Mother of Peril / David Jeremiah

 

Mother of Peril But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves. 2 Timothy 3:1-2   These verses give us three layers of truth: (1) There will be a period of history known as the “last days” of earth; (2) these days will be perilous, a word that means dangerous and savage; (3) the most dangerous thing about them will be a pandemic of self-love. When people love themselves, the driving forces for everything become ego, self-admiration, personal ambition, and a disregard for anyone else.

Recommended Reading: 2 Timothy 3: 1 – 9

Unmitigated selfishness is the mother of peril. Without the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus, we are all selfish people, more concerned about ourselves than about anyone else. It’s Jesus alone who teaches us to love others, to care for someone besides ourselves, and to humbly obey God’s Word: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Philippians 2:3-4, NLT).   Sin makes the times perilous. When there is a general corruption of manners, and of the tempers of men, this makes the times dangerous to live in… [But] the coming of perilous times is an evidence of the truth of scripture-predictions. Matthew Henry