2 Timothy 3:1-17 has different headings depending upon the translation used.
For example, the MacArthur Study Bible says, “Perilous Times, and Perilous Men”; The Spirit Filled Life Bible (KJV) says, “Perilous Times Shall Come”; Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible has no chapter title breaks; Master Study Bible says, “Difficult Times Will Come”; The Tree of Life Version says, “Opposition in the Last Days”; English Standard Version (ESV) says, “Godlessness in the Last Days”; The Message says, “Difficult Times Ahead”; “Kings James Version says, “Difficult Times Will Come”.
Question: What is the heading in your personal Bible?
‘Heaven is Coming‘ to confront ‘the evil days’.
God came down in the days of Noah. God came down in the days of the Tower of Babel. God came down in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Why did God come down ?
He came down to ‘see’ the evil.
The result of what He ‘saw’ was a Heavenly Coming.
Using the Exodus of Israel from Egypt as a template a second time, God came in response to His people crying out to Him for deliverance.
God keeps His covenant with His people.
He revealed Himself to Egypt (a type of the world), and specifically to Pharaoh, who boasted before Moses:
“Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2, NKJV)
That kind of arrogance will get God’s attention.
God made Himself known to Pharaoh( who represents the authority of Satan and his total opposition to the authority of God); to the nation of Egypt( a picture of the world); and to the nation of Israel (God’s people).
The process of God that He sent to set His people Israel free from the bondage of Egypt is a representation of the conflict that is in the universe between God and Satan.
It was God’s ‘Heavenly Coming’.
It is also a picture of God’s people who are in the world but not a part of the world. A world that is governed by the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2 NKJV)
The conflict is over who is in charge?
God or Satan.
The answer is God.
His opposition is Satan.
Is there a conflict?
Is there an ongoing battle?
Is God threatened by this conflict?
Absolutely not!
How has Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of the universe, the Creator of the world, the One and Only True God responded to this uprising by Satan?
His response actually took place before the foundation of the world in eternity.(Ephesians 1-3)
The explanation of His response is found from cover to cover within God’s written Word, the Bible.
God’s people today, the Church, the Ekklesia, like those who have gone before them, must take its stand in the Word of God.
Reflect on these words: “For you were once in darkness [Egypt, the world], but now you are light [out of the world, and ‘in Christ, Who is the Light of the world] in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness [Egypt, the world], but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things which are exposed are made manifest by the light [Q: when you turn a light on, what leaves?)] for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says, “Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light” “. [Paul’s call to the Church is to remind them that they, too, were once not saved, in darkness, and they came to the light, now live like it.] Continuing, “See then that you walk circumspectly (carefully, [a marginal note]), not as fools [a fool is one who says there is no God,Psalms 14:1], but as wise (Proverbs 9:8-10) redeeming the time because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:8-16, NKJV) [inserts mine]
In context, Paul, speaking to the Church at Ephesus, is reminding them of their responsibility as Christians to be sure that their lifestyle does not reflect the lifestyle of the world but reflects the life of Christ to which they are being conformed.
Using Proverbs 9:8-10 Amplified Version, to help us focus,
“Do not correct a scoffer [who foolishly ridicules and takes no responsibility for his error] or he that hates you; correct a wise man [who learns from his error] and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man and he will become even wiser, Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. The [reverent] fear of the LORD [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight.”
This, I believe, is the teaching spirit of Paul, as he addresses the Ephesian Church in their midst of struggles to persevere and continue in faithfulness to the Lord.
If you have been a follower of my posts, then you know, and it is no surprise to you that the “days are evil”(Ephesians 5:16).
Am I sharing anything that the Body of Christ is not already aware of?
I sincerely doubt it.
Then, why, the posts?
I want you, Church, to see what Paul is teaching through encouragement and admonition to the Church at Ephesus.
He begins showing them that they are ‘seated in Christ’, “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name, that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come.” (Ephesians 1:21, NKJV)
i.e.: seated above the “prince of the power of the air”.
Because of the finished work of the cross (Ephesians 2:1-10), “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus… ” (Ephesians 2:4-6, NKJV)
Next, Paul (Ephesians 4-5) focuses their attention on ‘walking out’ what God has birthed within them, “walk worthy of the calling with which you were called”(Ephesians 4:1 NKJV); Ephesians 5:2, NKJV, “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”
Paul shares how Christ has loved us and how we should love one another.
Then in Ephesians 6:1-9, Paul focuses upon the importance of obedience in our earthly relationships, which is paramount to walking in love as Christ has loved us.
Finally, in Ephesians 6:10-20, Paul brings their attention to the importance of spiritual warfare.
Why? because the ‘days are evil’.
Read Ephesian 6:10-18.
Paul’s emphasis is to stand.
Why the emphasis on standing?
Because we, believers in Christ, the Body of Christ, the called out ones, are in the midst of a spiritual conflict, doing spiritual warfare, because the ‘days are evil’.
Let me say emphatically, the Church must awake to this realization in this hour of its existence.
