In the Last Days – 2 Timothy 3:1-9

The biblical concept of the last days is a hard one to understand.  It is the days that are a harbinger or signal of the end of this age and the coming of the age of the kingdom.  The age of the kingdom is the age of Jesus’ return to establish the kingdom on earth.  It was Jesus’ first coming that started the last days.  And these last days are characterized, in part, by religious hypocrisy, which Paul sees as currently present.  The fact that the last days have lasted nearly 2,000 years is, no doubt, surprising, but Peter addresses this issue in 2 Peter 3.

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. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.  (2 Timothy 3:1-9 ESV)

These are the last days.  The last days are the days between the coming of Messiah Jesus the first time and his second and last coming, yet to occur.  Though we should use patience in warning false teachers and those trapped in their teaching in hopes that they will repent, there should be an expectation that many will not.  They will continue to be characterized by loving the wrong things leading to arrogance, abuse, disrespect of parents, ingratitude, immorality, cruelty, irreconcilability, slander, being out of control, people who love pleasure rather than God, and who pretend at godliness but are not genuine.

Paul’s command in regard to them is to avoid them.  Until there is evidence of the Spirit working in someone to lead them to repentance, it is futile to try.  Paul is reminded of the court magicians of Pharaoh in Egypt, two of whom Jewish tradition gave names, Jannes and Jambres, who tried to duplicate the miracles of Moses but who were shown to be powerless against the power of God.  Like those court magicians, the unceasingly ungodly who pretend to be godly will be exposed for what they are.