You've Been Chosen for These Last Days
When I was a boy growing up, my friends in the neighborhood would occasionally congregate in our large backyard to play tag.
If you grew up playing that game, I’m sure you remember how it is played.
The game of tag begins when someone in the group starts to chase others in an effort to touch or tag them. I remember the glee each of us felt when we were “it,” and we finally touched another player and yelled, “Tag, you’re it!” In that moment, the person tagged became “it” for the next round of the game.
My friends and I would play tag for hours. We didn’t quit until every kid had been tagged — and when that happened, it was our signal that the game was done!
As a boy, I really liked to play tag for several reasons. It was a group game; it was fast; and it required us to strategize about how we would dodge and outrun the person designated “it” to avoid getting tagged. A rambunctious game of tag caused my heart to pump with excitement as I dashed here and there to stay out of reach.
I also liked the game of tag because if anyone had to sit out for a round, he or she could then jump back in the game to begin playing again. What I didn’t like so much were the times I was the one who got tagged. However, in the game of tag, everyone eventually got tagged before the game was over. Whether we liked it or not, at some point each of us was going to be “it” for a round of the game.
The reason I tell you about this simple childhood game is that it reminds me of the significance of this strategic time we are living in right now. For the last 2,000 years, the Church has been living in the midst of a time frame that is technically called “the last days.”
However, now we have come to the very last of the last days — a time frame unlike any other that has preceded us in history. And God has chosen you and me to be part of the generation born at the very end of this age. You and I are “tagged” to live in this last round of the prophetic game. In a very real sense, God is saying to us, “Tag, you’re it!”
Others in Church history were “tagged” by God to be “it” in their generation, for their own time. I could make a long list of such men and women who helped change the course of history to His glory during their time on earth. But now it is time for us to play our part as we serve Jesus in the wrap-up of this prophetic season. For you and me to come out winners as God has destined us to do, we’ll need to learn how to move quickly and hear accurately as the Holy Spirit gives us strategies to dodge the enemy’s attacks and combat the evil influences that are trying to affect so many in society right now.
The fact remains that we are living in the last round of this end-times age. That means we must know what God has specifically stated about events in society in the last days — and we must receive divine guidance to maneuver accurately in the midst of the attacks the enemy is waging against every stratum of society.
One evening of watching the news is all that’s needed to confirm to yourself that an all-out assault is being waged against the human race and against godliness. Society today is filled with violence, decadence, financial crises, political feuding beyond anything we ever imagined possible, and heightened tensions among the world’s political leaders. Natural disasters occur with increasing regularity all over the earth.
These combined and cumulative events seem so overwhelming that it can feel like our very well-being is under continual threat. If it were not for the peace of God that rules our hearts and minds, we could easily be thrown into a state of panic, shaken by all of these disturbing developments. (See my book Signs You’ll See Just Before Jesus Comes to learn of all the events Jesus predicted in Matthew 24 that we will see in the world prior to His next coming.)
Many of us remember growing up in a very different world, where life was slower and kinder — and so safe that we didn’t even lock the doors to our houses. We didn’t fear our neighbors, and we never had a single thought about terrorist activity. Does that description resemble the childhood you remember decades ago?
But the world has changed dramatically in the course of our lifetimes and has become a far different place than the one we grew up in years ago. What happened to the world we once knew? How is it possible that so many things could change so fast and so dramatically? Who of us in our growing-up years would have ever imagined that we’d see the day when so much nonsensical thinking would dominate society?
My parents, along with our local church, reared me to believe the Bible, so we knew that we were most likely living in the last days. But now years have flown by, and the reality of these last days has hit with explosive force! It’s no longer imaginary; it is upon us. Whew! We didn’t know that life could change with such speed!
But change it did, and the slower, kinder, safer world we grew up in is nearly gone. With every new day, it seems like society is being inundated with new, once-unthinkable absurdities that have left many people bewildered and perplexed.
Whether we like it or not, times have changed — very rapidly. During our childhoods, it would have been hard to envision that things could change so much in relatively so little time.
But God knew these times were approaching, and approximately 2,000 years ago, His Spirit spoke very clearly to alert us — we who live in the last days — that such times would come. He wanted this generation to know that “perilous times” would emerge in society at the very end of the last days.
Where We Are in Time – God Really Wants Us to Know
As the apostle Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, he said this in the opening verse of chapter 3: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” But let’s begin by looking closely at the first part of the verse, where the Holy Spirit says, “This know also.…”
The word “know” is a translation of the Greek word ginosko, which in this verse means to know something definitely, emphatically, and with absolute certainty. But it is also important to know that the tense used here depicts something so urgent that it MUST be known, MUST be recognized, and MUST be acknowledged.
