Terrible Times

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be 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, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

There will be terrible times. The Bible always tells us the truth. It accurately describes reality.

We have this constant hope as human beings that we’re going to be the generation that fixes everything. If we just do the right things, we’re going to make it all better, right?

No. “There will be terrible times in the last days.” When the New Testament uses the phrase “last days”, it’s talking about the whole period from when Jesus came to earth the first time until Jesus comes again on Judgment Day (see Hebrews 1:2). In other words, we’re living in the last days right now. What should we expect? Terrible times.

Slowly read and take to heart this sad list. People will be…

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

Conceited

Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God

Having a form of godliness but denying its power

Do any of those sound familiar? Sadly, they all do, don’t they? Nineteen words. Nineteen nouns and adjectives that describe not just what people do but how sinful people are.

There will be terrible times.

So what should we do? “Have nothing to do with such people.” Don’t join in with the godlessness of the world. Don’t get used to sin and evil. Don’t hang around people who live against God. Have nothing to do with all the sins of these terrible times.

Instead, find refuge in Jesus. For the sinful actions we have done, there is a Savior. Jesus! For our sinful natures that plague us every day, there is a Savior. Jesus! Don’t be surprised when you see terrible times in these last days. Yet, when you look around and say, “God help us!”, trust this: He has!

Dear God, you promise that there will be terrible times here on earth. Forgive us for all our sins, and protect us from the evil that is everywhere. Let us find refuge in our Savior Jesus. Amen.

Pastor Nathan