Paul the
apostle knew that his demise was imminent. He was to give his life
for the gospel of Jesus Christ, and before he left the earth, he
desired to give Timothy, his “son in the faith” and
“dearly beloved son” some personal instructions as well as
direction for the church Timothy pastored in Ephesus. Paul told
Timothy “in the last days perilous times shall come” and
listed characteristics of people who would live in those “last
days” such as: “men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful” and “unholy”. In chapter three and verse
three of his final letter, Paul continued his list with six more
traits people would exhibit at that time. We read:
Without
natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent,
fierce,
despisers of those that are good,
The verse begins,
“Without natural affection,
trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent,...” Paul
continued his list of characteristics with, “Without
natural affection”
which is the Greek word “astorgos”
and
means “unsociable, inhuman, unloving and hard-hearted”, and
“trucebreakers” or
“without a treaty or things agree upon, abstinences from
hostilities which cannot be persuaded to enter into a covenant and
implacable”. Paul said they would also be “false
accusers”
which is the Greek word, “diabolos”
which
means “prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely and a
calumniator”. This term is usually “applied to a man who, by
opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil
or to side with him”. Paul wrote that they would be, “incontinent”
which means “without self control and intemperate”, and if those
traits were not enough, he continued them in the next portion of the
verse.
The
verse continues, “... fierce,
despisers of those that are good,” In
addition to the characteristics Paul listed above, he went on to add,
“fierce”
or “not tame and savage” as well as “despisers
of those that are good”
which is all one Greek word, “aphilagathos”
and
means “opposed to goodness and good men” and “hostile to
virtue”. Paul predicted the behavior of those who would live “in
the last days”,
and even as he declared people to be “savage” and “opposed to
good”, it is manifested just as he wrote.
When
we think carefully through these traits as declared by Paul, we see
the fulfillment of them right before our eyes. How many people are
“without natural affection”
today, and how many do not keep “covenant
relationships”
and willingly “slander”
one another? How many people are “without
self control”
and “savage” in their behavior as well as openly “opposing and
hostile to goodness, good men and virtue”? If we sit back for a
moment and ponder these traits, we will know we are indeed living
among people who manifest the characteristics of those within “the
last days”,
and because of this, how much more should we align ourselves with the
traits found within Jesus Christ and His words as these days
continue? May the Lord help us to keep within His ways, and be aware
of the characteristics of those who surround us every day.
Next
time Paul shares even more characteristics of people in the last
days, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com
; http://www.barnesandnobles.com
; download to e-books, and find it locally at
http://www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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