2 Timothy 3.1-Timothy Was to Continue Taking Note of Paul's Prophecy that Dangerous Circumstances Will Exist During the Last Days
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday June 23, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 3:1-Timothy was to Continue Taking Note of Paul’s Prophecy that Dangerous Circumstances Will Exist During the Last Days
Lesson # 62
2 Timothy 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. (NASB95)
“But” is the conjunction de (δέ), which is introducing a series of statements recorded in Second Timothy 3:1-9 which advance upon Paul’s previous statements addressed to Timothy in Second Timothy 2:22-26 and intensifies these statements.
“Realize this” is composed of the following: (1) accusative neuter singular form of the demonstrative pronoun houtos (οὗτος), “this” (2) second person singular present active indicative form of the verb ginōskō (γινώσκω), “realize.”
The verb ginōskō indicates that Timothy was to continue to make it his habit of taking note of this prophecy in the sense that he was to continue to observe it with care or bring to remembrance and apply it to his situation with the apostate pastors in Ephesus.
The present imperative form of the verb ginōskō is a “customary present imperative” whose force is for Timothy to simply continue making it his habit of taking note of the prophecy that there will be dangerous times during the last days.
The demonstrative pronoun houtos means “this” and is kataphoric meaning it is pointing to the content of the hoti appositional statement to follow: ὅτι ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις ἐνστήσονται καιροὶ χαλεποί, “in the last days difficult times will come.”
“Difficult times” is composed of the following: (1) nominative masculine plural form of the noun kairos (καιρός), “times” (2) nominative masculine plural form of the adjective chalepos (χαλεπός), “difficult.”
The noun kairos means “circumstances” and which circumstances are identified as taking place during the last days and is modified by the adjective chalepos which means “difficult, perilous, dangerous” since it pertains to that which causes trouble and hardship with an implication of violence.
Therefore, these two words describe the last days as being “dangerous times” in the sense that the circumstances during this period will cause trouble and hardship for the church.
“Will come” is the third person plural future middle indicative form of the verb enistēmi (ἐνίστημι), which means “to take place, to occur, to take place as an event, to exist.”
The future tense of this verb is a predictive future which indicates that dangerous times “will take place” during the last days and emphasizes the certainty of this.
The middle voice of this verb enistēmi is a reciprocal middle which expresses the idea of these ungodly apostate Christians interacting with each other creating dangerous circumstances within the church.
“In the last days” is composed of the following: (1) preposition en (ἐν), “in” (2) dative feminine plural form of the adjective eschatos (ἔσχατος), “last” (3) dative feminine plural form of the noun hēmera (ἡμέρα), “the days.”
The noun hemera means “days” referring to an indefinite period of time and which period of time is identified by the adjective eschatos which means “last” since it pertains to being the last in a series of events.
The noun hemera is the object of the preposition en, which does not mean “in” but rather “during” since it is functioning as a marker of an extent of time within a larger unit of time.
The extent of time is the last days which occur during a larger unit of time namely, human history.
Second Timothy 3:1 Indeed, continue making it your habit of taking note of this, namely that dangerous circumstances interacting will exist during the last days. (My translation)
The apostle Paul’s statements in Second Timothy 3:1-9 advance upon his previous statements addressed to Timothy in Second Timothy 2:22-26 and intensifies these statements.
Here in Second Timothy 3:1, Paul is commanding Timothy that he was to continue making it his habit of taking note of the prophecy that there would exist difficult or dangerous times during the last days.
Most translations and interpreters regard Second Timothy 3:1-9 as standing in contrast to Paul’s statements in Second Timothy 2:22-26.
This interpretation would therefore view Paul making a contrast between Timothy attempting to lead to repentance these apostate teachers and the reminder that this apostasy in the church is not to be unexpected but is an expected feature of the last days.
However, it is better to view Second Timothy 3:1-9 as advancing upon and intensifying Paul’s statements in Second Timothy 2:22-26.
