2 Timothy 3.9-The Prophecy of the Judgment of the Unrepentant Apostate Pastors Through Discipline and at the Bema Seat
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday July 16, 2015
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 3:9-The Prophecy of the Judgment of the Unrepentant Apostate Pastors Through Divine Discipline and at the Bema Seat
Lesson # 72
2 Timothy 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. 9 But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also. (NASB95)
“But they will not make further progress” presents an emphatic contrast with the previous statements in Second Timothy 3:6-8.
“They will not make further progress” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction alla (ἀλλά), “but” (2) emphatic negative adverb ou (οὔ), “not” (3) third person plural future active indicative form of the verb prokoptō (προκόπτω), “they will make progress” (4) preposition epi (ἐπί), “further” (2) accusative neuter singular form of the adjective pleion (πλεῖον), “further.”
The verb prokoptō means “to progress or advance in a particular activity” and its meaning is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou which means “by no means.”
Therefore, these two words indicate that these unrepentant apostate pastors “will by no means advance or progress” in the sense that their impact on the Christian community will not progress or advance further.
The future tense of the verb prokoptō is a predictive future indicating the certainty that the impact of these apostate pastors will by no means continue.
The comparative adjective pleion speaks of the extent in which an activity progresses and impacts others and is the object of the preposition epi which means “to” since it functions as a marker of direction.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase means “to a greater extent” since together they pertain to a greater degree or extent in which an activity take place which indicates that the impact of these men and their teaching would by no means progress “to a greater extent” in the Christian community.
“For their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also” presents the reason for the previous adversative clause.
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. 2 For out of selfishness, people will be characterized as self-centered, lovers of money, braggarts, arrogant, slanderous, disobedient to the detriment of their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 devoid of natural affection, implacable, malicious gossips, self-indulgent, brutal, opposed to what is good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, hedonists rather than lovers of God. 5 They exhibit that which resembles godliness. However, they reject for themselves its power. Consequently, for your own benefit, continue making it your habit of disassociating yourself from these types of people 6 because out from these individuals are those who make it their habit of insinuating themselves into households. In fact, they make it their habit of captivating foolish women because these are overwhelmed with guilt because of sins because they are driven by means of various kinds of lusts. 7 They repeatedly receive instruction. However, they are never at any time able for their own benefit to enter into knowing experientially the truth. 8 Now, just as Jannes and Jambres rebelled against Moses so in the same way these individuals previously mentioned are in their own selfish interests presently in a state of rebelling against the truth, men who permitted their minds to be corrupted, worthless ones with regards to the Christian faith. 9 But in fact, they will certainly by no means progress any further because their foolishness will certainly cause itself to be fully manifest for the benefit of each and every person just as the foolishness produced by Jannes and Jambres caused itself to be manifested. (My translation)
The apostle Paul in Second Timothy 3:9: continues his comparison from Second Timothy 3:8 between the unrepentant apostate pastor-teachers in the Roman province of Asia and Jannes and Jambres who opposed Moses.
In the latter, Paul compared Jannes and Jambres opposition against Moses with these pastors opposing his apostolic teaching which they demonstrated by teaching false doctrine and rejecting his apostolic teaching.
Now, here in verse 9 Paul compares the foolishness of Jannes and Jambres in opposing Moses with the foolishness of these unrepentant apostate pastors opposing Paul’s apostolic teaching.
He is actually prophesying that these pastors will be receive divine discipline and will lose rewards at the Bema Seat.
Second Timothy 3:9 is also presenting an emphatic contrast with Paul’s previous statements in Second Timothy 3:6-8.
Therefore, the emphatic contrast is between the apparent success and impact of these men in gaining adherents in the Christian community by teaching false doctrine and it being fully manifested before the entire Christian community that they were foolish for doing so.
The apostle Paul prophesies in verse 9 that these unrepentant apostate pastor-teachers living in the Roman province of Asia will by no means progress any further in the sense that their impact on the Christian community will not progress or advance further.
He is not denying the reality of the impact of their teaching upon the Christian community but rather he is emphasizing that though they appear to be having success, they will ultimately be judged as foolish for their unfaithfulness.
So Paul is emphasizing the certainty that in the future these unrepentant apostate pastor-teachers in the Roman province of Asia will by no means progress further in the Christian community.
Then, he presents the reason why this will be the case, namely that the foolishness of these men will certainly cause itself to be fully manifest.
Just as he was being prophetic in the previous adversative clause so Paul is being prophetic in this causal clause.
He is emphasizing the certainty that the foolishness of these apostate pastors will be evident to all in the Christian community just as the foolishness of Jannes and Jambres was evident to all.
Paul also asserts that the foolishness of these men will be fully manifest to all in the Christian community and specifically to each and every person in the Christian community.
How so? First of all, it will be made quite evident at the Bema Seat when these men are censured by the Lord Jesus Christ and do not receive rewards because of their unfaithfulness.
Thus at that point their foolishness will be obvious to each and every person in the body of Christ.
We must remember that the majority of Christians in the Roman province of Asia abandoned Paul upon his arrest and imprisonment according to Second Timothy 1:15.
Now here in Second Timothy 3:9 Paul says that the foolishness of these apostate teachers will be evident to all in the Christian community however this could not be evident to all in the Christian community if the majority were in apostasy.
Thus, Paul must be referring to the Bema Seat when each Christian will have to give an account for their service to the Lord in order to determine if they merit rewards or not.
The foolishness of these men will at that time manifest itself to each and every Christian since it will result in loss of rewards for these men.
This will benefit the church since they will witness first-hand the Lord Jesus Christ administering justice.
It will benefit them to see the Lord administer justice to these men since it will manifest to each of them the character and nature of the Lord and in particular His attribute of justice.
Furthermore, the full manifestation of the foolishness of these apostate pastors will benefit each and every person in the body of Christ in time when these men are disciplined by the Lord and specifically suffer the sin unto death (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:30; 1 John 5:17).
This will benefit the church because it will stop these men from teaching false doctrine.
Paul completes his thought in Second Timothy 3:9 by comparing the foolishness of these unrepentant apostate pastor-teachers in the Roman province of Asia being fully manifested to the church with that of the foolishness of Jannes and Jambres causing itself to be manifested to the whole world.
Both groups demonstrated themselves to be foolish in opposing the truth of God.
The apostle’s statements here in Second Timothy 3:9 are designed to encourage Timothy to continue to remain faithful to his apostolic teaching, i.e. the gospel.
He is reassuring Timothy that these unrepentant apostate pastor-teachers in the Roman province of Asia will suffer the consequences for their actions and unfaithfulness to the Lord.
Just as Jannes and Jambres were judged severely by God for opposing Moses so also these unrepentant apostate pastor-teachers in the Roman province of Asia would be judged severely by the Lord Jesus Christ through divine discipline and refusing these men rewards at the Bema Seat.
So Paul is reassuring Timothy that the Lord Jesus Christ will eventually deal with these men and that these men are getting away with nothing.
They are only hurting themselves by opposing the gospel and teaching false doctrine.
Therefore, by reassuring Timothy, Paul would protect his spiritual child from being tempted to follow in the footsteps of these men.