2 Timothy 3:1-2

 

 

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2 Timothy 3:1  But realize (2PPAM this, that in the last days difficult times will come (3PFMI)

Greek: Touto de ginoske (2PPAM) hoti en eschatais hemerais enstesontai (3PFMI) kairoi chalepoi; 
Amplified: BUT UNDERSTAND this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear].
GWT:  You must understand this: In the last days there will be violent periods of time.
KJV: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
NLT: You should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.
Phillips: But you must realise that in the last days the times will be full of danger
Wuest: This be constantly knowing, that in the last days difficult times will set in
Young's Literal: And this know thou, that in the last days there shall come perilous times,

REFERENCES ON 2 TIMOTHY 3

Gilles Castonguay
Gilles Castonguay
Gilles Castonguay
Gilles Castonguay
Gilles Castonguay
Gilles Castonguay
Gilles Castonguay
Gilles Castonguay
Chrysostom
Thomas Constable
Dwight Edwards
David Guzik
Alexander Maclaren
Ray Pritchard
A T Robertson
J C Ryle
C H Spurgeon
Ray Stedman
Marvin Vincent
Precept Ministries

2 Timothy 3:1-2: God's View of These Last Days

2 Timothy 3:2: The Selfishness of These Last Days

2 Timothy 3:2: The Pride & Arrogance of These Last Days

2 Timothy 3:2: The Disrespect & Rebellion of These Last Days

2 Timothy 3:2-3: The Stone Coldness of These Last Days

2 Timothy 3: 3: The Brutal Hatred of These Last Days

2 Timothy 3:4: The Blatant Hedonism of These Last Days

2 Timothy 3:5-9: The Dead Religion of These Last Days
2 Timothy 3:1-14: Homily VIII

2 Timothy: Expository Notes (PDF)
2 Timothy - Call to Completion
2 Timothy 3: Well Done Succinct Notes
2 Timothy 3:5 Form and Power
2 Timothy 3: Perilous Times

2 Timothy 3 Greek Word Study -- Word Pictures in the NT
2 Timothy 3:5: Formalism
2 Timothy 3:5: The Form of Godliness Without the Power
2 Timothy 3:1-9: Dangerous Times
2 Timothy 3: Greek Word Studies in the NT
2Timothy download lesson 1 of 13

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).

 

2 Timothy 3:2  For men will be (3PFMI) lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,

Greek: esontai (3PFMI) gar oi anthropoi philautoi, philarguroi, alazones, huperephanoi, blasphemoi, goneusin apeitheis, acharistoi, anosioi, 
Amplified: For people will be lovers of self and [utterly] self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate [greedy] desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.
Barclay
: For men will live a life that is centred in self; they will be lovers of money, braggarts, arrogant, lovers of insult, disobedient to their parents, thankless, regardless even of the ultimate decencies of life
KJV
: For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
GWT:  People will be selfish and love money. They will brag, be arrogant, and use abusive language. They will curse their parents, show no gratitude, have no respect for what is holy,
NLT: For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
Phillips: Men will become utterly self-centred, greedy for money, full of big words. They will be proud and contemptuous, without any regard for what their parents taught them. They will be utterly lacking in gratitude, purity and normal human affections.
Wuest:  for men shall be fond of themselves, fond of money, swaggerers, haughty, revilers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy
Young's Literal: for men shall be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, evil-speakers, to parents disobedient, unthankful, unkind,

FOR MEN WILL BE LOVERS OF SELF: esontai (3PFMI) gar oi anthropoi philautoi: (Ro15:1-3; 2 Co5:15; Php2:21; Js2:8)

The "difficult times" will be primarily because of "difficult people" ("bad people" more than "bad times"). The coming seasons will be hard to bear and grievous because of the "difficult" people living in them as attested by a list of traits picturing mankind totally concentrated on self and in clear opposition to God. From hearts corrupted and distorted by self love flow all the other heinous sins.

"Lovers of self" (philautos is from phileo = have great affection for or be friend to + autos = self) means literally loving oneself, selfish, intent on one's own interests or concerned solely with one’s own desires, needs, or interests.

A close OT parallel is seen in the decadent days of the Judges when "there was no king in Israel" and the result was that when their focus was off of their true king, the Lord,

"everyone did what was right in his own eyes." (Jdg21:25

This trait appropriately heads the list since "self love" is the essence of all sin and the root from which all the other characteristics spring. The "center of gravity" of the natural man is self not Christ. We hear a lot today about how all people should love themselves no matter what their conduct is, with the hope that loving themselves will make their conduct better, but it never does. We don’t need to be encouraged to love self more but to love self less even to the point of a willingness to die to self.

