Scripture Reading: 2 Tim. 3:1-13
The subject of 2 Timothy is inoculation against the decline of the church. After a word of introduction (2 Tim. 1:1-2), Paul speaks of the divine provisions for the inoculation: a pure conscience, unfeigned faith, the divine gift, a strong spirit, eternal grace, incorruptible life, the healthy word, and the indwelling Spirit (2 Tim. 1:3-14). Then he goes on to point out that the basic factor of the decline is the forsaking of the apostle and his ministry (2 Tim. 1:15-18). In 2:1-15 Paul speaks of the inoculator, indicating that he must be a teacher, soldier, contender, husbandman, and workman. In the second half of chapter two he tells us of the spread of the decline, a spreading likened to that of gangrene (2 Tim. 2:16-26). In chapter three Paul first speaks of the worsening of the decline, showing that it will become grievous times of deceiving (2 Tim. 3:1-13), and then speaks of the antidote of the inoculation — the divine word (2 Tim. 3:14-17). In chapter four there are three sections: the incentive to the inoculator — the coming reward (2 Tim. 4:1-8); the issue of the decline — loving the present age and doing many evil things (2 Tim. 4:9-18); and the conclusion (2 Tim. 4:19-22). If we consider the outline of 2 Timothy, we shall see that it is not merely a pastoral book, a book for so-called pastors. On the contrary, it is a book written for inoculators, those who would inoculate others against the decline of the church.
Chapter three opens with the words, “But know this, that in the last days difficult times shall come.” Once again Paul uses the word “but” to point out a contrast. The contrast here is with the hope just expressed at the end of the preceding chapter. Toward the end of chapter two Paul declared that “the firm foundation of God stands” (v. 19), and that we should “flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (v. 22). Furthermore, if in meekness we correct those who oppose, “God may give them repentance unto the full knowledge of the truth, and they may return to soberness out of the snare of the Devil” (vv. 25-26). Paul realized that even though the decline would spread, the firm foundation of God still stands unshakable, bearing a seal which says, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness.” At least God would have a remnant of those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. Furthermore, such ones may even dispense the inoculation against the church’s decline. Yes, the decline is spreading, but we have a firm standing, we can enjoy the riches of the Lord, and we can do the work of inoculation, even convincing those who oppose to come back to the full knowledge of the truth. This is to bring back those who have been caught by the Devil, and snared by him, to God’s will. All this indicates that Paul was not discouraged. Even though the decline is spreading, we can do something positively to inoculate others against it.
Then in contrast to all this Paul says in 3:1, “But know this, that in the last days difficult times shall come.” Paul had the foresight and the insight to realize that difficult times would come in the last days. The expression “the last days” denotes the closing period of the present age (2 Pet. 3:3; Jude 1:18). It began from the end of the so-called apostolic age, in the latter part of the first century, and will last until Christ’s second appearing. The long duration of this period was not revealed to the apostles (Matt. 24:36); they expected the Lord to return in their generation.
Many Christians identify “the last days” in 3:1 with the “later times” in 1 Timothy 4:1. This is a mistake. In the Bible there is a dividing line between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The ancient Jews regarded the times of the Old Testament as the early times or early days. With the coming of Christ the period of the Mosaic law was over. Christ’s coming began a new period, regarded as the last days, which will continue until Christ’s second coming. Concerning Christ’s second coming, there is a secret period of time, which was not known by the apostles. They were eager to know the time of the Lord’s second coming. But in Mark 13:32 the Lord Jesus said, “But of that day or that hour knoweth no one, not even the angels in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” Later, after the Lord’s resurrection, the disciples asked Him, “Dost thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). To this the Lord replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father hath set within his own authority” (v. 7). It is not easy to explain how the Lord could say that only the Father, not the Son, knows the time of the end. Perhaps in refusing to answer the question about the time of His coming, the Lord Jesus was maintaining the proper position under the headship of the Father. Therefore, He told them that this was something which “the Father hath set within his own authority.”
The early disciples thought that the Lord Jesus would come back in their generation. This was Paul’s concept when he wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians. This shows that the length of the last days was a secret unknown by the apostles. We simply do not know the duration of time the Father has set in His administration between the Lord’s ascension and His second coming.
In 3:1 Paul says that in the last days “difficult times shall come.” The Greek for “difficult times” also means hard times, grievous times, perilous times. This means that these times will be extremely difficult for Christians. In verse 12 Paul says, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” For those who pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace and who call on the name of the Lord out of a pure heart, this time will indeed be difficult, grievous, perilous. Here Paul seems to be saying, “Timothy, I am encouraged by the fact that the firm foundation of God stands and that, with others, you can pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace and call on the Lord out of a pure heart. You can stand together and dispense the inoculation against the decline of the church. Some may even be recovered to the full knowledge of the truth and to the will of God. Nevertheless, I want you to know that the time which is coming will be very difficult for you. This time will be grievous, perilous, for all those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart and who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus.”
In verse 2 Paul goes on to say, “For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.” The prophetic picture presented in verses 2 through 5 portrays not the evil condition of non-Christian society, but the corrupted situation of the “great house” mentioned in 2:20, degraded Christianity. This is proved by the phrase, “having a form of godliness” (v. 5). Unbelievers do not have even the form of godliness. Those who have such a form are those who are called Christians. Thus, the men in verse 2 are Christians.
The first thing Paul says about these men is that they will be “lovers of self.” Many Christians today are self-lovers. Not only those who indulge in worldly entertainments are selfish; even those who attend the chapels and cathedrals may be selfish.
