Perilous Times and Perilous Men

Perilous Times and Perilous Men 2 Timothy 3:1-9

3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 

• 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, 
• lovers of money, 
• boasters, 
• proud, 
• blasphemers, 
• disobedient to parents, 
• unthankful, 
• unholy, 
• 3 unloving, 
• unforgiving, 
• slanders, 
• without self-control, 
• brutal, 
• despisers of good, 
• 4 traitors, 
• headstrong, 
• haughty, 
• lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 
• 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 

6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

Today's lesson reminds me of the problems Adam and Eve brought upon themselves by listening to a snake.  Did you know there are snakes in the church?  No, I'm not talking about the crazy churches that handle snakes as part of their worship.  I'm talking about snakes in the everyday normal churches that, as the scripture says above, " . . .  For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women . . . "  

These snake people claim to be Christians and brag about all their past ministries, but their hearts are evil.  How can you recognize them? 

• They are very boisterous, 
• arrogant and 
• proud.  
• They love to gossip
• They brag about their works.  
• They are very opinionated about every subject and are 
• quick to insert their judgments of others without knowing all the facts.  
• They are always looking for gullible people they can seduce under their spell.  
• They mesmerize gullible people with their way of telling long and detailed stories of their past experiences.  
• They are very rich and love to manipulate gullible people by talking them into making changes in their finances that interfere in marriages causing a division among the married couple.
• They seek situations where they can manipulate circumstances for their own financial gain at the expense of others.

What can you do about them?  Pray for discernment in order for you to recognize these snakes.  Once you recognize them stay away from them as far as you can.  Pray for them and pray that they will come to recognize what they are doing is evil.  Pray that they will repent and ask forgiveness for their evil.

SaveSave