Pastor John Kilpatrick is speaking on 2 Timothy 3:1. It says, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.” If you don’t mind, I’d like you to say that out loud with me, everybody. Let’s read it together. And I want to do it one more time.
Who can predict the future? By now, most everybody knows that people—Christians and unbelievers—are asking questions.
My pastor raised me up, and he always told me, as you’ve heard me say before, “Son, you don’t ever want to try to answer questions nobody’s asking. That’s the most surefire way to lose a crowd—start talking about things people aren’t interested in, and trying to answer questions nobody’s asking.”
But we’re living in times right now when people have a lot of questions, and they want to know what’s going on.
One might think there are many sources that can answer prophetic questions, but there really aren’t. If you take a minute and try to search out what’s going on today in any other way, you may try many sources.
For example, some might look to the field of science. You might look for answers about what’s happening today through experts in physics, sociology, medicine, economics, food production, and climate—prognosticators who have done countless studies in universities around the world. Their work may shed light on the days that are to come, but they can only answer scientifically. They can only answer what the numbers show. They can interpret numbers and hypothesize from scientific studies, but they can’t predict the future.
Next, some people may look to the New Age and to mystics to try to bring clarity about the future, but they are extremely unreliable. Astrology, fortune-telling, and the various arts of mysticism can’t get the job done every time. They are left humiliated, and the things they prognosticated come to naught. They miserably fail.
There’s only one source in the world that is faultless and totally reliable—and it’s this right here: the Word of God. Can you shout amen?
It’s the Bible. And within the pages of the Bible, we find prophetic insight. We find what we seek only in Scripture. The Word of God is the only thing that can satisfy the longing to know about the future—only the Word of God.
I want you to listen to these statements God makes about Himself. There are three of them I’m going to read—two from Isaiah 44 and one from Isaiah 46. Listen to these passages. You can look at them with me on the screen.
God said:
“This is what the Lord says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies: I am the first and the last; there is no other God. Who is like me? Let him step forward and prove his power. Let him do as I have done since ancient days, when I established a people and explained its future.”
Look at that. He said, “Let him do as I have done since ancient times.” God said that when He established a people, He explained their future.
Second: Isaiah 44:24–26. God said:
“This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer and Creator: I am the Lord, who made all things. I alone stretched out the heavens. Who was with me when I made the earth? I expose the false prophets as liars and make fools out of fortune-tellers. I cause the wise to give bad advice, thus proving them to be fools. But I carry out the predictions of my prophets…”
Now y’all can do better than that—come on.
Isaiah 46:9–10. God said:
“Remember the things I have done in the past, for I alone am God. I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it happens. Everything I plan will come to pass. I do whatever I wish.”
So only God—say it out loud with me—only God can predict the future. Only God’s Word is correct, 100%.
Let me say this before I leave this subject: God’s Word is not only correct about the future—only God’s Word is correct about the past. If you want to know about the past, you can forget your history books, because many times they’ve been tampered with to meet socialist ideas. But if you want to know about the past, go to God’s Word, and He’ll tell you all you need to know.
So there are seven principles of Bible prophecy I want to talk about for a moment.
1) Some prophecies God will keep secret
In Bible prophecy, God has some prophecies He will always cause to remain secret. You’re going to have to get over that fact—there are some things God has that He will keep secret.
Deuteronomy contains two great principles for understanding Bible prophecy, and Moses penned this:
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law.”
I want to read that one more time—it’s so important:
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God.” He’s not going to share them. He has secrets—get over it.
“But the things that are revealed belong to us.” He wants us to know. The reason it’s in your Bible, and the reason God gave us prophets to foretell the future, is because He wants us to know. He really wants you to know.
And it says not only you, but your children. Don’t forget to talk to your children about prophetic things. I can tell you right now: there are many kids coming up today—a whole generation—who don’t even know what Bible prophecy is. And that’s not the preacher’s job; that’s your job: start talking Bible prophecy with your family. Come on—can you say amen?
Let me give you the interpretation of this Scripture:
- God has secrets that He does not permit us to know. He tells us He has secrets. They belong only to Him. They’re simply not our business.
- There are truths God has chosen to reveal to us. Those belong to us. We are responsible for what God has allowed us to know.
- We are to repeat what He shows us and reveals to us.
- We are to be impacted by those things—as well as our children.
- We are to obey those things, and conduct our lives according to the prophetic words He lets us know about.
I’m amazed at people who know things, but their lives don’t show that they know it. I’m doing better than y’all are. Amen.
One tendency—and one of the biggest mistakes we make—is that we become so intrigued with God’s secret things, trying to find out what’s secret, that we neglect the revealed things He’s already shown us.
