Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things . . . Psalm 119:18 (ESV) 

​2 Timothy 3:2 (NKJV) For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy   
The New King James Version (2 Ti 3:2). (1982). Thomas Nelson.

There will be terrible times in the last days. Paul tells Timothy to mark this. . . to understand this . . . to warn him of the collapse coming at the end. Paul gave an extraordinary list of traits to watch for before the coming of Jesus for His bride. We focus on one word in verse two to highlight for today.

 V.      Predictions of Faithlessness (3:1–9).

3:1–5. As in his previous letter, Paul warned Timothy about the collapse predicted for the last days (cf. 1 Tim. 4:1–3), a term which includes the entire period between the first century and Christ’s return. During this interim, according to the prediction, the world will see terrible times of societal degeneration. Paul gave an extraordinary list (cf. Rom. 1:28–32) of 19 general characteristics believers should expect. People will be: (1) lovers of themselves (philautoi, “self-centered, narcissistic”); (2) lovers of money (philargyroi; cf. 1 Tim. 6:9–10); (3) boastful—the outward manifestation of the fact that inwardly they are (4) proud (“arrogant”); (5) abusive toward others, which translates blasphēmoi (“blasphemers”).
   
Litfin, A. D. (1985). 2 Timothy. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge         Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 756). Victor Books.
 
989 βλάσφημος [blasphemos /blas·fay·mos/] adj. From a derivative of 984 and 5345; TDNT 1:621; TDNTA 107; GK 1061; Five occurrences; AV translates as “blasphemous” twice, “blasphemer” twice, and “railing” once. 1 speaking evil, slanderous, reproachful, railing, abusive.

 Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.

A clear connection exists between boastful and proud (verse 2). The former word alazōn includes ‘the bounce of swaggering’ (Simpson), while the other word hyperēphanos, when used in a bad sense, conveys the idea of haughtiness or arrogance. The word abusive translates the Greek word blasphēmoi, but points to evil-speaking directed against others rather than against God. The last three vices in verse 2 are all specific denials of definite Christian virtues (in the Greek they all have the negative a-prefix) bringing out forcefully the idea of militant moral perversion. The same evident reversal of moral values is also seen in five of the six vices mentioned in verse 3, the only word without the negative prefix being slanderous (diaboloi). The word translated unforgiving (aspondos) literally means ‘without a truce’, and therefore ‘implacable’. It describes an hostility so intense that a truce is impossible. Without self-control shows an attitude of mind that is dominated by outside influences, while brutal is the antithesis of what is civilized. The expression not lovers of the good really describes those who hate the good and have replaced it with something less demanding.

Guthrie, D. (1990). Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 14, pp. 174–175). InterVarsity Press.

Lovers of self (φιλαυτοι [philautoi]). Old compound adjective (φιλος, αὐτος [philos, autos]), here only in N. T. Lovers of money (φιλαργυροι [philarguroi]). Old compound adjective, in N. T. only here and Luke 16:14. See 1 Tim. 6:10. Boastful (ἀλαζονες [alazones]). Old word for empty pretender, in N. T. only here and Rom. 1:30. Haughty (ὑπερηφανοι [huperēphanoi]). See also Rom. 1:30 for this old word. Railers (βλασφημοι [blasphēmoi]). See 1 Tim. 1:13.

 Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (2 Ti 3:2). Broadman Press.

It has certainly become a challenge to speak directly from the Word of God without offending someone. May the Lord give you a seasoned tongue of tenderness, love and clarity. Encourage others around you!

Cathy and Danny Sartin
wwwdeeperstillmissions.com
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Copyright © Danny Sartin. All Rights Reserved.
Bible Nuggets are written for pastors, youth leaders and missionaries who desire to go deeper still in God’s Word. 
Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this post in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things . . . 
Psalm 119:18 (ESV) 

Boastful in the last days.

1–5  This be constantly knowing, that in the last days difficult times will set in, for men shall be fond of themselves, fond of money, swaggerers, haughty, revilers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, lacking self-control, savage, haters of that which is good, betrayers, headstrong, besotted with pride, fond of pleasure rather than having an affection for God, having a mere outward semblance of piety toward God but denying the power of the same. And these be constantly shunning.  Wuest, K. S. (1961). The New Testament: an expanded translation (2 Ti 3:1–5). Eerdmans.

