2 Timothy 3:1-5 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

“1But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. 2For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good, 4traitorous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Turn away from such as these!”

The God-Fearing

We live now in such a time as this. In my nation, the USA, it is very obvious that this is where we are, as a nation, but not every person. There are still God-fearing people among us whose lives are surrendered to the will of God, to doing what God commands and to no longer making sin their practice. But they seem to be becoming fewer and fewer in number as time passes by. Living for self and for self-pleasure, in sinful addiction, is more and more becoming commonplace among those who profess faith in Jesus Christ.

The Traitorous

For we have so many teachers among us who are spreading webs of deceit. And so many people who are being targeted are getting caught in these webs. And a web can be symbolic for a network, and so many of today’s “churches” are networks created in the minds of humans which are being operated under the authority of people who are following man-made plans for how to “build a church,” and in how to “attract the world to their gatherings” in order to “grow their numbers.” These are of the flesh.

We have so many “wolves in sheep’s clothing” among us in the “churches,” in the government, in the business world, and in the media who are leading the people to follow after the ways of the world and not after the ways of God. The gospel of our salvation is predominantly being altered to make it less offensive and more agreeable to human flesh and to the ungodly of the world in many of these “market-driven churches” which are being led by human flesh and not by God, and not by the teachings of the Scriptures.

False Teachings

Instead of teaching the gospel which Jesus and His New Testament apostles taught, under the New Covenant God has with His people (Jew and Gentile by faith in Jesus Christ), in the correct biblical context, they twist the Scriptures to teach lies to the people. And so many of them are giving people the idea that faith in Jesus Christ gets them forgiven of all sins, and promises them heaven as their eternal destiny, but while they do not mention God’s requirements for repentance and for obedience to God.

Therefore, many people who are making professions of faith in Jesus Christ are being given the impression that God’s grace is carte blanche (free reign) to continue in deliberate and habitual sin and that obedience to God is no longer required by God. And so we have many who profess Jesus as Lord but who are still living in sin, making sin their practice, doing what their evil hearts desire, many of whom are living sexually immoral, corrupt, wicked, vile, sinful, dishonest and self-indulgent lifestyles, without conscience.

Pampering the Self-Indulgent

And rather than pastors and elders of “church” congregations calling these people to repentance and to obedience to our Lord and to His commands, many of them are pampering these idolaters and adulterers in their sins while they may go against anyone who tries to call them to repentance. Therefore, sometimes the wounded are being attacked for calling out sin while the wicked and immoral idolaters and adulterers are treated as though they are the “victims” because people are calling them to repent.

So often the people following Jesus Christ with their lives in truth and in righteousness, who are calling out sin and those who indulge in sinful practices and those who teach lies to the people, they are being treated as though they are the enemy while the wicked and immoral and traitorous and adulterous are treated with grace, with honor, and with respect. And so we have many hurting people who are doing what is right being treated with dishonor and with disrespect, while respect is being given to the wicked.

And this is the exact opposite of what the Scriptures teach!

Put Sin to Death

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to Him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) Him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to His commands, in His power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls Him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in Him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Terrible Times Have Appeared
An Original Work / September 19, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

In Truth

An Original Work / January 10, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Fellowshipping with my Lord, Savior, King.
He is Lord of all; Lord of ev’rything.
He is with me through ev’ry hour of day,
List’ning to me speak, as I humbly pray.
He cares for my needs, and He intercedes for me,
‘cause He loves me in ev’ry way.

Obey His commands, and do all He says.
Sitting at His feet, daily in His word,
Let His word speak to me in ev’ry way,
Giving comfort and healing through each day.
Oh, how Jesus loves, and He cares for you,
Which is why He died for our sins, in truth.

Love our Lord God, Savior, and King of kings.
Worship Him in truth, for He reigns supreme.
He created us with a plan in mind
For us to be His servants, and Him mind.
Follow Him in truth; Go where’er He leads.
Share His love with others, and their needs meet.
Others: their needs meet.