In my opinion one would have to be spiritually deaf, dumb and blind to deny that these verses in 2 Timothy are not upon us.
2 Timothy 3New King James Version (NKJV)
Perilous Times and Perilous Men
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, slanderers, 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.
May God help us all to withstand such perilous times as we are living in.
God bless.
Rick, so you think that Paul is saying that those things are mainly going on at the very last part or very end of this present age? Look at any one of those character flaws and see if it does not apply to the carnal human nature in general and not just to a particular time in this age that people do those things. Yes people are doing all those things mentioned there, but they always have, not just now. Look at some other Scripture that refer to the "last days" and see how they compare and what the time frame is.
Heb 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
v. 2 has in
these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
If you will notice in the first verse there is speaking of "time past" or in the past age God spoke by the prophets. Then it goes on to speak of "these last days," it's talking about this present age, now God is speaking to His elect through Christ. Now was he just speaking of the elect that would be at the very end of this age? Those are the same "last days" here is Hebrews spoken of by in 2nd Timothy. Here is another verse.
1Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for
our admonition, upon whom
the ends of the ages have come.
Paul had been speaking about the Israelites...
1Cor 10:5 But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
v. 6 Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.
So this passage is speaking of "these things" that happened to the Israelites and Paul goes on to say it was for "
our admonition" - the elect's, all the elect in the age, "upon whom the ends of the ages have come"... the end of the ages of man's rule of this world. Man has had dominion over the earth since his creation, now this is the last age for that before Christ returns to rule.
Gen 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
Here is more Scripture that show Christ was to come in this present age to suffer and die "once at the end of the age
s," the last of these ageS.
Heb 9:24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world;
but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
He came in this present age, "these last times
for you,"for all the elect down through this age, to began His church.
1Peter 1:19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
v. 20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in
these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Just trying to show that this age is the end times, the end of the ages, as far as I can tell anyway from what these Scripture indicate.
Mercy, peace and love
Kat