Posted on 03/28/2011 3:36:19 PM PDT by GiovannaNicoletta
Pauls letters to Timothy are the instructions from a mentor to a young pastor, one of the first ever, and contain advice on what to do and how to do it, as well as what not to do. Its the kind of thing youd expect given the relationship.
But for no apparent reason Paul tucked several warnings about the end times into various places in his instructions. These are things Paul knew Timothy wouldnt have to deal with because he clearly described them as characteristics of the Latter Days. Well take them each in turn.
1 Timothy 4:1-2
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
When I read this one I always think of certain televangelists who espouse a perversion of the prosperity gospel. They know what theyre teaching is a compilation of half truths and outright lies, so in effect theyre twisting Gods word to steal from their followers. And without the least bit of shame they enjoy the lifestyles of the rich and famous at the expense of their contributors who, according to some reports, come primarily from the bottom 25% of the economic scale.
Taking advantage of their followers lack of Bible knowledge and misguided desire for a more abundant life , these predators foist one get rich quick scheme after another on their desperate flocks, bilking them out of the few discretionary dollars they have and leaving them worse off in the bargain. And they do it in the name of God. It makes you wonder what Hell say to them come judgment time.
But the prosperity teachers arent the only ones in this category. There are others who teach things they know are contrary to what the Bible says. Some of these things come under the heading of conditional salvation, grace plus works, partial rapture, and other false teaching that can steal the joy of your salvation and rob you of your certainty. Their objective is to imprison you within boundaries of rules they themselves cant follow. Read Colossians 2:8-23 for Pauls opinion on these modern day legalists.
Then there are those who either treat the prophecies of our time as if they were already accomplished in history, or as if theyre never going to be accomplished because theyre all allegorical. These teachers also know what theyre saying cant be reconciled with Scripture, but they ask you to believe it anyway, trusting in their superior intellect or advanced education instead of your own common sense. They take passages that can be clearly understood just as theyre written by anyone with an average intellect and make them hopelessly confusing by violating the rules of context, re-defining terms, and making that which is real into something symbolic.
2 Timothy 3:1-5
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.
Just as you become convinced that Paul is describing the unbelieving world in our time and are vigorously nodding your head in agreement, he says that these people have a form of godliness but deny its power. Then you realize he was writing about those believers in name only, who spend 6½ days each week living lives indistinguishable from unbelievers, grabbing all they can get from our material world by any means necessary while contributing little or nothing to the work of the Kingdom. These people lead two lives, the one theyre serious about, and the one thats just for show. Guess which is which.
Paul was not blind to the behavior of these people, nor was this the only time he warned us to stay away from them. Listen to what he told the Corinthians.
I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. (1 Cor. 5:9-11).
Notice he said anyone who calls himself a brother instead of anyone who is a brother. I think he was doubting that someone who behaves in this manner could have been saved in the first place.
2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
Here the focus is on the emerging church movement in all its various forms. In business schools, students learn to develop strategies based on a driving force. One such driving force is the market. A market driven strategy requires the business enterprise to focus on what they perceive to be the wants and needs of their target customers and adapt themselves to meet these needs in a more effective way.
Correctly predicting the growing demand for a religious organization that could meet the needs of a self centered, self sufficient generation, the leaders of the emerging church movement developed such a strategy. They took the focus off God and put it on the congregation. Entertainment replaced worship, philosophy replaced theology, and good works replaced victorious living.
Borrowing a phrase from Dominion Theology they began calling it bringing Heaven to Earth to make it sound more appealing to their idealistic target market. Little do their followers realize that for believers, these good works will be burned up in the fire (1 Cor. 3:14-15), and for unbelievers theyll be woefully insufficient for entry into the kingdom (John 3:3). God has His own strategy for bringing Heaven to Earth and it doesnt include the emerging church. Commenting on their works in his letter to Laodicea, Jesus said,
I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm neither hot nor cold I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Rev. 3:15-16)
Theyre excited about the great entertainment, the stimulating talk, and the good works, but not about the Lord.
Irrespective of that, both the seats and the coffers soon filled, signs that their market driven strategy was working, and for many the emerging church was soon the place to be. This was especially true for those who had become bored with traditional Church and wanted a place where they could feel good and do good with no messages about sin and salvation to convict them. The gospel was not missed in its absence.
