02.17. The End of the Age and How to Meet It
XVII THE END OF THE AGE AND HOW TO MEET IT
I THE theme of this chapter has been chosen in order to bring the teaching up to this point to a spiritual and practical conclusion.
It is a brief exposition of Paul’s words to Timothy-c-those in the third and fourth chapters of the second letter to his young son in the faith, beginning with the words: "This know also that in the last days perilous (grievous) times shall come." By "the last days," I do not understand him to mean those preceding the end of the world, which, as we have seen, is doubtless a long way off, but those pre ceding the end of the age, which, for aught we know, may be very near.
Indeed his description of these days so tallies with what we see around us now, as almost to compel the conclusion that he has the present time in mind. For is not this time marked by selfishness, by the love of money, boasting, pride, blasphemy, disobedience to parents, unthankfulness, the absence of natural affection, the breaking of treaties, slander, incontinence, fierceness and the other awful things he names’ Does not the love of pleasure supersede the love of God to-day, and has not formalism largely taken the place of real spiritual power in the religious life? Of course, it may be said that these things have been apparent in every period of the professing Church from apostolic days till now. Cowper thought they marked his period over 100 years ago, when he wrote:
“The Prophets speak of such, and, noting down The features of the last degenerate times, Exhibit every lineament of these." But this does not effect the prediction that they will mark the last days, nor the fact that they assuredly mark the present ones.
II Therefore particular interest attaches to the three or four additional things which Paul says about these days:
(1) He speaks of the influence of the formalists on the female mind."Of this sort are they that creep into houses and lead captive silly women." Not that all women are silly, as some of Paul’s critics might be quick to charge him as having said, but that those are silly who are led away by these false teachers whose propaganda he informs us is marked by secretiveness, cowardice and ignorance.
We think of Bahaism in these days, and the Star of the East, and New Thought, and Christian Science, and Spiritualism, and other forms of Theosophy and Buddhism, which get their foothold in these western climes so generally through woman ’8susceptibility. When her conscience is restless because of sin and fear, and failing to accept Jesus Christ as her Saviour and Lord she "casts wearily about for other anodynes," the false teacher gets his opportunity. He has his occult solutions of her difficulties, and she listens, and experiments and becomes infatuated and is lost.
(2) A second thing he mentions is that these "evil men and seducers"(or impostors), for thus he characterizes false teachers of religion,"shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived." A prediction this is which definitely answers the ever-recurring question as to whether the world is morally growing better or worse. The modern view is that improvement is constantly in progress, but the Bible steadfastly teaches the opposite. And it does so because it is dealing with fundamental and eternal principles rather than material phenomena of any kind. These latter can be good and lasting only as they express or are based upon the right view of and the right relationship to God, which are clearly inconsistent with the growth of religious imposture in the world.
Note further, that these impostors are not only deceiving others, but are themselves deceived. The god of this age, as Satan is called in the Bible, is he who controls their thinking and inspires their religious zeal though they are unaware of it. Because they refuse the love of the truth God gives them over to a delusion that they should believe the lie (2 Thessalonians 2:10-11).
(3) A third thing is the certainty of persecution for all who oppose the world’s view of things, or as the apostle puts it, "for all that will live godly in Christ Jesus."
"Antithetical principles must collide, and collision for the Christian disciple must bring pain." This may not mean the faggot, or imprisonment or the lictor’s thong, in these days, though in some places and under some conditions these are not impossible; but it will mean ostracism and contempt, it will mean defection of relatives and friends, and it will mean an opposition on the part of those who have the power of worldly preferment that will bring deprivation and loss that can be felt.
(4) But a fourth thing Paul mentions has joy and comfort in it.
These false teachers shall come to an end, or 88 his words in 1 Timothy 3:9 might be rendered, "they shall not proceed too far." The hounds of hell are leashed. He compares the teachers with the magicians who withstood Moses before Pharaoh, and he affirms that their folly shall be made evident to all men as was true in the other case. But that will be the day of the manifestation of the sons of God, the day of the Lord’s coming for which the whole creation groans.
III
We have thus before us a picture of the last days, however sketchy, and it is in order now to follow Paul as, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he instructs and warns us how to face the situation it discloses, and how to solve its problems. Three lines of action are set forth:
(1) After describing the character of the men and women who are in part the cause, and in part the product of the times, and after climaxing his description on the religionists who hold only the outward form of godliness and deny the power thereof, he says: "From such turn away" (1 Timothy 3:5). There must be no compromise in other words, and no parley; separation must be the rule.
Devoutly is it to be wished that the youth of our generation would act on this advice or rather command, and "turn away" from these false systems of religion before attempting to investigate them. To investigate them is worse than useless for there is always peril in it. And this investigation has been done for us by those competent for the task, and who have stamped their character upon them in no unmistakable terms. The fabric of these false systems is not new, though like an old dress they sometimes deceive us by taking on new collars and cuffs. Their beginnings were in Babylon, on the plain of Shinar, of which we have written in a preceding chapter, and which the Bible calls "the mother of the harlots and the abominations of the earth" (Revelation 17:5). From her face flight is the only safety for" her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell" (Proverbs 5:5).
