04.27.22 Maybe Today

We are in the LAST days!! 

Maybe Today!!! Maybe Today!!!

2 Timothy 3:1-5

"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."

Allow me to break down this passage so we understand why it’s so important in these “LAST days” that we know the time's we are living in!!! 

Paul mentions 19 phrases or words in this passage that will tell us, the readers, what the last days will look like. 

This blog will break them down one by one. Why? So the reader will see how close the timeline is for us to be raptured!!

Let's dive into God's word together today. 

The very first word in this passage is the word “realize”. This word is used a lot in the bible. It is used as such:

Realize, know this, knowledge etc. 

It's imperative to understand how Paul starts off this letter. 

One must know, have a knowledge of. Why? Because many do not have the realization of what is really happening around them. 

The Greek word is actually ginosko. It means “experiential knowledge”, “intelligent comprehension”, and “knowledge obtained by experience”. 

The opposite word for ginosko is agnoeo. Agnoeo means, “to be ignorant of or fail to recognize the character of”. Both sides, the saved and unsaved, are very ignorant of the times in which we live.

The word “last” is where we get our English word eschatology. The Greek word is “eschatos”.

The word difficult is exactly where we are now! Look around and tell me if we are not in Chalepos times. The word means “difficult, hard to bear, troublesome, hard, perilous. 

However, this same word, when used to describe the people of today, it means, “ fierce, violent dangerous, savage”.

I could sit here for a LONG time but for reading sake, I will not. My advice to you, is to do a DEEP dive into each WORD in this passage and you will SEE exactly where we are!

Now, what is this passage really saying here. I will give you the meaning of each part we read here:

1. For men will be lovers of self – The Greek word is Philautos. Which means an affection for. Do we not see today and abundance of self-love? Selfishness? One’s OWN interests above anyone else’s? We see this in so many ways that are sugar coated by the words of: “self-help”, “self-care”, and of course “SELFies”. Everything we do today is around SELF. Jesus made this very clear that we should what? We should DENY ourselves and take up HIS cross and FOLLOW Him.
2. Lovers of money – The Greek word is Philarguros. It means “loving money or covetous”. This word is from philos which means loving or friend and arguros meaning silver or money. It describes a person who is “obsessed with money, one who is "fond" of money, one who is greedy of gain, one who likes to hoard their riches." Now let’s reflect on the phrase “lovers of self” from above. If one loves themselves, they become covetous and because the love of money would be birthed out of their selfish heart. Remember the verse the LOVE of Money is the “root of all kinds of evil.” Money is not bad, the LOVE of it is. Part of loving yourself is you also wanting to satisfy yourself.
3. Boastful – The Greek word is alazon. It simply means an arrogant individual who exaggerates or exaggerates their own worth or importance in a pompous manner. This also refers to someone who is in a depraved mind.
4. Arrogant – The Greek word is huperephanos from huper which means over, above, and phaino which means shine or to show. The word means to show one's self above", "to appear above". This word is also a characteristic of a person who looks down on everyone else and their security is found in their own arrogant self-conceitedness.
5. Revilers – Guess what word we get from this Greek word? Blasphemy. The Greek word is blasphemoi. This word means that your speech is insulting, slanderous, scurrilous, blasphemous, abusive, reproachful, defaming, denigrating, demeaning. To revile means to spread negative information about someone. In 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse 13 the same word used here is used there but as a noun. It is the word blasphemer.
6. Disobedient to Parents – Could a Greek word really be used here? Why yes, yes it can. The word is apeithes. It comes from the word “a” meaning without and the word peitho which means to persuade. So that means a person who refuses to obey, be compliant or be submissive. Therefore, if someone is disobedient to their parents, they will be disobedient to anyone in authority over them. Look back on 2020 and that summer!!
7. Ungrateful – acharistoi. Utterly destitute of any gratitude toward God or others. They refuse to recognize the debt they owe both to God and to men. The bible tells us to always give thanks. This is not the case today. We can't give thanks because we are so ungrateful. Give thanks to the Lord for HE is GOOD!!
8. Unholy – anosioi. This word means those who are in opposition to God. The Greek word anosioi is “a” meaning without and hosios meaning consecrated, hallowed, holy, righteous, unpolluted with wickedness. Meaning, “these people are ungodly and without regard of duty toward God or toward man and carries the idea not so much of irreligion as of gross indecency. In other words, this person not only breaks the laws of God and society, but even breaks the unwritten laws of common decency.”
9. Unloving – astorgoi. This word here is quite powerful and yet it’s something we see day in and day out. This word in other passages says “without natural affection”. This is why this word is not regarding the LGBTQ+IA. The word again a two part “a” meaning without and storge meaning family love. So this word literally is without family affection or without love for kindred and is frequently used of parent-child relationships. Storge love is instinctive, involves natural affection and is a conditional love. So many things come to mind when I read this but the main one is no natural affection for babies being murdered day in and day out. I remember when someone close to me once said, “I had an abortion and felt nothing” The same response was given when I told her what if her kids were left behind and you all had nothing or what if they died when the rapture happened? Nothing behind the eyes in that conversation. Nothing but a cold look of “oh well”- I was shocked but reflected on this passage and then was so vexed.
10. Irreconcilable – aspondoi. Simply put, these folks are trucebreakers, covenant breakers, unforgiving and unwilling to be at peace with others. The word “sponde” means to offer a drink offer, a toast of sorts to commemorate an agreement. This is the opposite of that. They are without a need to keep an agreement. Where do we see this today?
11. Malicious Gossips – diaboloi. This word is from the word “dia” and “ballo” which means to throw between. This word means to falsely accuse or divide people. I think of the gossips out there today who have hate behind the evil lies they spread. The slanderous remarks they throw because their ultimate goal is to “harm”. These are angry people who want to damage reputations and destroy lives. Everyone gossips today and the churches are also filled with them. Next time we want to gossip, myself included, let us reflect on this passage. 
12. Without Self-Control – akrateis. Such a scary word here. I am reminded of the “Days of Noah” when God saw the earth was continually wicked. This word literally is people who are powerless and/or unable to govern his fleshly appetites. That is a bold statement Paul wrote to Timothy. We see that everywhere today. Everywhere!!
13. Brutal – anemeroi. This word is only found here in this passage. It means not mild, not tame, savage, merciless, the very opposite of the gentle. After those without self-control we can see how brutal people would follow. 

