Preparation for perilous days

Paul's next strategy for surviving the savage days ahead is this:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  (II Timothy 3:14-15)

Continue in what you have learned.

Stay the course.

Stay focused.

Paul is telling Timothy (and us) to make certain we don't get distracted by outside forces. We see in our world today that there are individuals and groups who seem wholesome but turn out to be potentially dangerous. How to resist them? Continue in what we have been taught. To resist the forces of evil, we must be alert, and in communication with our Lord.

 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

How to tell the difference between the wholesome and the dangerous? Training:

But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:14) 

If we are studying math, we may understand a concept when the teacher explains it in class, but we may forget by the time we take the test . . . . unless we practice what we learn. We train ourselves to understand and remember. To distinguish good from evil, we must have discernment (wisdom) and we can ask God to give this to us. (James 1:5)

Our Savior said:

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." (Matthew 10:16)

The world is full of "wolves" who are purposefully hostile to us as believers. Jesus said that to be like Him in a godless world, we need to combine the wisdom of the serpent with the harmlessness of the dove. I don't want to go down a rabbit trail here, but I know that some people are turned off by the "be as shrewd as snakes" portion of Jesus' words here. But He is obviously not, as a holy God, telling us to stoop to deception or dishonesty. He's laying down a general principle -- as we take the gospel to a hostile world (and as we prepare for perilous times) we must be wise to avoid the traps set for us, and we must be innocent, serving the Lord blamelessly.

Being successful at living a godly life means that we have to strike a balance between the dove and the serpent. We can be gentle without being pushovers. We can be kind without being taken advantage of. We must be aware of the unscrupulous strategies of the enemy, but we must stick to the high road. Peter makes this very clear in his letter:

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. (I Peter 2:12)

Alright, now let's climb back out of Br'er Rabbit's hole and get back to Paul - he is developing a survival plan for the last days. Paul's strategy depends upon one main foundation: a proper understanding of the Word of God. Verse fourteen finds him reminding Timothy that he can pull confidence from the Word to handle days of difficulty. In verse fifteen, Paul reminds him of his spiritual heritage:

and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (v 15)

Paul says, "Timothy, don't forget that the Bible brings you wisdom that leads to salvation." In short, God's Word saves us. It saves us by the words that were written down, "the holy Scriptures." There is wisdom and discernment in those words, "able to make you wise." God's Word reveals the gospel to us, "wise for salvation." That gospel produces faith in us, "through faith in Christ Jesus."

In other words, everything we need to know about going to heaven can be found in our Bible. Everything we need to know about surviving the last, tumultuous, perilous days can be found there, in our Bible. Nothing is missing and no one needs to add anything.

Our Bible is not an encyclopedia; it doesn't cover every possible topic in our world. Even though it is scientifically correct, the Bible is not a science book. Even though the historical events it details have been proven again and again by ancient texts and archeology, the Bible is not a history text. But it does tell us everything we need to know about the most important topic in the world: how to know God and have a relationship with Him. 

Paul says that Timothy's knowledge of the Word began in infancy. His godly grandmother and mother, Lois and Eunice. They started teaching him the truth when he was a baby. Just as they prayed for Timothy, sang to him, and taught him scripture, so moms and dads and grandparents today must do the same for their kids and grandkids today. 

The Bible will produce in us a godly, growing, fruitful life; a life full of love and patterned on Jesus Christ; an eternal life with Him. Truly, this is an important strategy for the dangerous days to come - stay focused, and have a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures.

Preparing for perilous times

There's a movement today that many people are aware of and many of them are involved in it, too. It's called "prepping." Or Preparedness. Or survival preparations. 

There are some terms that are familiar to those who are interested in this way of life; words like pantry, root cellar, oxygen sensors, canning, and bug-out bag.

We've been studying Paul's (second) letter to Timothy, and we've been focused on chapter three. If the difficult times that Paul talks about are what we have to look forward to (and they are) how then should we live? What should we do to live for Christ in those perilous times?

How will we survive what will be "savage" days that are headed our way?

Paul gives us a call to action in verse ten, when he draws a huge contrast by saying, "You, however...."

He has listed a catalog of sins like self-conceit, greed, boasting, disobedience, hate-filled, lacking forgiveness, slandering, and even denying the power of God. 

And Paul also called attention to the false teachers and leaders who will multiply and gain fame in the dangerous days ahead. 

"You, however."

We are called to be DIFFERENT!

