Posted on 03/28/2011 3:36:19 PM PDT by GiovannaNicoletta
Paul’s letters to Timothy are the instructions from a mentor to a young pastor, one of the first ever, and contain advice on what to do and how to do it, as well as what not to do. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect given the relationship.
But for no apparent reason Paul tucked several warnings about the end times into various places in his instructions. These are things Paul knew Timothy wouldn’t have to deal with because he clearly described them as characteristics of the Latter Days. We’ll take them each in turn.
1 Timothy 4:1-2
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
When I read this one I always think of certain televangelists who espouse a perversion of the prosperity gospel. They know what they’re teaching is a compilation of half truths and outright lies, so in effect they’re twisting God’s word to steal from their followers. And without the least bit of shame they enjoy the lifestyles of the rich and famous at the expense of their contributors who, according to some reports, come primarily from the bottom 25% of the economic scale.
Taking advantage of their followers’ lack of Bible knowledge and misguided desire for a more abundant life , these predators foist one get rich quick scheme after another on their desperate flocks, bilking them out of the few discretionary dollars they have and leaving them worse off in the bargain. And they do it in the name of God. It makes you wonder what He’ll say to them come judgment time.
But the prosperity teachers aren’t the only ones in this category. There are others who teach things they know are contrary to what the Bible says. Some of these things come under the heading of conditional salvation, grace plus works, partial rapture, and other false teaching that can steal the joy of your salvation and rob you of your certainty. Their objective is to imprison you within boundaries of rules they themselves can’t follow. Read Colossians 2:8-23 for Paul’s opinion on these modern day legalists.
Then there are those who either treat the prophecies of our time as if they were already accomplished in history, or as if they’re never going to be accomplished because they’re all allegorical. These teachers also know what they’re saying can’t be reconciled with Scripture, but they ask you to believe it anyway, trusting in their superior intellect or advanced education instead of your own common sense. They take passages that can be clearly understood just as they’re written by anyone with an average intellect and make them hopelessly confusing by violating the rules of context, re-defining terms, and making that which is real into something symbolic.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
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 them.
Just as you become convinced that Paul is describing the unbelieving world in our time and are vigorously nodding your head in agreement, he says that these people have a form of godliness but deny its power. Then you realize he was writing about those believers in name only, who spend 6½ days each week living lives indistinguishable from unbelievers, grabbing all they can get from our material world by any means necessary while contributing little or nothing to the work of the Kingdom. These people lead two lives, the one they’re serious about, and the one that’s just for show. Guess which is which.
Paul was not blind to the behavior of these people, nor was this the only time he warned us to stay away from them. Listen to what he told the Corinthians.
I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people – not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. (1 Cor. 5:9-11).
Notice he said “anyone who calls himself a brother” instead of “anyone who is a brother.” I think he was doubting that someone who behaves in this manner could have been saved in the first place.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Here the focus is on the emerging church movement in all its various forms. In business schools, students learn to develop strategies based on a driving force. One such driving force is the market. A market driven strategy requires the business enterprise to focus on what they perceive to be the wants and needs of their target customers and adapt themselves to meet these needs in a more effective way.
Correctly predicting the growing demand for a religious organization that could meet the needs of a self centered, self sufficient generation, the leaders of the emerging church movement developed such a strategy. They took the focus off God and put it on the congregation. Entertainment replaced worship, philosophy replaced theology, and good works replaced victorious living.
Borrowing a phrase from Dominion Theology they began calling it “bringing Heaven to Earth” to make it sound more appealing to their idealistic target market. Little do their followers realize that for believers, these good works will be burned up in the fire (1 Cor. 3:14-15), and for unbelievers they’ll be woefully insufficient for entry into the kingdom (John 3:3). God has His own strategy for bringing Heaven to Earth and it doesn’t include the emerging church. Commenting on their works in his letter to Laodicea, Jesus said,
“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:15-16)
They’re excited about the great entertainment, the stimulating talk, and the good works, but not about the Lord.
Irrespective of that, both the seats and the coffers soon filled, signs that their market driven strategy was working, and for many the emerging church was soon the place to be. This was especially true for those who had become bored with traditional Church and wanted a place where they could feel good and do good with no messages about sin and salvation to convict them. The gospel was not missed in its absence.
Besides, “All of our attempts to define the right form of the Gospel are just human interpretations,” the movement’s leaders claim. “We must avoid a naive or excessive confidence in any telling of the Gospel story, since no articulation of the gospel today can presume to be exactly identical to the original meaning Christ and the apostles proclaimed.” In a sense, they’re saying since its impossible to know what the Gospel story really is we shouldn’t put too much faith in it.
