Devotionals by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. (2 Timothy 3:1)

Much has already been written on sanctity and morality. The logic and the conclusions make good sense. What concerns me, however, is not what is stated but what is left unsaid. There is technical data from the medical world and the legal profession, psychological insights, political policies, even practical advice.

But almost without exception, there is an absence of biblical foundation and theological justification of what is being set forth. Hopefully, these pages will help you realize that the Bible is neither silent nor irrelevant when it comes to the sanctity of life and the importance of sexual purity. Without being preachy I want to communicate how clearly God has already spoken on the things that are of utmost concern.

For sure, He has warned us in 2 Timothy 3:1–4 (NASB) that days such as these would come:

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

The “difficult times” predicted in Scripture is not a pretty picture. By the way, that word “difficult” is eloquent. The original Greek term could be rendered “painful, tragic, grievous.” In another section of the New Testament, it is the descriptive term used to portray two men who were demonized, and it is there rendered “exceedingly violent” (Matthew 8:28). Such are the savage times in which we live.

Another equally vivid statement appears in the first-century letter to the Romans. We are told that people in these days will be characterized as being “without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful” (Romans 1:31 NASB). How true! Putting it another way: “senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless” (ESV).

Having been in ministry for these many years, I am still amazed at the relevance of a Book as ancient as the Bible. A quick glance at those four synonyms is all it takes to see that they describe the thinking of a generation that is so self-absorbed, the mother’s rights have eclipsed all other rights, even the right of that independent life within her which neither she nor her sexual partner created; God did. My passion is for folks to know how clearly Scripture speaks to these matters and then to encourage them to apply the truth God has revealed.

Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright 1990 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc.

Used with permission. All rights reserved.

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