Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday July 16, 2015
www.wenstrom.org
Second Timothy: Second Timothy 3:9-The Prophecy of the Judgment of the
Unrepentant Apostate Pastors Through Divine Discipline and at the Bema
Seat
Lesson # 72
2 Timothy 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2
For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers,
disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable,
malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous,
reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a
form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as
these. 6 For among them are those who enter into households and captivate
weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, 7 always
learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Just as
Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men
of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. 9 But they will not make
further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and
Jambres’s folly was also. (NASB95)
“But they will not make further progress” presents an emphatic contrast with the
previous statements in Second Timothy 3:6-8.
“They will not make further progress” is composed of the following: (1)
conjunction alla (ἀλλά), “but” (2) emphatic negative adverb ou (οὔ), “not” (3)
third person plural future active indicative form of the verb prokoptō (προκόπτω),
“they will make progress” (4) preposition epi (ἐπί), “further” (2) accusative
neuter singular form of the adjective pleion (πλεῖον), “further.”
The verb prokoptō means “to progress or advance in a particular activity” and its
meaning is emphatically negated by the emphatic negative adverb ou which means
“by no means.”
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Therefore, these two words indicate that these unrepentant apostate pastors “will
by no means advance or progress” in the sense that their impact on the Christian
community will not progress or advance further.
The future tense of the verb prokoptō is a predictive future indicating the certainty
that the impact of these apostate pastors will by no means continue.
The comparative adjective pleion speaks of the extent in which an activity
progresses and impacts others and is the object of the preposition epi which means
“to” since it functions as a marker of direction.
Therefore, this prepositional phrase means “to a greater extent” since together they
pertain to a greater degree or extent in which an activity take place which indicates
that the impact of these men and their teaching would by no means progress “to a
greater extent” in the Christian community.
“For their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was
also” presents the reason for the previous adversative clause.
Second Timothy 3:1 Indeed continue making it your habit of taking note of
this, namely that dangerous circumstances interacting will exist during the
last days. 2 For out of selfishness, people will be characterized as self-centered,
lovers of money, braggarts, arrogant, slanderous, disobedient to the detriment
of their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 devoid of natural affection, implacable,
malicious gossips, self-indulgent, brutal, opposed to what is good, 4
treacherous, reckless, conceited, hedonists rather than lovers of God. 5 They
exhibit that which resembles godliness. However, they reject for themselves its
power. Consequently, for your own benefit, continue making it your habit of
disassociating yourself from these types of people 6 because out from these
individuals are those who make it their habit of insinuating themselves into
households. In fact, they make it their habit of captivating foolish women
because these are overwhelmed with guilt because of sins because they are
driven by means of various kinds of lusts. 7 They repeatedly receive
instruction. However, they are never at any time able for their own benefit to
enter into knowing experientially the truth. 8 Now, just as Jannes and
Jambres rebelled against Moses so in the same way these individuals
previously mentioned are in their own selfish interests presently in a state of
rebelling against the truth, men who permitted their minds to be corrupted,
worthless ones with regards to the Christian faith. 9 But in fact, they will
certainly by no means progress any further because their foolishness will
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certainly cause itself to be fully manifest for the benefit of each and every
person just as the foolishness produced by Jannes and Jambres caused itself
to be manifested. (My translation)
The apostle Paul in Second Timothy 3:9: continues his comparison from Second
Timothy 3:8 between the unrepentant apostate pastor-teachers in the Roman
province of Asia and Jannes and Jambres who opposed Moses.
In the latter, Paul compared Jannes and Jambres opposition against Moses with
these pastors opposing his apostolic teaching which they demonstrated by teaching
false doctrine and rejecting his apostolic teaching.
Now, here in verse 9 Paul compares the foolishness of Jannes and Jambres in
opposing Moses with the foolishness of these unrepentant apostate pastors
opposing Paul’s apostolic teaching.
He is actually prophesying that these pastors will be receive divine discipline and
will lose rewards at the Bema Seat.
