- In Revelation 1-3 it talks about 7 churches. Each church represents a different time in church history. Now we are in the last church period. This is Laodicea.
- They are luke warm, they have lost their zeal, and they believe they have need of nothing, (Rev 3:14-22)
- The church in Philadelphia is known for “keeping his word”. (Rev 3:10) This pictures the greatest time period in church history.
- The greatest thing you can do is be a Philadelphian Christian in a Laodiean age.
- You are living in “the latter daze” of the church age. Men are “dazed and confused”.
2Ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
- That is dangerous times. The wicked things in these verses have always been a problem with man but we know we are “in the last days” and “perilous times” have come because these things are done by people in the church.
2Ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
- “Lovers of their own self”. This makes them “lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God”.
This is the opposite of a God fearing saint…
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
- “Covetous”. They want what they want and they will kill, steal, & destroy to get it. Christians may do it to you verbally! The world will do it to you physically and verbally! What drives a man to murder 10,000 babies in his career? The love of money. What drives a Christian to kill a man’s ministry with his mouth? He covets his ministry and wants his to be better than his.
- “Boasters”. This is To be expected for people who are in love with their self. A lot of pastors spend more time bragging on their self than they do Jesus Christ. It is almost as if they are the standard instead of the LORD!
Gal 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
- “Proud”. The LORD hates a PROUD LOOK. (Proverbs 6:17) There is no room for being proud. Your saved because of Jesus Christ. Your living right because of Jesus Christ. If you have anything it is because He let you have it.
- “Blasphemers”. Not only are there “haters of God” in the world but you have men in the church who have come to HATE the King James Bible. All their time is spent correcting it.
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
- “Disobedient to parents”. If a man won’t respect his father who he can see, will he respect his father that he can’t see?
1Jn 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
- “unthankful”. Usually the more you have the less thankful you become. We are living in a time when the biggest complainers are bringing in 2 million a week! We are living in a time when Christians have so much access to the word of God that they never pick it up.
- “Unholy”. The average person on the street has the morals of Ahab & Jezebel.
Lev 10:10 And that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean;
- In the average Christian circles today they don’t make ANY DIFFERENCE. It is anything goes.
2Ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
- “without natural affection”. This goes for a mom that won’t take care of her baby, a man loving another man like he would a woman. Churches are accepting this as “normal”.
- The bible plainly shows us what is unnatural.
Rom 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
Rom 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
- The world is so twisted and a “lover of self” that they will be so cruel as to train up the children to be “without natural affection”. In mark 9:21 the unclean spirit came to the boy when he was “of a child”. Kids are easy targets for devils and degenerates.
- “Truce breakers”. Christians can’t quit fighting. While they do this they give “occasion to blaspheme” to the lost world and backslid Christians. Many times believers will separate from other believers entirely because of this very reason.
- “false accusers”. They say “Christians think they are better than other people”. “All white people are racist”. “The bible is hate speech”. The Christians even go around falsely accusing EACH OTHER!
- “incontinent”. Their sexual urges can’t be restrained. Christian women dress like hoes and the men watch pornography! Mix both of those together and what do you have?!
- “fierce”. Like the devil possessed maniac (Matthew 8:28) That maniac cried, cut himself with stones, broke his chains, and was an emotional wreck. He was angry and furious. Christians can get so far away from God that they are mean and hateful.
- “Despisers of those that are good”. That is why they “accuse you falsely”. There are Christians who will accuse you just like a lost person would. They say “you think your better than everyone else”. I’ve been told that I’m a fanatic, overboard, silly, and taking it too far. This will all said by other Christians. They despise those who they think are living better than they are.
- On the other hand I’ve had people tell me “your so good, I wish I could be like you”. That’s even worse! They are both falsely accusing me. No man is good but God. My soul is good because it has God on it but my flesh is horrible!
1Pe 3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
- You have to bend and twist things to make a God fearing man be a law breaker.
- You must falsely accuse a God fearing man to get him in trouble.
- If you “call evil good and good evil” than you can turn men against the good man.
Isa 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
- When you stand in contrast to the wicked things of the world than you will be “despised. “
1Jn 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
Joh 15:18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
2Ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
- “Traitor”. One who betrays. You consistently see men stabbing you in the back even in the Christian circles. They sit around and “bite and devour one another”.
- “Heady”. Those who make decisions based on their emotions. This is because they lost the word of God in their life along time ago. They don’t live by bible principles. They live by a feeling and emotion. So when they are “without natural affection” they justify themselves. They say “it just feels right”. They don’t have any care about what the Bible actually says.
2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
- “having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof”. They look great on the outside. Jesus said the Pharisees were like whited sepulchers. They look good outwardly but they are dead men’s bones when it comes to their heart.
