II Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
It is important to know the true God. He knows the beginning from the end. He tells us things that are coming to help those who are saved to know how to respond to life. Church history tells us there have been cycles in the past where persecution was greater than at other times. One of the more challenging times for true Christians was during the dark ages. The Catholics had control of government officials and they acted in a very cruel manner toward those who opposed their false religion. It is interesting to note that today we are seeing an increasing cruelty toward those who oppose the false religion of humanism. The governments and health officials have brainwashed the police forces to back up their evil plot. They are becoming more aggressive toward anyone who exposes the lies they are spreading.
I saw a statistic yesterday stating that many family members do not want relatives in their homes who have not taken the shots. They said that B.C. was the worst in this regard and Alberta was the least opposed to having people that have not had the shots, in their homes. Yet even in Alberta, over 50% of the people they surveyed, did not want those who did not have the shots in their homes.
Perilous times are certainly here. We are living in the last days. We are not told how long these times will last, but we are in the last days.
Verse 2 tells us that men shall be lovers of their own selves. Keep in mind that the description given in the following verses are describing perilous times. Self love is unreasonable and it is wicked. I do not remember just when the selfie movement came along. People would purchase a special stick so they could put their camera on it and take a picture of themselves in different settings. People fell off of cliffs because they were so keen on getting themselves into what they assumed would be such a great picture. I remember as a young person having an uncle who disliked being in pictures. He would try to get out of the way whenever a picture was being taken. Today there are those who want to be in every picture. Love of self interferes with the love that man should have for God. God should be the centre of everything. He created the world. He created man. He provided salvation for man. He gives eternal life to man. He provided the ground and pillar of truth through the local church. He should be the most important One in every person’s life, but certainly in every truly born again Christian’s life.
God tells us self love will be a mark of the last days. Those who are saved should take note of this and understand this is not a good thing. Man is not nearly as special as he thinks he is and does not need to be in every picture. God tells us that people will be covetous as well. Those who are covetous are obsessed with money. We are reading of the billions that the pharmaceutical companies have made already from the shots they are making for this virus. This is just for this one virus. The governments are quite content to protect this greed and careless activity. The pharmaceutical companies made an agreement with governments that they cannot be held accountable for adverse effects from the shots.
Many people are so busy trying to make more money that they sacrifice health and truth for the sake of it. People are willing to roll up their sleeves and take the jab because they want to keep their job. Some of them are having serious adverse effects from the jab, but they are still willing to pursue that avenue.
Boasters are people that are also full of themselves. One definition given for the Greek word here is “empty pretender”. That sums it up quite well. Pride is a very close cousin to a boaster. Actually all of these traits we have here fit together. That is expected since God gave us these words. Proud people like to boast of what they can do. They like to blow their own horn.
A blasphemer is one who speaks evil of good people, in particular of God. There are more and more people who like to use God’s name in vain. They also like to mock those who are seeking to follow the Lord.
Paul told Timothy that the last days would be known for children who were disobedient to parents. All children have been disobedient to parents at some time. However, God tells us the last days will see an acceleration of this evil trait. That certainly seems to be the case today. Children assume that their parents are out of touch and don’t know what is going on. The “system” is designed to support this disobedience.
There is also an increase in those who are unthankful. More people think that they are owed things. We are seeing more and more land claims issues and more and more people who take over a park or some other place and squat there and expect others to respect that and accept it.
A lack of holiness is also a mark of our times. It is quite common now for a man and a woman just to live together. No interest in marriage. They just decided to move in together and some will have children and some will not. Then if things don’t work out they just split and find someone else. We hear of rich people and politicians who have their secret islands where they take young girls and even boys to abuse them. They walk around with their heads held high as if this is normal. Some are going to court, but even then there is no shame. God tells us this is all going to be the nature of the last days.
In verse 3 we see that there will be an increase of those who do not have natural affection. Again this affects many areas. Parents, who do not have that natural affection for their children. They are willing to drop them off at schools and other places where they are abused and the parents do not care. Children who are quite content to stick their parents into a home where they are not looked after properly. Children want the convenience of maybe seeing their parents occasionally in those places, but they want the “liberty” to do their own thing and not be “tied down” by looking after their elderly parents.
Trucebreakers are those who do not keep their word. We know that most politicians fit that category. They do not keep their word and most people are content with that. False accusers are those who make up lies about others. We saw that in the U.S. for most of Mr. Trump’s presidency. The Clintons hired people to spread a lie about Mr. Trump and for most of his 4 year term they wasted tax payer dollars trying to make something stick to get rid of Mr. Trump as president. The FBI was in on it and again, there was no shame. No one has been put in jail for that crime. That is a high profile case that shows us that anyone can be susceptible to these blatant lies and without the money that Mr. Trump has to fight these things, people will be completely discredited and even imprisoned with no recourse.
Incontinent speaks of people who lack self-control. We see that with the shootings and stabbings taking place. People just let their emotions take control of them and some of them do very wicked things. God says this will increase in the last days and again we have seen this happening over the past several years.
We see also that more and more people will be despisers of those that are good. Standards of right and wrong are dropping. Governments are passing laws to prohibit good people from seeking to help others know how to be good as well. The government just passed Bill C4 which makes it illegal to use conversion therapy on a sodomite. The essence of that bill will make it illegal for any true pastor to preach from Romans 1 or other passages that address this wicked lifestyle. Sodomy is not a normal way of living. No one is born that way. However, more and more people are expressing themselves in this way and parents and others do not know how to address this sin.
Paul was directed by God to warn Timothy of what was ahead. God also preserved His Word so that we today can know what is ahead. For those that are truly saved, life will not be the same as it was just a few years ago. We are not going back to a more free world either. We are seeing the pleasure that wicked people have in advancing their wicked agenda. Because most people have no interest in truth, they support or at least tolerate this wickedness. Perilous times are here. As we move on in this passage we will see God’s answer to this situation. It is not at all like society thinks it is. Those who are saved will face some real challenges. Those who are lost will face worse times in the end. It is still wise to be saved and live for the Lord. These perilous times will be for a short time. There is still hope for man. That hope is in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour and serving Him faithfully.
Pastor Bartel
