These End Times
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 2 Timothy 3:1-5
“This man has a last days message for a last days church.” Wow! Better not miss it. We have a bit of a fascination with the last days. The assumption is we’re talking about the time just before Christ’s return, but is that a right assumption?
On the day of Pentecost Peter preached, ‘These men are not drunk as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy …’’ Peter was saying: what you’re seeing before your very eyes is what Joel said would happen in the last days. If those things are happening, these must be the last days.
The last days seem then to have begun at least by the day of Pentecost and continue through to Christ’s return.
In our 2 Timothy passage above, the last days are marked by an outpouring of evil. Imagine a football side that knows it’s lost the game but determines to inflict as much harm on the opposition as it can before the final whistle blows. This gives one picture of the last days.
Some quarters of the church downplay spiritual warfare. No one should. The devil’s time is short. He knows it and will inflict as much damage on the church as he can. ‘Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring – those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus’ (Revelation 12:17)
We can give the devil too much attention or too little attention. What we mustn’t do is be ‘unaware of his schemes’ (2 Corinthians 2:11).
Paul could write emphatically ‘Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes’ (Ephesians 6:11).
We are in the last days, days marked not only by the devil’s outpouring but equally by the Holy Spirit’s outpouring.
Take hold of the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to open your eyes to understand Jesus’ climactic defeat of the devil and how to counteract every devilish scheme.
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