2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. The apostle next proceeds to predict a further progress in error, with the view of putting Timothy on his guard and sharpening his diligence. I. THE PERIOD OF THIS APOSTASY. "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come." 1. The language does not point to the closing days of the Christian dispensation, for it resembles the language of the Apostle John - "It is the last time" - where the present is undoubtedly referred to, and not the future. 2. The contextual injunction, "from such turn away," applies to the present rather that, to a far distant future. The Christian Church has in all ages shown a condition of things only too closely represented by the moral picture in the context. The apostle implies that there were "vessels of dishonour" in the "large house" in his own day, such as Hymenaeus and Philetus, as well as "vessels unto honour." 3. The language has a wide latitude, covering the whole space of the Christian dispensation. The evil had begun to work in the age of Timothy, but the worst development of anti-Christian apostasy will be in the closing days of the dispensation. The "days of the Messiah" are often alluded to in the Hebrew prophets as "in the last days;" literally, "the end of days" (Isaiah 2:2; Hosea 3:5; Micah 4:1). II. THE DANGEROUS CHARACTER OF THIS APOSTASY. "Perilous times shall come." 1. It will be a time of damager to the faith of God's people. 2. It will be a time of peril to their lives. 3. It will be a time of abounding wickedness as well as error. - T.C. Parallel Verses KJV: This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.WEB: But know this, that in the last days, grievous times will come. |
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