Day 681: Watch out for sharks - 2 Timothy 3 vs 1 - 9

1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2-4 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,  5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. 

6-7 Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8-9 Just as Jannes and Jambres  opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and  disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. 2 Timothy 3:1-9 From the English Standard Version.

There’s a very frightening twist to the terrible list the apostle Paul gives in vs 2-4 of what people will be like 'in the last days'. What were the first two conditions of the hearts of the people he warns Timothy about.

‘Lovers of self and lovers of money’! Doesn't that so accurately describe who causes the most trouble in the world. No surprise then that they are also ‘proud and arrogant’. He points out that it filters down even to the younger generation who are ‘disobedient to parents’ and have an attitude of ‘ungratefulness’. He mentions also how callous people become – they are ‘heartless and brutal’. Holiness is not part of their lifestyle, sinful pleasures mean much more to them than God. He says they have cast off self-control and can't be trusted in any way. What a picture of so many celebrities who have such big influence in our world, from pop stars to politicians. But what is the sad and surprising twist in vs 5?

Some of these people will put on an outward show of being religious. Despite their love of self, they may still attend some Church meetings – especially if a senior person in the world's eyes, like a Bishop or a Pope, is conducting the service. But it doesn't even end there. What's the more frightening thing Paul says in vs 6-7?

Some of the people he spoke of in vs 2-4 will creep in amongst Christians, perhaps even posing as shepherds of the flock. They will be pastors who love the limelight and money, and they will prey on the most vulnerable. In Paul's day that would often be weaker women who could be easily influenced. He likens the false shepherds to Jannes and Jambres who are thought to be Pharaoh's magicians who imitated some of the miracles Moses did. What a tragic situation. So when would all of this happen?

Some take the phrase 'last days' to refer to a time just before Jesus returns. But the last days already began when He returned to heaven. Hebrews 2:1-2 says: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets. But in these last days He has spoken to us by his Son.” The book of James spoke of greedy rich people who were already exploiting the poor in what he called “the last days”. (James 5:3) And the apostle Peter spoke of people in his generation who were mocking Christians, and he said to the believers: “You must remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.” (2 Peter 3:2-3)

The Church was infiltrated by arrogant, unholy, money loving people from it's earliest days. And those sort of people are very much alive and active in Churches today. To them the gospel is all about possessions. They teach that God is at our beck and call to give us whatever we ask. But Paul said of the charlatans of his generation “they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all.” The same is true for religious sharks today. Paul warned Timothy to be on his guard against such people – and so must we.