3

1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
6They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 7always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. 8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 9But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.
10You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

3

末世的人性

1你該知道,末世必有艱難的日子來到。 2那時人會專愛自己,貪愛錢財,自誇,狂傲,毀謗,違背父母,忘恩負義,心不聖潔, 3沒有親情,抗拒和解,好說讒言,不能節制,性情兇暴,不愛良善, 4賣主賣友,任意妄為,自高自大,愛好宴樂,不愛上帝, 5有敬虔的外貌,卻背棄了敬虔的實質,這等人你要避開。 6他們當中有人潛入別人家裏,操縱無知的婦女;這些婦女被罪惡壓制,被各樣的私慾引誘, 7雖然常常學習,終久無法達到明白真理的地步。 8從前雅尼佯庇怎樣反對摩西,這等人也怎樣抵擋真理;他們的心地敗壞,信仰經不起考驗。 9然而,他們沒有進步,因為他們的愚昧必在眾人面前顯露出來,像那兩人一樣。

對提摩太的最後指示

10但你已經追隨了我的教導、行為、志向、信心、寬容、愛心、忍耐, 11以及我在安提阿以哥念路司得所遭遇的迫害和苦難。我忍受了何等的迫害!但從這一切苦難中,主都把我救了出來。 12其實,凡立志在基督耶穌裏敬虔度日的,也都將受迫害。 13只是作惡的和騙人的將變本加厲,迷惑人也被人迷惑。 14至於你,你要持守所學習的和所確信的,因為你知道是跟誰學的, 15並且知道你從小明白聖經,這聖經能使你因在基督耶穌裏的信有得救的智慧。 16聖經都是上帝所默示的,於教訓、督責、使人歸正、教導人學義都是有益的, 17叫屬上帝的人得以完全,預備行各樣的善事。