I don’t know if you heard that, so let me say it again: one tendency we Christians have—especially ministers and “super spiritual” people—is that we get so intrigued with what God said is secret that we neglect what He has revealed. We ignore and shun the revealed things while trying to dig up the secret things.
And if you dig up something and claim God revealed to you what He said He would keep secret, you’re a liar in the first place—because God didn’t show you. That secret came from you; it didn’t come from God.
And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to hear anything that comes from man. I want to know what comes from God.
Anyone who claims to be able to reveal secret things God wants hidden is really a false prophet. Always resist trying to figure out what God doesn’t want you to know. It will only lead to frustration, confusion, disappointment, and humiliation. The Lord will let you be humiliated if you tamper with His secret things and make people believe you’ve been let in on the secret.
Let’s look at two things. I’m going to read a Scripture and show you two examples of what the Lord reveals—just simple examples.
One thing God revealed is in Acts 1:11:
“Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
That’s revelation—prophetic insight—a prophecy God wants us to know.
This is right after the resurrection and right after Jesus ascended. He went from the Mount of Olives and was taken up—slowly—where everybody could see Him. The rapture will be sudden: changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. But when He comes back, all eyes will see Him, including the Antichrist and the false prophet. They’re going to be running for cover. Oh my God—He has fire in His eyes and a sword in His hand. He’s riding a white horse, and He’s coming back with the armies of God.
But when Jesus left from the Mount of Ascension, He went up slowly—rising until He disappeared from sight. And the angels said, “Why do you stand here looking up?” This same Jesus will come back the same way you saw Him go.
Now, here’s something that is secret to God—a mystery:
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.”
So we have two passages: one gives insight into how He will come back. The other is a closed door: no one knows the day or the hour—not the angels, not even the Son, but only the Father. So you have Scripture backing what Deuteronomy teaches: some things are secret—God isn’t letting anybody know the date or the hour. But He does reveal other insights.
2) Prophecies are given for a reason
Prophecies are not given to make us feel superior to somebody else. Prophecies are not given so we might know more than other people, and so people come to us for answers.
Prophecies are given for us to know, to include in our lives, and to share with others. Deuteronomy said the revealed things are for us and our children—to obey forever.
If we don’t value, embrace, and obey the prophecies God reveals, He’s not going to give you more. Let me say this about the Lord: if you come to the Lord and ask God for something like truth and revelation, and God gives it to you, and you don’t do anything with it—you can forget coming back and asking for more. If you didn’t do anything with what He already showed you, He’s not going to keep giving you more. Amen.
That’s why every time God gives me something, my lips are going to move—I’m going to tell you. But if God doesn’t give me something, and people put pressure on me to comment about the times, I’m not going to comment. I’ll only comment if I have something from the Lord. Amen.
3) Prophecies are for a specific time and situation
Prophecies are given for a specific time and a specific situation. Prior to the time for the prophecy to come to pass, you probably will not be able to understand exactly what it means.
Jeremiah said:
“The days come, saith the Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave their fathers, and they shall possess it.”
The world was surprised in 1948 by how fast Israel returned to the Holy Land, and how suddenly God gave them back their land. Then in 1967, He gave them back their city—the holy city of Jerusalem.
But until that time, people didn’t really understand how it would happen. When it’s time for prophecy to come to pass—boom—it takes place. Suddenly. That’s often how Bible prophecy unfolds. Amen.
4) God gives prophecies for guidance
Prophecy will guide us in what we need to do and what we don’t need to do.
Jesus said in Matthew 24:
“Woe to those in those days who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies. Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.”
What a strange prophecy. But listen carefully: this is Jesus speaking—the Son of God. This is Bible prophecy. And He’s talking to the Jews—His Jewish disciples and listeners. He’s describing the conditions they will face in the time of Jacob’s trouble: the latter half, the last three and a half years of the tribulation period—Daniel’s 70th week.
He said it’s going to be perilous, and He tells them what to pray regarding their circumstances: not pregnant, not nursing, not winter, not the Sabbath. Why didn’t He just say, “I’m going to make sure none of those things happen”? Because that’s not what we see in Scripture.
We don’t understand a lot of things: what’s going on in Ukraine, Syria, Israel, and the accords being discussed in Iran. These things don’t become clear until you get right up on them. You can preach about it, but one thing my pastor always raised me to say was, “Son, when you’re preaching on Bible prophecy, be careful how adamant you become. Always leave some wiggle room, because when it comes time for certain prophecies to come to pass, it won’t be exactly like you envisioned it.”
Are you listening to me?
That’s why right now everybody needs to relax. God hasn’t been kicked out of heaven. He still sits on His throne. God still has everything under control. His Word is sure. He is sovereign.
