Archaeological Find in Israel

 

The Last Times

  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. (2 Timothy 3:1-9 KJV)

The Second Epistle of Paul to TIMOTHY Paul wrote this second letter to Timothy (see introduction to 1 Timothy) from a prison in Rome toward the close of his life (2 Tim. 1:8), This would place the date of the writing of this letter toward the end of A.D. 66. The Book of Acts concludes with Paul being placed under house arrest (Acts 28:30 -31), but there is evidence in the Book of 2 Timothy that Paul was imprisoned a second time (2 Tim. 4:16 -18).   Most scholars believe that Paul was acquitted in the first trial and subsequently returned to Greece and Asia Minor to continue his missionary work. It is suggested that he was arrested again, taken back to Rome, and imprisoned in what is known as the Mamertine prison. This is evident from the fact that John Mark, who was present during Paul's first imprisonment (Col. 4:10), was not with Paul at the time he wrote 2 Timothy. Some believe that the second time Paul was imprisoned, he was being held for a much more serious charge (2 Tim. 2:9) than the one he was imprisoned for the first time. Paul believed that his death was near, but he was satisfied that he had done his best (2 Tim. 4:6 -8). Paul wrote this letter to encourage Timothy in the work of the ministry. Timothy would encounter persecution and turmoil in dealing with false teachers in his congregation. Paul urged him to exercise his spiritual gifts (2 Tim. 1:6), to boldly face suffering "as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3), to deal wisely with false teachers in his church (2 Tim. 2:14 -26), and to continue to exhibit a strong testimony for Christ in the wake of the apostasy and wickedness in the world (2 Tim. 3:1-9). Some suggest that Paul was writing a more personal letter to Timothy because of the fact that he was expecting to die soon. The style of the epistle is less didactic than Paul's first letter to Timothy. Paul talks to Timothy as a father who would soon be leaving his son. The references to Timothy's own spiritual heritage and call to the ministry (1 Tim. 1:3, 5, 6) reveal how Paul reflected on his own influence on Timothy's. [Source for Introduction of chapter: Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible KJV edited by Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN 37422]