It's as if Paul is speaking to us, too, and saying, "Hellooooooo. Remember that you were called by God to make a difference. To stand strong. Don't be discouraged, and don't let the world change you. Instead, you go out and by God's grace change the world!"

And then in the second half of the chapter, Paul suggests for us three practical survival strategies for the perilous days we live in.

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (vs 10-13)

The first strategy Paul provides is that we should make certain we are following godly leaders. This principle is rooted in the truth that we become like the people we associate with. Solomon said long ago that we have influence on those we choose as friends, and they influence us, too. (Proverbs 27:17, Proverbs 6:4) 

If we follow along with the ungodly, we will become like them. If we follow the arrogant, we are likely to pick up their habits. Associating with greedy people will rub off on us, more than likely, and influence our attitudes. However, if we follow those who follow Jesus Christ, we are more likely to become like our Savior. Paul uses himself as an example:

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. (II Timothy 3:10-11)

He's telling Timothy, "Follow me as I follow Christ. I'm not like the people we just discussed."  He draws Timothy's attention to the marks of a person following a godly life:

• They have nothing to hide. Paul says "you know my ....life."
• They teach truth. "You know my teaching."
• They walk the walk. "You know my faith...love...patience."
• They aren't afraid. "You know my sufferings and...persecution."

Regarding persecution, Paul points to his own suffering. In Iconium he was chased and almost stoned; in Lystra he was stoned and then left for dead. But he tells Timothy it doesn't matter:

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, (v 12)

Paul's point is this: what happened to him will happen to all of us sooner or later.  It's happening around the world to Christians in Sudan, China, Indonesia, Iran, and many other countries. It will happen to those who live in the United States, the United Kingdom, and everywhere else sooner or later. No one is going to get a free pass. No one who follows Christ will be exempt.

It may not involve beatings, torture, or execution. Instead, it may involve ridicule, public humiliation, social rejection, and even existing as "second class" citizens. Whether persecution leaves inward or outward scars, it is coming.

Jesus told us:

 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. (John 15:20a)

In order to survive the savage days ahead, we need to be prepared. Step One? We must have friends and counselors who follow Christ. We must have godly people to rely upon. 

More tomorrow.....

Friday slowdown

 A contemporary Christian artist called Crowder has provided us with an uplifting song about the dangers we face and the victory that is in our future. It's called "Crushing Snakes."

I hope you will be encouraged by this song. I believe there has been an effort to truly appeal to the younger believers and unbelievers, with a video in the form of what is called "anime" today. I've included a link below if you would like to watch it.

The song itself is very positive, just as we should be. We face difficult times. Perilous times. But Psalm 91 tells us:

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent. (Psalm 91:9-13)

Let's square our shoulders and stand straight and tall. Let's raise the banner of our Savior and fight the forces of evil!

For the video     https://youtu.be/cdcjcFBKwd4 

Dangerous times ahead

Today, while we are talking about dangerous times, we'll mention rebels with religion, and also apostate leaders.

Quite a word salad, no?

Let's dig in . . . 

We stopped last time when we reached verse five of II Timothy 3:

“Having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”

The word that is translated "form" there is a Greek word which carries a meaning of "having an outward appearance" of godliness.  What Paul seems to be saying is that in the last days, as men and women turn away from God, they will become more religious, but not any more godly. Religion will become more popular; it's rituals and buzzwords will become the latest fads as people seek some type of refuge in a world that has lost its way. They may ask the right questions, but they will be drawn to (and follow) the wrong answers. 

It will be religion for religion's sake, instead of people hungering and thirsting to know our Savior. They will join one or more church organizations as they search, they may even be baptized. They'll attend services, sing, pray, and give. They will DO all of the things that they are "supposed" to do, but they will not BELIEVE in the One Who can save them. Their hearts won't be in it. Paul says they will deny His power at the same time they profess to believe. In particular, they will embrace church groups whose religion allows them to do anything, believe anything, and live any way that they choose - as long as it makes them happy. They will say things like, "We don't need the outdated rules in the Bible." Or they may say, "The Bible was written 2,000 years ago, so I don't need to obey what it says, or use it to guide my life."

Wow.

How do we respond to that? Well, Paul tells us! That last part of verse five . . . what did it say? "Have nothing to do with them." Ouch! That's pretty clear - and in the eyes of many people today, it is narrow-minded, unkind, and judgmental! But the word of the Lord remains: if people do not believe the Bible and accept its authority over every area of our lives, then we are to have nothing to do with them. We can gently explain why. But we are not to join hands and sing Kum-ba-yah while biting our tongues and remaining silent about God's Word. If this makes people uncomfortable, I'm sorry. But it's what the Bible says we are to do.