In other words, what the Holy Spirit is saying in this verse — and in the passage that follows — should not be considered optional information for us to retain or not to retain at our discretion. The Greek tense makes the message of this verse strong. It is almost as if the Holy Spirit is raising His voice to get our attention. He is reaching out from the pages of Scripture to grab us, shake us, and cause us to sit up straight, hold our heads high, and open our eyes and ears so we truly grasp what He is about to communicate.
In this verse, the Holy Spirit speaks loudly, authoritatively, and emphatically because He wants us to fully grasp what He is about to say. His urgent desire is that we will be prepared and not taken off-guard when last-days events begin to take place with increasing, rapid-fire frequency.
What was coming in the future — in the very time in which you and I are currently living — was so ominous that the Holy Spirit really wanted to warn us in advance that perilous times were coming. His purpose was not to scare us, but to prepare us so we would be informed and spiritually equipped to navigate a last-days tempestuous storm. If we’ll listen to what the Holy Spirit says in this verse and in the verses to follow, we’ll be able to prepare ourselves — as well as our loved ones and friends — to sail victoriously through these stormy waters. And we’ll not be overcome by the evil that Scripture says would inevitably emerge and become widespread in society as the age approaches its end.
Friend, God has “tagged” you and me to live in this time! And since He has chosen us for this late round of the game, we can be assured that He has also supplied us with everything we need to live in this season victoriously. If we’ll pay attention to what the Holy Spirit has said in Second Timothy 3 and receive divine strategies from Him, we’ll be able to:
Shine as lights in a world growing ever darker.
Build a hedge of protection around our families.
Teach our children and grandchildren the Word of God so that while they live in this world, they will not be of this world or be negatively impacted by it.
Stay unaffected by the changing moral landscape in society around us.
Be protected and safeguarded by Scripture that has been stored in our hearts.
In Second Timothy 3:1, the Holy Spirit pointed His prophetic finger 2,000 years into the future to prophesy that perilous times would come in the last days. In this pivotal verse and the passage that follows, the Holy Spirit lucidly forecasted that certain characteristics would emerge in society at the very end of the age. In no uncertain terms, the Holy Spirit said that perilous times would come and that these disastrous developments would become prominent and commonplace in a world gone crazy.
The Holy Spirit was warning those of us destined to live at the end of the age about these things so that we’d be prepared to not be taken off-guard. But I want to stress again that the Holy Spirit didn’t give us this prophetic insight to scare us; rather, He gave it to prepare us so we could avoid these detrimental end-time manifestations and live as victorious believers until Jesus comes again! Because the Holy Spirit has forewarned us of what is to come, we will know what to do to reinforce our lives so we can live victoriously as we await the glorious moment when Christ returns for His Church.
What Does the Word 'Last' Really Mean?
Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul prophetically wrote, “This know...” (2 Timothy 3:1). As noted earlier, the word “know” in this verse describes something that is definite, emphatic, and absolutely certain.
But Paul went on to add, “This know also….” It’s easy to read over that word “also” and go on without paying any attention to it. But in the Greek text, the word for “also” is very important. It is the little Greek word de, which means indeed. The use of this word adds the sense of something that is emphatic and makes this verse a categorical statement. By adding this little Greek word, the Holy Spirit is literally saying to you and me, “You emphatically and categorically need to know with unquestionable certainty.…”
This unequivocally tells us that what the Holy Spirit is about to forecast is not something that may or may not come to pass. This verse clearly forecasts events that will definitely occur in the very end of the last days. God’s intention in giving this scripture was not only to speak to readers living in the First Century when this verse was written, but also to especially inform us — those who would be alive at the very end of the age when these events would take place.
In Second Timothy 3:1, Paul wrote, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” Because Paul used the word “know,” which is a translation of the Greek word ginosko, and the word “also,” which is a translation of the little word de, he emphatically meant to convey the Holy Spirit’s message here in the clearest and strongest of terms. It literally means, “You emphatically and categorically need to know with unquestionable certainty.…”
But then the Holy Spirit dives deeper into His message and becomes more specific by adding that “…in the last days perilous times shall come” (2 Timothy 3:1).
What do the words “last days” really mean? The Greek word for “last” used in this verse is translated from the Greek word eschatos, a word that commonly depicts something that is final. It is the Greek word from which we derive the word “eschatology,” the theological study of end times or the study of last things. This Greek word eschatos points to the very last or the ultimate end of a thing. It was used by ancient Greeks to describe the point that was furthest away.
In fact, the ancient world used the word eschatos as a seafaring word to describe the last port of call for a ship. Although a ship in transit stops at many ports en route to its final destination, the word eschatos was used to depict the very last port. This last stopping-off point signified that it was the end of the road and the journey was finished. Thus, the word eschatos indicated, “This is the end, and you can go no further.”
