Trash Talkers Trash Talking

“knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires” (v3).

They’re all over the internet. They publish their beliefs in books. They’re on all the talk shows. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting so-called experts who mock the idea of God. There’s no need to name names here. Chances are you thought of three or four of these alleged open-minded thinkers without having to read their names. They openly trash Jesus’ followers as intolerant, weak and stupid. Just about every sitcom and major motion picture uses Christians as an easy punchline. Here’s the curious thing. The Apostle Peter said this was going to happen. Two thousand years ago, he wrote to a network of churches in what we know as Turkey that trash talkers would point and laugh at those who place their trust in the resurrected Rabbi/Carpenter. Pete predicted all these scoffing scoffers.

A couple of thoughts before we dive into the deep end of the pool here. First of all, can we be blunt? Thanks. For centuries, the followers of Christ have certainly given mockers plenty of material for their act. We take verses wildly out of context and create absolutely crazy denominations and even false religions. People have hated, tortured, and murdered in Jesus’ name. The Crusades. The Spanish Inquisition. Jonestown. David Koresh. Yeah, you get the idea. Whenever my wife hears about another whacko doing something crazy in Christ’s name, she likes to say, “You’re not helping the home team.” Let’s just know that Jesus’ followers have given the scoffers plenty to scoff about.

The apostle wants us to realize something “first of all” (v3). Peter’s not putting together a list of red flags. This isn’t bullet point number one in a series of warnings. He’s letting us know that what he’s about to tell us has priority one. It’s the primary issue. It takes precedence above and beyond. This is a big deal. A VERY big deal. 

Pete wants us to be on the lookout for “scoffers” (v3). You can’t miss them because they’ll hit the door “with scoffing” (v3). He uses variations on the same word. The first is empaiktes. It describes a mocker, one who ridicules, scorner, or someone imitating another in a distorted way. The second is empaigmone. This is mocking, ridicule, and derision. These aren’t people who are ambivalent when it comes to Jesus. Quite the contrary. They’ve built their entire act around talking smack about Christ and His followers. We shouldn’t be surprised. Our Savior took more of it than we can ever imagine. Jesus was the target of this nasty trash talk as He hung on a bloody Roman cross. “And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at Him…the soldiers also mocked Him” (Lk 23:35-36). He told His posse that we shouldn’t expect anything different (Mt 10:22; Jn 15:20). They talked junk about Jesus. They’ll talk junk about you and me.

So just when should we expect these smack talkers to take the stage? The apostle gives us a time table: “in the last days” (v3). Throughout the Bible, this is that whole period of time from the end of Jesus’ first arrival until His jaw-dropping encore (Is 2:2; Jer 23:20; Hos 3:5; Mic 4:1; Acts 2:17; 2Tim 3:1; James 5:3; Jude 18). How long will these “last days” last? Only God knows. Jesus said that even He didn’t know (Mk 13:32; Mt 24:36). He returns whenever He returns. Until then, we’re smack dab in “the last days.” One sure sign of this time period is the false teachers’ message trashing believers’ hope in Christ’s comeback.

The other sure sign of these scoffing scoffers is their absolutely unrestrained reckless lifestyles. They will be “following their own sinful desires” (v3). Back in chapter two, the former fisherman already warned us that these con artists are consumed by their own sexual pleasure (2:2, 10, 14, 18). Chris Hansen wouldn’t have any trouble catching these sexual predators. They’re not only out to satisfy their libidos but bilk the Body of Christ out of big bucks (2:3, 14-15). If they want it, they’re going after it. Sex. Money. And anything else that isn’t nailed down. Jesus own kid brother said the very same thing. “They said to you, ‘In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions’” (Jude 18).

In the “Twelve Days of Christmas,” we sing of drummers drumming, pipers piping, lords a’leaping, ladies dancing, maids a’milking, and geese a’laying. In the last days, we need watch out for mockers mocking. The good news is that Pete predicted all these scoffing scoffers.