Godlessness in the Last Days
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
Paul’s Charge to Timothy
You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry…
My Understanding: Paul began his remarks here to Timothy by stating that there will be “terrible times in the last days.” Most Bible scholars I have read describe the “last days” as beginning with Jesus Christ, his earthly ministry, his death and his resurrection. Yet, the description here of the sin nature of people has been true since the fall into sin in the Garden of Eden. Some times were worse than others, yet man was conceived in sin and is thus prone to wander. Yet, I do believe that as the day for our Lord’s return draws closer that we will see this more and more, and I also believe it has reached epidemic proportions in the times in which we now live. I am 61 years old, so I have at least 60 years of observation of our society and of the church, and I have seen much decline over the years.
Terrible Times
Paul went on, then, to describe what those “terrible times” would look like. He said that people would be lovers of themselves, and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. What this means is that people will be more concerned about their own lives, and what gives them pleasure, than they will be concerned about serving and obeying God and doing what pleases him. Wow! Can you imagine if Paul could have seen our world today? I don’t know of a time in history when pleasure has been more accentuated than it is now. We, in the USA, are entertained to death, even in the church. With the help of Smart Phones, we can now stay connected 24/7 to a world of entertainment and pleasure. Many, many people plan their lives and days around their favorite TV shows, games, etc. We have, as a society in the USA, become gluttonous with entertainment choices and opportunities. These things are not all bad, but when pleasure becomes our idol that we live for, in place of God being our only god to whom we pledge our undying devotion, then we have a serious problem.
The more seriousness of this problem, though, exists in this next statement: “Having a form of godliness but denying its power.” Jesus said he did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (see Luke 5:27-32). Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who were criticizing Jesus for eating and drinking with tax collectors and “sinners.” So, when Jesus used the term “righteous,” he was not speaking of true righteousness. He was speaking of a false sense of righteousness. The Pharisees only thought they were righteous, but they were not. Jesus was letting them know that only those who realize they are sinners can be brought to repentance. And, again, we learn that repentance (turning from sin) is a prerequisite to true righteousness, i.e. to salvation. One of the greatest hindrances to true faith in Christ is self-righteousness, i.e. having a form of godliness, but true godliness not existing within the lives of those who proclaim it, because by the very lifestyles of those who see themselves as righteous, when they are not, it is evident that they are denying the power of Almighty God in their hearts and lives.
Nothing to Do
Then, Paul made a very severe statement with regard to those who fit this description. We are to have nothing to do with them. Paul gave a similar command in 2 Co. 6, when he was speaking on the subject of being yoked (bonded, linked, joined, partnered or tied) together with unbelievers. He said there is no fellowship between righteousness and wickedness; between light and darkness. So, we are to come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. We are not to touch (be affected by; influenced by; or participate in ) anything spiritually unclean (unrighteous; or wicked). We also learn in Rom. 12 that we are to no longer conform our lives by the pattern of this world. And, we learn in 1 Co. 5 that we are to separate ourselves from anyone who claims to be a believer and yet lives a lifestyle of sin. We are not to separate ourselves entirely from the world around us, otherwise we would have to leave the world, but we are to not be partakers with the ungodly in worldly things that stand in opposition to God and to his word.
Then, in I Co. 7 we learn that, when we use the things of this world, that we are not to be engrossed in them. In 2 Co. 10 we learn that, although we live in the world, we are not to wage war against our enemy, Satan, with the weapons of this world. The weapons of this world don’t have the power to demolish the strongholds of sin in our lives. In Gal. 6 we learn that the world has been crucified to us, and us to the world. In Eph. 2 we learn that we are not to follow the ways of the world as we did when we were outside of Christ. In Col. 2 we learn that we, as believers in Jesus, have died to the basic principles of this world. In Jms 4 we learn that to be friends with the world is hatred toward God and that God sees us as committing adultery in our relationship with him when we “make nice” with the world. If we choose to make friends with the world, we become enemies of God. In I Jn. 2 we are instructed to not love the world or anything in the world. If we love (adore; worship; give our lives to) the things of this evil world, such as sinful cravings, lust, and/or pride, then the love of the Father is not in us. And, here we are reminded that this world and its desires are going to pass away, but the one who does the will of God will live forever.
We are to live in the world, but not be of it, i.e. we are not to partake in worldly passions and desires and/or to be influenced or entertained by those who do. We are not to be partnered with or to have as our closest friends and companions those who live by the standards of this world. We are to be beacons of light for the gospel of Jesus Christ in this dark world of sin, and we should be about the Father’s business in sharing that gospel with the world so that they, too, can come to know Christ. Yet, today’s church, overall, is busily making friends with the world, entertaining them with the world so as to attract them to the “church,” and is thus watering down the gospel message to make it more palatable with what people’s “itching ears” want to hear, because they want to suit the gospel according to their own desires, not according to God’s plan and purpose for our lives. We are to show love and kindness to people. We are to pray for them and do good things for them, but we are not to become like them or to partake with them in anything that stands opposed to God and to his divine will and purpose for our lives to live holy lives pleasing to him.
Resolute
In contrast to living like the world, we are to be resolute (firm; unyielding; steadfast) in our commitment to obey our Lord Jesus in all things, to do the work to which he has called us, and to not be partakers with the world in fleshly pleasures that war against our souls. We must realize, though, that when we choose to not befriend the world and we choose to be beacons of light for the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that the world, including the worldly church, will hate us, reject us, persecute us and may even kill us for our testimony for our Lord Jesus. Paul said here in 2 Tim. 3 that “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” So, if everyone loves us and we are not being persecuted for our faith or our testimony for Jesus Christ, then we need to do some serious soul searching before God to learn why. The church today has become so much like the world, as it has embraced the world, so that it is indistinguishable between the church and the world. We need to stand out in stark contrast to this world by being true followers of Jesus Christ. Then, we can say, with Paul, when our time comes to leave this earth:
“For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Tim. 4:6-8 NIV 1984).
Muted Trumpet / An Original Work / October 14, 2011
Softly He speaks gently to us,
Giving us His messages, and
He waits patiently for us to
Respond to His words.
Will you listen to Him speaking?
Will you waken from your sleeping?
He is calling; hear Him whisper
His truth unto you.
Jesus speaks His words unto us,
So that He might live out through us,
Giving light to all who need Him,
So they can obey.
He gave His life to die for us,
So that from sin He would free us
To walk humbly in obedience
Unto Him each day.
Hear the trumpet clearly calling.
He died to keep us from falling.
Won’t you listen; heed His call to
Turn to Him today?
Hasten to Him calling to you.
Turn from sin and follow Jesus.
He loves you so much He gave you
Life eternally.
Song Lyrics @ Public Domain
Audio, song lyrics and sheet music at:
https://sites.google.com/site/psalmshymnssongs2/home/songs/muted-trumpet
Song on video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0iizyIw0KM
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