Second Timothy 3:9 is also presenting an emphatic contrast with Paul’s previous
statements in Second Timothy 3:6-8.
Therefore, the emphatic contrast is between the apparent success and impact of
these men in gaining adherents in the Christian community by teaching false
doctrine and it being fully manifested before the entire Christian community that
they were foolish for doing so.
The apostle Paul prophesies in verse 9 that these unrepentant apostate pastorteachers living in the Roman province of Asia will by no means progress any
further in the sense that their impact on the Christian community will not progress
or advance further.
He is not denying the reality of the impact of their teaching upon the Christian
community but rather he is emphasizing that though they appear to be having
success, they will ultimately be judged as foolish for their unfaithfulness.
So Paul is emphasizing the certainty that in the future these unrepentant apostate
pastor-teachers in the Roman province of Asia will by no means progress further in
the Christian community.
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Then, he presents the reason why this will be the case, namely that the foolishness
of these men will certainly cause itself to be fully manifest.
Just as he was being prophetic in the previous adversative clause so Paul is being
prophetic in this causal clause.
He is emphasizing the certainty that the foolishness of these apostate pastors will
be evident to all in the Christian community just as the foolishness of Jannes and
Jambres was evident to all.
Paul also asserts that the foolishness of these men will be fully manifest to all in
the Christian community and specifically to each and every person in the Christian
community.
How so? First of all, it will be made quite evident at the Bema Seat when these
men are censured by the Lord Jesus Christ and do not receive rewards because of
their unfaithfulness.
Thus at that point their foolishness will be obvious to each and every person in the
body of Christ.
We must remember that the majority of Christians in the Roman province of Asia
abandoned Paul upon his arrest and imprisonment according to Second Timothy
1:15.
Now here in Second Timothy 3:9 Paul says that the foolishness of these apostate
teachers will be evident to all in the Christian community however this could not
be evident to all in the Christian community if the majority were in apostasy.
Thus, Paul must be referring to the Bema Seat when each Christian will have to
give an account for their service to the Lord in order to determine if they merit
rewards or not.
The foolishness of these men will at that time manifest itself to each and every
Christian since it will result in loss of rewards for these men.
This will benefit the church since they will witness first-hand the Lord Jesus Christ
administering justice.
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It will benefit them to see the Lord administer justice to these men since it will
manifest to each of them the character and nature of the Lord and in particular His
attribute of justice.
Furthermore, the full manifestation of the foolishness of these apostate pastors will
benefit each and every person in the body of Christ in time when these men are
disciplined by the Lord and specifically suffer the sin unto death (cf. 1 Corinthians
11:30; 1 John 5:17).
This will benefit the church because it will stop these men from teaching false
doctrine.
Paul completes his thought in Second Timothy 3:9 by comparing the foolishness of
these unrepentant apostate pastor-teachers in the Roman province of Asia being
fully manifested to the church with that of the foolishness of Jannes and Jambres
causing itself to be manifested to the whole world.
Both groups demonstrated themselves to be foolish in opposing the truth of God.
The apostle’s statements here in Second Timothy 3:9 are designed to encourage
Timothy to continue to remain faithful to his apostolic teaching, i.e. the gospel.
He is reassuring Timothy that these unrepentant apostate pastor-teachers in the
Roman province of Asia will suffer the consequences for their actions and
unfaithfulness to the Lord.
Just as Jannes and Jambres were judged severely by God for opposing Moses so
also these unrepentant apostate pastor-teachers in the Roman province of Asia
would be judged severely by the Lord Jesus Christ through divine discipline and
refusing these men rewards at the Bema Seat.
So Paul is reassuring Timothy that the Lord Jesus Christ will eventually deal with
these men and that these men are getting away with nothing.
They are only hurting themselves by opposing the gospel and teaching false
doctrine.
Therefore, by reassuring Timothy, Paul would protect his spiritual child from being
tempted to follow in the footsteps of these men.
2015 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries
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