimistically beginning to move on from a worldwide pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine upended the status quo and has threatened the delicate balance of international power. A majority of countries in the United Nations condemned Russia’s attack, and Western nations imposed severe economic sanctions. Where is this new crisis taking the world?  

Economists quickly warned that the price of energy, food and even fertilizer to grow crops will escalate, since Russia and Ukraine are major suppliers of these important ingredients in today’s global economy.

In Western Europe, member nations of the European Union were jolted into action to increase their military spending in order to protect themselves from Russia instead of complacently relying on the United States.

Many analysts fear that a wrong move or even an unintentional provocative act on the world stage could lead to World War III and the use of nuclear weapons. Are we headed toward mutually assured destruction? The Bible says we are!

End-time prophecies

In His famous Olivet Discourse, Jesus foretold that prior to His return “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places” (Matthew 24:7). He then added this sobering note: Unless these troublesome “days were shortened, no flesh would be saved” (verse 22).

In light of the escalating tensions among nations and the wars and economic challenges that have set today’s world on fire, can anyone afford to ignore what biblical prophecy says lies ahead of us?

One of the most intriguing prophecies about the events leading up to the return of Jesus Christ pertains to two highly influential men, called the “man of sin” and “the beast.” Closely associated with these two figures is an identifying sign that will be imposed on everyone subservient to them, called “the mark of the beast.”

Bible students have long been captivated by trying to determine who the biblical end-time “man of sin”—and what this “mark”—might be. Do recent events in the world provide any possible clues as to how such authoritarian control could be established?

“Man of sin” described

The apostle Paul wrote about the “man of sin” in 2 Thessalonians 2:3: “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day”—the day of Christ’s return—“will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition” (emphasis added throughout).

Although this is the only place in the Bible where the phrase man of sin is found, this person is also called “the son of perdition [‘destruction,’ Thayer’s Greek Definitions]” in the same verse. In subsequent verses Paul also calls him “the lawless one” (verses 8-9).

Sin is the violation of God’s law, so this “man of sin” is one who flagrantly breaks and dismisses God’s commandments. Yet, astoundingly, he is further described by Paul as one who wields incredible religious power! He “opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (verse 4).

How can someone use religion to deceive the whole world—even the Christian world?

It’s easy! The power behind him will be Satan the devil, who will provide this man with miracle-working powers to create, in the eyes of the world, the false illusion that he actually is God (verses 9, 11).

In the book of Revelation we are introduced to two “beasts,” the second one being this same individual. Armed with miraculous powers and a devious ministry, he is called “another beast” and “the false prophet who worked signs . . . by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast” (Revelation 13:11-14; 19:20).

For further study on the various names given to the “man of sin” and how to identify him, see “Will You Recognize the Antichrist?”

“The mark of the beast”

This second beast of Revelation 13 uses his influence and power to deceive people into supporting the first beast of Revelation, which is a civil authority.

Prophecy shows that the first beast is both the end-time resurrection of the Roman Empire, which will be based in Europe, and the leader of it. The second beast is a religious leader and is called the “false prophet.” John writes that the second beast “exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast” (verse 12).

Satan is a master deceiver, and the way he will inspire this powerful religious leader to cause people to worship the beast will be through a process of false information, miracle-working powers and ever-increasing pressure to comply. This evil impostor will begin by leading people to believe that he represents or actually is God, using miracles to substantiate this false assertion (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 9).

“He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived” (Revelation 13:13-14).

If these powerful feats fail to persuade people to worship the beast and his image, the false prophet will step up the pressure. He will gain the power to “cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (verse 15). Furthermore, he will also create a financial stranglehold by requiring people “to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (verses 16-17).

Though in the short term it may seem as if accepting the mark of the beast is a necessity, true followers of Christ will not disobey God. In the end, those who worship the beast and those who receive the mark of the beast or the number of his name will be severely punished by God (Revelation 14:11; 16:2). Those who refuse to worship the beast and his evil system, however, God will reward (Revelation 15:2; 20:4). This will indeed be a test on the whole of humanity!

What is this mark?

People have long speculated on what the “mark of the beast” will be. Popular theories have commonly included a tattoo (such as “666”), bar codes, a social security number, RFID tags, a computer chip implanted under one’s skin or, more recently, cryptocurrency.

