Future Headlines: People Will Be Lovers of Themselves
End-of-the-age prophecy doesn’t only foretell geopolitics. We’re not just told about the future of Israel and the rise of the Antichrist; we’re also given insight into the spiritual condition of the last days. Just as we can double-down our bets on future political headlines, we can do the same with headlines on the state of morality and faith. There are numerous prophecies that lay this situation out, and one of the most detailed is found in II Timothy.
Graphic: Stand Firm Love Themselves.jpg
Future Headlines
People Will Be Lovers of Themselves
End-of-the-age prophecy doesn’t only foretell geopolitics. We’re not just told about the future of Israel and the rise of the Antichrist; we’re also given insight into the spiritual condition of the last days. Just as we can double-down our bets on future political headlines, we can do the same with headlines on the state of morality and faith. There are numerous prophecies that lay this situation out, and one of the most detailed is found in II Timothy.
This II Timothy passage isn’t novel. We’re familiar with it, but we need to realize that the authority of Scripture which declares absolute truth and reality also extends to the prophetic. Just as the declarations of the nature of God and the workings of salvation are absolute truth, so are the declarations of what will happen in the future.
As has already been the case in previous articles, some of these “future” headlines are already in the archives. The Apostle Paul’s relayed prophecy in his second letter to Timothy details the last days’ spiritual climate: “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people” (II Tim. 3:1-5 NIV).
If ever there was a passage that makes one easily proclaim, “We must be in the last days,” it’s this one. This prophecy isn’t narrowed down to a seven-year end-of-the-age event, but rather stretches through an undetermined amount of time at the end of the age. I’d add that not only is this a description of the spiritual climate in the last days, it is also the same as the Romans 1 reprobate mind cycle.
In this passage, though it undoubtedly is characteristic of the world at large, verse five indicates that Paul had professing Christians in mind. These who are being “lovers of themselves and pleasure over lovers of God” have a form of godliness, meaning they profess to be believers, maybe attend church and maybe even do good things, but their godliness is powerless. They’re empty of the real work of the Holy Spirit. This emptiness is due to them loving themselves and pleasure more than God.
As you are likely thinking, we are seeing this lived out in America today. Likely your social media newsfeeds over the past couple of weeks have been records of this prophesied reality.
I have been utterly shocked at the response of professed believers over the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision. My Facebook feed, which is made up of mostly professed Christians, was primarily angry over the decision. I was blown away. I couldn’t believe how outraged these “Christians” were — friends, church friends, students from youth groups I led, church members from churches I pastored. I felt like an absolute failure. I was stunned, and likely you had a similar experience.
I don’t have a full understanding of the motivation for the anger displayed by many of those professing believers. I think some are worried about their perception rather than truth — they’re being lovers of themselves. Some are deflecting guilt for themselves and others. I really am at a loss for the position taken by many professed believers, but ultimately the whole issue of abortion is a “lover of ourselves and pleasure” problem. The argument for the freedom to have the option of abortion is so one can continue being a lover of pleasure. The position that it’s one’s own body is to keep being a lover of self.
We shouldn’t be surprised at the lost world taking such positions — we should expect it; but we should be deeply saddened that professed Christians would take such a stance. There are so many biblical arguments that could be pointed to — like the prohibition of sexual sin, the biblical start of life, the command not to murder and also the numerous calls to trust the Lord. Even with that list, the best argument I have heard against Christians arguing it’s their body so they can choose as they seem fit is that, biblically, the body of a believer isn’t their own for we are “bought with a price.”
Archived and future headlines we can bet on from this warning in II Timothy aren’t only about abortion, here are some future headlines:
• “Christians from a specific church gather in protest at their state capitol to protest the overturning of Roe v Wade.”
• “Christian group declares pro-choice is biblical because Christians should love.”
• “Popular Christian author Jen Hatmaker says overturning Roe v Wade will cause harm to women.”
• “Popular pastor’s latest book declares there is no Hell, God doesn’t punish sins.”
• “Denominational leaders voted today to recognize same-sex marriages.”
• “Church leaders of particular denominations vote to open pastorate to homosexuals.”
• “Popular church leader says Bible’s view of sexuality is archaic.”
• “Christian college celebrates PRIDE month.”
• “Christian school drops use of gender terms.”
• “Church attendance remains low following COVID as church-goers prioritize rest and relaxation.”
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Jake McCandless
Jake McCandless authors a weekly column titled, Stand Firm and Live Epic, through which he seeks to encourage the modern church to not just survive, but thrive in current times. He also addresses many end-times topics.
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