Now Paul goes from speculations to describing conditions at the end of our time line.
(1) But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
He then says how far people will go in their degradation in these last days. The word he uses for difficult is chalepos, "terrible, hard to bear, troublesome, dangerous." This word is used only here and in Matthew 8:28, describing the "violent" demoniacs.
He then gives eighteen character defects that will be prevalent and characterize this time.
(2) For men will be lovers of self,
This is philautoi, "selfish."
lovers of money,
This is philargyroi, "avaricious."
boastful,
This is alazones, "imposters, braggarts."
arrogant,
This is hyperephanoi, "proud, showing oneself above others." "With an overweening estimate of one's means or merits, despising others, treating them with contempt; haughty."
revilers,
This is blasphemoi, "evil-speaking, slanderous."
disobedient to parents,
Today the public schools are actually teaching children to be disobedient to their own parents!
The next four adjectives all begin with a-negative.
ungrateful,
This is acharistoi, the opposite of being thankful.
unholy,
This is anosioi, describes the person who has no fellowship with God and so is living a merely "secular" life
(3) unloving,
This is astorgoi, "without love," and means "without family affection." This can result in an anti-social personality disorder, which seems prevalent today.
irreconcilable,
This is aspondoi, "unforgiving, without a treaty or covenant."
malicious gossips,
This is diaboloi, when given the definite article, is "the devil." This connotes "prone to slander, accusing falsely." I see this in the political scene very deeply.
The next three adjectives also are a-negative.
without self-control,
This is akrateis, in the widest sense, it describes the the weak man without strength, who is easily led into bodily lustful sin.
brutal,
This is anemeroi, "not tame, savage, fierce."
haters of good,
They hate and despise everything that is good and beneficial and healthy. I see groups of people today that only want to tear down everything that has benefited people, and promulgate practices that will cause more people to die and be sick physically and emotionally, "for their own safety," which is a lie.
(4) treacherous,
This is prodotai, "traitor, betrayer," used of Judas when he sold Jesus for the price of a slave.
reckless,
This is propeteis, literally, "falling forward, headlong," and came to mean "hasty, reckless, rash."
conceited,
This is tetyphomenoi, the perfect passive participle of typhoo, "to be wrapped up in smoke," so to be "puffed up" in pride.
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
This is a play on words, describing those who put self in the place of God as the center of their affections.
(5) holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power;
Yet they are religious! This describes a church that may recognize who Jesus is, but deny what He has accomplished on the Cross. They teach that we have to "earn" grace by doing religious things.
avoid such men as these.
He tells him to apotrepou, "turn away from," or "have nothing to do," with these evil hypocrites. They are not worth his time or energy.
Paul was warning Timothy, so he would teach his leadership and congregation, and the advice is even more apropos to us today.
The church has from the Middle Ages or before denied all that Jesus has accomplished and finished on the Cross; that's why the Reformation happened. But even the denominations that came from that movement have since then lost their doctrinal way with corrupted teachings.
Today we must be very careful of who we choose to sit under to learn from. The truth of God is pure and simple, and it has been corrupted and complicated more and more through time, until today most people in America, for instance, who consider themselves Christians only have a religion, not that relationship with God that He intends us to have.
We must be "born again" in order to even "see" God's Kingdom (John 3: 3). It's like He wrote His Scripture in a code, that takes His Holy Spirit as the key to understanding it. Otherwise, one can make it look like it says anything he wants it to say, to justify whatever sin.
Our enemy the devil knows that his time is short now, and he is feverishly and aggressively pouring his poison down the throats of all who have not turned to our God for Redemption.
God still loves them, and wants them to give up what they think are their own ideas and submit to the Lord who gave Himself up for them.
O my Father, please help us to understand what You are telling us all through the love letter You wrote to us. You want us to expect You to be who You are, and to not be surprised or shocked by what You have said You will do to this world.
You have held out the carrot to mankind for all the eras we have lived, and still there are so many who refuse Your kindness, choosing instead to be seduced by the deceptions of the devil. And even our own hearts lie to us, Father. So, when You use the stick, please let it convince people of Your power and authority, to acknowledge You.
You've given us Your word, written down, so the words can be seen and understood; and not change like man's tradition, which is like the children's Telephone game. And You've given us Your own Holy Spirit to decipher the code and put the dots together to see Your bigger picture.
And when Your wrath is poured out on the whole world, Father, Your children will just need to stand, and watch the thousands fall at their side, the ten thousands at their right hand, knowing that the wrath we deserve has already been poured out on Jesus for us on the Cross. And Your peace on us in the midst of the maelstrom will show the world Your faithfulness and care.
O Father, You are so good to us! Please send out Your children into all the world, so that every living person will be able to understand how You have loved them, and offer freely the most wonderful and gracious and generous opportunity to be born into Your own royal family! All we need to do is to submit to letting You do it all for us!
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus is our Christ, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King over all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, for ever and ever. Amen.
Even so, please come quickly, Lord Jesus!
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