Are We Living in the Last Day?

Photo by B Smith from the patio

 

269 - 2 Are We Living in the Last Day?

January 18, 1976

Pastor Henry F. Kulp

II Timothy 3: 1 - 5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

We have now arrived at a very fascinating portion of scripture. How few people understand this Scripture. There are two mistakes that are commonly made. We will deal with them this morning. We want you to keep in mind two mistakes.

1/ First of all, as we look at the first mistake, we see that Paul tells us, This know also. God wants us to be cognizant of this—we are not to be in ignorance concerning it. It is important.

2/  In the last days perilous times shall come. And this means shall set in, shall stand in. So first of all, let us look at perilous times. Let us look at the word, PERILOUS. It is the Greek word, KARL-LAY-POSS. In classical Greek the word meant, dangerous, wild animals and the raging sea. And it means fierce, furious, dangerous, hard, difficult, no way out. Let us look at the word as it is used in the New Testament.

Matthew 8: 28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

Here we read about two men, possessed with demons, and they were exceedingly fierce. The word, fierce, is the same Greek word. How fierce were they? The rest of the verse tells us that no man might pass by that way. Everyone was afraid of them. They struck fear into the hearts of those who were in that area. Let’s see something about how fierce another portion of Scripture describes them.

Mark 5: 3 - 5 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

No man could bind him with chains, because when he had been bound, he just broke them, and no one was able to tame him. He was in the mountains and the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones, so you get a picture of what this word means. You could translate it dangerous. No human way out.

3/  Was Paul talking about the day in which we live? Was he talking about society in general? I think not. For someone will immediately say, the characteristics that are mentioned starting with verse 2 have always been common to man. Notice in verse 2 For men shall be…who are these men? Most would say, all of society, for the Greek word that is used here does not mean men in general, but it means MANKIND, male and female. But again I must stress that this has always been true. Men have always been lovers of self—covetous, boasters, proud, etc. If you talk about the unsaved, the Bible describes them as heathen—they have always been like this. Let us look at what Paul says about men at the tower of Babel.

Romans 1: 29 - 32 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Here we read, That at that time men were filled with unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness. 

So Paul can’t say that in the last days society is going to be like this, for they have never been any different. When one studies the context of II Timothy, up to the 3rd chapter, we find that Paul has been talking about believers. Believers who fail to rightly divide the Word. They have wrong doctrine.

4/  It is a serious error not to rightly divide the Word, for this is what it leads to. The greatest history the professing church has ever had, is when dispensationalism, through the Scofield Bible became popular. Bible Conferences, Bible churches sprung up all through the land. Missionary work flourished. Churches became missionary minded, and evangelistic. Storefront church sprang up everywhere and soon grew and built buildings. Bible camps sprang up throughout the country. And there was a great difference in morals between those who were Christians and those who were not. As a matter of fact, SEPARATION BECAME a byword—separation from the liberals, modernistic churches. Bible schools became dysfunctional.

5/  But all of this has changed. There is little difference between those who are saved and those who are unsaved—separation is no longer the battle cry, because dispensationalism has either been watered down or completely repudiated. And now church that are claiming to be Bible-believing are all wrapped up in emotionalism, aesthetics, knowing very little doctrine, and few Bible verses.

6/  Those who have caused a turn away from dispensationalism have brought out so-called new translations that are much easier to read, so they say, and now very few believers memorize the Bible—they run strictly on emotionalism.

7/  So perilous times have come upon the professing church. Those who are described starting with verse 2 are born again believers, but who know nothing about doctrine.

8/  Men shall be lovers of their own selves. I think you will admit that no matter where you go you hear about love. Love songs, love stories, modern psychology has been proclaiming, THE DOCTRINE OF ACCEPT YOURSELF AS YOU ARE—Love YOURSELF. And the love that is being proclaimed today is phony.

9/  THIS SIN STANDS AT THE HEAD OF A LONG LIST. IT IS THE SPRINGBOARD OF ALL THE OTHER SINS. It poisons all of life. It is the sin of being self-centered—only thinking of self. 

Isaiah 53: 6 God says, All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

So men has always been guilty of self-love, but a believer should never be guilty of this sin.

10/  Let us make a contrast. Galatians 5: 22, 23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

You will notice that the fruit of the Spirit is love, and when you have love it is the fountain-head of joy, peace, etc. But in II Timothy it is the fountain-head of all these other sins.

11/  God is love. I John 4: 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

When God gives us love, we will love God more than ourselves. It is true we are to love ourselves, but not the exclusion of loving God. We are not to love what we are in the flesh, our old natures. 

Romans 7: 18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.

12/  Believers who are guilty of self-love are legalistic, self-righteous. They always talk about love but they are always looking down on others. I say, always watch the person who is a believer, who constantly tells you he loves you. Their actions will prove it a lot more than their words. Always watch the one who says it is in love, but I would like to tell you about something that is wrong in your life. If you want to get along with these people, you tell them how great they are, and they will agree with you.

13/  Covetous. Actually the word means lovers of money, but it goes beyond this. it means lovers of the details fo life. They love money for what it can bring to men. Success, social life, friends, respect and position.

14/  Let’s put the two together. He loves himself, he loves the details of life.

15/  BOASTERS. BRAGGARTS. It is sad but many Christians boast. They are proud—proud of their accomplishments. These sins are the result again of wrong thinking. It is all a matter of self-righteousness and self-righteousness comes from legalism, and the only way to get rid of legalism is to be dispensational—truly dispensational.

Luke 18: 9 - 12 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Here we can see what God is talking about. Here He tells of a man which trusted in himself. He was self-righteous. And notice the first result—despises others. Just notice verse 11, 12 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

Five times in these two verses we have the first personal pronoun, I. I I, I, I fast, I give tithes of all that I possess. He fasted twice in the week. By law he was required to fast once in the year—only on the day of Atonement. And he gave tithes of all that he possessed, and the law only expected him to tithe of certain possessions, but he did of all that he possessed. But it didn’t do him any good—God didn’t take any recognition of this.  He had already given himself the reward, so God didn’t need to.

16/  These folks in the church today must have their own way. They don’t mind splitting, destroying local assemblies to get their own way.

17/  Their whole problem is wrong thinking. 

Romans 12: 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

Here the sin is not thinking soberly of yourself. Being intoxicated with your won abilities, talents and work. This a believer should never experience. You are not to tear yourself down, but you are not to think more highly than you ought to think.

18/  The second error involves the last day. You must learn to rightly divide when it come to the phrase, last days.

Acts 2: 15 - 17 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

Here Peter on the Day of Pentecost quotes Joel and he says, in the last days God promised to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. These last days are not the same as Paul talked about. These last days have to do with the nation Israel. 

II Peter 3: 3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,

AMEN

Ref: 01/18/1976 / 269 - 2 Are We Living in the Last Day? / 01/14/2021