'But understand this: there will be terrifying times in the last days. People will be self-centered and lovers of money, proud, haughty, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, irreligious, callous, implacable, slanderous, licentious, brutal, hating what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, as they make a pretense of religion but deny its power. Reject them. For some of these slip into homes and make captives of women weighed down by sins, led by various desires, always trying to learn but never able to reach a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so they also oppose the truth—people of depraved mind, unqualified in the faith. But they will not make further progress, for their foolishness will be plain to all, as it was with those two (2 Tim. 3:1-9).'
Timothy was one of Paul’s closest companions and a church leader. Paul’s letter to Timothy is intended to instruct him on matters of church life and practice. Paul described the behavior of evildoers, those burdened by sin, who have the outward appearance of being pious but in reality are false teachers in the community. This will be a sign of the “last days.” The ‘last days’ or ‘last times’ is the period between the incarnation of Christ and his second coming in glory (Jn. 14:3). Paul instructs Timothy to follow his example. The vices listed were similar to those mentioned by Paul in Romans (Rom. 1:30-31). Paul also accused the evildoers, who will fall back into the same state they were in prior to coming to Christ, of appealing to some women who helped spread unorthodox Christian teaching not based on the truth of the Gospel. Evildoers did not succeed against Moses in the OT, and they will not succeed against God’s representatives in the present time.
Almighty God, grant us the grace to be sincere in our faith and to withstand those things that will try to lure us from the path of life you have revealed to us. May the true teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ lead to a total conversion of our hearts that we may share in the fullness of your gifts and the joy of your presence. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
References:
Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, & Roland E. Murphy, (Eds.). (1990, 1968). The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentis Hall, Inc.
Jose M. Casciaro, Santiago Ausin, Gonzalo Aranda, Claudio Basevi, Vincente Balaguer, Francisco Varo, James Gavigan, Brian McCarthy & Thomas McGovern (Eds.). (2017). The Navarre Bible - New Testament. Dublin 8, Ireland: Four Courts Press.
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