- You may “look the part”. You may be able to act out the part in front of certain people. But is your heart right with God?
- Paul says “from such turn away”. Sometimes there is a need to separate from other Christians. Apostasy is contagious.
2Ti 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
- You have “latter daze creeps”. They creep into houses and “beguile” the woman by their “subtlety”.
2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
- “ever learning”. In the last days EDUCATION takes a front seat and they put the bible in the trunk. They get so educated that they no longer believe the bible. They talk about “higher learning.” Well we wrestle against spiritual wickedness in “HIGH PLACES”. (Ephesians 6:12) Remember that “knowledge puffeth up”. (1 Corinthians 8:1)
Rom 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
- sometimes the smarter you get the dumber you get.
- They continue to learn but they “never come to the knowledge of the truth”. They get so educated that they no longer even consider the idea that Jesus Christ died for their sins. The no longer even want to “retain God in their knowledge.”Then the saved person can get so educated that he no longer takes the bible as literal. To him it is all allegorical.
2Ti 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
- In the last days you will find “resistance” to the “truth”. You can’t say what you want to say anymore. They want to censor it. They want to put a disclaimer by it. They want to fact check it and say it isn’t a fact.
- Just like Jannes and Jambres(most likely the two magicians under Pharaoh) withstood Moses, your going to have men withstanding you.
1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
- The Spirit speaks “expressly”. He speaks plainly where anyone can understand. The guys who are “ever learning” and running in place want you to believe that you can’t understand it.
- In the latter times some shall “depart from the faith”. Instead of following the Holy Spirit they hook up with “seducing spirits”.
- instead of holding on to “sound doctrine” they teach “doctrines of devils”.
- This is a last days warning against the cults.
- When I drive down the road I see Catholic, 7th day Adventist, Jehovah’s witnesses, and church of Christ.
- Most of the baptist churches have even got rid of the bible. They have got rid of their standards.
- It is “perilous times” out there concerning basic sound bible doctrine.
They are…
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1Ti 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
- The Catholic Church forbids their priests & nuns to marry. That is a doctrine of a devil. Some baptist pastors forbid a divorced man to remarry.
- Any cult that forces you to “abstain from meats” is a doctrine of a devil.
1Ti 4:4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
- You can eat any meat as long as you can give thanks for it.
- You’ll notice that in this church period the focus is on the physical constantly.
- They are focused on what they can see with their eyes. But they are blind spiritually.
What should you do as a saint in the “latter daze”?
1Ti 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
- Put people in remembrance of what is going on. Put them in remembrance of sound doctrine.
- If your going to be a “good minister of Jesus Christ” …
- Than get into the “words” and “good doctrine”.
- Doctrine is lost in the last days. Men don’t know the basic doctrines of the bible.
- when they approach the bible at all it is always devotional application only.
1Ti 4:7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
- The last days focuses on the physical. What meat are you eating, how much are you exercising, what type of clothes are you wearing, and all this stuff has a rightful place.
- However in the last days this stuff is put on the forefront and bible doctrine is put on the shelf.
1Ti 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
- You see it is a big thing for people to go to the gym, get the perfect body, and look like some type of celebrity.
- Exercise is good but it “profiteth little”. A spiritual exercise and exercising godliness profits in this life AND in the world to come.
- Keep your senses exercised in the scriptures. Studying is hard on the flesh! Living Godly is hard on the flesh but it profits for eternity.
1Ti 4:9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
1Ti 4:10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
- Living Godly in the last days will involve “labouring” and “suffering”.
1Ti 4:11 These things command and teach.
1Ti 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
- Don’t be a “latter daze slacker”. Be an EXAMPLE. A temptation of the youthful Christian is to ditch the old book, ditch the old paths, and get involved in the new, exciting, and worldly world of Christianity today.
- But in that world you lose the bible doctrine. You lose the bible completely. Then you are no longer nourished up in the faith and doctrine.
1Ti 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
- No matter how old you get or how long you do it, never quit reading the bible and learning something out of the bible consistently.
1Ti 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
1Ti 4:15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.
- Meditate and give yourself WHOLLY to the book. Eat, sleep, and breathe it. I take it to work. I take it to bed. I take it to church. I take it on trips. I take it on a drive. I take it to the doctor’s office.
- Your going to have to “give yourself WHOLLY” to it.
- That is your last days DEFENSE!
1Ti 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
- this doesn’t mean “saved” as in saved from hell. This means saved when it comes to not being deceived and tricked by false doctrine.
- If you stay in the book and living Godly your going to be safe from the bad doctrine going all over Christianity today.
I’m going to end this with what Jesus Christ said to the church of the Laodiceans.
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