Jesus was unmistakably clear on this vital point teaching that

"If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel's shall save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?" (Mk8:34, 8:35, 8:36

Paul echoes the words of Jesus writing that

"He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf." (2Co5:15)

How tragic that many in the church are intoxicated with "love for self" rather than "death of self" turning God’s truth completely on its head. How preposterous that the source of evil (self) is now being lauded as the source of good. The fallacious false doctrine that one of the main problems that we have is that we don't think highly enough of ourselves has slithered into the church in the form of self-esteem, self-worth, self-fulfillment, positive self-image, positive thinking, etc. In the late 20th century one of the best selling secular books was blatantly titled Looking Out for Number One!.

Wayne Barber defining lovers of self adds that

"phílos refers to cherished affection, an emotional type of love or relationship type of word, whereas agape is a commitment of the will. So Paul is describing a person who cherishes or is obsessed with himself. These "lovers of self" are most dangerous when they are inside the walls of the church (cf proliferation of books on "self-worth", "self-esteem", etc) Scripture to the contrary says that "that our old self was crucified with" Christ (Ro6:6)

Our new identity is now not found in our SELF but our identity is found in the Lord Jesus Christ and this is where our "self worth" is truly found. When we admit that we are "zero" apart from Jesus, there is something within our spirit that is set free, because it recognizes how much I depend on Him to infuse His life, character & power within us."

Quoting (Gal2:20) "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…" Dr. Barber goes on to explain that "Our life is now to drawn totally from Christ's presence within us." He goes on to give an illustration of self living versus Christ living in and through us saying that "I'm going to wake up tomorrow morning and love my brother." By noon God's going to put a brother in your life you did not know existed and by 2 pm you're going to say "God I can't love this brother." And God will say "That's what I've been trying to tell you. Go back to the Cross and admit what "self" can do and then come to Me and let me love that brother through you." Christianity is not a set of rules we follow but is a Person living in us Who has moved in, taken over and set up new management. He is allowing me now to draw from Him and He is in me everything that I am not."

Barclay (critique) says that this list

"is one of the most terrible pictures in the New Testament of what a godless world would be like, with the terrible qualities of godlessness set out in a ghastly series...It is no accident that the first of these qualities will be a life that is centred in self.  The adjective used is philautos, which means self-loving.  Love of self is the basic sin, from with all others flow.  The moment a man makes his own will the centre of life, divine and human relationships are destroyed, obedience to God and charity to men both become impossible.  The essence of Christianity is not the enthronement but the obliteration of self.”  

MacArthur comments that

"Under sacramentalism, the church replaced God; under rationalism, reason was god; under orthodoxism, god was sterile, impersonal orthodoxy; under politicism, god was the state; under ecumenism, god was uncritical fellowship and cooperation among nominal Christians; under experientialism, god became personal experience; and under subjectivism, which still reigns in much of Christendom, self has become god."

The18th century preacher Samuel Johnson said,

“He that overvalues himself will undervalue others. And he that undervalues others will oppose them.”

Self-love alienates men from God and from each other. Self-love is the supreme enemy of godliness and of genuine friendship and fellowship with the Creator.

LOVERS OF MONEY: philarguroi: (
Lu12:15; Ro1:29; Col3:5; 2Pe2:3;14 ,15; Jude11, 16 Rev18:12,13)

"Lovers of money" (philarguros is from philos = loving or friend + arguros = silver, money) describes a person who is "fond" of money, avaricious (greedy of gain = excessively acquisitive especially in seeking to hoard riches) and implies obsessive acquisitiveness especially of money. This form of covetousness naturally flows out of a selfish heart and is “a rot of all kinds of evil.”  This trait would naturally follow "self love" as it indicates the means for the gratification of self. The only other use in the NT describes the arrogant Pharisees as "lovers of money." (Lu16:14)

Wayne Barber defines "
lovers of Money" as

"prosperity seekers – they pursue and cherish money. A person working overtime to get wealthy qualifies as a lover of money. It doesn't matter if you are wealthy or not. The key is what is your motivation and how you got there. A lover of self will love money because money is what does for self what humanly speaking nothing else can do. Whereas Christianity seeks to put self on the Cross, money builds self up in the world's eyes. Application: How do you handle money? This will tell you where your heart is "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Mt6:21) And we can find this in the ministry – "Name it and Claim it", "Get right with God and get rich." This message works in America but try preaching it in Romania. This message is like poison which will start with the dead ones and move eventually into the living ones and paralyze the things that God is wanting to do."

