ISB ~ 2 Peter 3 v4

Where is … his coming?:The apparent delay in Christ’s return led skeptics to doubt the promise of the Second Coming altogether. In their minds, the stability of the world since the dawn of creation is proof that God has no plans to intervene in a dramatic way in the affairs of natural and human history. Peter disproves this thinking that “nothing ever changes” with a reminder of the biblical flood: for this was a cosmic judgment by God that affected the entire inhabited world and forever altered the course of human history (3:6). Here and elsewhere Scripture gives the name “scoffers” to those who deny that God’s judgments are heading their way (Prov 19:29; Is 28:14-15; Zeph 2:8-11).

the fathers:This title is normally given to the Patriarchs and Prophets of Israel (Jn 7:22; Heb 1:1). Others interpret this to mean the apostles and the first generation of the Church, though the expression is never used in this way in the earliest Christian literature.

fell asleep:A euphemism for death (1 Cor 15:20).