Devotion 8 – Warning of Perilous Times
2 Tim.3:1-5 – “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!”
Paul, in his letters to Timothy, warns that in the last days we would be living in difficult or perilous times. During that time, Paul himself was already living in very threatening and hazardous times and had gone through many extreme trials and sufferings for the gospel’s sake.
Here is a list that still falls short of all he had suffered. It comes from 2 Corinthians 11:23-33:
2 Cor.11:23-27 – “Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 24 Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. 26 I have travelled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.[a] 27 I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.”
- in labours more abundant
- in stripes above measure
- in prisons frequently
- faced death often
- from the Jews five times he received thirty-nine stripes minus one
- three times he was beaten with rods
- once he was stoned
- three times he was shipwrecked
- a night and a day he have been in the deep
- on long journeys often and in perils of waters, robbers, Jews, Gentiles, city, wilderness, desert, sea, false brethren
- in weariness and toil and in sleeplessness often
- in hunger and thirst and in cold and nakedness
Adding to that, he was:
- given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him (2 Cor.12:7).
- abandoned by all friends while imprisoned (2 Tim.1:15).
- despaired even of life (2 Cor.1:8).
- no kindred spirit who would be concerned for the welfare of the Philippian church (Phil.2:20)
Thirteen of the New Testament epistles were authored by Paul and of those thirteen epistles, four of them were written while in prison - Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. Yet, he warned that in the last days, more ‘difficult’ times were coming. Is he warning the churches of greater persecution and trials that what he had suffered?
Unfortunately, the last days’ ‘difficult times’ that Paul warned us is not just referring to greater persecution and trials, but also that they are due to the growing worldliness of the church as the believer’s heart becomes self-centred instead of God-centred. More and more believers indulge in growing their own world of comfort over the kingdom of God, and it will become more and more difficult to teach, preach, and practice the unadulterated truth of God’s Word. They will reject the power of the Holy Spirit or the grace of God in their lives that makes them godly. In other words, they are unchanged believers. This is happening all around us, more so than ever before.
2 Tim.3:7 - “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”
Today, we have no lack of teaching through conferences, books, internet, etc. But sadly, the Church is growing towards worldliness rather than holiness.