Of course, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, others have leaped on the idea that the vaccine is the mark. They point to the measures taken by civil authorities to control the spread of the coronavirus via lockdowns, mask mandates and vaccine passports, claiming such were “governmental overreach” and that these forced regulations around the world impacted people’s ability to work certain jobs.  

However, there are major and important differences between these events and the mark of the beast spoken of in the Bible. Whether one agreed or disagreed with them, recent government controls did not require people to worship the government or disobey God. (In fact, God tells us to obey the government unless it requires us to disobey Him; see Romans 13:1-2; Acts 5:29.)

Nor were the pandemic restrictions imposed on the world by a superpower and religious authority based in Europe. And, obviously, people were not put to death for disagreeing with governmental policies dealing with the pandemic.

The Greek word charagma in Revelation 14:9 means “a scratch or etching, i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude)” (Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries). A mark is thus a brand or sign of identification.

We should also consider that Revelation often uses allegorical symbols to describe prophetic themes.

The term mark has led many to interpret the mark of the beast as something physical that will be worn on one’s right hand or forehead (Revelation 13:16). But in the Bible, the head represents one’s thoughts and the right hand represents one’s actions. God commanded Israel to place His words and laws “as a sign on your hand, and . . . as frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 11:18). In a similar way, the mark of the beast could be symbolic of people thinking and behaving in ways contrary to God’s law.

In the future the beast power will enforce a false belief system that breaks God’s laws.

The Bible describes God’s wrath being poured out on those who embrace the beast’s mark (Revelation 14:9-10). God’s wrath is aroused against sin and deception—not government-mandated tracking devices.

For a more complete study of what the Bible says and doesn’t say about this topic, see our online article “Mark of the Beast.”

How the “mark of the beast” could be enforced

It is fair to say that recent events brought on by the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine do perhaps give indications about how the thinking and behavior of large segments of society can be affected, or even controlled.

For example, within days of the war breaking out, the U.S., Canada and the European Union banned the major Russian banks from using SWIFT, the global system that enables international financial transactions. It was a powerful fiscal weapon that immediately and severely impacted the Russian people in everyday life. The full ramifications of what these sanctions on Russia will do to the world’s intricately interconnected economy remain to be seen.

The mark of the beast? No. An illustration, though, of how nations are tied to global financial systems that could have immediate control over nations and the lives of their citizens? Yes! Most people were likely unaware of SWIFT’s existence and its relationship to our daily lives, but now we suddenly realize how potentially vulnerable anyone in the world could be to worldwide economic control systems. What other types of controls could exist in the future?

China already has a social credit system in place, further demonstrating how a society can be controlled. This system ranks citizens’ support for the Communist Party and punishes those considered “untrustworthy” with everything from slow Internet speeds to flight bans to blacklisting. (For more on this, see “Big Data Meets Big Brother in China.”)

Then, of course, nations around the world have seen the reactions for and against governmental regulations instituted to deal with the pandemic. Regardless of what was right or wrong, true or false, what clearly emerged through the COVID situation is that governments can indeed wield enormous power.

Do such examples give hints about how the biblical beast and this powerful religious leader could begin to take control of much of the world’s economy in the future? It’s not inconceivable!

In the future the false prophet will likely use similar but much more powerful means to deceive mankind into accepting and even worshipping the European-based multinational civil government—and its leader. Those who refuse to comply will be killed!

Thankfully, prophecy also reveals that the beast’s and the false prophet’s cruel rule will last for only a short while. Although economic systems allied to it will profit immensely during this time (Revelation 18:3, 11-19), the civil leader and the false prophet will be captured and destroyed by Jesus after His return (Revelation 19:20).

Future pressure to disobey God and accept the “mark of the beast” in order to buy and sell will be immense. The Bible reveals that the man of sin will ruthlessly, without mercy, put dissenters to death. But the reward for faithfully resisting the “mark of the beast” will be well worth the effort—those who resist will ultimately reign victorious and stand with God (Revelation 15:2).

For a deeper overview of these biblical prophecies, see our free booklet How to Understand Prophecy. For further study on how to prepare for the challenging conditions that will exist prior to Christ’s return, see our booklet Change Your Life!