2 Timothy 3:1-7
"1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these. 6 For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Looking at this scripture, it is hard to believe that Paul did not have today in mind when he wrote it. It is easy to look at the world, and its debaucherous behavior, and think that all is ending and that we are in the end times right now.
But here is an interesting tidbit, we are not there, the world is not yet bad enough.
Oh, for sure some places are. San Francisco, New York City, Paris, Rome, even Chicago could be added to the list, yet the reality is that before we see the end times, every city will be like these, and most smaller cities and even the towns too. You might think our society is as bad as it can get, but I promise you, it is not even close to being as bad as the collapse of the Roman or Grecian empires.
But there are three key points in the scripture above that I'd like to point out to you:
1) "Men will be lovers of self." Most people mistake this for the traits vain and haughty, but that's not in fact what is said when you understand the Grecian concept. What is being said is that they will seek selfish desires and self pleasure, not that they will spend hours in a mirror admiring themselves. This is one of the key understandings of where our world is heading. People will desire pleasure more than moral goodness, and it will only get worse.
2) The next big change in this list is when it switches from our relationship to God to our relationship to others in the middle of verse two. It begins talking about how they will be slanderers and gossips, disobedient to parents, unloving, and irreconcilable. Think about that list. This list shows that their selfishness will not only vent itself toward God, but also toward others, and particularly those who do not bolster them in their own self gratification.
3) The final point of this scripture is where it says, "having a form of godliness, but denying its power." In other words, they will hold on to something as if it were a god, but they will not call it a god, nor give it godly powers. Does this not define modern "spiritualism?"
"Oh, I believe that there are spirits, but there isn't a God." or "God is just the spirits around us that we can feel."
By defining the supernatural as something other than God, they remove any and all requirements that He might have for their lives. They an live how they want, do what they want, be who they want because the only thing that they have to worry about is spirits who are ultimately just like them. Funny how they are so intent on believing that God conforms to the will of man...
These people, as Paul says, will always see the truth, but never be able to accept it. Why? Because they are determined not to. They are so wrapped up in their self serving pleasure that they view the God of the universe as an interruption to that. Imagine that... the God of the universe is an inconvenience because he does not let us do what makes us feel good, even if it is bad for us.
This is why it is so important to group together with like minded believers who will help us avoid the moral erosion that comes with the times.
If you are not a part of a church currently, it really is time to find a good one. We are going to need all the help we can get.
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