Besides, All of our attempts to define the right form of the Gospel are just human interpretations, the movements leaders claim. We must avoid a naive or excessive confidence in any telling of the Gospel story, since no articulation of the gospel today can presume to be exactly identical to the original meaning Christ and the apostles proclaimed. In a sense, theyre saying since its impossible to know what the Gospel story really is we shouldnt put too much faith in it.
Learning about the rapidly approaching End Times and the need to be ready for it has also been skipped. Instead, the excessive study of prophecy is called a distraction from the real work of the Church. These things were done by design, since the goal is to have non-believers make up at least half of the congregation. The market is much bigger that way and the non-believers help move the believers away from theological absolutes, like the need to be born again and the importance of prophecy.
In the next verse of His letter Jesus offered additional criticism.
"You say, I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. (Rev. 3:17)
His letter to the Church in Laodicea contains no commendation for their works and offers no escape from the end times judgments, just a plea to be allowed back into their midst (Rev. 3:20).
But Wait Theres More
Over fourteen years earlier in his second letter to the Thessalonians Paul had first warned us about the apostasy of the latter days, calling it one of the signs that would mark the end of the age. In 2 Thes. 2:1 Paul began to address their questions about two events, the (2nd) coming of our Lord, and our being gathered to Him (the rapture). He was responding to information they had received saying the day of the Lord had already come. He told them not to worry because several things had to happen first.
Paul didnt go into things like the regathering of Israel, the beginning of Daniels 70th Week, or the building of a Temple. Israel had not been dispersed yet, and the Second Temple was still standing. He focused on events that are more gentile in nature.
A careful reading of 2 Thes. 2:3-8 shows the order in which he said these things would take place. He said the apostasy would happen first (verse 3), then the rapture of the Church when the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way (verse 7), and finally the revealing of the anti-Christ followed by the 2nd Coming (verse 8). (If you dont read this passage carefully, you could become confused by Pauls mention of the anti-Christ in verses 3-4. But verse 8 clearly places the official unveiling of the anti-Christ after the removal of the Holy Spirit.) Even a casual observation shows that were well into the time of the first sign.
What should be our reaction to this? First is to remember that Gods Word said this would happen so theres no point in bemoaning the fact that its happening. Instead we should be encouraged to know the end of the Age is getting closer. Jesus said the true Church would become weaker and less influential as the end approaches (Rev. 3:8). As the world moves further and further from God, those of us who follow Him will naturally feel less comfortable and be less welcome here.
If you live in the United States, stop confusing your country with your church. No believer outside the US makes this mistake, and the fact is the Church has neither a home nor a land on Earth. Our citizenship is in Heaven (Phil. 3:20) and we look for a city whose architect and builder is God (Hebr. 11:10).
No matter where we live in the world we have to remember that were aliens here and our visit is about over. Soon well be going home where we belong.
In the mean time we have to stop depending on organized religion to meet our needs. In some places the Church is being forced underground. In others were going willingly. But either way the gulf between religion and the Church is growing wider by the day.
If you cant find a God worshiping, Bible teaching church where you live, dont settle for what you can get. Gather a small group of like minded believers and worship at home. Paul and Timothy didnt have a huge bureaucracy behind them. They didnt have million dollar buildings or professionally designed programs. They didnt even have the New Testament. Yet they found a way to worship God, and to help others do the same.
Stop supporting groups who are trying to bring Heaven to Earth and start sending your treasure to Heaven. I could tell you stories all day long about what God can do with a hand full of people He can trust. Ask the Lord to identify a need for you to meet in His name and then work in His strength to meet it. Apart from Him nothing you do has any value to the Kingdom (John 15:5).
Dig into prophecy. Its the single biggest topic in the Bible and more is written about our life and times than any other period in history. Know what you believe and why you believe it.
Do these things and you can make the time we have left the most rewarding and enjoyable time youve ever known. You can almost hear the Footsteps Of The Messiah.
The response: Et cum spiritu tuo
.. and with thy spirit.
In Latin for the Romans. In English for the Anglicans.
