Standing Strong In Perilous Times

Standing Strong in Perilous Times

By

Bishop Melvin L, Maughmer Jr.

OPENING: - The phrase “Weak in the knees” means to become so nervous or powerfully affected that it is difficult to stand. To be overcome with or caught off guard by something that causes you to almost fall. When we watch the news and hear the atrocities like the killings of the children at the elementary school in Texas or the killings of the 10 people at the grocery store in Buffalo, that news will cause even the most stoic person to become weak a little, if not then there truly is no compassion in them at all.

The thing is anyone can stand strong when things are going your way, when the bills are paid, money in the bank, health is good, food in the refrigerator, blue bird on your shoulder and everything is a zip-a-dee do da day. You can stand strong and shout loud Praise the Lord but when things are bad, when perilous times invade our normal lives, when sorrow grips your heart, and sadness weighs you down are you able to do as the Bible says having done all to stand – stand.

I have been hearing a lot of foolishness coming from so-called preachers, spreading doctrines of men and old fashioned opinionated rhetoric as being the Word of God and the sad part about it is the people in the congregation being bamboozled by such nonsense believing that what they are hearing is the unadulterated word of God. That’s what is going on in the church then the things going on in the world we understand that we are truly living in perilous times. As 2 Timothy 3:7 says, “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth”.

Today I want to encourage you to Stand Strong in Perilous Times.

PRAYER: -

SCRIPTURE: 2 Timothy 3:1 says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come”.

1 Corinthians 15:58 says, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

The Bible makes it unmistakably plain that in the last days, the world will be filled with difficult times, the like of which has never before been known in the history of mankind. One of my father’s famous sayings has been “In all my days I never…” In all our days we have never seen it like it is right now. Senseless mass shooting, pure evil running roughshod all over the world, blatant sin, immoral lifestyles, and perverted mindsets being accepted as the norm. Pandemics running rampant, wrong is upheld as right, right is treated as criminal, cancel culture has made it so that just because a person doesn’t agree with a certain ideal or standard that they are treated as a hatemonger and criticized and pushed aside.

The Holy Ghost intended for us to be fully aware and understand what will happen in the last days that in 2 Timothy 3:1 reads is as if God is pointing His prophetic finger into the future and is letting us know what will happen in the last days so we will be able to be ready and to able to stand strong when we see these things come to pass.

Let me deal with the phrase “Perilous Times”. 1st notice the verse begins by saying, “This know also” The word “know” in Greek word “Ginosko”, the Greek word for knowledge; however, here it is used in the present tense, which emphasizes a strong command to recognize that there is something that must be known, to pay close attention, what is about to be said must be recognized, and must be acknowledged. This is not a passive well if you want to or it might help you but knowing this is mandatory and beneficial.

2nd notice “… that in the last days” The word “last” in this verse is from the word “Eschatos” eschatology is the study of end times, “Eschatos” points to the ultimate end of a thing. It depicts a place furthest away or something that is final. It informs us and causes us to see what the world environment and what we are now living in.

3rd notice this phrase “Perilous times” - times denotes the final age, these last days. The word “Perilous” is the Greek word “Chalepos”, now this is a very interesting word because it is used to describe ugly words that, when spoken, are hurtful and emotionally hard to bear. It is also used to depict wild, vicious, uncontrollable animals that are unpredictable and dangerous. It always carries the idea of an action, place, person, or thing that is harsh, harmful, degraded, disgusting, vile, abhorrent, dangerous, deadly, and any other word you can think of.