Just Before His Return
2 Timothy 3:1-9
Just before His Return
Understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.[1]
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f God does not judge America, He must apologise to Sodom and Gomorrah.” The speaker was a young evangelist named Billy Graham. The occasion for speaking these words was a West Coast evangelistic crusade which he conducted in the mid-1950s. Though the noted evangelist has muted his criticism of western culture since that time, the truth spoken almost fifty years ago has not changed. I suppose that I am less concerned with the United States in this message than I am with Canada. After all, I do address a Canadian congregation. This should not be construed to mean that I have no concerns for the United States. I love my natal land, and I grieve for the wickedness which marks that nation. Nevertheless, I am bold to say that Canada must soon be judged for the rampant wickedness which characterises us as a nation.
The spiritual state of Canada yields mute evidence that we may well be living in the final days. As we saw in a previous message, religious conditions will be drastically changed in the final days. That the transformation is already well under way within our own nation, if not throughout the entire world should be evident to reasonable people. Even were I unconcerned about the spiritual state of the entire world, I would need but look to our own community to register my insistence that we are now in the final days.
What Are the Last Days? The Apostle clearly looks forward to a time which he identifies as the last days. Jesus spoke on at two occasions of the last day. In John’s Gospel, Jesus spoke of the last day. This is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day… Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day… Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day [John 6:39, 40, 44, 54]. Clearly, Jesus referred to the resurrection of the just and the judgement of the wicked. The two events are conflated and referred to as the last day. Likewise, in John 12:48, the Master speaks of the judgement occurring on the last day.
There are several instances in Scripture when the ones speaking or writing refer to the last days. A review of each of these instances will prove beneficial to our understanding. On the Day of Pentecost, as Peter began his message, he spoke these words which provide a point of initiation for the last days. In the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams [Acts 2:17]. The last days appear to have begun with the outpouring of the Spirit of God at Pentecost.
Though it is by no means certain that the writer of the Hebrew letter meant to say that the Son of God came in the last days, it is at least a possibility and deserves consideration as one meaning of his words. Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world [Hebrews 1:1, 2].
Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the labourers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you [James 5:1-6]. Clearly, James is addressing those who now hoard treasure even as they abuse the labourers as those living in the last days.
Peter, also, is focused on a time which appears to set the upper boundary of the period known as the last days. He sees a time when those professing the Faith will ridicule the concept that God calls all things into being. They will appeal to a form of uniformitarianism as accounting for the presence of all substance. This is nothing less than the exaltation of the neo-orthodox doctrine of evolution as we witness in this day.
This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgement and destruction of the ungodly [2 Peter 3:1-7].
Of course, Paul speaks of later times marked by a departure from the Faith, as we saw in a previous message. The Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth [1 Timothy 4:1-3].
We saw that he had in view the growth of an apostate church which, though bearing the marks of evangelicalism, was nevertheless spiritually dead. This is a church which exalts external religion, yet denies the Word of God. This is the Laodicean church which is indeed coming at the end of the Church Age.
In addition to the aforementioned instances, Paul speaks of the last days in our text for this day. He speaks of those days as times of difficulty [καιροὶ χαλεποί]. That word translated difficulty bears closer scrutiny. The word χαλεπός conveys the concept of that which is hard to bear, difficult to put up with. It speaks of that which is violent or dangerous, and thus it speaks of that which is evil. Understand, then, that the Apostle is warning that the course of history will move toward dangerous times and increasing evil. Society will become increasingly difficult to bear as the end of the age draws near.
What Characteristics Mark Society in the Last Days? People will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.
As the end of the age nears, human character will grow increasingly perverted. Listen once again to the apostolic appraisal of the downward trend of human character. As in previous messages, I make appeal to Eugene Petersen’s rendition of The Message. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals.[2]
Ask yourself if this sounds anything like the general condition prevailing in our society today. Self-absorbed, self-promoting, and without self-control would seem to characterise the general condition of modern society. If you doubt this assessment, stop by any bookshop and peruse the self-help section of the store. People are very much in love with themselves. Society is exceptionally self-centred. Per capita giving to charity bears this out. The expenditures for cosmetics and name-brand clothing bear this out. The personal debt load of the average Canadian bears this out.
