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which immediately follows, "from such TURN AWAY", brings down upon them the
wrath of a condemned Christendom. Christendom has long since "turned away" from
Paul and his divine commission (II Tim. 1: 15) and is about to be turned away from the
truth unto fables (II Tim. 4: 4). There can be no compromise with such--the "turning
away" is mutual. We have to discriminate between two kinds of opposition:--
"In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give
them repentance to the full knowledge, epignősis, of the truth" (II Tim. 2: 25).
These are believers who from ignorance, prejudice or the bondage of tradition oppose
themselves.
"Ever learning and never able to come to a full knowledge, epignősis, of the truth.
Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth; men of
corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith" (II Tim. 3: 7, 8).
The magicians of Pharaoh were demon worshippers (I Cor. 10: 20) and such
demon-possessed resistance calls for a different attitude on the part of the soldier of
Christ.
We are now ready to understand the teaching of Eph. 6: 10-19. The soldier there
described wrestles with "spiritual wickedness" and the armour is to be particularly taken
in view of "the evil day", which evil day II Tim. 3: declares to be upon us. Further, the
Prize or the Crown is in view, for the word of verse 13 "having done all" is literally
"having worked out all", the very words used in Phil. 2: 12 and II Cor. 4: 17. The
apostle refers Timothy to that period of his ministry when he worked quite independently
of the twelve.
"Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what
persecutions I endured; but out of them all the Lord delivered me" (II Tim. 3: 11).
He then adds the words which included Timothy and every succeeding generation of
faithful ones, "Yea, and all who will to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution"
(verse 12).
"Evil men and impostors (jugglers--a synonym for magicians and so balancing Jannes
and Jambres) shall wax worse and worse" (II Tim. 3: 13).
To protest against the popular doctrine of demons that the world is getting better, that
a millennium brought about by education, sanitation, and human evolution is coming,
will be asking for reproach and scorn. Such false teachers will progress, deceiving and
being deceived, until truth is entirely exchanged for the lie, fables will take the place of
inspired Scripture, and the voice of faith will be like one crying in the wilderness. Such
is the arena in which the contest is set for these last days. The whole world deceived and
blinded by demons and their teaching; resisting the truth, and unable to grasp it; having
but a form of godliness, a very Babylon out of which God calls His own, and then
persecution, affliction, reproach, scorn, until the Lord comes and the conflict ceases in
His Presence.