Tuesday, November 12, 2013
2 Timothy 3:1-2 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy ...
THE LAST DAYS
The Last Judgment is coming and while we cannot know in advance the day and the hour (cf. Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32) we do know what to expect in the days leading up to the Last Judgment. We know what to expect because our gracious God tells us in His Word.
The Apostle Paul was led by the Spirit to write of the last days in his second letter to Timothy. He warns that "perilous times" (hard, difficult, perhaps violent and dangerous) will come. Our brothers and sisters in Christ living in India can certainly confirm that perilous times have fallen upon Christians in their country.
While we in the United States have rarely (if ever) had to endure such perilous times, we certainly can see the other attitudes the Spirit said would be found in the last days. In our own country we can see people who are lovers of themselves, who are so selfish that they will stop at nothing to have what they want. While there are currently no temples dedicated to the "Almighty Dollar" it is the strong desire of many to get rich and enjoy the luxuries of this life. It isn't just obscenely wealthy athletes who are boasters and proud. There are many (especially in academia) who openly blaspheme GOD and His Word. Disobedience and disrespect among children is common, even in our own homes.
It's evident that we are in the last days right now, isn't it? In his first epistle the Apostle John wrote that it was the last hour (1 John 2:18).
As children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, we have nothing to fear. We are united to the only Savior of humankind by faith. He will give us strength and enable us to stand in these last days.