The heart of the apostolic charge is that people will be lovers of self. Whenever self is exalted to a position of honour, God is no longer worshipped. Satan loved himself more than He loved God, and thus precipitated rebellion in heaven. Adam and Eve exalted “self” to the throne of their lives and thus plunged the world into ruin.
One of the most frightening developments among contemporary churches is the wide acceptance of and enthusiastic proclamation of self-love, not only as allowable, but as being the basic virtue.[3] The lack of self-love and its many derivatives—self-esteem, self-worth, self-fulfilment, positive self-image—have been imported into the churches from antibiblical psychology. The claim is made that one cannot love God and/or other people properly unless he loves himself. Understand that such self-love is perverted and destructive, inviting the wrath of God. God must be loved supremely. Today, instead of a theocentric view among the churches we have an egocentric view.
When people are self-absorbed, they also become lovers of money, proud and arrogant—money-hungry, self-promoting and stuck-up. Money is not of itself evil, but when the acquisition of money becomes the primary pursuit, that pursuit leads them astray. Money-hungry describes far too many people in this day. The Enron Scandal, the MCI World-Com Scandal, the Nortel Scandal—each remind us of Corporate greed which was enabled by societal greed. The telecom boom and bust and the present distrust of the stock market reveal a society scrambling to own just the right stock to make us rich. We should also mark the Health and Wealth movement, the Name-it and Claim-it Crowd as wrapping this philosophy in the guise of religion.
Such self-absorbed people grow overly confident in their spirituality. They are boastful of their spiritual depth, though they are shallow and worthless. They want to be teachers of the law, without understand either what they are saying, or the things about which they make confident assertions [1 Timothy 1:7]. They think themselves spiritually superior. We had a family of such people at one time in this church. The man presented himself as an expert in the Word and he was always argumentative. On one occasion, he rushed home to retrieve a concordance in order to prove that he was right about the meaning of one word. He could not permit himself to be wrong. He was arrogant.
Barclay makes a helpful comparison of the individual who is proud and arrogant. “The braggart is a swaggering creature, who tries to bluster his way into power and eminence. No one can possibly mistake him. But the sin of the man who is arrogant is in his heart. He might even seem to be humble; but in his secret heart there is this contempt for everyone else. He nourishes an all-consuming, all-pervading pride; and in his heart there is a little altar where he bows down before himself.”[4]
The text continues with the assessment that people will be characterised as abusive. Abusive translates the Greek term βλάσφημος, from which we get blaspheme. The arrogant person will speak abusively of others, because in his mind he is better than others. Christians are taught to speak evil of no one [Titus 3:2]. In fact, it is a characteristic of false teachers than they slander [βλασφημίαι] others [1 Timothy 6:4].
Society will produce children who are contemptuous of parents. The subject deserves an entire sermon. Too many parents think that Bart Simpson is cute when he dismisses his parents. Those who have no respect for family—the first divine institution—are unlikely to have regard for anything which is holy, even dismissing God. We have a society which is in rebellion to all authority, and it is not cute—it is sinful!
Self-centred people are ungrateful, thinking that they but receive their due whenever a courtesy is shown toward them. The ungrateful person despises the very idea of grace. God’s wrath is displayed against the ungrateful person [Romans 1:18, 21]. Ungrateful people are unholy people, no matter how religious they may appear. Unholy translates ἀνόσιοι, which carries not so much the idea of irreligion as of gross indecency. It was used of a person who refused to bury a dead body or who committed incest. The unholy person is driven by self-love to gratify his lusts and passions of whatever sort, as fully as possible, with no thought of impropriety or decency.[5]
Society will be marked by people who are heartless. If you understand that heartless is the negative translation of a Greek word which points to the affection parents feel for their children and which children express toward their parents, you would understand how the word is naturally associated with the concept of a society which is characterised as contemptuous of parents. Petersen translates this concept as dog-eat-dog, perhaps to emphasise the animal-like nature of such individuals who love themselves more than their children and of people who love themselves more than their parents.
