Study – Grow – Know

There Will Be Terrible Times in the Last Days…

November 22, 2010 at 9:53 PM 2 comments

Sometimes, we need to take a step back before we understand the full force of a situation.  It is too easy to become so used to our situations, that we do not see the changes that have occurred over the months or years.

In 2 Timothy 3:1-4 tells us:

“1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

²For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

³Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

⁴Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;”

That is some list, isn’t it?  Paul seems to hold nothing back.  For people who were born after 1965 or 1970, it might be very difficult for them to understand just how much has changed in the past five to six decades.

Of course, most are aware how much music and styles have changed, but that’s not what I’m talking about here.  I’m talking about two things that are part of people’s personality:

1. demeanor
2. attitude

When I was but a lad, living in Fresno, CA, I recall going to the Fresno Fair one year with my family.  It was my dad, mom, sister, and me.  We enjoyed the afternoon and headed out.  As we left, there were also other people exiting the fair as well.

Right behind us there were a couple of high school guys.  Aside from the fact that their hair was a bit longish, they were normal teenagers.  They were animated and enjoyed the fair.  However, they were using off-color language too, which my father did not appreciate.  Because they were essentially walking only a few feet behind us, it was fairly easy to hear their comments and they were lost in conversation.

I recall my dad turning around to them and gently but firmly chiding them about their language and the fact that there were kids within earshot.  I remember looking at the two teenagers and both were very embarrassed, but did not retaliate in any way toward my father, either in word or action.  They quickly clammed up and hurriedly walked off toward their car.

Now don’t get me wrong.  There were people who were considered to be rough necks, or stoners, but these people were in the minority.  As time has gone by, what was in the minority has now become the majority.

There is not much at all on TV anymore.  Thank goodness for DVDs and the release of all the golden oldies for people like me.  Aside from this and the documentary channels, there is really nothing worthwhile.  This extends to the commercials that play on nearly all channels.  The spate of reality-type shows that have come to the fore are absolutely, without doubt, some of the most heinous things on TV.

There is Party at the Rehab, New Jersey Shore, and a plethora of shows that  provide purient viewing from the comfort of your own home.  Women are not only in extremely skimpy bikinis, but they have trash mouths and everyone is arguing with someone else.  All this, just from the commercials!

The “F” word has become more common than the cold.  It’s a word that most people who use it, can use it as nearly any part of a sentence without any effort at all.  When I was young, we had slang like “far out,” “right on,” and a few other phrases that our parents just kind of rolled their eyes at a bit.  Today, most street slang is filled with vitriol, expletives, and even racial epithets.

All of this has created an attitude and demeanor in people that has made society fierce, selfish, liars, rebellious, disobedient to parents, unholy and all the rest listed for us in 2 Timothy 3.  Think of the tragedies that have occurred at some our schools across the U.S.  These situations have been perpetrated by individuals who were completely disenfranchised from society, likely by their own doing.  They thought so much of themselves and came to hate people and society so much that they felt the only solution was to kill other people and then themselves.

If you stop to consider it, everything has changed over the decades.  When I was young, people were generally polite to one another.  It was rare to hear anyone swear in public.  It was very uncommon to hear languages other than English spoken in public because this was considered to be rude.  People who did not speak English did not want to be seen as rude by having other people who did not understand them think they were making comments about them.

Since I was a kid, too many things have changed to list.  If I compare Paul’s list in 2 Timothy 3 with the things that have changed over the years, I see that a good deal of it is here now.  Now, in 2010 going into 2011, Paul’s description of people is what we have with us today.

People are rude.  They are haters.  They are extremely selfish.  What used to be the minority in society, has not only become the majority, but the norm.  The love of most has grown cold.  People are not interested in others because they are spending too much time involved with their own wants and needs.

People are brutal in many ways.  The desire to do what is right is something that is missing from a very large portion of our society and it is not getting better.  Society is not improving.  Society is getting worse as Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said it would.

We are living it now.  The fact is that people are becoming heartless.  Yet, there the gap between those who want nothing to do with God and those who are earnestly seeking Him (whether they know it or not), is widening.  That’s where you and I come in.  As Christians, we need to be constantly alert to the fact that lost individuals are roaming around the earth seeking God.  Who is going to tell them if we do not?

We better get to it while it is still day…

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