Of course, we are happy to work alongside believers in Jesus, who worship Him as Savior and Lord and accept the Bible as God's Word. But there are some people with whom we cannot join hands: those who deny Jesus is the only way to heaven, those who are not born again, those who do not accept the Bible, those who do not believe we are sinners saved by God's grace and Jesus' blood, and those who place public opinion in higher value than God's Word. These are the people Paul spoke of: "Have nothing to do with them."

These people are led by apostate leaders. The followers should be aware; they should be comparing what the leaders say with what the Bible teaches. But here is a description from Paul:

For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, worthless in regard to the faith. 9But they will not make further progress; for their foolishness will be obvious to all, just as was that also of Jannes and Jambres. (IITimothy 3:6-9, NASB)

These false teachers spread spiritual sickness just as a virus spreads . . . first, they prey on weak people.  That Greek word there, that the NASB translates "weak" and other translations include "weak-willed," can also be translated with a meaning of silly or unstable. It certainly does not describe all women, but rather a particular category who are unusually gullible -- and today that includes men, as well. These folks carry around a huge load of guilt for their sins, and this guilt makes them easily led astray and confused. They are constantly grasping at straws, anything that will make their guilt go away - or at least, be easier to deal with.

Second, these false teachers spread their spiritual sickness because they, themselves, are nothing new. Paul is referring to Jewish tradition here when he names the two men who led the Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses in the book of Exodus. The tradition holds that their names were Jannes and Jambres. How did they oppose Moses? They counterfeited or duplicated some of the plagues. As an example, when God told Moses what to do, and he turned the rivers into blood and brought forth a plague of frogs, the magicians did the same things. 

This could indicate (and this is personal opinion, here, so please don't take this as firm truth) that in the end times, there will be some spiritual leaders who are so in touch with demons that they may somehow counterfeit the miracles of God, and many people will believe their deceptions. At the end of the day, the false teachers in Moses' day, and the false teachers in Paul's day, and the false teachers of the final days are all cut from the same bolt of cloth. They're nothing new.

Lastly, the false teachers' success will be temporary. They won't be around forever. God will make it clear who is serving Him and who is serving themselves (and the devil). In Moses' day, God reached down and parted the waters so the children of Israel could pass safely across the river bed. Then He allowed the water to rush back and drown the Egyptian army that was pursuing Moses and the people. 

In the same way, God's hand will provide stern judgment on the false teachers of our day. It will be obvious to all who they serve.

We've established that the perilous, dangerous times are coming - some would say that they are HERE. In II Timothy, Paul gives some instructions on how to survive these times - join us next week as we explain. 

Perilous times

We're looking at a chapter in II Timothy, before going back to our studies in Psalms. Last time we met here, I posted the third chapter of II Timothy for all of us to re-read. We mentioned the fact that Paul was writing from his prison cell to his young friend and new pastor, Timothy.

We've taken the title for our study from the very first verse, and it's the key to the whole chapter! Depending on which translation we use, the words are slightly different, but in the NIV which many folks use, it says this:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. (II Timothy 3:1, NIV)

See that word "terrible" up there? It's only found here and in one other place in the New Testament. In the other use, it refers to the two men who were possessed by demons:

When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. (Matthew 8:28)

The Bible tells us that these were wild, uncontrollable men who lived among the tombs. That particular Greek word is also used in II Timothy. The last days will be fierce, dangerous, threatening, and even violent. The scholars say another synonym could be that "savage" times will come as men cast off all moral restraint, and society continues to slide down the path to disintegration.

Carl Henry wrote in Twilight of a Great Civilization (1988) that as America loses its Judeo-Christian heritage, paganism will grow bolder. From a kind of benign humanism, as the years went on we would face a situation similar to when the new Christian church confronted paganism in the first century. He said that in our day, the angry monsters of secularism, atheism, and Marxism would be revealed. His words are becoming more true with every passing day!

That's why we can read and take to heart Paul's words to Timothy: "After I'm gone, things are going to get worse. Buckle up!" We needn't be naive and think that everything is going to be ok. Long term, yes, but in the short term? No. That's why we need to "mark this" and pay attention. Being forewarned is forearmed. If we know what's happening, we won't be taken by surprise.

(Anybody pay attention to the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell? Anybody wondering why the records are being sealed after the trial? It's because if they were open, we'd see much of what Paul is going to discuss in these verses!)

