2 Peter 3:4

4. Where is What has become of? These scoffers truly come from out the millennial Church. They long believed that old promise embraced in the Apostles’ Creed, that Christ would “come to judge the quick and the dead.” But ages have passed, and this coming is proved to be a ridiculous superstition.

His coming The word here is parousia, and when predicated of Christ, always denotes his literal bodily presence. The verb come, and noun coming, are often used of spiritual interpositions, but this parousia never. Note on 1 Corinthians 15:23. The word parousia occurs in the following passages: Matthew 24:3; Matthew 24:37; Matthew 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:23; 1Th 2:19 ; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 2Th 2:1 ; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9; James 5:7-8; 2Pe 1:16 ; 2 Peter 3:4; 2 Peter 3:12; 1 John 2:28.

The fathers The old fathers of the Church, who predicted and believed in the second advent. Through all the ages, from their time to the day of these scoffers, no Christ has come. But Satan has come in his spiritual power; and he has deceived these sceptics into the belief that there is no judgment-day, no divine Christ, no true God. Let loose from all religious restraints, they “walk after their own lusts.”

Continue as they were Literal Greek, remain just so. Dr. Chalmers was the first, we believe, to note that Peter here gives the argument of Hume against all miracle. It is the argument of the visible permanence of the order of nature. This continuous fact of the actual visible and reliable uniformity of nature’s order, is formulated by some presumptuous scientists into such a law as to exclude the Creator from interposing in the very succession of events which his divine will carries on. But every sensible theist can understand that things would stop of themselves if not energized by the constant influx of divine energy, and it is nonsense to doubt whether He who continues the series cannot interpose his power and act between the events that compose the series. God interposed when he originated terrene life; he interposed when he first created man; he interposed by Christ’s first advent; he will again interpose at his second advent. God’s clock is a clock of ages; after a long period it strikes; and sceptics fix their eyes on the length of that period, and forget that the stroke will ever again come.

When God’s hour is complete it is his own hand that strikes.

From the beginning of the creation Extending their affirmation a great way beyond their knowledge. That no interposition has ever taken place is more than any philosopher ever knew.