Gary discusses his trip to Mexico last week where he gave five talks about eschatology and Bible interpretation.
The Apostle Paul compares the supposed progress of the ungodly in Timothy’s day, the “last days” of the Old Covenant of Judaism (Heb. 1:1–2; 1 Cor. 10:11), to the overthrow of Jannes and Jambres in Moses’ day (Ex. 7:11): “But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, as also that of those two [Jannes and Jambres] came to be” (2 Tim. 3:9).
Paul is forthright in encouraging Timothy that those who exhibit the deeds of wickedness will suffer the same fate as the two Egyptian sorcerers who confronted Moses and Aaron at the behest of the most powerful ruler of the day, Pharaoh. Paul backs up his claim of optimism not with a treatise on end-time speculation but from an incident recorded in the Bible that shows that God’s people, through His providential care, triumph over wickedness:
Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs (Ex. 7:11–12).
While it is true there is an attempt by the ungodly to dominate culture, and some are successful for a season, the fact is, that over time “they will not make further progress”; their fling with ungodliness is only temporary (cf. Rom. 1:18–32). Christians can be optimistic even if the actions of the ungodly increase in their own day. If Christians remain faithful in influencing their world with the gospel and applying a Christian worldview to every area of life, the world can and will change. History and God’s providential care are on our side.
Paul, however, does not allow Christians to remain passive as the ungodly self-destruct. Timothy has followed Paul’s “teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, [and] sufferings” (2 Tim. 3:10–11), and he calls on us to do the same. While the ungodly expend capital from their contrary and corrupted worldview on present-oriented living, the Christian is to develop future-oriented spiritual capital to replace the bankrupt culture of secularism, humanism, materialism, relativism, and hedonism.
Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths
Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths takes a closer look at God's Word and applies it to erroneous misinterpretations of the Bible that have resulted in a virtual shut-down of the church's full-orbed mission in the world (Acts 20:27). Due to these mistaken interpretations and applications of popular Bible texts to contemporary issues, the Christian faith is being thrown out and trampled under foot by men (Matt. 5:13).
Buy NowGary discusses his trip to Mexico last week where he gave five talks about eschatology and Bible interpretation. The escapism and pessimism prevalent in the majority of theology in Mexico is largely due to the influence of missionaries from North America. The reception Gary received from these 50-60 pastors is evident of the massive need of “re-education” on eschatological issues to combat the improper interpretations of the future in other countries.