2 Timothy 3 English Standard Version

Godlessness in the Last Days

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, 7 always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. 9 But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.

If the days of prophecies are coming to an end, heeding the warnings become ever more important. Just how many more chances do we have to get this right?

2 Timothy 3:13

while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Are we hearing more and more lies these days? What better time is there to seek out the truth.

“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 complete, equipped for every good work.”

Man of God should be read as a messenger of God (the phrase echoes a common Old Testament expression) meaning both men and women.

Get equipped and get to work or let the arrogant have their way. Do we understand?

Ezekiel 31:2

“Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: “Whom are you like in your greatness?

Read this chapter of prophecy and learn about fate.

God speaks to Pharaoh about Assyria and lays out a full chapter about another nation. Then as the chapter ends declares “This is Pharaoh and all his multitude, declares the Lord God.”

Why is Egypt fated to be like Assyria?

Ezekiel 31:10

“Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because it towered high and set its top among the clouds, and its heart was proud of its height,

Pride! What were they so proud about?

Ezekiel 31:11

I will give it into the hand of a mighty one of the nations. He shall surely deal with it as its wickedness deserves. I have cast it out.

Wickedness, its evil ways.

Pharaoh did not heed God’s warning.

Isaiah 5:20

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

The title for this chapter of Isaiah’s prophecy is “The Vineyard of the Lord Destroyed“.

Daniel 12:7

And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished.

Our fate is sealed in failing to heed the warnings of prophecy. Tomorrow we will speak of “Godlessness in the Last Days”.