(2) But flight is nothing if there be no refuge to fly to, and therefore Paul reveals one in the Word of God."Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of,"he says to Timothy,"knowing of whom thou hast learned them"(1 Timothy 3:14). The things he had learned and had been assured of were those of Holy Scripture, and he had learned them from his mother and his grandmother as we are informed in the first epistle. Therefore he is exhorted to continue, or abide, in his nursery faith.
Bishop Moule’s commentary reminds us of the vividness of that word, "continue." Timothy is not merely to hold these things as opinions, they are not to be merely a thin thread of sentiment in his mental make-up, "a languid conservation of what has become habitual," but to be grasped as a living force. He is to stay in the things he has believed, to find his home there and to be always at home. The truths concerning God, Christ, sin, redemption, faith, holiness, and the return of our Lord are to be his inner circle, his atmosphere, nearer than anything else to him. He is to be fused with them so that they and he shall be one reality. But why that reference to salvation in the verse? "From a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make theewise unto salvationthrough faith which is in Christ Jesus." Was not Timothy already saved? Assuredly, so far as deliverance from condemnation was concerned. But salvation is not only a thing of the past but something also which is going on. Timothy needed what every true Christian needs, a salvation from the spirit and the power of the times in which he lives. A daily salvation from the love of self, the love of money, pride, boastfulness, blasphemy, in gratitude, slander, incontinence, fierceness, treason, the inordinate love of pleasure, and fundamentally from that unspiritual Christianity which is the form of godliness without its power. He needs a salvation which enables him to overcome the world every day, and that salvation becomes his instrumentally through the Word of God. That Paul means something like this is clear from the next verse where he says:" All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine (teaching), for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work" (R. V.).
These are the times, therefore, to get back to the Bible by many so long neglected. To-day, we need right teaching, we need the reproof of authority, we need the correction that springs from wisdom and love, and we need that instruction in righteousness which rounds out the Christian profession in the kind of service that honours God.
(3) But to "continue" in the faith is not enough save as an effort is made to reach others who are not of the faith. And so, in the succeeding chapter Paul says: "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom,preach the Word; be instant, in season, out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine." The solemnity of this charge startles us. It is the strongest adjuration that could be addressed to mortal. The Lord Jesus is coming again to set up His Kingdom, and before Him His Saints must appear "that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10). In that day Timothy, and every saint, according to his opportunity, will be held responsible for his ministry of the Word of God.
Preaching the word is not sermonizing. It is not the work of the ordained ministry only. In the early days, "there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad . . . except the apostles. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:1-4). Just common, every-day men, women and children these were, who went everywhere telling out the story of salvation through the cross. This is the paramount duty of the Christian in these days, not to disseminate his opinions about religion or the times, but to preach the Word. "In season, out of season," characterizes it as a fireside task; the task of the social circle; the task of the store and the shop, the camp and the market-place.
Women, meeting together in Red Cross work, company the clinking of your scissors and your knitting needles with the preaching of the Word! "Do your bit" to create an atmosphere for God, a chance for His voice to be heard in the midst of the world’s Babel. To do this you will need the grace of "longsuffering" of which Paul speaks, for surely these are the times when "they will not endure the sound doctrine; but having itching ears, shall heap unto themselves teachers after their own lusts."
"Itching ears." The Athenians" spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing" (Acts 17:21), and so would it appear of these whom Paul has in mind.
"Heaping to themselves teachers." What a contrast to the picture in Ephesians 4:1-32, where we are taught that when Christ ascended on high, leading captivity captive, He gave gifts unto men. "And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." But these are not of that sort. "Uncommissioned propagandists" are these whom the people are heaping to themselves. How graphic a description of the multiplicity of religious teachers!
"Heaping," however, not only suggests numbers, but lack of discrimination and confusion. What a medley of teachers of religion we have! And a medley, because they are teaching not what God has revealed but what the people want. "After their own lusts." And thus are they turning their ears from the truth and being turned unto fables.
IV
There is strong encouragement to act on Paul’s instruction and advice. He is himself ready to be offered and the time of his departure is at hand. He has fought the good fight, he has finished the course, he has kept the faith. He has done that which he is urging Timothy, and you and me to do. And now, he says,
“Henceforth, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
God help each one of us to make full proof of our ministry, for the Judge standeth at the door.
QUESTIONS ON THE LESSON 1.Have you read a Timothy 3-4?
2. What are we to understand by “the last days"?
3. How does Paul’s description of “the last days" compare with our own days?
4. Name the four additional things which Paul says about these days.
5. What false teachings of the present day are getting a foothold through woman’s susceptibility?
6. How does the Bible answer the question as to whether the world is morally growing better or worse?
7. Have you read 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11?
8. For what must the true witness to God and to His Son be prepared in these days?
9. When will this persecution end?
10. What three lines of action does Paul recommend in the face of this situation?
11. Why should youth shun these false teachings?
11. What does the word "continue" mean in this case?
13. What daily salvation does the Christian need?
14. What instrumental means has God provided to this end?
15. What is the Christian’s duty to those about him?
16. What is meant by “preaching" in this case?
17. What definition of false religious teachers does this lesson give?
18. What encouragement is there for the faithful servant of Christ?