Learning about the rapidly approaching End Times and the need to be ready for it has also been skipped. Instead, the “excessive” study of prophecy is called a distraction from the real work of the Church. These things were done by design, since the goal is to have non-believers make up at least half of the congregation. The market is much bigger that way and the non-believers help move the believers away from theological absolutes, like the need to be born again and the importance of prophecy.
In the next verse of His letter Jesus offered additional criticism.
"You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (Rev. 3:17)
His letter to the Church in Laodicea contains no commendation for their works and offers no escape from the end times judgments, just a plea to be allowed back into their midst (Rev. 3:20).
But Wait There’s More
Over fourteen years earlier in his second letter to the Thessalonians Paul had first warned us about the apostasy of the latter days, calling it one of the signs that would mark the end of the age. In 2 Thes. 2:1 Paul began to address their questions about two events, the (2nd) coming of our Lord, and our being gathered to Him (the rapture). He was responding to information they had received saying the day of the Lord had already come. He told them not to worry because several things had to happen first.
Paul didn’t go into things like the regathering of Israel, the beginning of Daniel’s 70th Week, or the building of a Temple. Israel had not been dispersed yet, and the Second Temple was still standing. He focused on events that are more gentile in nature.
A careful reading of 2 Thes. 2:3-8 shows the order in which he said these things would take place. He said the apostasy would happen first (verse 3), then the rapture of the Church when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way (verse 7), and finally the revealing of the anti-Christ followed by the 2nd Coming (verse 8). (If you don’t read this passage carefully, you could become confused by Paul’s mention of the anti-Christ in verses 3-4. But verse 8 clearly places the official unveiling of the anti-Christ after the removal of the Holy Spirit.) Even a casual observation shows that we’re well into the time of the first sign.
What should be our reaction to this? First is to remember that God’s Word said this would happen so there’s no point in bemoaning the fact that it’s happening. Instead we should be encouraged to know the end of the Age is getting closer. Jesus said the true Church would become weaker and less influential as the end approaches (Rev. 3:8). As the world moves further and further from God, those of us who follow Him will naturally feel less comfortable and be less welcome here.
If you live in the United States, stop confusing your country with your church. No believer outside the US makes this mistake, and the fact is the Church has neither a home nor a land on Earth. Our citizenship is in Heaven (Phil. 3:20) and we look for a city whose architect and builder is God (Hebr. 11:10).
No matter where we live in the world we have to remember that we’re aliens here and our visit is about over. Soon we’ll be going home where we belong.
In the mean time we have to stop depending on organized religion to meet our needs. In some places the Church is being forced underground. In others we’re going willingly. But either way the gulf between religion and the Church is growing wider by the day.
If you can’t find a God worshiping, Bible teaching church where you live, don’t settle for what you can get. Gather a small group of like minded believers and worship at home. Paul and Timothy didn’t have a huge bureaucracy behind them. They didn’t have million dollar buildings or professionally designed programs. They didn’t even have the New Testament. Yet they found a way to worship God, and to help others do the same.
Stop supporting groups who are trying to bring Heaven to Earth and start sending your treasure to Heaven. I could tell you stories all day long about what God can do with a hand full of people He can trust. Ask the Lord to identify a need for you to meet in His name and then work in His strength to meet it. Apart from Him nothing you do has any value to the Kingdom (John 15:5).
Dig into prophecy. It’s the single biggest topic in the Bible and more is written about our life and times than any other period in history. Know what you believe and why you believe it.
Do these things and you can make the time we have left the most rewarding and enjoyable time you’ve ever known. You can almost hear the Footsteps Of The Messiah.
I repeat -- you need to actually read a bit before making incorrect statements or rather, repeating them
1. Claiming that hinduism will get chummy with Islam
2. posting links to Indian newspapers talking about preventing communal riots
3. utter lack of any knowledge of the significance of December 6th on the Indian communal landscapre
4. Utter lack of any knowledge on the current or past natures of Hindu-Moslem relationship
5. Utter lack of any knowledge of the beliefs of Hinduism or Islam besides what's in the MSM or some pastor's website -->have you ever read the Gita or Mahabharatha or even glanced at the Haditsh or Koran?
