Perilous Times

“These are the times that try men’s souls.”

When Thomas Paine wrote those words in his book The American Crisis, he was warning of the perilous times in the colonies. The Apostle Paul, in his second letter to Timothy, also warned of the perilous times to come. Today, we are again facing perilous times. To paraphrase Mr. Paine:

The summer disciple and the sunshine christian will, in this crisis, shrink from the service to their Lord, but he that stands now deserves the love and thanks of their brothers and sisters.

Let’s look at what we can expect as the “last days” approach.

2 Timothy 3:1 NKJV

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:

chalepos /khal·ep·os/ means troublesome, dangerous, or hard to bear. Paul is saying that the “last days”, but when will these “last days” be troublesome, dangerous times, Maybe more important, what will these “last days” look like?

2 Timothy 3:2–4 NKJV

For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

Paul has a pretty long list of what people will look like in the last days.

Let’s start at the beginning.

Lovers of themselves.

Today we have a term for those who love themselves.

Narcissists

a personality disorder characterized especially by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, persistent need for admiration, lack of empathy for others, excessive pride in achievements, and snobbish, disdainful, or patronizing attitudes — Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Look around today, do you see the narcissism that runs rampant in our society?

The exaggerated sense of self-importance,

That what I think must be true.

The unwillingness to be wrong.

The hunger for admiration.

The need to be rewarded for any achievement, no matter how small.

You could say that people today are lovers of themselves.

Lovers of Money

People are freaking out because they’re afraid the government will stop sending them checks.

Even in this church, although I haven’t seen it updated since we’ve been attending, there’s a sign in the back showing how much money was given.

How many churches have filtered the Word of God to protect their tax-exempt status and keep the donations coming in?

Jesus said

Matthew 6:24 NKJV

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

What does that say about churches today that place their tax status above the Word of God?

Boasters

Literally a braggart.

Self-absorbed conceit of their own superiority.

How often have your heard someone say, “That may be your truth, but it’s not my truth.”

As if they get to define truth.

Just like the promise made to Eve in the Garden:

Genesis 3:5 NKJV

For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

How many people today boast of being able to define truth?

As if they not only know good and evil, but determine what it is.

Proud

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 5244 ὑπερήφανος, ὑπερλίαν

huperephanos /hoop·er·ay·fan·os/

Showing one’s self above others.

Arrogant

During the COVID crisis, how many people demanded that others give up their rights for them?

How many still do?

Almost every day we hear of another person or group demanding that what they perceive as their “rights” supercede the rights of others.

Arrogantly placing themselves and their desires above others.

Blasphemers

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 989 βλάσφημος

speaking evil, slanderous, reproachful, railing, abusive

How course has our language become?

How commonplace has foul language become.

Not just swearing:

How often do people devolve into railing and abusive comments rather than discussing their differences?

Disobedient to parents

Not only do we have children who are disobedient to parents,

We have schools teaching children to be disobedient.

To act against their parent’s wishes,

Not to mention helping the children keep it a secret.

We have cities and states encouraging disobedience,

Even “protecting” disobedient children from their parents.

Not because that parents are abusive,

But because the people holding office disagree with the way the parents raise their children.

Unthankful

We live in the richest and freest country in the world,

Yet how many people claim that America in inherently evil?

The average poor in America live in more square footage and has more conveniences that the average European.

But we are told we need to be more like those in Europe.

We live longer, easier, and healthier lives,

And still, so many Americans complain they need more.

We have made it illegal to judge people by their race, sex, or religion,

Yet every day people call America a racist, sexist, bigoted nation.

Maybe we are, but not the way those calling us those names mean.

Unholy

Why are truth and justice mocked today?

Why is morality mocked, and in some cases criminalized?

Why are the righteous told they must accommodate the wicked, but rarely the other way around?

Unloving

Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon 794 ἄστοργος

astorgos /as·tor·gos/

without natural affection, unsociable, inhuman, unloving

Look at what we’ve allowed “social media” to do to us.

Families out to dinner, looking at their phones rather than talking to each other.

