Empaiktes is the agent noun — 'a mocker' or 'scoffer' — one who habitually ridicules and derides. It appears twice in the NT: Jude 18 and 2 Peter 3:3, both in eschatological contexts predicting that such people will appear in the last days as a sign of the times.
Both NT uses of empaiktes share remarkable similarity, leading scholars to note the literary relationship between Jude and 2 Peter. The mockers described are not random cynics but specifically those who scoff at Christ's return: 'Where is this coming he promised?' (2 Peter 3:4). Their mockery is theological — they deny future judgment and use the delay of the Parousia as evidence against the faith. Jude 18 frames them as those 'who follow their own ungodly desires,' connecting theological skepticism with moral license. The very existence of such mockers, the authors say, is itself a fulfillment of apostolic prophecy — paradoxically confirming the faith they deny. Endurance in the face of theological mockery is a mark of authentic faith.