5. Utter lack of any knowledge at all on the irrevocable differences between a Polytheistic religion and a rigidly monotheistic one
and I could go on and on, but you get the point -- do read a little before repeating false statements
Whilst the very title of “Protestantism” depicts its genesis as a reactive movement, it is the case that strong protests against the Christian doctrines of the Trinity and the Incarnation form part of the Koran and so of Islamic faith. It is also noteworthy that Luther issued his own translation of the Koran in 1542, along with a confutation of its soteriology—the key point of Islamic and protestant divergence.....Protestantism was a move closer to the Islamic view of Scriptural authority. The traditional Christian view is that Christ founded the Church which wrote the Scriptures, ratified them and gains constant nourishment from them. Their definitive meaning derives from the same Church which produced them. Luther’s view that Scripture is the only guide to faith and practice is similar to the Islamic view of the Koran
Cronos... You’ve gone too far by continuing your rants...and missing the point...reconstructing what I’ve stated is not communicating. I thought better of you..that’s changed now....so we’re done here.
Revelation speaks of the AC system being allowed to “wear down the saints” either directly and or by limiting their voice and influence upon men . But it is part of God’s plan. I don’t think the Holy Spirit would necessarily abandon Christians ( not leaving them absolutely powerless to stand against the system so that they lose faith) while taking away the restraints upon the AC system since as scripture says...”Greater is HE that is in you than he that is in the World”.
Now, at some point in all this conflagration,Christ catches up Christians dead and alive. I think the timing of events remains vague due to God alone desiring to keep that knowledge close to his vest. I accept Thessalonians as I accept other passages from Matthew, Revelation, the OT concerning the “end times”. Doing a general survey of all these passages, suggests a more complex series of events and timings then what traditional eschatology has ever revealed. You have to include passages that sort of “stick out” and would color what the traditional evangelical eschatology has always touted. Yet don’t mistake that view for a general disagreement with that eschatology on my part. There will be a catching up....there will be a horrible tribulation “such as never occured or will since” as Christ said....and Christ himself will rule out of Jerusalem. Hallelujah!
So if present believing Christians are caught up before all the major stuff occurs...well bonus! If we have to go thru a refining thru general persecution, well then Praise God who “ is able to make us stand...and above all to stand!”
As I keep repeating — your facts are wrong, utterly. Secondly the conclusions you have drawn from these wrong facts are, of course, wrong.
And note, I stick to the truth and to facts. I would urge you to read a bit instead of the conspiracy theories. Catholicism is Christianity and Catholicism will not be “chummy” with Islam, not when we’ve been fighting it for 1400 years and even now Catholics are on the forefronts of the war with islam in Iraq (who do you think the Chaldean Catholics are?) and Lebanon (Maronite Catholics) —> which members of your group are in this war? I would wager none.
Also, your note about Hinduism as I’ve pointed out shows your utter lack of knowledge on Hinduism doctrines, on it’s past, on the present state of indian communal tensions or politics and on the regular feelings of Indians. This is tied in to the lack of knowledge in your posts on Catholicism — I strongly urge you to read, to travel to experience before commenting on things which you do not have any idea about.
Hillary was methodist.
Hitler hailed from a Catholic background(thought of becoming a priest), many mobsters loved their Virgin Mary!
My point is bad people often use religious fig leaves to cover themselves....no matter what faith!
We all have our loons and I would never parade Bill or Carter as "examples" of the Southern Baptists, far less as proof of the SBC's teachings.
Good point, as I indicated above, every group has it's own.,
Well, there are too many Scriptures which promise that Christ takes His Church-age Bride off the scene before He sends judgment, and none that indicate that Church-age believers will go through the seven-year Tribulation. We don't know the day or the hour that Christ will return for His Church, but we will know the season and we will know when, as God puts it, it is "at the door".
Doing a general survey of all these passages, suggests a more complex series of events and timings then what traditional eschatology has ever revealed. You have to include passages that sort of “stick out” and would color what the traditional evangelical eschatology has always touted.
Do you have some examples?
If we have to go thru a refining thru general persecution, well then Praise God who “ is able to make us stand...and above all to stand!”
Our sin debt has already been paid by Christ, our "refining" has been done throughout our lives through sanctification, and there is absolutely nothing in Scripture that tells Church-age Christians to prepare to go through the Tribulation, or how to survive that time, or how to escape the Antichrist - nothing. We are reassured on multiple occasions throughout the Bible that we are not destined for God's wrath but will be taken out of the time of judgment that Jesus sends on the world.
There is no one on earth, aside from God Himself, who has the power to restrain Satan and evil. The Antichrist can't make his appearance until the Holy Spirit removes the Church in which He dwells, and His ministry of restraining evil, from the earth.
