BUT: Touto de:
"But"
(de) is a conjunction standing after a clause that
frequently denotes transition and serves to introduce something else,
whether opposed to what precedes or simply continuative or explanatory.
Here the conjunction indicates a change of direction, from admonition to
be a “vessel for honor” characterized by kindness, patience, and
gentleness, to the admonition to be a responsible and fearless guardian,
protecting against false doctrine and immoral living. Timothy is now
called to realize that the opposition to the truth will grow more
intense and that men (having a form of godliness) will arise in the
professed circle of believers, who will not be redeemed.
Donald Hubbard has an
interesting outline of this chapter dividing it into two sections...
Part I - Understanding the
Ways of the World (1–9) so that...
Part II - We may undertake a witness to the world (10–17)
REALIZE THIS: ginoske (2PPAM):
The NIV rendering gets your attention -- "but mark this..."
Literally it reads "this know" which is phrased to get Timothy's
attention. This truth is important to know. Forewarned is forearmed. Don’t
be naïve and think that everything is going to be okay. It’s not all
going to be okay. But forewarned is forearmed. If we know what is going
to happen, we won’t be surprised when it does.
"Realize"
(ginosko) is intelligent comprehension and here is present
tense, imperative (command) mood and so is calling for Timothy to make
this his continual mindset to understand these things. The antonym of
ginosko is agnoeo, to be ignorant of or fail to recognize the
character of. In spiritual warfare ignorance of the character of these "last
days" is not "bliss" but can lead to disaster and defeat. Paul commands Timothy
as a good soldier (and by application all saints in these last days)
to continually know, to continually keep before him the realization of
the intensity of the struggle for the truth.
The description that follows is of individuals who increasingly put
themselves and their own desires ahead of every other consideration. The
Christian soldier's duty is to remain
true to their Lord, not to deny Him or His truth and to endure hardship
despite difficult times, boldly proclaiming the Gospel that brings "the
salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory" despite deception
and corruption within the church and persecution
from without.
Ray Pritchard has a
humorous intro to a not to funny chapter...
You’ve probably heard the old joke
about the fellow who was told, “Cheer up. Things could be worse.” So he
said, “I did as I was told. I cheered up, and sure enough, things got
worse.” That in a nutshell is the message of II Timothy (especially
chapter 3) (2
Timothy 3: Perilous Times)
THAT IN
THE LAST DAYS: hoti en eschatais hemerais: (4:3;
Ge 49:1;
Is2:2;
Je48:47;
49:39;
Eze38:16;
Da10:14;
Ho3:5;
Mic4:1;Acts
2:17 1Ti4:1;
Heb1:2
2Pe3:3;
Js5:3 1Jn2:18;
Jude18)
We
are living in the "Last
days" (eschatos
= last & gives us our English "eschatology" the theology of the final
events of the world + hemera = day)
a phrase that is not necessarily, as some exegetes state, only referring
to the period immediately preceding the Second Coming of Christ. The writer of Hebrews says that
God "in
these last days has spoken to us in His Son" (Heb1:2)
which refers to His first coming.
Luke writes that
"in the last days
God says that "I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind" (Acts
2:17)
which is a prophecy from Joel which was partially fulfilled at Pentecost.
Comparing Scripture with Scripture, one can deduce that the "last
days"
is inaugurated by Messiah's First Coming, continues through Pentecost
and comes to its culmination with the Second Coming of Christ, when "the
Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings" (Mal4:2)
The "last
days"
included Timothy's day for Paul warned him in (v5) to "avoid such men
as these" indicating that "last day's deceivers" were already
present.
Peter also warned the saints about
"difficult times"
exhorting them to "Know this first of all, that in the
last
days mockers
will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts and
saying, "Where is the promise of His coming?"
(2Pe3:3,
3:4)
For completeness, it
should also be noted that the OT uses "last days" in a
context which includes at least the setting up of Messiah's earthly
(millennial) kingdom. E.g., the prophet Isaiah writes that
"In the
last days, the mountain of the house of the LORD will be
established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the
hills and all the nations will stream to it."
Commenting on this prophecy
John MacArthur
writes that
"Old Testament prophets, being without a clear
word regarding the time between the Messiah’s two advents, linked the
expression to the Messiah’s return to establish His earthly kingdom,
i.e., the millennial kingdom spoken about in (Rev20:1-10)
and that "the mountain of the Lord ’s house" is a "reference
is to Mt. Zion, the location of the temple in Jerusalem." (Check
the context of these other OT Scriptures referring to last days [Eze38:16,
Ho3:5,
Mic4:1]
)
At any
moment, Christ may return and bring all our activities and ambitions to
a screeching halt. Since today could literally be the "last day"
for any of us, we should
"number our days, that we may present to
(our Lord) a heart of wisdom." (Ps90:12)
for Jesus said
"Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing
when he comes." (Lu12:43)
Vance Havner says that our day is one of
"anarchy in the world, of
apostasy in the church and of apathy in the individual believer".
Ray Pritchard comments on the phrase "the last days" noting that
it...
has at least three meanings. It can
apply to the entire period between the first and second comings of
Christ. Since Christ could have come at any time, the entire church age
can be called the “last days.” It also applies to unique periods of
spiritual testing that occur at different times in different places.
