What does the word “advent” mean? It is based on a Latin word that means “to come to.” The word’s root is reflected in Veni Emmanuel, the name of the 15th-century melody behind the even older hymn we now know as “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” The words, probably written around the 9th century, express Israel’s initial longing for the coming of the Messiah to “ransom captive Israel.”

Second Peter 3:1–8 echoes this familiar longing. But Peter also speaks of the skepticism of some who will raise questions about Jesus’ second Advent. In verse 3, Peter warns that “in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.” Such people ridicule the church’s hope in Christ’s return because they misinterpret the significance of the period between the two comings. What appears to be “slowness,” or even worse, Christ’s inability to fulfill His promise, is “patience” (v. 9).

Their reasons for such skepticism are twofold (v. 4). First, Jesus seems to be taking too long. Second, the day of judgment has not come. This reasoning is a combination of willful forgetfulness and ignorance, leading them to presume upon God’s grace. They ignore the power that God displayed when He created the world and then judged it in the days of Noah (vv. 5–6). They choose to forget Jesus’ warnings of a final judgment that is still to come (Matt. 10:28; Luke 12:39–40, 49). They also fail to grasp God’s unique relation to time. What seems to us to be a long time is not long where God is concerned.

Christians who live between Christ’s First Coming and His Second Coming wait in hope! This is not only a hope of Christ’s certain return but an expectation that He will extend mercy by bringing those who have not yet believed to faith.

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