This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. [2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, [3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, [4] Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; [5] Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. [6] For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, [7] Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. [8] Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. [9] But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. [10] But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, [11] Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. [12] Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. [13] But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. [14] But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; [15] And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. [16] All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: [17] That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Chapters 1-3 A. The Godless Marks of the Last Days, 3:1-9

(3:1-3) Introduction: this is a picture of future society—a terrible picture of what the last days of human history will be like. But note a shocking fact: it sounds very much like the society of today. We just do not think of our day as being so terrible; we seldom sit down and study the godless marks of society. But this is exactly what this passage does: it discusses the godless marks of the last days, marks that come close to painting a picture of our day and time. This fact points to our day as being part of the last days. It is very possible that the Lord’s return is at hand. One thing is sure, we must do just what Christ said: be prepared for His return, for He can return at any moment. (Note: a person may need to split this passage because of its length. Points one and two could be the first study, and points three and four the second study.)

1. In the last days perilous times shall come (v.1).

2. Mark 1: a godless world (v.2-4).

3. Mark 2: a powerless religion (v.5).

4. Mark 3: a corrupt ministry (v.6-9).

1. (3:1) Perilous Times—End Time: in the last days perilous times shall come. Perilous times means difficult, troublesome, trying, uneasy, hard, violent, threatening, and dangerous days. The picture is that of people turning to and fro, here and there, not knowing which way to turn. “The last days” is a Biblical term that points to the end of the present age, the days right before the return of Christ, and the end of the world. It should be noted, however, that the marks of the end time are somewhat characteristic of all ages, but they are to be intensified in the last days (cp. Matthew 24:1-25:46).

2. (3:2-4) Godless: the first mark of the last days will be a godless world. Why will the last days be perilous? Because the world will be godless. Note how the terrible marks of the last days sound very much like a picture of today.

1. People will be lovers of their own selves (philoutos): this does not mean the normal and natural love of life and of oneself that we should all have. It means selfishness and self-centeredness...

·to focus upon oneself and one’s own pleasure and flesh instead of upon God and other people.

·to put oneself before others: wife, husband, parent, child, friend, neighbor, God.

·to put one’s own will before God’s will.

·to seek one’s own desires without considering others.

·to go after what one wants even if it is unwise and hurts others.

·to feel that everyone and everything should revolve around oneself.

·to focus upon one’s own pleasure and flesh and ignore the crying needs of the desperate and dying.

Self-love sets one up like a god and feels that nothing matters as much as the pleasure of oneself. In the last days people will love themselves more than they love anyone else. Selfishness will be one of the terrible marks of the last days.

“I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not” (Matthew 25:43).

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves” (2 Tim. 3:1-2).

“But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?” (1 John 3:17).

2. People will be covetous (philarguroi): the word means lovers of money and possessions. People will want more and more and bigger and bigger and better and better, and they will seldom be satisfied with what they have. In the last days people will focus upon...

·money, banking more and more.

·houses in the best neighborhoods, on the seashore, in the mountains, and by the rivers.

·furnishings and property.

·possessions—such as clothes, jewlery, antiques, art, and vehicles.

·travel, seeing more and more sights.

·property, stocks and bonds—owning more and more.

·power—controlling more and more.

Men will love money, what it buys and allows them to do, and they will covet more and more of it and the things it buys. Their eyes and hearts will be focused upon money instead of God. They will indulge and hoard instead of meeting the desperate needs of the poor and lost of the world.

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10).

“Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days” (James 5:3).

“He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity” (Eccles. 5:10).

“As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool” (Jeremiah 17:11).

3. People will be boasters (alazones): braggarts, pretenders, vaunters, swaggerts. It is a person who...

·boasts in what he has.

·pretends to have what he does not have or to do what he has not done.

Bragging may involve a job, a deal, a possession, an achievement—anything that may impress others. It is a person who feels the need to push himself above others even if it involves pretension, deception, make believe, and lies.

The world is full of boasters and braggarts:

Þ teachers who pretend to be wise.

Þ politicians who pretend to have the utopian state.

Þ business people who pretend to have the product that brings health, beauty, and happiness.

Þ religionists who pretend to have the revelation and gifts and to be more spiritual than others.

“But there was a certain man, called Simon, which before time in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one” (Acts 8:9).

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness....backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents” (Romans 1:28-29, 30).

“But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil” (James 4:16).

“For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness [sensuality], those that were clean [barely] escaped from them who live in error” (2 Peter 2:18).

“For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth” (Psalm 10:3).

“They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him” (Psalm 49:6-7).

“Whoso boasteth himself of a false gift is like clouds and wind without rain” (Proverbs 25:14).

“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

Next Month Chapters 4-8

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