The Last Days
"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
Paul was giving advice to Timothy about how to behave in the "last days." This implies that Paul expected the last days to occur within Timothy's lifetime. If the last days are the last days of history, was Paul wrong about when they would occur, or have they continued for at least 1900 years?
1 comment:
I think that this is a case where God uses Paul to speak to future generations. Perhaps Paul indeed thought that the "last days" were near, and that Jesus would return soon. Whatever the case, God used this opportunity to warn Christians about what type of people to avoid, especially as the end draws near. Notice that Paul appears to be most likely talking about fellow Christians (or those who profess to be Christians). After all, the lost don't usually have "the appearance of godliness," but deny its power. Considering the extremely destructive theologies out there today (the prosperity gospel, open theology, some aspects of the emerging church), it would seem like we are rapidly nearing the end times, if we're not already there.
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