In every generation, the true Church of the Lord Jesus Christ has realized its generational spiritual warfare.
There are many in the Body of Christ today that are fighting this ‘conflict’ daily, by praying and interceding for their loved ones, this nation, and the ‘slumbering church’ that does not understand where it sits; how it is to walk; and for what it is to stand.
Please look up Psalm 1 and read it carefully.
Many years ago, it was pointed out to me that the three words Paul structured his letter to the Ephesian Church-sit,walk, and stand-is the teaching of Psalm 1.
What is the blessing, admonition, and result of heeding the words of Psalm 1?
It is dependent upon your personal answers to the following questions.
Q: How is your relationship to the Lord?
Q: Does it reflect the characteristics and fruit of the world?
Q: Or, does it reflect the characteristics and fruit of Christ?
Remember-the ‘days are evil’.
This was emphasized at the beginning of this post.
Please read 2 Timothy 3:1-17.
Question: Will your lifestyle as a believer in Christ Jesus withstand the evil influence and pressure of Ephesians 6:12, Amplified Version?
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood [contending with only physical opponents], but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this [present] darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly [supernatural] places.” (personal insert-this is another way of describing the ‘prince of the power of the air’ and his demons)
Remembering Ephesians 1:21 Amplified Version, who did Jesus conquer at the cross? “…all rule and all authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human]…”
Combine this with Colossians 2:15, Amplified Version, “When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities [those supernatural forces of evil operating against us], He made a public example of them [exhibiting them as captives in His triumphal procession] having triumphed over them through the cross.”
I am not forgetting that Jesus is the Lamb of God that died as the perfect sacrifice for the sin of the world. (John 1:29)
What the Church needs, is to be re-awakened, to the truth that there is an adversary-Satan, and the angels that rebelled with him.
The warfare between the Church and Satan will continue until Christ returns.
B.U.T. – But Understand This – Church!
The ‘work of the Cross’ won.
The power of Satan has been conquered.
One of the mysteries of the Sovereignty of God is His permission allowing Satan to continue to have the influence he exerts in the world today.
I Peter 5:8-9, Amplified Version, “Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined, be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry] seeking someone to devour. But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack-rooted, established, immovable] {may I insert this thought? this is a picture of Ephesian 6:12, stand}, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being experienced by your brothers and sisters throughout the world. [You do not suffer alone].
God’s Heavenly Comings are dramatic, bringing judgment and salvation.
God’s Heavenly Coming to His people, the nation of Israel, was manifested through 10 plagues.
God brought a Personal ‘saving’ revelation of Himself to His people and Personal revelation of ‘judgment’ to Pharaoh and to the nation of Egypt.
The night of the 10th plague, the nation of Israel, in obedience to God’s Word, stayed in their dwelling places, under the blood of a lamb. (Exodus 12)
They were saved.
Saved from what?
Those in the land of Egypt whose dwelling places did not have blood applied over the entrance to their household experienced judgment of the death of their first born. (Exodus 12:29-30)
The purpose of taking Israel ‘out’ of Egypt (type of the world, the kingdom of darkness) was so that He could bring them ‘into’ the land (type of the Kingdom of God) that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God is keeping His covenant with His people.
When we respond in faith to the message of the Gospel, He saves us, and brings out of sin and death and brings us into Christ in Whom we have the forgiveness of sin, and we are born again by the Spirit of God.
We are brought out of the kingdom of darkness(Egypt, world) and into the glorious Kingdom of Light(Kingdom of God).
We have passed from death unto life, because of the blood of Christ.
The nation of Israel came out ‘under the blood’ and went through the Red Sea on dry land.
We, too, come out of death because of the Blood of the Lamb and then our old nature is buried in the water (Red Sea) of baptism identifying with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. We come up out of the water into the newness of life. The old has passed away and all things have become new in Christ Jesus. (insert mine)
I recommend that you read I Corinthians 10:1-13.
Just as the nation of Israel had to journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, so we, too, are on a spiritual journey with the Lord until He brings us into His Presence.
We must understand that we are walking with the Lord daily.
Our life’s journey is out from the world of darkness that has been left behind; and walking with Him through the wilderness chosen by Him to conform us to Himself and be a mature son or daughter of God, now.
God has brought out His people from under the government of the world, and led them into the wilderness to teach them about His rule and reign for their lives.
Guess what?
‘That’ is exactly the same journey we are on after we come to Christ and are saved; and then learn to live out our life with Him.
Our story is a story of learning the rule and reigning of God in our life.
So, who is in charge?
‘That’ is Paul’s heart for the Churches that h has founded.
‘That’ is the substance of his letters.
Read Philippians 3, in the Amplified Version it is entitled The Goal of Life.
Philippians 3:12 Amplified Version, reads, “Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own.”
TBC
Blessings, your brother in Christ, on His journey with the Lord, learning His rule and reign in my life, too-deo
Living Words of Encouragement 