The first few verses of chapter three are a list of sins, a catalog of moral decay and corruption. It's similar to what Paul writes in the first chapter of Romans. 
It's what happens when a nation turns its back on God. 

Let's say that again, and think on it. This is what happens when a nation turns its back on God. The nation of America has indeed been a "grand experiment," a country established with our founders' vision of a nation conceived in His trust; based on His blessings of liberty; modeled on the Judeo-Christian ethos that Rabbi Aryeh Spero so eloquently defends today. (I would encourage all those who love God and love liberty to read his works.) The Rabbi believes that we are worshiping at the feet of Molech today, sacrificing our children to an absurd, inside-out morality which says "bad is good, and good is bad." (Rabbi Spero also says....."if we wish to transmit to our children and grandchildren the religious heritage we cherish as well as the Americanism we inherited from our forefathers, we must fight now - in the public domain. We cannot afford to lose. We cannot turn the other cheek, for our battle is for the soul of America....Now, before it is too late!")

But I have digressed, and I must climb down from my soap box and pick up my Bible again . . . 

When a nation turns its back on God, there is first a rejection of God. Paul says that people are unholy, ungrateful, lovers of themselves, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

This, in turn, leads to a moral collapse. People become lovers of money, conceited, without love toward others, boastful, proud, unforgiving. 

Finally, there's the total breakdown of society. People will be treacherous, rash, brutal, disobedient to parents, abusive, and without any self control.

In other words, anything goes. No rules. No morals. No restraints. Everyone does what is right in his/her own eyes, just as in the time of the judges:

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25, NASB)

Everyone does as they choose to do, and woe to the person who questions another's lifestyle choices.

As if this wasn't enough, this solemn list of corruption is not the end of it. And we can expect that as we get closer to the end times, all of these things will increase in intensity and in frequency.

The worst of it comes in verse five:

having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. (II Timothy 3:5)

We'll look at the evil of "religious" rebels next time.

Prayer requests

After reading our focus passage, I truly felt the need for prayer! How about you?

In a more comforting passage of the New Testament, we see that John portrays our Savior as the "good Shepherd," and that we follow Him because we "know His voice." Jesus is the voice of compassion, comfort, sacrifice, humility, and bravery, as He leads us with His rod and staff. (We can refresh our memory of John 10 to let these familiar verses calm our hearts and minds.) 

In these anxious, challenging, even dangerous times, we need to listen again for the voice of Jesus. We need to experience again His comfort and compassion as He leads us through these days. How can we listen amid all the loud noises and static of these times? By spending time with Him in mutual conversation: prayer. It's only as we pause and take time to pray that we can hear His voice and follow as He leads us.

In these anxious and chaotic times, we are called to be a voice for Him, to lead those who are fearful and lost toward an abundant life. More than ever, unbelievers need to hear us speak of His light, His presence, and His protection in a world full of darkness. Our voices and our examples are the witness that is desperately needed now. Instead of throwing up our hands, and saying, "What can one person possibly do?" we can resolve that there is MUCH to do.

And the first thing is prayer.

Prayer can connect us again with our Shepherd. Prayer can cut through the many voices and the fears that cloud our hearts and minds.

Let's be determined to journey with Him. Let's make sure that we are holding His hand as we go into new and perhaps even uncomfortable situations. By praying, and by listening to His voice, we can be the voice that others need to hear in these tumultuous days.

Let's pray.

In these threatening times

Happy New Year!

With what's happening in our world, today, that seems pretty optimistic, doesn't it? (Grin)

We are starting back into our studies of the Psalms, and as I was reading, I was moved by Psalm 62. In fact, it made me think of another passage in our scriptures - but this one is in the New Testament.

You see, Psalm 62 made me remember II Timothy chapter three . . . . 

In Psalm 62, David is facing what appears to be one of the most dangerous times of his life. And in II Timothy 3, Paul is warning his young pastor/pupil of dangerous times to come.

The chapter is only seventeen verses long, so I will post it for us here. I'd like to pause and study the chapter before we head back into the Old Testament to look at Psalm 62.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (II Timothy 3, NIV)

The Apostle Paul is writing from a prison cell in Rome. He knows that his own death is imminent, and he is deeply concerned about the trends he sees all around him. Hard times were coming. Days of danger were just around the corner.

Does this sound like today?
Sure it does!

I hope you will join me each day as we study and pray; let's ask God to prepare our hearts and our minds for the days to come.