ARE you seeing a pattern yet to the times in which we live currently?

1. Haters of Good – aphilagathoi. This word means without practicing what is good. Again only found in this verse here. These people are hostile and they do not have a genuine interest in anything good. The passage in Isaiah chapter 5 verse 20 comes to mind. "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
2. Treacherous - The Greek word is prodotai. Derived from prodidomi which means to give away, to betray. Betraying one another. No one has an allegiance to anyone. We saw this word used when Judas Iscariot was described in Luke chapter 6 verse 16.
3. Reckless - The Greek word is propeteis. Derived from propipto which means to fall forward or headlong. If one is reckless, they have no forethought. Their behavior is rash, impetuous, thoughtless. So no Bethel, my GOD is NOT RECKLESS!! Nothing will stop a reckless person. They plunge right into evil and they do not care about anyone or anything.
4. Conceited - The Greek word is tetuphomenoi. Derived from tuphos (typhos) which means smoke. Yup, puffed up or conceited. The Greek actually uses this word to describe one as mentally ill. This word can also mean vain conceit.
5. Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - The Greek word is philedonoi. Derived from philos which means a friend or loving along with hedone meaning pleasure, delight, enjoyment and to have sensual pleasure. This is where we get the English word of hedonism. Hedonism is a big thing today in self-love, self-care circles. It’s the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life. We could list so many things here that replace what we should be doing. Why do you think Joel Osteen and other Word of Faith guru’s are so popular today.

And finally we come to the part a lot of us know today.

Holding to a Form of Godliness, although they have Denied its Power - The Greek words are as follows:

• Holding  is echo. Mean to have, hold possess in their lifestyle.
• Form means morphosis which means outward shape or appearance. Like a silhouette.
• Godliness means eusebeia. It is derived from eu which means well and sebomai which means worship. Sebomai is derived from "seb" which refers to sacred awe or reverence exhibited especially in actions. Eusebeia describes reverence or awe that is well directed.
• Denied means arneomai. They refuse to have anything to do with godliness. Better said in the present tense, a permanent state of denial. They are not believing born again “spiritual” people.
• Power means dunamis. I am sure we’ve heard this word before by some pastor we listen to. Duna is derived from this word meaning being able. We get our English word dynamic from dunamis. We learn from this passage that a godly life is a powerful life. Nothing that we do but it’s from the power of the Holy Spirit indwelling the believers.

These words in this passage are also reflected in many passages regarding false teachers and believers.

Titus 1:16; Colossians 2:4 and 2:8; 1 Corinthians 1:18

We are told to avoid people like this. Not go to their churches, listen to their music, buy their books, read their devotionals, watch their shows. No!! AVOID. Means to purposely avoid or turn away from so as to produce separation or distance between.

I want to end this week’s blog with a quote from Ray Pritchard. He sums up this part of the verse perfectly. Again, I say time and time again, the world won’t be deceived by the tyranny of the antichrist but of the Messiah-likeness of him and the False Prophet.

"In the last days, as men turn away from God, paradoxically, they will become more religious, not less. Religion will become more popular as we approach the end times because people will seek some refuge in a world that increasingly has lost its way. They will ask the right questions, but will follow the wrong answers. It will be religion for religion’s sake, not religion for the sake of knowing Christ. They will join the church (or some other religious organization), they will be baptized, attend the services, sing and pray and give and go through the motions, but their hearts will not be in it. They will deny the very power they profess to believe. In particular, they will embrace a kind of postmodern religion that allows them to do anything, believe anything, endorse anything, live any way they choose as long as it makes them happy. They will say things like, “We don’t need to be bound by the outdated rules of the Bible. Those were written 2,000 years ago and don’t apply to us today.” That’s not far-fetched. You can say things like that today and be elected a bishop in some denominations."