Thank you, Religion Moderator. Verbum sat sapientes
A single word is all that is needed for the wise. Let's hope.
horse-pucky, you're comparing national priorities to millenia of attacks. There was no ideological hatred stretching back centuries between the US and Japan. In fact they were allies in WWI
You need to read history please
100 million Hindus kiled is no joke. Hinduism is the utter antithesis of Islam -- no comparison, like white and black, utter opposites
And nice try to clip articles from Indian papers trying to promote communal harmony --> have you ever been in India? Have you ever met any Indians that you comment? No --> your statements are utterly wrong.
Again -- go visit India, befriend some Indians in America and ask the question -- your assumptions are utterly wrong.
On the contrary -- you raised this up by making false statements about which, respectfully, you do not know anything besides googling. Have you read the vedas or the gita? Do you know anything about Indian history? Do you know any Indians today?
Have you heard of the riots in India in 1993? Have you heard of the Gujarat massacres? Have you heard of the communal tension in India?
No you do not and you are commenting on things that you do not know about -- why?
You need to explain who Shiva and Vishnu are -- about the avatars of Vishnu.
Then you need to explain the sarcasm.
Google Vishwa hindu Parishad and understand why they are saying this -- they normally are accused (and rightly so IMHO) of preaching communal war. This is PR work
Second your "Moslem statement" -- you're talking about a Sufi saint. Mainline Islam considers these "saints" as paganism
Most famous United Church of Christ politicians:
Barrack Obama
Howard Dean
Hubert Humphrey
Baptist:
Bill Clinton
Al Gore
John Edwards
Hillary Clinton
Jimmy Carter
Presbyterian:
Walter Mondale Adlai Stevenson
Supreme Court Justices
John Paul Stevens, Presbyterian
Lewis Powell, Presbyterian
Warren Burger, Presbyterian
The three contemporary Presbyterian judges are all radical leftists.
Caww — respectfully, you guys seem to have no clue about anything beside spouting off. Go on the ground, actually read instead of parroting false statements
You are sadly wasting your time communicating with someone who quotes a Shia Muslim propaganda website, example:
How I Found the Right Path
My journey began when, on starting a new job, I first met a follower of Ahl ul-Bayt. Up until that time, I knew little about those who were called Shi’as - except what I had heard from Sunni brothers, which to say the least was not very complimentary. I had read nothing about them, for I had never found anything to read: all the books on Islam I came across over a period of many years were about Sunni Islam, written by Sunni Muslims. All the Muslims I had met, in my country of residence and in places like Egypt, were Sunni, and even on that modern medium of communication, the Internet, I had not come across any Shia sites, probably because I had not looked for them specifically and just followed links from one Sunni site to another Sunni site.
http://www.abna.ir/list.asp?lang=3&gId=1756
Satyameva Jayate
(Truth Alone Triumphs)
Genocide committed in the name of Allah: 3,000,000 Bangladeshi Hindus Killed during the Pakistan-Bangladesh war in 1971. From 1894 to 1896 Abdul Hamid, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, killed 150,000 Armenian Christians. In India, Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur along with his disciples was burned to death by the Moghul ruler Aurangzeb in 1675. Another Sikh, Bhai Mati Das was sawn into right and left halves while he was still alive. In July 1974, 4,000 Christians living in Cyprus were killed by Fahri Koroturk, president of Turkey and his Islamic army. From 1843 to 1846 10,000 Assyrian Christians including women and children were massacred by the Muslims. From 1915 to 1918 750,000 Assyrians were killed in the name of Islamic Jihad. In 1933 thousands of Assyrian villagers were murdered by the Iraqi soldiers in Northern Iraq. Since 1990 more than 10,000 Kashmiri Hindus have been brutally murdered by Islamic fundamentalists. Over 280,000 Ugandans killed during the reign of Idi Amin from 1971 to 1979. Over 30,000 Mauritanians have been killed by the Islamic dictators since 1960. In 1980, 20,000 Syrians were murdered under the rule of Hafez Al-Assad, President of Syria. Since 1992 120,000 Algerians have been murdered by the Islamic fundamentalist army.
