Terrible Times

Paul tells us about the last days;

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." 2 Timothy 3:1-5

No doubt, we have all see this passage. But have we really looked at it closely to see if all these things have become more prevalent in the recent past? Some scoffers will say, "People have always been like that! There's nothing new here!"

Yes that's true...that people who don't know God have always been like that. But how about looking at that list and applying it us and the people all around us who are supposedly part of a "Christian" nation and may even attend our local churches most Sundays?

-We in America sure do love our money. Most of us spend more time chasing money than we do understanding our relationship with our creator.
-Most of us are lovers of ourselves. In fact a recent Barna poll showed that the number one goal of young people today is to "be famous". It's all about ME!!
-Have you noticed that kids don't say, "Yes sir," or "Yes mam" any more? Ask a public teacher if the kids are respectful to elders.
-Have you seen the increase in popularity of "Ultimate Fighting"? Men without boxing gloves go in a cage and beat each other unconscious...to the wild cheers of the audience and all of us watching on TV. We have become brutal...that's for sure.
-Today the number one goal of Americans is to be entertained. We hate boredom, silence or stillness. We need to be in constant motion with constant noise from TV's, I Pods, movies, DVD's in our cars, computer screens yelling the headlines, etc.... We have become real lovers of pleasure.
-Has there been a large increase in the availability of pornography in the last decade? Ask any kid with a cell phone and a computer if he has seen things that would make a sailor blush and that will literally ruin a generation of young men.
-Are the mainline churches turning more into social clubs than they are spiritual warfare centers? Do they have a form of godliness....but the power of the Holy Spirit has been quashed?

If you look at this list that Paul makes and then look at all the other signs that Christ told us to watch for....it becomes a logical step to look around us and understand that the trumpet could blow any moment.