Let me give you a few examples of eschatos to demonstrate the finality associated with this word. This word eschatos could be used to describe the very last month of a 12-month calendar. It could also refer to the very last week in a month or the very final day in a week. In other words, this Greek word eschatos points to the very ultimate end of whatever is being discussed.
In the discussion of the last days before the return of Jesus Christ, the word eschatos points to the very ultimate end of the last days. For this reason, Paul used it in this verse to point to the very last of a long last-days season. We could call it the last of the last days.
To be technically correct, I must point out that “the last days” started about 2,000 years ago on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out. In Acts 2:17, Peter responded to the outpouring of the Spirit by quoting Joel 2:28 in which the prophet Joel prophesied about the supernatural happenings in the last days. Peter said, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh…” (Acts 2:17).
So when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost, it triggered a prophetic time frame called “the last days” that we’ve been living in for nearly 2,000 years. But in Second Timothy 3:1, the word eschatos points to the very end of that prophetic season — to the days you and I are living in right now at the very ultimate end of the age.
The 'Last Port' in the Journey
Make no mistake — the Greek word eschatos (“last days”) in this verse means the very ultimate end or the very end of time, and it points to the conclusion of the age. The Holy Spirit is literally saying, “…In the very end of days — when time has sailed to its last port and no more time remains for the journey.…”
This gives us a specific point of reference for the time frame we are about to study in this chapter from Second Timothy 3, which is solely concerned with events that will occur at the very ultimate end of this age. The events Paul described in this Bible chapter will hastily transpire in the very concluding days of the age. To this end-time generation, it will feel as if time has suddenly accelerated and end-time developments are quickly coming to pass at a speed that is shocking to the natural mind.
Does that sound like our times? If you say yes, I remind you that the Holy Spirit is saying, “Tag, you’re it!” for this exciting wrap-up of the ages!
Second Timothy 3:1 could therefore be correctly translated, “You emphatically and categorically need to know with unquestionable certainty that in the very end of days — when time has sailed to its last port and no more time remains for the journey.…”
Then the Holy Spirit begins to expound on what will happen in that concluding time frame called the last of the last days. He vigorously states that “perilous times shall come” to be experienced by people who live in that prophetic season. But before we look at the words “perilous times,” we must first study the words “shall come,” for they are very important in this text.
The words “shall come” are a translation of the Greek word enistemi, which is a compound of the words en and histemi. The word en means in, and the word histemi means to stand. But when these are compounded into a single word, the new word means to stand in, to stand in the middle of, to be surrounded by, to be encumbered by, or to stand in the midst of whatever is being discussed with the feeling that it cannot be avoided or that one cannot escape from it. It depicts someone who is so encompassed by whatever surrounds him or her that there is no way out of it.
By using this key word enistemi, the Holy Spirit prophetically declares that those who live in this last season will feel as if they are positioned in the very midst of — surrounded and encumbered on every side by — inescapable developments. To the people who are part of this end-time generation, it will feel like they are being assaulted by “perilous times” from every direction. In other words, there will be no escaping this period of time.
But remember — God “tagged” you and me to live in this strategic season at the close of the age! That means we can rest assured that His Spirit will enable us to dodge each of the enemy’s attacks. He will also empower us to help others find freedom and liberty from the darkness that is presently encroaching on society across the entire planet.
As Paul wrote the words of Second Timothy 3:1, it is as though he supernaturally peered through a prophetic window that allowed him to see 2,000 years into the future — to the very time in which we are living and the times directly before us. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul revealed what he had seen as he painstakingly and vividly wrote about the sweeping changes that would emerge and become commonplace in society and culture at the very end of this age.
Second Timothy 3:1 is crucial, so I want to make sure you truly grasp what the Holy Spirit has communicated in this verse. By alerting us to what will occur in the last of the last days, God is lovingly preparing us for what is coming. He desires that we would not be taken captive by a spirit of fear. He wants each of us to retain a sound mind that can wisely discern how to deal with the issues that will confront us.
But we must not hide from the world. Instead, we need to build a spiritual wall of protection around us so we can live in this world victoriously and not be brought down by it. Christ has called us to rise up as mighty, Spirit-filled victors! We are called to shine His light in the darkness, to rescue the perishing, and to do all we can to save those who are spiritually dying.
And regardless of the moral dilemmas that confront us in these times, you and I must never forget that we are called to be “more than conquerors” through the power of Him who loves us (see Romans 8:37). With the strengthening help of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome all things through Christ who empowers us — even the most intense battles in this prophetic season (see Philippians 4:13).
Rick Renner
