2 Peter 3:3 (KJV)

Passage

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

Nearby Context

2 Peter 3:1 This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:

2 Peter 3:2 That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour:

2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

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.

2 Peter 3:5 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:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "knowing", "first", "shall", "come", "last", "days", "scoffers", and "walking". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "knowing" and "first", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "That ye may be mindful of the..." into verse 4's "And saying Where is the promise of...", so "knowing" and "first" belong inside that flow. In 2 Peter context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "knowing" and "first" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.