Dangerous times

March 9, 2022 (Wednesday)

 

Paul addressed “the last days” in 2 Timothy 3. He begins, “Understand that the last days will be dangerous times.” [2 Timothy 3:1 CEB] Most of the language in this verse is unique and leads to a tangled web, so let’s dig through the maze.

 

The idea of “last days” has been open to debate. One line of thought is that it refers to the time from Jesus’ resurrection until the end. This view puts Christians under a persecution complex. Indeed, Christians through the ages have found themselves on the outside of culture and influence. However, the Greek text indicates this as a specific time that is imminent and unexpected. This leads to the idea that Paul is referring to a specific time just before the return of Jesus.

 

The idea of “dangerous times” tends to be translated as “difficult” of “grievous.” Matthew Henry makes the point that the church has endured persecution from outside and corruption from inside. His point is people compete to “get what he can, anxious to keep what he had.” This scrum to scratch perceived limited resources from the claws of another makes life difficult. However, the translators of the KJV perceived the Greek text to indicate danger not difficult, this line of reasoning is followed in the CEB.

 

Paul writes this warning so that Timothy, and by extension his readers, would “understand.” He is not trying to generate fear. It is a simple statement of fact that will help us prepare. The general understanding of the first century church (and should be of every generation of believers) has been the imminent, unexpected, and close at hand return of Jesus.

 

This expectation has two results. It can lead to discouragement and disillusionment. There are some who have given up on the idea a future understanding of Revelation and other prophecies that can be read as “end times.” The other result is maintenance of some sort of sanity. As followers of Jesus, we believe there will be a day when all wrongs will be set right. Historically this was the task of the church. For the last few hundred years, the growing despair has led many to the idea that Jesus would set all things right, not a human organization.

 

In verses 3 – 4 Paul outlines a short list of what people will be like. “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” [ESV] This list feels like “business as usual.”

 

The thing we should pay attention to is Paul is addressing the corruption within the church. Paul states, “They will look like they are religious but deny God’s power. Avoid people like this.” [2 Timothy 3:5 CEB] He continues in verse seven, “always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” [ESV]

 

In 1 Timothy 4:7, Paul advised, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness.” [ESV] He warned the Colossian church, “See to it that nobody enslaves you with philosophy and foolish deception, which conform to human traditions and the way the world thinks and acts rather than Christ.” [Colossians 2:8 ESV]

 

We live in dangerous times. We complicate our faith with traditions and myths. We endlessly learn without arriving at understanding. We exercise a powerless religion filled with motions, appearance, and in those times of need fall back to self-help advice. All the while we are stuck in our sin. Meanwhile, the world hurtles itself into the abyss. People charge stubbornly into Hell proclaiming “I did it my way!”

 

We have lived on the razor’s edge of an extinction event. We are relaxing, hopeful we are on the down side of a pandemic. We are dealing with a sociopath with the ability to kill much of the world’s population in a blink. What’s next? Anyone really think we have the ability to solve our own problems?

 

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” [Matthew 6:10 ESV]