selves; (2) `covetous', literally, `lovers of money'; (3) `not loving (despisers of) those

that are good'; (4) `lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God' or perhaps `lovers of

pleasures rather than lovers of God'. Here is the stark tragedy of misplaced love. When

we love we touch the very centre of our being whether for good or evil. Where truth is

concerned, all may be summed up in the word `love' which is perfectly expressed in the

law of God (Rom. 13: 10). It fulfils all Christian service (Gal. 5: 13; I Thess. 1: 3) and

without it Christian labour is rendered null and void (I Cor. 13: 1-3). The believer is

`rooted and grounded in love' (Eph. 3: 17) and his main aim should be to get to know

more of the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge (Eph. 3: 19).

The tragic fact is that sin has twisted man's capability of loving in the proper sense,

with the result that we see the passage that is now before us. Instead of loving God with

all his heart, man loves himself, his pleasures, his money and anything that ministers to

his own desires and thus his love is frittered away on empty transitory things that can

never satisfy. It is indeed sad to read in II Tim. 4: 10, "Demas hath forsaken me,

having loved this present world". The warning is given regarding this in I John 2: 15-17,

"love not the world, neither the things that are in the world . . . . . the world passeth away,

and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever".

It seems impossible that after nearly two thousand years of Christianity, man could

lapse into such a condition as Paul describes, but the Word of God never exaggerates.

This is a true picture of the end time and believers must face up to it. These last days will

have no place for Christ crucified, risen and ascended and the glorious gospel centred in

Him. All this will be unknown or denied, following the turning away from the truth of

the Word of God to fables, myths and lies of the devil, which will dominate the thinking

and actions of mankind who will have rejected God and His claims.

As we look around today who can doubt that these times are already upon us? The

rapid downward slide morally and nationally that we see everywhere today is evidence of

this. Some Christians are hoping and believing that all this can be halted and ended by

revival. But there is no place for any such revival in II Tim. 3:  Those who expect

revival should remember that the work of the Holy Spirit is bound up with the Word He

has written. There can be no possibility of revival, in individuals or on a large scale, until

the Word of God is given its rightful place in heart and life. Only then has the Holy

Spirit something to work on in order to exalt the living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is His supreme work to testify to the Lord Jesus and to glorify Him (John 15: 26;

16: 14).

But these last days are times of turning away from God's Word and rejecting its light

and truth. Those of us who are truly believers in Christ can best serve Him by holding

fast and faithfully holding forth the word of life (Phil. 2: 15, 16), and not yielding an inch

from the great deposit of truth the Lord has placed in our hands. Results we must leave

to Him, they are not our province, but faithful testimony by lip and life is what God

requires from all His children however dark the days may be.