2 Peter 3:3 (ASV)

Passage

knowing this first, that in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts,

Nearby Context

2 Peter 3:1 This is now, beloved, the second epistle that I write unto you; and in both of them I stir up your sincere mind by putting you in remembrance;

2 Peter 3:2 that ye should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandments of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles:

2 Peter 3:3 knowing this first, that in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts,

2 Peter 3:4 and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

2 Peter 3:5 For this they willfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and amidst water, by the word of God;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "knowing", "first", "last", "days", "mockers", "shall", "come", and "mockery". 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 should remember the words which..." 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.