Welcome to Difficult Times

From 2 Timothy 3:

"But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith.

But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes's and Jambres's folly was also. Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!

Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.".

It wasn't so long ago that I saw this passage in a different light. The point of view I took was that of the mean, wicked, openly unbelieving world coming to my door. The Big Bad Enemy demanding I renounce Christ under threat of thumbscrews.

Not any more. Not that this may not happen; anyone who follows what is going on in the underground church in countries such as China and North Korea knows that this type of stuff (and worse) is a daily occurrance.

See, it's just like our view of the Adversary. We keep expecting him to show himself in a red suit, tail and pitchfork. But Paul said he appears as an "Angel of Light". In other words, he looks attractive! He and his evil minions are too intelligent to show up and put their cards on the table. No. It's never this "Hey you are doing great, so I'll just tempt you with this really big obvious sin".

He shows up and looks smooth. What he says goes down easy. It promises peace with the world at no apparent cost to us. And so my view and application of this verse has changed.

Welcome to Difficult Times.

It's not a matter of the "big bad unbeliever" getting us. It's how the devil uses those in the visible church to try to get us off course.

And I'm making my position known. How about you?

We're going into a time of persecution and turmoil. From the outside? I don't think so. Not so much as from the "inside".

From experience, if you speak of faith being obedience to the Word of God (you can't separate God from His Word), you will be called a legalist. If you insist on taking a stand for the sufficiency and clarity of God's Word, don't expect them to listen -- rather expect to be called dogmatic and devisive. (See Illustration).

So be it.

Are we to fear man above God? No. All men can do is, at worst, destroy the body. It's God who consigns a soul to hell. So, when it comes to human approval or God's, I will take my side with God, thank you.

Jesus said that the time would come when believers will be killed by those who think they are serving God. Who will these people be? I don't know beyond all shadow of doubt but beheadings being referred to in Revelation gives us a clue, and Islam is growing at a very rapid pace. And with emergent Christianity embracing all manner of things it may even include those who claim to know a "Jesus". Notice, I said "a Jesus". One of their own making. One that isn't the real Jesus.

Look around! Use discernment! Be a Berean! Is the person you are submitting to or "fellowshipping with" submitting to the True Jesus? Now is the time to not only "examine ourselves" but also remember that "by their fruit we shall know them". Only through visible obedience to God's Word do we know the true from the false. 1 John 3 "If someone says 'I know Him' and does not keep His commandments, he is a liar and the truth is not in him". That, beloved, is not a believer.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not talking sinless perfection. The verse in 1 John is talking about a pattern of life. But if you see someone walking in obvious disagreement with God's Word, tell them, and they shrug it off, you have to wonder. Be careful! It is the devil's plan to sucker us off course one step at a time. Then you and I will come to a point where we wonder "how did we get way over here?"

We aren't here for party games. We aren't here to "go along to get along". We are in a war. It's a spiritual war, but a war nonetheless.

Our brothers and sisters in Christ, who make up the underground church, don't have this problem; at least not to the magnitude that we have it. Christianity in those countries is not a superficial commitment. To convert from Islam to Christianity invites the death penalty. Here? Pheh! Just sign a card or check a box and you're an "innie" -- guaranteed! "Oh, have you turned back to your former life of sin? Well, too bad...but we'll see you in heaven!"

All around us we see Paul's words to Timothy coming to pass. And now we have a prominent pastor who has his own global P.E.A.C.E. plan, going around helping "Christians", Jews, Hindus and Moslems alike building bigger "houses of worship". And of course, he can't tell you what "parameters" (beliefs) in your faith are right or wrong. How nice. We're all on this journey together...regardless of what we believe.

So forget about the "big bad lost people". This is a spiritual battle. The lost will act like the lost. But expect better from those who profess to be "brothers" and "sisters" in the Lord. Do they obey God and His Word? Or do they, by their words and actions (no matter how sweet they may sound or honorable they look) deny Him?

Stand for God's Truth. Obey it. Proclaim it. And when you hear "legalist" or "devisive" or "unloving" remember we are called to die to self. These are mere appeals by the enemy to return to the seamless slumber of which they want us to become fellow partakers.

Proverbs 3:5,6 (My paraphrase) "Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Don't lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will make your paths straight".