Acts 20:35 ... "Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
In II Tim. 3:1-9, there is an extended statement of what lies ahead in the progress of Christianity. It begins with an ominous prophecy: "In the last days difficult times will come." There follows a list of 19 sins that will become prominent among people in general, and it is that mix of sin that shall bring about what is called "the last days." Sin is, after all, what brings difficulty into life. Were it not for sin, we would have no difficulty.
There was no problem in Eden until Adam and Eve produced it by believing Satan's lie and disobeying God. After that, all kinds of problems arose; and ever since then such problems have multiplied, become more difficult, and produced greater damage. The first problem was, that sin separated man from God. The second was that it made man mortal and set him on the path that ends in death and decay. Sin led to man being expelled from the Paradise of Eden into the raw world of nature where he was exposed to dangers of all kinds -- vicious animals, disease, accidents, storms, droughts, floods, and earthquakes. Sin brought into human experience jealousy, envy, hatred, cruelty, vain competition, and murder. And then man became his own worst enemy. Finally, sin imposed on man a new lord and master, Satan. The spirit and dominion of evil spread all over the world and enslaved everyone who lives, for we all sin (Rom. 3:23; I John 1:8) and yield our souls to Satan (Rom. 6:16).
In II Tim. 3:1-9, we are told that, when we enter the last period of world history, which is referred to as "the last days," the prevalence of sin and ensuing difficulties will progressively become worse, especi-ally for Christians and the Lord's church. It's both interesting and revelaing that the first of the 19 sins listed is selfishness, which is indicated by the phrase, "Men shall be lovers of self." Their primary interest will be whatever pleases themselves, not what pleases God or benefits fellow humans in need. So much of what is called "benevolnce" is really selfishness in disguise. By giving, the person is look-ing ahead to gain more than he gave -- credit form God, coveted recognition and praise, and the activation some strange law that giving yields dividends with interest to a giver.
....... (to be continued)