People like to know the signs of the last days. Paul gives a powerful picture of godlessness in the last days.

From  The Pastoral Epistles: a commentary on the Greek text.

The next layer of terms, working from both the beginning and the end of the list, focuses on pride and hostility toward others. Associated, therefore, with self-love is an attitude of arrogant pride and disdain for others. In the first two words of this layer, joined here as in Rom. 1:30, Paul describes these people as “boasters” (ἀλαζόνες, notice Pr. 21:24 LXX and the associated concepts there) and as “arrogant” or “haughty” (ὑπερήφανοι,** Lk. 1:51; Rom. 1:30; Jas. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5), i.e., as those who express their pride in both talk and attitude. Here again Paul mentions characteristics of the false teachers (cf. 1 Tim. 1:7; 6:4; see Trench, Synonyms, 98–102 on both words; Barclay, More NT Words, 85–89 on the second). The third word of this group, βλάσφημοι** (Acts 6:11; 1 Tim. 1:13; here; 2 Pet. 2:11), “evil speakers,” “slanderers,” is most likely used here of “abusive” speech against other people, just as the related verb and abstract noun are used elsewhere in the PE of an evil that Christians must avoid in their dealings with non-Christians (βλασφημέω in Tit. 3:2) and that is associated with the false teachers (βλασφημία in 1 Tim. 6:4).

From the Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains

88.220 ἀλαζών, όνος m: (derivative of ἀλαζονεία ‘pretentious pride,’ 88.219) one who is pretentiously proud and given to bragging about it—‘braggart, arrogant person.’ ἔσονται γὰρ οἱ ἄνθρωποι φίλαυτοι, φιλάργυροι, ἀλαζόνες ‘for there will be people who are lovers of themselves, lovers of money, braggarts’ 2 Tm 3:2. In a number of languages an arrogant person is described figuratively as ‘one who speaks big words about himself’ or ‘one whose mouth is too big for his body.’).
 
From the Theological lexicon of the New Testament

ἀλαζονεία, ἀλαζών
alazoneia, boastful arrogance; alazōn, boaster
mention as a third epithymia “the lust for riches or money,” it is precisely because he had his sights set on a more serious vice than the ostentation of the wealthy or their arrogance toward the poor. He contrasts with God the creaturely pride, the mastery of one’s own existence, of the person who decides and directs the course of his life without taking God into account.11 This “sufficiency” is the exact opposite of the absolute duty of worshiping God and serving God devoutly; it follows that this is something altogether different from the classical and profane alazoneia.
 
This one word easily describes the attitudes we see in our world today. Go before our Lord in humility and worship.

Cathy and Danny Sartin
www.deeperstillmissions.com
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Wuest, K. S. (1961). The New Testament: an expanded translation (2 Ti 3:1–5). Eerdmans.
LXX Septuagint
** all occurrences of the word or phrase in the New Testament are listed or it is identified as a New Testament hapax legomenon
** all occurrences of the word or phrase in the New Testament are listed or it is identified as a New Testament hapax legomenon
PE Pastoral Epistles
Knight, G. W. (1992). The Pastoral Epistles: a commentary on the Greek text (p. 431). W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press.
m masculine
Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains (electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, p. 764). United Bible Societies.
11 This is the interpretation of J. Chaine, Les Epîtres catholiques, Paris, 1939, p. 164; R. Schnackenburg, Die Johannesbriefe, Freiburg, 1953, p. 114. Ἀλαζών does not occur in the papyri, but cf. P.Lond. 1927, 32 (Christian, mid-fourth century, H. I. Bell, Jews and Christians in Egypt, p. 111): τὴν τοῦ κόσμου ἀλαζονίαν ἀπεκήρυξας καὶ τὴν τῶν κενοδόξων μεγαλαυχίαν ἐβδέλυξας.
Spicq, C., & Ernest, J. D. (1994). In Theological lexicon of the New Testament (Vol. 1, pp. 63–65). Hendrickson Publishers.

Copyright © Danny Sartin. All Rights Reserved.Bible Nuggets are written for pastors, youth leaders and missionaries who desire to go deeper still in God’s Word. 
Re-Prints: Deeper Still Missions devotionals are protected by international copyright laws. To request reprint permission contact the offices of DSM. Permission is granted and encouraged to forward this post in its entirety to others without making any changes or deletions.