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate/
HINDU & MUSLIM UNITE? ONLY IF THE HINDUS LEARN TO RECITE THE KORAN BY ROTE & CONVERT TO ISLAM!
Ciao. I must now return to my Sanskrit class.
Cronos....again you need to get current. Though your historical posts are interesting reads...that is not the now happening with the leadership in Religious Circles of Mainline Religions. It’s obvious you may not want to see these happenings....but reality is just that non-the-less.
It would be better and more helpful were you to use your Historical knowledge along with observing these happenings and movements, and give an assessment of how you see these could be played out in the future and the possiblities.
You did just that in Libya and it was most interesting and informative.
Yes indeed I have. That is all you need to know. Further I know enough of the Hindu belief system to recognize it for what it is...as well the impact on the people who practice it's rituals.
Fruther the difference in their various Gods they worship is of no importance to me as they all are rooted in paganism no matter which banner they might march under.
I am well aware of the killings and the opposition Muslims and Hindus have between them...but as I have stated...regardless of this there is a push to bridge that gap on both sides as some of the links I've posted clearly show.
Christianity and Islam will never unite either, but you can be sure those who lay claim to both these faiths from a secular perspective, and the vast majority of increasing, are now indeed reaching across their perspective isles and embracing. So also is this occuring between Muslims and Hindus....also increasingly so.
Oh, so this thread isn’t about Ron Paul and TPaw?
;-)
Yeah OK I get it, sarcasm, keep the infidels off guard, hehehe.
Now even the Chinese are in on it. Atheistic Confucianistic Gastronomica with a Saffron Tinge.
Chinese food, Indian Twist - See, it's older than you think, even Chubby Checker BhaiSahib was in on it. And let's not even mention Sammy Davis.
And as for your Sanskrit session, Ken, (But you know the frequency), I'll throw you a Latin Shloka -
Omni Domni De Dum PappaDum Chutnium Dum
Ok, then explain:
I'm sorry, but your statements are quite incorrect. Go on the ground or even read about the utter incompatibility between Hinduism and Islam.
Read about the current distrust and hate between the communities, not about the platitudes for peace
Your links are no more than statements from the press trying to assuage communal riots -- which is a real factor of life in India.
Why go so far, visit Bombay and see how many Hindus stay in Moslem dominated areas or vice-versa. See Delhi and the ostracism is worse. On the contrary you will find Christians, Zoroastrians even Jews living among Hindus and vice-versa
This proves that the differences are beyond merely religious but step down practically to blood.
You are still overlooking my point Cronos...and it doesn’t take feet on the ground to see that. I have not been stating that the Muslims and Hindus are in bed with each other...that will of course not happen. I have stated they are attempting to bridge the gaps amongst each other.....and they are doing just that.
I have purposely not gotten into a discussion with you about what I do or not know. We all know what that would entail...and endless posting of various sites and articles which only muddies the water.
It is not hard Cronos to see the world is attempting to unite the mainline religions....heck even the Palistinians and Israel remain in negotiations and there is no greater hatred expressed than that of Muslims toward Israel...and yet the leaders continue with dialogue.
Why you continue to state that Muslims and Hindus are excempt from ever tolerating one another flys in the face of those who are making attempts to do just that.
There is always going to be conflict Cronos....even here in the USA.....and yet people work together to change that....so too are world leaders among the religions...and they will unite under a one world religion though it won’t look like what we see now.
The World council of churches is made up of many differing faiths and yet under one roof....it will be similar to this Cronos...I don’t understand why it is so hard for you to get?
It was/is a Communist Front Organization.
Hinduism - Polytheistic mainly, Islam - rigidly monotheistic
Hinduism - localisation (primarily Bharatha/india), Islam - global
and many others
I repeat -- you had said that Hinduism would join with Islam. That cannot happen.
Also "tolerating each other" neglects the very facts that are both historical and present. In no place does this truly happen despite the well-meaning efforts of the peace-lovers.
I ask you to read the link Fred Nerks gave you to understand the differences. I dont understand why it is so hard for you to get? --> because, dear caww, I KNOW this, I KNOW that there is far more difference between Hinduism and Islam/Christianity/Judaism than between any of the various groups in the WCC. I ask that you read the Gita and compare it to the Koran to see some of the differences
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