2 Timothy 3:1 Terrible Times

2 Timothy 3:1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.

In 2 Timothy 3 Paul talks about people being lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, etc. He talks of men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected (8). The chapter begins with his saying that Timothy must mark the fact that things will be like this in the last days. Clearly these last days include the days in which Paul lives. In fact they are best understood as that whole period from the first coming of Christ until his return and so includes our days too. There are periods when God's people are tempted to think that things are getting better and better but the fact is that the last days will be characterised by their terrible nature, regardless of what else may be said about them. No pastor should be surprised at the self-devotion, greed, pride, abusiveness, rebelliousness, unthankfulness, etc, of false teachers.