Did Paul Warn Timothy About the 21st Century?

Can a letter written just short of two thousand years ago describe changes in the church of today? Many would toss out the notion as absurd, just old-fashioned ideas. Recently, I listened as a speaker read the list. I wondered, did Paul warn Timothy about the 21st Century?

Flash History

The Apostle Paul had a remarkable conversion on the way to Damascus. Determined to arrest all the Christians he could find in the city, Paul hadn’t expected to be knocked to the ground by the Holy Spirit. Confronted by Jesus, Paul’s entire life and mission changed. (Read the story in Acts Chapter Nine.)

Fast forward to the last years of Paul’s life. In 67 A.D., Paul sensed his work on earth may be coming to an end with his second incarceration. This time, Paul lived in chains, deep within the Roman prison.

No one knew when the last days about which Jesus had taught would begin. Paul wanted his young fellow-laborer not to be caught off-guard. In this second letter to Timothy, Paul warned the young man to expect things to change, urging Timothy to stay strong, behaving in a manner that brought honor to the Lord.

Paul’s list of Last Days behavior

Though sadly, we’ve become used to learning of ungodly behavior, one must assume that such characteristics weren’t common at the time Paul sent Timothy the warning.

“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.” (II. Tim. 3:1-5 NIV)

Evil existed from the time the serpent deceived Adam and Eve in the Garden. No change there. The difference now is that more Christians tolerate the rebellion in the guise of political correctness, some even embracing it as part of our progressive society.

Generally, we don’t think of Paul’s epistles as prophetic words, but when I heard the list, I really pondered the question, Did Paul Warn Timothy about the 21^st century?  Are we living in the last days about which Paul wrote to his young co-laborer?

Feel free to weigh-in on this last days issue. Do you think attitudes of what’s right and wrong have changed?