People whose only “friends” are names on a computer screen.

Even before social media, look at how society wants us to act.

They want someone else to pay for their good deeds.

They want the quick and easy “fix” that doesn’t cost them something, rather than wanting what is best for others.

How many support “solutions” that actually harm the person, often because it’s easier on the giver?

Is that our definition of “loving”?

To take someone else’s money to pay for a program that traps people in poverty while destroying their ability to get ahead?

Unforgiving

We hold grudges, not just as individuals, but as groups.

Why else do some what us to pay for what others did to their ancestors?

Or why do we feel the need to go back 20, 30, even 50 years to find something with which to attack someone we disagree with?

Slanderers

Why do we feel the need to destroy those we disagree with?

Why do we attack the reputation of a person rather than the act or policy they support?

And if we can’t find actual things to destroy them with, we simple make things up or call them names.

Without self-control

We have a word for this as well...”debauched”.

Unrestrained by convention or morality.

Which pretty much explains the transgender and drag queen movements.

Brutal

Our reaction to these times is often as brutal, cruel, and menacing as those we rail against.

It’s not enough to point out they are wrong, we must force them into compliance.

We use our perceived rightness as an excuse to riot, vandalize, and destroy our opposition.

Despisers of good

Has anyone else noticed out societies need to destroy what is good?

Marriage, family, child-rearing are just a few of the good things from God that have been under attack for decades.

If God is good, then those who despise good despise God?

Traitors

How many marriages, even among those in our churches, end because one or both betrayed the other?

How many churches crumble because some betray their allegiance?

Sometimes even their allegiance to God?

Headstrong

Literally a reckless disregard for danger or consequences.

We know we should save for retirement,

But how many families would rather have the vacation or new car?

We know we should eat better, but we’d rather have the cheeseburger.

Haughty

Proud, arrogant, conceited?

Remind you of anyone you know?

Lovers of Pleasure rather than lovers of God

Sure, we now we should be in church on Sundays,

But how many would rather watch the game, or just sleep in on Sunday mornings?

My point is not that we are evil because we occasionally exhibit some of these traits,

But that as our society, even some of our churches, have turned their back upon God, we have naturally devolved to be an ungodly people.

Which leads me to verse 5.

2 Timothy 3:5 NKJV

having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

“I’m not religious, but I am spiritual.”

I hear that all of the time,

And I want to ask, “what spirit are you following?”

Another is “You can be moral without being religious.”

But I ask, where does your morality come from? What is it based on?

There was a time in this country when even the least religious still acknowledged there is a God.

Today, the only god some people will recognize is themselves.

Paul tells Timothy to turn away from these types of people.

Which is not all that easy to do in this day and age.

After all, they are everywhere,

Sometimes even in our mirrors.

Why should we follow Paul’s advice and turn away?

2 Timothy 3:6–7 NKJV

For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

And for us guys

2 Timothy 3:8–9 NKJV

Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

How many of us, or our friends and family members have been led away by various lusts?

Always search for the newest thing, but never finding the truth?

How many of us know someone who has resisted the truth, disapproved the faith that God has given the world?

How many of us are that someone?

I’ve seen plenty of people who have been led away from God.

Who resist the truth, usually because of some desire they must fulfill.

And I would be lying if I said I had never been led away myself, that I had never resisted God’s Word.

My point isn’t that there are individuals with these traits,

But that they all but define what we see in society today.

Conclusion

Are we living in the last days?

I don’t know.

If we are, we have the return of Jesus to look forward to.

If not, then these time will become more and more perilous and wicked.

I guess the question is, will we live as men and women of God,

Or be dragged away by the world.

As Paul said to Timothy.

2 Timothy 3:12–14 NKJV

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,

The evil of this world will grow and get worse.

Will you continue in the things you have learned?

Are you sure of who your faith is in?

Will you follow the Words from God,

Or will you follow the way of the world?

2 Timothy 3:16–17 NKJV

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The choice is yours.

Will you stand now against the evils that are around us?

Or will you shrink from the service to the one you call Lord?