FIRE OF MODERN CULTURE

Unless otherwise stated, all scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

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2 Timothy3:1

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.”

With the coming of a new generation is the coming of a new system. But there has been no time that a very aberrant system existed as with this present generation. There is now a total departure from the ordinations of God, and this is not just secretly embraced but openly celebrated. A passage of the Bible succinctly captures the way of the modern day system, while citing only an instance. Romans 1:26-27;

“For their women EXCHANGED THE NATURAL function for that which is UNNATURAL, and in the same way also the men ABANDONED THE NATURAL function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.”

(Emphasis added). 

Human beings now defiantly do the things which are not agreeable to nature and are refusing to be governed even by mere natural instincts. Abandoning the natural way, they are now completely sold to degrading passions. 

However, the Bible says in Jude 1:17-19;

“But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, ‘In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.’ These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.”

God who knows the beginning from the ending and the ending from the beginning has spoken through His servants about things that will abound in the last days. Because of His mercy, He highlighted the characters that would be prevalent in the end of the age and warned His people to completely desist from them and keep themselves in the love of God. Due to this aberration, the last days shall be difficult to live in because the line between good and evil will be almost completely erased. 

2 Timothy 3:2-5 gives a list of these characters; 

“For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these.”

People who fall in any of these categories are now the most celebrated. Whoever does not belong to any of them is not only unrecognized, but also despised by the world. Many are now lovers of self. Meanwhile, the  Lord says whoever loves his life shall lose it and whoever hates his life shall find it. Unfortunately, presently, it is those who love themselves who are held in high esteem, with a lot of people trying to become like them. 

Also, there are those who love money and have given themselves to be possessed by mammon. Although money is not evil in itself, the love of it is disastrous. It plunges men into ruin and destruction. But the present world promotes the love of money. Men now trade their souls for what will pass away with the world. The apostle says in 1 Corinthians 7:31 that “they that use this world, should use it as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.” (KJV). But these people make improper usage of the things of the world and also have a lot of people drawn unto themselves. 

Another set of people who are widely praised are the boastful, or rather, the self-confident. People are now even taught how to be self-confident. There are some who even pay to be trained on how to have confidence in self and in the flesh. Such confidence that leads to arrogance. But “we are to be the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3). 

Reviling is also prevalent. Men now publicly revile God and authorities and there seems to be nothing wrong with it. Those who honour God are derided while those who foolhardily despise God and are blasphemous are praised. Such men, according to Jude, “revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.” 

We cannot but also talk about the disobedient to parents. The present day youth and teenagers see themselves more advanced in knowledge and sophisticated. They have no regard for the authority God has naturally placed above them. They are not only insubordinate, they are also ready to change every system to entertain their own ways. 

Then the ungrateful. These are the unthankful. God, who is the El-shaddai, cannot satisfy them and as a result of this, they refuse to acknowledge God or give Him praise. Instead of having Him as their Fountain of life, they would rather go hew for themselves broken cisterns that cannot hold water. They neither regard God nor fear Him. 

The present world also celebrates ungodliness. There is no longer regard for holiness. Those who are separated from the world unto God are seen as less human and are hated. Everyone now derives joy in self-gratification with many indulgences.

Also, the commandment “You shall love your neighbour as yourself” has been changed to “You shall love yourself.” The unloving now increase in number. People no longer have interest in others but themselves alone. They are inhuman and hard hearted. They also do not love God but are rather lovers of pleasure. 

People also are seen as wise when they easily deceive others meanwhile at the same time, they deceive themselves. As long as there is a resemblance, they no longer care about the reality. They hold a form of godliness but deny the power. They care more about the form than the essence.

All these characters should not be once named among the children of God. However, while this wicked way of living should be hated, those engrossed in it should be loved and delivered from it. Believers should “have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.” (Jude 1:22-23).