Dangerous Times

DATE: SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

Topic: "Dangerous Times" 2 Timothy 3:1-5 Could it be that the Lord is yet to come? It can be seen in these times that the list of sins that are in these verses is very similar to the description of the ungodly pagans in Romans 1:18-32. Unfortunately, the conditions that exist among the heathen in their savage and uncivilized state are the same characteristics of some professed believers in the last days. These are dangerous times, and we must get away and avoid such.

I. "...in the last days..."

A. These are the days between the apostolic period and the visible manifestation of Christ to establish His kingdom.

1. (Vs. 2) When these verses are studied, the repetition of the word “… lovers…” (Vs. 2-4) impacts.

2. We can see that it speaks of those who are "...lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God."

3. In Vs. 3 the expression “… haters of the good…” literally means “non-lovers of the good”.

4. (Vs. 2-5) Here are characteristics of the people who will live during the last days:

a. Lovers of themselves = egocentric, vain, they want to be the center of attention, the center of the world, they look out only for their interests, they want the attention of others, they are vain, they have an exaggerated adoration of themselves, they are egotistical.

b. Lovers of money = greedy, covetous of money.

c. Vainglorious = boastful, presumptuous, praised, arrogant, with words puffed up with themselves.

d. Proud = arrogant, haughty, who believe they are superior to those around them, proud, value themselves above others.

e. Blasphemers = cursing, profane, use abusive words against God or against sacred things, use offenses, insults, offend, outrage.

f. Disobedient to parents = rebellious, negligent in their duties, uncontrolled.

g. Ungrateful = thankless, ungenerous, lack appreciation.

h. Unholy = profane, irreverent, having nothing sacred in them.

i. (Vs. 3) Without natural affection = hard-hearted, insensitive, hardened.

j. Relentless = ruthless, refuse to make peace, reject efforts towards reconciliation.

k. Slanderers = defamatory, who spread false and malicious testimonies.

l. Intemperate = people of uncontrolled passions, who have no moderation, who treat others without temperance (without speaking or acting in a cautious and fair way). In the intemperate person that does not exist!

m. Cruel = brutal, bloodthirsty, irate, lack principles.

n. Haters of the good = totally opposed to goodness in any of its forms.

o. (Vs. 4) Traitors = disloyal, who betray, unfaithful, deserters, ungrateful, unworthy. What better example than Judas!

p. Impetuous = willful, hasty, who move violently, their will is above their understanding, they do things too quickly without caring about consequences.

q. Infatuated = vain pretensions, conceited, vain.

r. Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God = those who love sensual pleasures, but not God.

5. (Vs. 5) Externally, these people seem religious! They deceive!

6. They profess to be Christians, but THEIR ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN THEIR WORDS!

7. By their ungodly conduct, they show that they are living a lie.

8. In their lives there is no evidence of the power of God.

9. While they may have once been reformed and improved somewhat, there was never such a regeneration that they were able to completely stop the harmful behavior.

10. The Rev. Weymounth translates it: "They will maintain a pretense of piety, but they will exclude its power."

11. Rev. Moffat: "Although they have a form of religion, they have nothing to do with it as a life force."

12. Rev. Phillips translates it: "They will maintain a facade of 'religion', but their conduct will deny its validity."

13. These people want to be religious while keeping their sins (Revelation 3: 14-22)!

14. Rev. Hiebert warns us: "It is the terrible portrait of an apostate Christianity (separated from Jesus, deny the faith, leave the religion), a new paganism masked under the name of Christianity."

15. “…avoid these…” From those people Timothy must turn away!

16. They are the vessels of dishonor described in the previous chapter, and from which Timothy, and anyone who loves the Lord, must cleanse himself (2 Timothy 2:20, 21). Amen.