In the three Epistles of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus seven kinds of lovers are mentioned: lovers of self, lovers of money (2 Tim. 3:2; 1 Tim. 6:10), lovers of pleasure, lovers of God (2 Tim. 3:4), lovers of good (Titus 1:8), lovers of husbands, and lovers of children (Titus 2:4). There are also two kinds of nonlovers: nonlovers of good and nonlovers of God (2 Tim. 3:3-4). Of whatever one is a lover, that is what his whole heart, even his entire being, is set on, occupied, and possessed by. This is crucial! Whether there could be a day of glory in the church’s victory or grievous days of the church’s decline depends altogether upon what we set our heart upon, what it is we love. History tells us that the root of the church’s decline was the loss of her first love toward the Lord (Rev. 2:4). To maintain the victorious standard of the church, we must be lovers of God and lovers of the good which pertains to God’s economy.
In verse 2 Paul speaks of those who are boasters, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, and unholy. The Greek word for arrogant also means haughty, and the word rendered revilers is literally blasphemers, as in 1 Timothy 1:13. Here, however, it does not refer to blasphemers of God, but to revilers or railers, those who speak evilly and injuriously of men. How much we have been reviled by those who call themselves Christians!
In a foregoing message I mentioned that some brothers in Taiwan who had been under my training for years became dissenting. Some even reviled God’s government. They were not only rebellious, but they were also unthankful, ungrateful. It is significant that in verse 2 Paul puts together unthankfulness with disobedience to parents. This may indicate that here unthankful mainly refers to being unthankful to one’s parents. We should be thankful to those who have raised us both physically and spiritually, thankful both to our natural parents and to our spiritual parents.
In the 1940s Brother Nee suffered intense opposition and was forced to be out of function for six years. Some of those who were dissenting with him still felt positive toward me because they had received help from me. One day one of them asked me, “Do you believe that Brother Nee has never been wrong?” I answered, “Whether or not Brother Nee has ever been wrong is not my business. I only know that I am indebted to him just as a child to his parents. If it were not for this servant of the Lord, I could not have the life I now have as a Christian. I have learned the lesson of Ham, the son of Noah, and I dare not say anything negative about him. In a real sense, he has been a spiritual father to me. He has raised me up in the Lord. Therefore, I do not dare say anything negative concerning him.” I can testify that throughout the years I have seen the blessing which has come from maintaining such an attitude toward my spiritual father. Both to our parents in the flesh and in the spirit we must learn to be thankful. It is a very serious matter to be ungrateful toward our parents. One aspect of today’s trend is unthankfulness. This trend, this current, has even swept into Christianity.
In verses 3 and 4 Paul continues, “Without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, nonlovers of good, traitors, reckless, blinded with pride, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” To be implacable is to be irreconcilable, to be a traitor is to be a betrayer, and to be reckless is to be headstrong. In the picture presented here there are three kinds of lovers — lovers of self, lovers of money, and lovers of pleasure — and two kinds of nonlovers — nonlovers of good and nonlovers of God.
Verse 5 says, “Having a form of godliness, but having denied its power; from these also turn away.” A form of godliness is a mere outward semblance without the essential reality. The power of godliness is the real and practical virtue of a living influence to express God.
In these verses we have a dreadful picture of today’s degraded Christianity. By the Lord’s mercy and grace, we in His recovery must reject the situation portrayed here and be the very opposite of it.
Verses 6 and 7 speak of those who are “always learning and never able to come to the full knowledge of the truth.” This word has been fulfilled among many Christians today. They hear sermon after sermon and study the Bible, but they do not know the reality of the contents of God’s New Testament economy. They do not know Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God or the church as the mystery of Christ.
Verse 8 says, “And just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind, disapproved concerning the faith.” According to Jewish tradition, Jannes and Jambres were the Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses, as mentioned in Exodus 7:11 and 22.
In the decline among the churches, truth is the target of the enemy’s attack. Hence, truth is also the remedy and rescue from the diseased and ruined situation. In verse 8 disapproved means reprobate, and the faith denotes the contents of our belief.
In verse 9 Paul goes on to say, “They shall not advance farther, for their folly shall be completely manifest to all, as also the folly of those became.” The word folly refers to the lack of intelligence and the senselessness of their doing. The “folly of those” refers to the folly of Jannes and Jambres, who were defeated and brought to nothing (Exo. 8:18; 9:11).
In verse 10 Paul reminds Timothy, “But you have closely followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, endurance.” Conduct refers to manner of life, and the Greek word for purpose is used in Paul’s Epistles in relation to the purpose of God.
In verse 11 Paul speaks of the persecution and sufferings which he endured in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. Lystra was the city where Timothy lived (Acts 16:1-2), near Iconium and Antioch in Pisidia.
Verse 12 says, “And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” The Greek word rendered desire can also mean determine. To live godly is to live a life of godliness. All those who desire, determine, to live a life of godliness in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. For this reason we should not expect good treatment from today’s Christianity. Instead, we should expect persecution for living a godly life in an ungodly situation. As long as we stand for the Lord’s recovery, we shall be condemned, opposed, and attacked. Rumors will be spread concerning us, and our names will be smeared and defiled. Such persecution comes not from the worldly people, but from so-called Christians. In John 16:2 the Lord Jesus said that the time is coming when those who kill the disciples will think they are serving God. Out of their zeal for God, they will kill the followers of the Lord, simply because these do not follow the traditional way.
In verse 13 Paul concludes, “But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” The word impostors means juggling impostors. This verse indicates that the decline of the church will become worse. Evil men and impostors, those who deceive others by their skill in juggling, will become worse and worse. Being deceived themselves, they will also deceive others.
We thank the Lord that, in His mercy, He has brought us into the recovery where we can hear honest and healthy words.
