Perilous Times are Here
But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. ~2 Timothy 3:1
I was reading over the list of things that Paul told Timothy would happen in the last days. I’d like to highlight some of them.
For men will be …
Lovers of money. We live in a day and age where money is everything. We need money to live, but it should not be the most important thing in our lives. In 1 Timothy 6:10, Paul says that “the love of money is the root of every kind of evil.” Money isn’t evil but the love of it is. We must learn the balance between working hard to pay our bills and yet realizing that everything we have is the Lord’s. It should not be merely for our own pleasure.
Proud. I would guess that everyone deals with some level of pride. My dictionary app defines pride as “a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.” You may not consider yourself a proud person but if there are times when you feel you are being treated unfairly or you feel like no one appreciates you or you think everyone should like you, these are forms of pride. Even low self-esteem can be rooted in pride, as it is drawing attention to one’s self. In James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5, we are told that “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” I desperately need God’s grace so I pray for His help to accept the humbling that He brings my way.
Disobedient to parents. I’m sure we can all tell stories of children we’ve seen who have no respect for their parents. This too is a sign of the times.
Unthankful. A feeling of entitlement which keeps us from praising God for His many blessings. Some like to focus on what they don’t have instead of being thankful for what they do have.
Unholy. It’s easier to let the enemy convince us that we can’t be holy so why even try, instead of heeding the Biblical admonition to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16).
Unloving. This too comes from a root of pride: caring more about ourselves than we do about anyone else.
Unforgiving. Boy, do I see this. A lot! It is so easy to harbor a grudge, and really hard to let things go. In Matthew 6:15, Jesus said, “If you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father in Heaven forgive your trespasses.” Forgiveness is not optional. You may not always be able to restore a relationship if a trust has been broken, but you still must forgive that person, no matter what he or she has done.
Without self-control. The reason there are so many addictions. Pornography, drugs, sexual immorality, gluttony, anger–these are all sins which derive from a lack of self-control.
Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. We do not lack for pleasure in our country. Television, movies, games, the computer, phones–not bad things in themselves, but they become bad once they take the place of God. If you don’t have time for God but you have time for these other things, your priorities are out of whack.
Having a form of godliness but denying its power. This is another major thing I see. The fact is that God still has the power to save, heal, deliver, and help you to walk in holiness. It’s not enough to give lip service to those things. We must live like we believe it.
I know some of these things can be hard, especially when our flesh wants to be fed but, if we are ever going to see revival in our country, God’s people have got to be willing to examine themselves, to see where they fall short, and to be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to change their hearts to be more like the Father’s. We must be willing to be broken if that’s what it takes to understand that, without Him, we are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked (Revelation 3:17).
God cannot dwell in a heart of sin. If you want the peace and joy that God offers, you must ask Him to cleanse you and then take whatever steps are needed to allow Him to complete the work He has begun in you. As He shows you things that displease Him, you must turn from them and don’t look back. When you fall, He is faithful and just to pick you up, dust you off, and place you back on the right path. But, as you walk with Him, your step should become more sure so that you stumble less and less as you hold His hand and refuse to look back.
I know this is longer than usual. When I woke up this morning, I didn’t know what I was going to write. I was leaning toward another topic until I read 2 Timothy 3. This whole chapter is worth meditating on. God is speaking to me this afternoon, and I trust He will use it to speak to you as well.
How this spoke to me today. I’m glad you followed God’s prompting. Some of these things were discussed in my Sunday School class & our pastors sermon today. I think God wanted me to hear what he had for me to learn through you & my church family. Thank you for how you allow him to use you. To God be the glory!
I enjoyed your timely article.
There are so many things that could be said to add to this article. But I am going to try to cut it short.
You probably will not get much response from this article.
I am sure as you have traveled over this country to various churches you have seen this scripture that you shared sadly, being fulfilled.
If you will allow me, I would like to share a couple of scriptures and maybe a few remarks.
The first one:
2 Timothy 4:2-4King James Version (KJV)
2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
So many times we hear members sitting on the church pews telling the ministers in our pulpits, “To just preach the Word.” That’s was the first thing Apostle Paul told Timothy. But what Word are they listening for? That question will be answered later on.
The next command to the Ministers, “Be instant in season and out of season.” This means to be ready at all times. Peter says it pretty good hear.
1 Peter 3:15 King James Version (KJV)
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
How are we able to be instant at all times? The answer is: SANCTIFY THE LORD GOD IN YOUR HEARTS. Honor the Lord God because He is holy. Don’t have any sin in you heart along with the Lord God.
But here is another section of commands that is to be included in preaching the Word. Reprove, Rebuke, Exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. The people want to hear the Word as long as it sounds lovingly, but when you add doctrine. nobody wants to hear the doctrine.
What is the Doctrine?
BE HOLY
SIN NOT
FORGIVE Along with the other things in your article.
They have itching ears. They are refusing sound doctrine. They are turning to myths and man-made teachings.
I am gonna interject one thing that I feel is worth interjecting. I feel contemporary praise music has done an unpleasant number on the so-called church. I did not say all contemporary praise is bad, but it has created a culture where a lot of music is being done for entertainment in our churches, with the focus on how good we sound, or how good we looked. That is the reason I feel that the dancing that is choreographed is a sin, because it draws attention to the person, not the message in the song.
I believe like you said it is the issue of pride. We are not to distract from the message by our actions.
Now back to the people not enduring sound doctrine.
I believe we are living in a time as in the book of Judges. This is the last verse of the book of Judges.
Judges 21:25 King James Version (KJV)
25 In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
The people on the church pews are doing right in their own eyes. Why? Because there is no preacher rebuking, reproving and exhorting with sound doctrine. The ministers are hirelings in love with the money.
End of soap box
God Bless you, Sister.