Matthew speaks of a gathering of believers in such a fashion that the general world sees it and “mourns”. They also note the “sign of the coming of the Son of Man” being placed in the skies. Christ spoke as coming at a time “such as was the days of Noah, for folks were buying and selling, marrying and divorcing, eating and drinking” which would denote an era of relative prosperity and a false peace, though reading about the days of Noah one is also confronted with a world filled with exceptional sin and violence as well as inteference from the Nephilim(Quix can give some good info here).
Thessalonians speaks a removal of a “restrainer” but Revelation speaks of multitudes being martyred for their faith and for refusing to take the mark of the beast “or to worship his image”, which means either a bunch of folks are saved after the rapture, or the rapture doesn’t occur when we all thought it might. I can tell you a lot of preachers don’t go for the “folks being saved after the rapture business”...yet there you are...folks being killed by the Beast,False prophet, Beast Image, worship system after the church was supposedly raptured up before the antichrist takes power scenario.
Reading the whole passage of 2Thessalonians 2 then examining verse 13 thru the end in relation to the first 12 verses suggests that believers hold fast and ‘stand firm’ in the faith in relation to the first 12 verses(reading contextually and not lifting anything out). The previous passages speak of “one who is restraining” who is taken out of the way, then the lawless one is revealed then Christ comes and destroys him.
Right. When Jesus physically, literally returns to earth after the seven-year Tribulation, He brings the believers with Him who had been raptured seven years before. The world mourns because they know that everything is over, and the One who they despised and blasphemed has arrived to reclaim His creation and the ending to that fact is not good for them at all.
Those left on earth after the rapture will mourn Christ's return to earth.
Christ spoke as coming at a time “such as was the days of Noah, for folks were buying and selling, marrying and divorcing, eating and drinking” which would denote an era of relative prosperity and a false peace, though reading about the days of Noah one is also confronted with a world filled with exceptional sin and violence as well as inteference from the Nephilim(Quix can give some good info here).
The days of Noah" also refer to the fact that people will be living as if nothing is changing in the world and they will ignore and ridicule the warnings that there is a judgment coming. I have also read that the Babylonian Talmud records that there were homosexual marriages occurring in the time of Noah.
Our generation is exactly like that of Noah's.
Thessalonians speaks a removal of a “restrainer” but Revelation speaks of multitudes being martyred for their faith and for refusing to take the mark of the beast “or to worship his image”, which means either a bunch of folks are saved after the rapture, or the rapture doesn’t occur when we all thought it might. I can tell you a lot of preachers don’t go for the “folks being saved after the rapture business”...yet there you are...folks being killed by the Beast,False prophet, Beast Image, worship system after the church was supposedly raptured up before the antichrist takes power scenario.
That's right - many "preachers" don't go for the "folks being saved after the rapture business" because they don't know Scripture and certainly don't preach it. The Bible clearly states that there will be 144,000 Jews who know Christ as Savior who go throughout the world and preach the Gospel during the Tribulation, and the Bible clearly states that there will be multitudes saved after the Rapture and many of those will be beheaded by the Antichrist.
Many "preachers" substitute their own opinions for Scripture and attempt to equate the two. This is why so many people who sit in church pulpits every Sunday are so abysmally ignorant about the 25% of Scripture that is prophetic. The fact that there are "preachers" who don't preach the Bible is simply more evidence of the end-time apostasy of the Church and just goes to show, once again, that the word of God is inerrant and absolute truth.
As for me, I will stick with the promises Jesus Christ made to get His Bride off the scene before He judges the world for seven years. And until someone can provide the Scripture that contradicts that, I'm going to go with what God said about it.
Reading the whole passage of 2Thessalonians 2 then examining verse 13 thru the end in relation to the first 12 verses suggests that believers hold fast and ‘stand firm’ in the faith in relation to the first 12 verses(reading contextually and not lifting anything out). The previous passages speak of “one who is restraining” who is taken out of the way, then the lawless one is revealed then Christ comes and destroys him.
The passages in verses 13-17 are not some sort of indication that Church-age believers will be on earth during the Tribulation.
If we go back to verses 1-2, Paul is speaking to believers who had been alarmed by some letter they had received, supposedly from Paul, which told them that they were already in the Tribulation. In verses 3-12, Paul explains that the Antichrist cannot come until the Holy Spirit, via the Church, is taken out of the way. He then gives a brief description of the Antichrist.
Verses 13-17 are simply Paul's admonition to the Thessalonians to stand firm in their faith and "hold to" what they had been taught. It is not some instruction to hang on while they go through the Tribulation.
The Bible does not contradict itself. God tells the Church:
Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. (Romans 5:9)
And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come. (I Thess 1:10)
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ (I Thess 5:9)
The Church is promised that we will not go through the Tribulation. And nowhere in the Scripture are those promises contradicted.
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