2 Timothy 3:1-5
"3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult (ragingly insane) times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."
When we realize the word "difficult" translated from the original language should have been more correctly translated as "ragingly insane", we get an idea of how bad it will get. Things are growing worse and worse day by day.
This is a picture of the church because God says, "they have a form of religion but deny God in their practice. Every time we bring up the Bible to clear up error and we are met with rage about it, even rejected, ignored and mocked, we are seeing the rejection of Christ Himself. He is the very essence of His own Word.
Many paid pastors have been taught wrong things in those man-made schools that depend on their own interpretations rather than the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 2:13-15 "…13 And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment.…"
Those educated in man-made institutions where men thought they could teach better than the Holy Spirit Who lives in every believer, attempt to convince their parishioners they could not possibly understand the Word of God without them.
The truth is that no manner of human education can understand the things of God or His Word without the Holy Spirit. Many men in the pulpits today are not born again. They operate on techniques and rules made by men to manipulate the congregations while using intimidation to only listen to them. Most pulpit people are not able to receive correction or rebuke when it is necessary. And, since the congregation depends on the pulpit person to be their guide instead of the Holy Spirit, the congregation will side with the pulpit person against the truth-teller who loves the Lord more than life itself.
Matthew 15:7-9 "…7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you: 8‘ These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. 9 They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’ ”…"
This is the reason many church attendees had a hard time during the virus problem. They didn't know how to worship, study the Word or seek Christ on their own without the guidance of the man in the pulpit. They were lost and co-dependent with that pastor who manipulated them to believe he was above them.
Matthew 6:24
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."
The passage in Matthew is referring to placing a high value on money above the value of God. However, it refers to anything we hold up as above God. If we cannot seek God on our own while depending on another person to be our spiritual guide then we are denying Christ Who lives in us, unless one is not born again and without the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ had more trouble with religious leaders than He had with anyone else. They resented that the people would look to Him instead of them. This same mentality, although subtle at times dwells in church gatherings albeit much more subtle. Manipulation and intimidation is rampant in the churches today but the people in these gatherings like it that way, it makes them feel safe and they can be lazy at home about their Christianity.
When I was in the Catholic church we observed the "holy days of obligation", they were observed to feel safe and to placate a God to be able to earn their way to heaven. Men made these unbiblical rules and observances and the people loved it because they didn't have to think or figure out anything for themselves.
Jesus Christ invited us to trust in Him so that He would be the One we trust not human beings. He knew that in these last days many false preachers would flatter and schmooze the people into accepting the false doctrine.
The takeaway is, Trust only in the Holy Spirit and no man. Any man that speaks of truth must be evaluated according to the Bible. This man, whoever he is has no power over or no authority to manipulate or intimidate you into his teachings.
If a man tries to play the Holy Spirit for you refusing to allow you to think for yourself through the Holy Spirit, then remove that man and go with God.
Matthew 24:4-5 "4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."
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