Such a culture will also be unbending. The word speaks of an individual who cannot come to terms with another. The word literally means without a treaty. “Friends need no treaty, and implacable foes will not make one.”[6] Convinced that they are right they will refuse to be reconciled because they must be seen as right in every instance. They will refuse to compromise regardless of the consequences, even to the point of destroying their own lives and the lives of their family members.
Society will become slanderous. There are some who think that slander is confined to speaking lies about another. Slander can consist of the truth. What is in view is whether in relating an account about an individual the one relating seeks to do harm to the one about whom he speaks. The slanderer trades in ruined reputations and destroyed lives. To be slanderous is to be διάβολος—diabolical. The slanderer is doing the work of Satan. Thus, slander is devilish, demonic, satanic.
In 2 Timothy 2:24-26, the Apostle speaks of the need for the Lord’s servant to be kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. The reason for this is that God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. The use of διάβολος to describe society so soon after using it in this passage may mean that such captives become like their captor.[7]
Inhibitions and shame will be jettisoned. Those loving “self” excessively will care little for what others think, and why should they? They have already seated themselves at the centre of their universe, and thus they are without self-control. They will prove to brutal, savage toward others. When they are angered, as they must be when they do not get their way, they will care little for the impact of their actions. A woman who was formerly a member of this congregation said that her temper was like a shotgun, it went off and then it was all over. Did you ever see the damage a shotgun can inflict?
In their downward spiral, self-centred people are characterised as not loving good—individuals who have no law for the good. In effect, they become a law unto themselves without regard for the consequences. It is to be expected of those who are self-centred.
From this point, the Apostle continues with three characteristics depicting human pride and harmful dealings with others before summarising their relationship to God. Treacherous tells us that they are undependable—here today and gone tomorrow. Reckless tells us that they are not careful with relationships, using them instead of valuing them. Swollen with conceit (bloated windbags) is what you would expect of self-centred people.
The text concludes the initial litany of wicked character with this summary assessment—lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. Donald Guthrie provides insight into this condition which is worthy of serious reflection. In his commentary included in the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, he writes: “Moral corruption follows from love falsely directed. Self-centredness, and material advantages, when they become the chief objects of affection, destroy all moral values, and the subsequent list of vices is their natural fruit.”[8]
Lest you think that the Apostle has confined his consideration to the world in general, this final condemnation should lay that thought to rest. In the last days, people will have the appearance of godliness, but deny[] its power. Literally, the people in view will have the outward form [μόρφωσιν] of true religion [Christianity—εὐσεβείας] even while denying its power [τὴν … δύναμιν αὐτῆς].
Church members, but lost. Sitting through worship though refusing to sing. Enduring the occasional service because it is expected. Maintaining membership in the church because they want their children to be inoculated against evil. Saying prayers, but never praying. Asking questions, but refusing to listen to the answers. Phoneys! Without a heart for God or even for the things of God, they pretend to be Christians. The words describe in no small measure the condition of too many Baptists, including some among us who think that by playing at religion they impress God.
How Shall We Live as we Await His Return? These are indeed dark days, and there is little in contemporary society to dissuade me from the understanding that we are now living in the final days. Even a casual review of the state of evangelical churches in this day lead me to despair that conditions can be quickly changed. Evangelical and fundamental churches, even our beloved Baptist Zion, have become utterly compromised by the spirit of this dying age. The foundations of the Faith appear so rotten as to be mistaken for Swiss cheese. Nevertheless, I am not discouraged. I’m not looking for the undertaker. I’m looking for the upper taker.
The cult of “self” has grown so strong and become so ingrained that many of us have become oblivious to its presence, except when we look into the mirror of Scripture. Stand where I stand, however, and you will weep for the foolish among us. Watch the refusal of our own people to worship Sunday after Sunday as our worship team must do, and you will know the reality of people playing church. Listen to the language of our youth and you will know that Paul’s description fits our day as perhaps never before.
As the Apostle continued his instructions to the pastor of the Church of Ephesus, he pointed to the way we should live in the last days. He acknowledges that indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived [2 Timothy 3:12, 13]. I don’t expect the world to hear what I have to say, and I am realistic enough to know that the self-absorbed who call themselves members of this church will ignore what I have to say as they continue their narcissistic style of life. However, I am convinced that among us are a growing number of men and women who want to honour God and who want to find what pleases Him. They are the new church seeking to find what pleases God and doing that.
