In The Last Days Difficult Times Will Come

In the Last Days Difficult Times Will Come

2 Tim. 3:1-7, 10-12

May 17, 2009 FBC, Chester Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker

Introduction

A Play Are You Ready

B But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,5 holding to a form of godliness , although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses,7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 10 Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance ,11 persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me!12 Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. 2 Tim 3:1-7,10-12 (NASB)

C The last days will be difficult times.

1 “Difficult” is better translated as perilous, violent, or hard to deal with.

a The Messiah uses this word to describe the demonic duo in the cemetery of Gadarene in Matt. 8:28: When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.Matt 8:28 (NASB)

aa The men were so violent, difficult, people didn’t go near the cemetery.

bb Dangerous, perilous, difficult, hard to deal with

b The last days will be like a demonic cemetery

aa The only place the demons felt comfortable was in a place of death, rot, decay, grieving, brokenness

bb The last days will look at demons running the place.

c When I was a kid, a big country song was, “I’m Going to Hire a Wino to Decorate our Home.” Take out the dining room table, put sawdust on the floor, a bar & stools, neon lights so her bar-hopping husband will come home instead of staying at the local tavern. In the last days, people are going to fall away from the faith & believe in the doctrines of demons. But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons...1 Tim 4:1 (NASB)

aa Make a mockery out of covenant of biblical marriage

bb Rewrite our history to delete or minimize Christian heritage

cc If it feels good, do it

dd Entitlement replacing hard work

2 The last days are difficult because of a preceded increase in demonic activity, which was with a falling away.

I Plenty of sin (v. 2-4). For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God...

A The top story for months has been the economy.

1 It’s safe to say that today the economy is a global concern.

a For the last decade, people made fortunes overnight, making as much as possible, as quickly as possible.

b You don’t need to be a financial genius-in a bull market (financial maximum).

c For 10 years, things have gone swimmingly

2 The tide stopped suddenly (tsunami followed by a swift inundation).

a Everything was fine until the bottom dropped.

b “It’s easy to see who’s swimming naked when the tide goes out.”-financial maxim

aa The reason we know Freddie/Fannie/AIG/Meryl Lynch/countless banks were swimming naked is because the tide went out, & they were no longer swimming (also, State of Illinois).

bb Now we’re trying to save/rescue who’s left (bailing out left & right because those who played fast & loose have been fully exposed).

B We’ve learned that God uses the idols of a nation to execute His judgment.

1 The 10 plagues in Egypt, supposedly the Egyptians had gods who should have counteracted God’s judgment.

a Crocodile god: Nile turning to blood; Ra (sun god):darkness; Apis (bull): cattle were stricken

b Escape into the desert-in 40 days make a golden calf

aa So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day. Ex 32:28 (NASB)

bb God wasn’t going to allow His people to bow before a golden cow.

c There’s nothing we can really do to stop this thing (judgment/prophecies)

2 If the Almighty refused to allow His chosen people to give honor to a golden calf, He will not permit America to worship at the feet of some man-made brass bull.