2 Timothy 3:1-9--Godlessness in the Last Days

2 Timothy 3:1-9
English Standard Version

Godlessness in the Last Days
3 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.

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Paul has been telling Timothy that one of the jobs of the Church and its pastors (empowered by the Holy Spirit) is to teach truth to repudiate error (or outright lies) and to restrain evil by living lives that are countercultural to those living according to their flesh and the powers at work in the world.  Paul now tells Timothy that the day is coming when men will no longer listen to sound doctrine.  So-called "Christians" will be lovers of self instead of lovers of God and the so-called "Church" will be filled with people that look just like the world--lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and having an appearance of godliness but denying it's power (the power of the transformation of the gospel to make all things new, good, and beautiful.  They instead preach a false gospel that God loves and accepts everyone just the way they are and that no one needs to change--no repentance, no regeneration, no sanctification, no ultimate glorification).  That sounds a whole lot like many "churches" today.  This is one of the reasons I think we are living in the time right before "the last days."

Timothy is told to avoid such people (because they existed in his time too) who claim to be something they are not and in so-doing tarnish the name of the Church and of Christ and His true gospel.  Among such imposters are people who prey on women and children, they are controlled by various passions (some natural, some unnatural).  They are highly-intelligent fools who spend their entire lives learning everything the world wants to teach them but never acquiring the true knowledge or wisdom that God has to offer to those who ask Him for it.

They oppose the leaders God has put in power over them just like James and Jambres did with Moses.  They were opposed not so much to the man, but to the truth that God spoke through the man.  Such men are given over to a depraved mind (see Romans 1) and God has disqualified them regarding the faith (see Revelation 21:8, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21--note all these describe the unregenerate person controlled by the flesh and not by the Spirit, they are not describing a person who falls into temptation who has been saved, we have 1 John 1:9 for that, no matter how badly we sin, though we are not to abuse the grace of God either and intentionally sin and say "I don't need to worry because God will forgive me").  Such people that oppose the religious and civil leadership that God puts over them will not get far in life because it should be obvious to everyone (especially those in the Church) that such men are not of God and not of His Elect.  Moses did not need to defend himself or the leadership that the LORD had given him, he just needed to keep doing what God told him to do and let God deal with the rabble-rousers (and God did in an undeniable way).  I don't necessarily expect fire to come from heaven or the earth to open up and swallow people up today, but it could.  However, I do pray for God to strengthen me in such times and to allow people to see His truth and to help me to behave in a way consistent with that truth, even when those who oppose me try to get me to act in ways opposed to His truth and the gospel (they want me to roll around in the mud and the slop with the pigs--we need to stay away from such people when possible).