The advancement and intensification is that Paul goes from addressing this apostasy to reminding Timothy that this apostasy was predicted.
Paul’s emphasis here in Second Timothy 3:1-9 is not to contrast the hope of repentance for these apostate Christians with that of this prophecy of this apostasy becoming a reality.
Rather his emphasis is to advance upon and intensify the discussion of the issue of this apostasy by reminding Timothy that it is expected because it was predicted by the Holy Spirit through him.
Paul is emphatically extending the discussion of these apostate pastor teachers by reminding Timothy that it was predicted by the Holy Spirit.
So in Second Timothy 3:1, Paul is reminding Timothy to continue making it his habit of taking note of this prophecy in the sense that he was to continue to bring it to remembrance and observe it with care.
He was to apply it to his situation with the apostate pastors in Ephesus.
In other words, Paul is telling Timothy you shouldn’t be surprised at what you are dealing with in Ephesus with these apostate teachers since I predicted it would take place when I departed Ephesus during my third missionary journey prior to my arrest in Jerusalem.
Timothy should not be taken by surprise that there was great apostasy in the church but rather he was to continue to view his situation in light of this prophecy.
The command expresses the fact that Timothy was to conduct himself in relation to these apostate Christians with a sense of urgency in light of the prophecy of this apostasy.
Paul is reminding Timothy that the last days or specifically the period of time between the First and Second Advents in which the church age dispensation was inserted, would be characterized by ungodliness among Christians.
This does not mean that there would be no spiritual growth in the church or spiritual victories for the church but rather that apostasy would always be present.
Paul is not referring to the last days in relation to the seventieth week of Daniel since Paul is speaking in the context of the apostasy which will be present during the church age in which he and Timothy were living.
“The last days” does not refer to seventieth week of Daniel or the final days of the church age dispensation but rather it refers to the period between the First and Second Advents of Jesus Christ.
This expression refers to the entire period of time from the death and resurrection and session of Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father to His Second Advent which ends Daniel’s seventieth week which is indicated by Peter in Acts 2:16-39 and by the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 1:2.
They are called “the last days” because during this period of time God is completing His purposes for His people.
In fact, Paul in Second Timothy 3:1 is actually reminding Timothy of a prophecy he issued to the pastor-teachers in Ephesus which is recorded in Acts 28:28-30 which is also referred to by him in First Timothy 4:1-5.
This prophecy predicted the apostasy of many of these pastor-teachers in Ephesus and Paul’s first letter to Timothy addressed the problem of apostasy among pastors in the church at Ephesus who were adhering to the false doctrine of the Judaizers.
Thus the prophecy in Acts 28 was already coming to fulfillment when Paul wrote First Timothy.
Now, here in Second Timothy 3:1, Paul is reminding Timothy of his Spirit inspired prophecy that many of the pastors in Ephesus would go into apostasy.
Paul’s statement here in Second Timothy 3:1 would at first glance appear to indicate that the dangerous circumstances that would exist during the last days was still yet future to the time of writing this epistle to Timothy.
However, the context requires that the ungodly character traits described in Second Timothy 3:2-5 and thus the “last days” of Second Timothy 3:1 were already present in the days of Paul and Timothy.
This is indicated by Paul’s command in Second Timothy 3:5 which required that Timothy continue making it his habit of avoiding these men he describes in Second Timothy 3:2-5 or in other words, the same people he was to avoid are described in Second Timothy 3:2-5.
Secondly, in First Timothy 4:1-5 there is the same implication regarding time.
In fact, it is speaking of these same apostate pastors since it is referring back to the prophecy of Paul’s recorded in Acts 28:28-30 which predicted the future apostasy of these men.
Paul says in Second Timothy 3:1 that these dangerous circumstances interacting will exist during the last days.
The dangerous circumstances are described in Second Timothy 3:2-9 which describes the ungodly conduct of apostate Christians.
Therefore, when Paul says that these dangerous circumstances interacting will exist during the last days, he means that these ungodly apostate Christians will interact with each other creating dangerous circumstances within the church.