The answer to how we must live is found in the words which conclude this chapter. As for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work [2 Timothy 3:14-17].
I alluded to some problems exemplifying the conditions Paul prophesied. Christians cannot expect psychologists and psychiatrists to change society’s penchant for self-love. It was the infiltration of pop psychology into the churches which got us into this mess. Don’t expect child psychologists to correct the attitude of contempt for parents. They brought us the condition. Bart Simpson didn’t create the problem; he exemplifies the problem. Don’t expect economists to correct the rampant greed which marks contemporary society. They told us that greed was good.
Surveying modern society, it is obvious that the dams holding back destruction are now cracked and the floods threaten to inundate us momentarily. Instead of trying to stick fingers in the dike as crack after crack appears, we need to look to God and His Word. We need to realise that all fellowship is ultimately based upon doctrine and not upon how we feel about matters. We share our lives through sharing truth. We share our lives through determining to obey God and to honour Him.
See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes [Ecclesiastes 7:29]. Either we can look to God, or we can attempt to “fix” things by putting our fingers in the dike. Be aware, however, that the dike is springing multiple leaks. Just as we saw the state of culture being overwhelmed by the cult of “me,” so it is impossible to “fix” what is dead. It must be abandoned. We don’t have enough fingers. Therefore, look to God.
With respect to this particular congregation, we can continue to do church the way it was “always” done, or we can become a beacon of hope in a world of darkness. We can continue to fight and claw our way to the top, living only for our own glory, or we can in humility determine to serve one another in love. We can promote “self” and justify “self,” or we can adopt the spirit of servanthood which Christ has revealed. We can go to church, or we can be the church.
We need to hear and heed the Word of God at this point. Remind [the people] to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarrelling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life [Titus 3:1-7].
Those who choose to be divisive must be removed from service. Paul charges, As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned [Titus 3:10, 11]. We can either grow in love toward one another, or we can grow in love for ourselves. We can either honour God, or we can exalt self.
A Texas rancher was asked to help a man who drove his car into a ditch in a desolate area. The rancher responded by bringing a big, strong horse named Buddy. He hitched Buddy up to the car and yelled, “Pull, Nellie, pull!” Buddy didn’t move. Then the rancher hollered, “Pull, Buster, pull!” Buddy didn’t respond. Once more the rancher commanded, “Pull, Pokey, pull!” Nothing. Then the rancher nonchalantly said, “Pull, Buddy, pull!” The horse easily dragged the car out of the ditch. The motorist was thankful—and curious. He asked the rancher why he called his horse by the wrong name three times. The rancher said, “Ol’ Buddy is blind and if he thought he was the only one pulling, he wouldn’t even try.”
I challenge you, as we live out the few days before His return, “Pull”—pull together. You are not alone. However, you need to encourage others that you are pulling with them. Together, we need to seek the will of God and together we need to encourage one another to do the will of God.
Those who are outside the Faith will be unable to grasp this truth. Your first need is to be born into the Kingdom. I care not whether you are a member of this church or whether you are outside this church, if you have no evidence of transforming grace in your life, you should be concerned. You have need to be born again from above and into the Kingdom of God. You have need to be saved. Listen to this great promise of life.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9-13].
Be saved today. Amen.
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[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright Ó 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: New Testament With Psalms and Proverbs (NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO 1995)
[3] John MacArthur, Jr., 2 Timothy: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Moody, Chicago, IL 1995) 108
[4] William Barclay, The Letters to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon (Revised Edition): Daily Study Bible, Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA, 1975, 187
[5] MacArthur, op. cit., 114
[6] Moulton, J. H., and Milligan, G., The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, cited in Mounce, William D., Pastoral Epistles: Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 46 (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN 2000) 546
[7] Knight, George W., III, The Pastoral Epistles: New International Greek Testament Commentary (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI 1992) 432
[8] Guthrie, Donald, The Pastoral Epistles: Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (InterVarsity, Wheaton, IL 1957 157) 157