Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times
some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines
of devils [1 Tim. 4:1].
“Now” would be better translated “but.” This would set in sharp contrast the
early doctrinal creed given in the final verse of the preceding chapter and the
apostasy within the church that Paul is now going to discuss.
“That in the latter times.” Elsewhere in my writings on 1 Timothy I have said
that this expression refers to the last days of the church on the earth, but I
want to change my mind on that. I now feel that this refers to the days of the
church beginning immediately after the life of Paul. The apostasy of the church
had begun even at that time. You remember that when Paul was in Ephesus he
warned them that there would come wolves in sheep’s clothing who would deceive
the believers. John said, “Already there are many antichrists”—already error had
entered the church. The first great church was the Coptic church in Africa; it
was way ahead of the others. North Africa produced some of the greatest saints
in the early church, including Augustine, Tertullian, and Athanasius, but that
church went off into heresy and departed from the faith.
When Paul says here, “in the latter times,” he does not have the second coming
of Christ in view at all. However, in 2 Timothy 3:1 where he says, “This know
also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” (italics mine), he is
using a technical expression that always refers to the last days of the church
on the earth before the Lord Jesus takes it out. The “latter times” mentioned
here refers to our times today—Paul was speaking of what lay just ahead for the
church in his day.
“Some shall depart from the faith.” Paul is warning that there will be heretical
teachers who will mislead a great company of people. There will be a departure
from the faith. Paul wrote also in 2 Thessalonians 2 of the apostasy to come.
Actually this matter of apostasy has been in the church a long time, and it will
not be new at the end of the age by any means.
It has grown and will continue to grow, however. When the church of Christ is
raptured, there will be left behind a totally apostate organized church.
“Depart” is aphistemi in the Greek and it means “to stand away from.” A
departure suggests not only that you have a point to which you are going, but
also a point from which you have come. Those who apostatize are ones who have
professed at one time to hold to the faith, but now they have departed from it.
There cannot be an apostasy in paganism because they have never professed the
faith. They never professed to trust Christ as Savior. They have never heard
about Him, and there can be no apostasy among them. The apostasy comes within
the organized church among those who profess to the faith and then depart from
it.
“Giving heed to seducing spirits.” Now when they depart from the faith, what is
responsible for it? What has caused them to depart? Is it because they have
become better educated, more intellectual? Is it because of scientific
developments and increased knowledge which reveals that the faith can no longer
be held? No, Paul says, “Some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits.”
“Seducing” actually means wandering, roving, and it comes from the word vagabond
or deceiver or seducer. In fact, Satan is all those things. They shall give heed
to satanic spirits.
“Doctrines of devils [demons].” People will give heed to doctrines of demons. It
is alarming to a great many people that even in our very materialistic age there
is a return to the things of the spirit world and a great emphasis upon it.
Christians are told to “… try the spirits whether they are of God … ,” because
there have gone out into the world these seducing spirits (1 John 4:1). The test
that we should apply is the creed that was given in 1 Timothy 1Ti (3:16). “… God
was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit….” The only way of salvation
is through the death of Christ, and it is by this truth we can test the
doctrines of demons today.
There is a small segment of those who claim to be believers who are placing a
great emphasis on demonism. They are very interested in this subject and are
reading everything they can find about it. I think that we are seeing a real
manifestation of the spirit world today, but the best thing you and I can do
regarding the Devil is to show him a clean pair of heels. We should not be a
bunch of heels, sticking around and getting ourselves involved in all of this.
Paul warns us against being seduced by the doctrines of demons. We should stay
clear of them, testing each spirit by its acknowledgment of the deity of Christ
and by its acknowledgment that God was manifest in the flesh and that we are
justified through the redemption He wrought for us on the Cross.
McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Epistles (1 and 2
Timothy/Titus/Philemon) (electronic ed., Vol. 50, pp. 59–61). Nashville: Thomas
Nelson.