Greetings in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is your Bible teacher of the air speaking, inviting and welcoming you to another series of Bible studies for the week before us as we continue in that epistle the second letter written by Paul to his young son in the faith Timothy. We have been considering the background of conditions prevailing according to the word of God in its future telling in the days we now live in. Eighteen to nineteen hundred years ago, Paul the Apostle wrote his last epistle ever written to his son Timothy and describes before us the character of the last days of the Christian testimony. Again, there's no apology we repeat. We are living in the last days of the age that is often called the age of the church. For the church commenced at Pentecost. The church will be consummated and leave its earthly testimony forever when the Lord Jesus Christ comes for his bride and takes his own to heaven. But the last day conditions prevailing before he comes are without question of doubt. around us and even amongst us. We go to the reading of the word in chapter three of second Timothy beginning if I may in verse six reading through verse nine. The beloved apostle continues to speak and write concerning not only the character of the last days but now we shall see the character of many men in the last days saying for of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive, silly women, laden or burdened with sin, and led away with diverse or different desires, ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now the Jannes and Jambrees withstood Moses, So do these, meaning these men, of these days, to whom he refers, so do these also resist the truth. Men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further, for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was. May God bless the reading of this section of his word. May the power of the Holy Spirit be the illumination to our minds, to our hearts, and for the blessing of our lives as we consider the words we have read. May I re-emphasize that not only are the characteristics of the last days described in the first five verses present with us, But these characteristics can be found in men who are leading many away from the truth of God. And the Hill of the Apostle definitely states, Men of such character, they creep into homes. They lead captive those whom he may call, silly women, bored and with sins, led away by diverse or various lusts or desires. Now let us see very carefully the meaning of these words. The Lord Apostle is also spreading the alarm that in the last days there will not only be moral conditions prevailing contrary to the mind as well as to the truth of God, but there shall be them who will lead many astray, entering into homes and particularly presenting their claims upon such. who may have a very genuine desire to lose the burden of their sins. Would you note the apostles say they leave captive silly women who are burdened or laden with sins led about by various lusts and so on? Now beloved listen, I want to be clear with the word of God and true to its revelations. There is no question of doubt when you read the second epistle of Peter, when you read the first second and third epistle of John, when you read also the second epistle of Thessalonians, the second epistle of Timothy, whenever you find the character of the last days touched upon by the Spirit of God, usually you find it revealed in the second epistle. And in those epistles, you find the emphasis of men who lead many astray because of their false teaching. And the beloved apostle reminds us not only are there the dangers of the moral state of things, but the dangers of characters who would lead many away from the truth. Such men, as well as such women to whom the Lord would refer, or the apostle refers, such are ever learning, seeking to know that they are never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. All my beloved are sad is the deception of the devil. And may I remind you once more, with no apology for the repetition, one of the great dangers in the last days, and I quote the words, and read the words of the beloved apostle, as he wrote in First Timothy chapter four, saying in verse one, Now the spirit, meaning the spirit is gone, speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart or apostatize from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared, with a hard iron. It is my privilege as well as my responsibility to thus explain clearly the word of God relating to the dangers of the last days of the divine testimony of the church. And that is, many shall depart from the faith, from the truth of God. Their minds will be given to seducing spirits and to the doctrines of the teachings of demons. Now may I point out very, very emphatically that whenever there is any false teaching, the source of that false teaching is the devil himself and the demons who follow him. But there are men who give their minds, who yield their thoughts to the seducing power of these evil spirits and demons. Oh, beloved, there is no question of doubt. Listen, what we learn either comes from God in its pure truth, or it comes from the devil with his lies. For after all, there is a great warfare between God and Satan, and that warfare in its continuation, the battlefield seems to be the minds, the hearts, and the lines, and the dwelling place of men. And this earth has been the great battlefield, the battle against right and against wrong, the battle of good and the battle of evil, the battle between God and the battle between Satan and his evil host. And men have been, upon this stage of life, the instrument for good or for bad, as the case may be. And, beloved, I would be thankful to give warning of the character of the last days that they not only include the features that we have seen in the early part of Second Timothy, three, but they also include the character of men who would lead and are leading and seek to lead many astray. Now such may be full of learning, supposedly, ever learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. May I suggest to you, there is a realm of learning that may be and is contrary to the truth of God. And my beloved radio friend, what is truth? Pilate said sneeringly, possibly, when he spoke to Jesus. He said, what is truth? standing before him was the one who could and did say, I am the way, the truth, and the life. You, then, cometh under the Father but by me. And the Lord Jesus Christ is the crux of all divine truth. As I read my Bible, all truth in this blessed book points to him and leads to him, who is verily the truth. And though yet there are men who lead away from the truth, who have a learning, never are able to come to the knowledge of the truth. One to denote in their faith what the Apostle says. He illustrates these men by two characters, unknown by name to us in the Old Testament, but we remember the incident. There were two men leading magicians. magicians and sorceries and the wise men of Egypt in the very court of Pharaoh. And they withstood Moses when he came to demand the liberation of the people of Israel. And as Jammies and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these men also resist the truth. I want you to notice the expression, they resist the truth. And may I remind you, Once again it is a reminder of what the epistle covers. In chapter two and verse eighteen, we find there were certain men who have strayed from the truth. But as time went on, we find that men have not only strayed from the truth, but they have now resisted the truth. Oh, the solemn fact. There are many men. I say it frankly. I say it without fear. It is the teaching of God's word. There are many men who resist the truth of God. There are many who resist what I am saying and who absolutely refuse to acknowledge this is the truth of God. And as Paul says, they resist the truth. They know this is description. They are men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith Now, please note carefully. He's not calling them necessarily moral reprobates. They could be that. But he is particularly saying they are doctrinal reprobates. Concerning the faith, they are reprobates. And, oh, beloved, I'll stand to see around this, the error and the teaching of it by many in the world today. My beloved friend, May you and I get to the word of God. Thy word is truth, said Jesus. And he prayed, sanctify them by thy truth. Our time is gone, shall we pray. Father in the name, and for the glory of the Lord Jesus, by thy spirit, convict us of needing the truth of God in its simplicity and clarity. We ask it in Jesus' name for his glory. Amen.