A proper historical context helps understand this mention of "lovers of money", for Timothy's work lay in Ephesus, perhaps the greatest market in the ancient world. In those days trade tended to flow down river valleys and; Ephesus was at the mouth of the River Cayster commanding the trade of one of the richest hinterlands in all Asia Minor. At Ephesus some of the greatest roads in the world met including the great trade route from the Euphrates valley which came by way of Colosse and Laodicea and poured the wealth of the east into the lap of Ephesus. It is not surprising that Ephesus was called "The Treasure-house of the ancient world" the epitome of materialism and prosperity in the ancient world and thus the kind of town where a man could so easily lose his soul. And so Timothy is warned of "difficult" people who love money not God.

In this universe there is God, and there are people and things. We should worship God, love people, and use things (discriminately, wisely). But if we start worshiping ourselves, we will ignore God and start loving things and using people. And this is a sure fire formula for a miserable life, but it sadly characterizes most of America today & even many who call themselves "Christians". The worldwide craving for things is just one evidence that people’s hearts have turned away from God.

BOASTFUL: alazones: (
Ps10:3; 49:6; 52:1; Is10:15; Ac5:36; Ro1:29-31; 11:18; 2Th2:4; Ja4:16; 2Pe2:18; Jude16)

"Boastful" (alazon) describes an arrogant individual who exaggerates or is disposed to exaggerate their own worth or importance in an overbearing manner. In his boasting he overstates the limits of truth, stressing the fact to magnify himself in his attempt to impress others. Selfish people are naturally boastful. If you want to know whether somebody loves themselves, then just listen to who they talk about.

"Boastful" refers to verbally boastful and is the characteristic of a person with a depraved mind. If you have a "sound mind" (a "healed" mind) you don't think of self in the same light as you do when you have a depraved mind. A person who is boastful is always proud of self because he thinks he deserves it. Boastful persons brag about their accomplishments, overstating the truth to the degree that it has no basis in reality. They are know-it-alls who try to deceive people into thinking they are brilliant. They love to see their names in print and their faces on television. They exaggerate their abilities, accomplishments, talents, reputations, and value to society and to the church. They are always the heroes of their own stories. Completely lacking in humility, they speak to draw attention to themselves and in their thoughts see themselves at the center of the universe. The fallen world is the source of this boastful pride (1Jn2:16), and God stands in opposition to it (Ja4:6). Perhaps the difference between the false teacher and the struggling Christian here is only a matter of degree or of sensitivity to the sin of selfishness as there are elements of this pernicious monster lurking in all of us.

ARROGANT: huperephanoi: (
Pr6:17; 1Ti6:4; Ja4:6; 1 Pe5:5)

"Arrogant" (huperephanos from hupér = over, above, + phaíno =shine, show) literally means "to show one's self above", "to appear above."

Barclay (critique) adds

"It does not so much mean the man who is conspicuous and to whom others look up, as the man who stands on his own little self-created pedestal and looks down. The characteristic of the man who is huperephanos is that he looks down on everyone else, secure in his own arrogant self-conceit."

These men regard with contempt others whom they consider beneath them, either socially, or materially, or in natural endowments. Jesus described in a

"parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt." (Lu18:9fff)

This person is proud but it is unseen. He can be praying and be arrogant and you won't know. He contrasts with the person who is boastful and who can't hide it. The arrogant person may fool you at first with humble tendencies but in the heart there is arrogance and Jehovah not only hates "haughty eyes" (Pr6:17) but is actively "opposed to the proud" (Ja4:6, 1 Pe5:5)

The difference between the boastful man and the one who is arrogant is that the boaster is a swaggering creature, who tries to bluster his way into power and eminence. No one can possibly mistake him. But the sin of the man who is arrogant is in his heart. He might even seem to be humble; but in his secret heart there is contempt for everyone else. He nourishes an all-consuming, all-pervading pride and in his heart there is a little altar where he bows down before himself.

REVILERS: blasphemoi: (
Ps73:9 Da7:25; 11:36;