Steven A. Bush - June 4, 2023
But As For You
2 Timothy 3:1, written from an imprisoned Paul to Pastor Timothy in Ephesus and to us says: "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty." (ESV) The rest of the chapter gives specifics regarding those difficulties. Paul is writing his son-in-the-faith Timothy what really amounts to his last will and testament. He's in the Mamertine Prison in Rome facing execution. He's on death row. His immensely fruitful ministry, so fraught with suffering, is concluding. And yet the the fledging church, still in its infancy, has a long way to go. It's being assaulted on multiple fronts. Jews as well as Romans hate the Christians. Satan hates the Christians even more. Judaizers, gnostics, pagan philosophers, rampant immorality, and all sorts of corrupted doctrines are being heaved at the church from every direction. Perhaps they thought, 'surely these must be the end times!' And yet that was 20 centuries ago. We live between the Advents. We live in the Messianic age. The final epic millenniums began with Jesus and in the meantime we are called to be faithful witnesses who love God and one another until the trumpet announces that Day long promised. And that could be in another 20 centuries or in the next 20 minutes. No matter, we await lovingly and expectantly for His appearing...
Scripture References: 2 Timothy 3:1-17, 2 Timothy 4:1-5, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4a, Psalms 31:14-16