Finally, it obviously applies to the last few weeks and months and years
preceding our Lord’s return to the earth. I find it helpful to think in
terms of labor pains. A pregnant woman knows when she is about to give
birth by the frequency and severity of her labor pains. In the same way,
the various things that Paul lists in the first few verses of II Timothy
3 will always be present in some form, but will increase dramatically
near the end of the age. Are we in the “last days?” No matter how you
define it, the answer is yes. And we may indeed be living in the final
days before the return of Christ to the earth. (2
Timothy 3: Perilous Times)
DIFFICULT TIMES
TIMES WILL COME: ensthesontai (3PFMI) kairoi chalepoi: (Da7:8;
7:20-25
11:36-45;
12:1,7,11;
2 Th2:3-12;
1Ti4:1-3)
"Violent periods" (GWT)
"Terrible times" (NIV).
"Difficult"
is the Greek word chalepos used one other time by Luke to describe
two demon possessed men as "violent"
("fierce", "savage", "dangerous") (Mt8:28)!
Webster says "fierce" is
violently hostile or aggressive in temperament, given to fighting or
killing, extremely vexatious, furiously active or determined, wild or
menacing appearance, and applies to humans and animals that inspire
terror because of their wild and menacing aspect or fury in attack. This
picture should give one a good sense of the character of the "times" and
they will only go from bad to worse so don't be shocked!
Wiersbe offers the interesting thought
that the use of chalepos to describe demons and last days
"suggests
that the violence of the last times will be energized by demons." (1Ti4:1)
Ancient secular writers used chalepos to describe an
ill-fitting cuirass (piece of armor covering the body from neck to
waist), the "severity" of the wind, and of "hardships" or
"sufferings".
One ancient writer used chalepos to describe "life"
saying "life is a hard thing"!
Other secular uses described individuals as hard to deal with, harsh,
severe, stern or strict, or a a judge as severe or an
animal as savage. Plutarch used
chalepos to describe an ugly, infected, and
dangerous wound! Timothy (and all saints) needed to know that the world
would become increasingly violent, hard to bear, dangerous and even
savage.
Vance Havner says that our day is
one of anarchy in the world, of apostasy in the church and of apathy in
the individual believer.
Vine says that
"In the present passage it (chalepos) intimates the
difficulty of keeping to the path of rectitude."
Hard, difficult to bear,
distressing and grievous seasons are coming Timothy. To expect these
times is to become not a pessimist but a realist.
Calvin reminds us that
what Paul is describing is not so much bad times but bad
people, writing that
“We should note what the hardness or danger of this
time is in Paul’s view to be, not war, not famine or diseases, nor any
of the other calamities or ills that befall the body, but the wicked and
depraved ways of men....
He goes on to say that
"Paul,
therefore informs (Timothy), that the Church will be subject to
terrible diseases, which will require in the pastors uncommon fidelity,
diligence, watchfulness, prudence, and unwearied constancy; as if he
enjoined Timothy to prepare for arduous and deeply anxious contests
which awaited him. And hence we learn, that, so far from giving way, or
being terrified, on account of any difficulties whatsoever, we ought, on
the contrary. to arouse our hearts for resistance.
In short, the “last days” will be fierce, violent, dangerous and
frightening. The last days will be savage times when men cast off all
moral restraint and society begins to disintegrate.
"Will
come" (enistemi
from en = in + hístemi = stand) means
to set in, to be at hand, to
happen, with the
implication of there being a particular set of circumstances (“shall be
imminent” “shall come unexpectedly”).
The idea is that these difficult times will "settle in upon" Timothy and
upon all saints in these "last days"..
"Times"
is not
chronos (chronological referring to clock or calendar time)
but kairos which refers to
periods of time, to seasons, epochs, or eras (click for detailed discussion of kairos).
Trench defines
kairos as
“a critical, epoch-making period foreordained of
God when all that has been slowly, and often without observation,
ripening through long ages, is mature and comes to the birth in grand
decisive events, which constitute at once the close of one period and
the commencement of another.”
Within this period of
“last days” there will be “times” (seasons) of different kinds. These
perilous "seasons" will become more and more
intense for "evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse"
(2Ti3:13), whereas the intervening
periods of relative tranquility will become less frequent and peaceful,
as the return of Christ nears.
Paul uses this idea of "kairos"
to motivate the saints at Rome writing
"knowing the time ...
it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep for now salvation is
nearer to us than when we believed."
In difficult times, we must
persevere with the Bible in our hands and the witness of the Spirit in
our hearts.
Pritchard
notes that...
In 1988 evangelical philosopher and
theologian Carl Henry made a stunning prediction in his book, Twilight
of a Great Civilization (Crossway Books). He said that as America
progressively loses its Judeo-Christian heritage, paganism would grow
bolder. What we saw in the last half of the 20th-century was a kind of
benign humanism, but he predicted that by the start of the 21st-century,
we would face a situation not unlike the first-century when the
Christian faith confronted raw paganism—humanism with the pretty face
ripped off, revealing the angry monster underneath. His words have come
true, and are coming truer with every passing day. (2
Timothy 3: Perilous Times)
We should all manifest
the outlook and attitude of
"the sons of
Issachar" who
were men who "understood the temper of the times and knew the best
course for Israel to take." (NLT) (1
Ch12:32).