But there are some prophecies that are going to come to pass, and it won’t do you any good to pray against them—because they’re supposed to happen.
In the Bible, “will” is described in two ways. One is boulēma—a will of God that can be changed. Isaiah went in to see Hezekiah and told him, “Get your house in order, because God is about to take your life.” Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed, and before Isaiah could get out of the courtyard, God spoke to Isaiah and said, “Go back and tell him I’ve added fifteen years to his life.” That was a will of God that could be changed.
But there’s another will—ironclad. There’s going to be an Antichrist. I don’t care how much you pray against it—there’s going to be an Antichrist. There’s going to be a false prophet. There’s going to be a tribulation period. There’s going to be a mark of the beast. I don’t care how many people you get in agreement—God’s Word is going to come to pass. Can you shout amen?
So when Jesus warns them, He’s saying, “This is the way it’s going to be. Pray concerning your conditions, because it’s going to be unfavorable.” And if you don’t understand some things, remember: God told us some things are secret. Let God be God, and let man be man. Amen.
5) All prophecies focus on Jesus
John said he fell at the angel’s feet to worship him, and the angel said, “See that you don’t do it. I am your fellow servant and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. All prophecy emanates from Jesus, for Jesus, and by Jesus—through the Holy Spirit.
In John 16, Jesus said:
“When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will show you things to come.”
The Holy Spirit will show you things to come. That’s why I am such a stickler about loving and yielding to the Holy Spirit. He knows things we don’t know.
For us to block Him out of our services, to not worship Him, to not wait on Him, and to not reverence the Holy Spirit—we need the Holy Spirit now more than we’ve ever needed the Holy Spirit.
He will show you things to come. And Jesus said, “He will glorify Me.” So when the Holy Spirit shows you things to come, He is glorifying and exalting Jesus. Amen.
6) Prophecies mean what they say
God will not allow prophecy to be spiritualized away or watered down.
It was prophesied Jesus would be born of a virgin—and He was. Jesus was crucified literally—hung on a cross. He was raised and ascended literally. These were not allegories—they were literal.
Now, some things are allegorical in Scripture. In Daniel, for example, the king of Greece is called a goat, and the king of Persia is pictured in symbolic ways. Some prophecies are allegorical, but when you read them, you can tell.
But the Antichrist will not be a computer. Some people say, “It’s an apple—that’s the Antichrist right there.” Why don’t you go back and open your Bible again?
The Bible refers to the Antichrist with masculine pronouns. It refers to the false prophet as “he.” And besides that, when the angels come back, are they going to grab a computer and throw it into the lake of fire? Come on—let’s get real.
It’s amazing how crazy people can get when they think they’re delving into the “mystery” things of God. Stay with what you know. Amen.
The Bible says in the end times heaven will roll up like a scroll. It will literally roll up. The stars will fall. There will be literal earthquakes, literal wars, and literal famines. These things won’t be allegorical—they’ll be real.
And the nation of Israel is not the church. People tell me all the time, “Brother Kilpatrick, you’ve got it all wrong. The church is Israel.” That’s replacement theology—you might as well keep that dog at the house. Israel is Israel, and the church is the church. Amen.
Israel is the Jewish people of God, and the Gentile bride is the bride of Christ—the church. Israel is not the church, and the church is not Israel.
7) God is sovereign
God has never allowed anything His prophets have spoken—words God gave them—to fall to the ground unfulfilled. Not one time.
Any time God has used a prophet to prophesy, God doesn’t let one word fall incomplete.
God has never made a mistake—contrary to what modern theologians may tell you. God never has to go back and correct an error. He has never had an oversight. God is completely controlling everything that’s going on. Can you shout amen?
God knows everything going on. He has His hand on the throttle. It’s not going too fast; it’s not going too slow. And by the time you see some of these things beginning to come to pass, they will make more sense than they do right now.
There are things happening right now that I don’t have a complete picture of. But I do know that in the near future, as we get closer, I’ll say, “Oh—I understand. Oh my goodness.”
Y’all give me a few more minutes. That wasn’t too convincing.
Now I want to lay out, as quickly as I can, what Scripture says about people and their behavior in the end times. It is prophesied, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. You can pray, but you’re wasting your breath if you’re praying about what God said is going to happen. If you’re believing for a utopia right now, I hate to tell you this, but it’s not going to happen.
Times and events can be manipulated by mankind. Times have no control over themselves. Events do not have the power within themselves to control events. Mankind controls events. Mankind controls what’s going on in time.
So the Bible says “perilous times will come.” That word “perilous” means “fierce.” The Greek word occurs in two places in the Bible. In 2 Timothy it says, “Perilous times will come.” And in Matthew it talks about the demoniacs: “Two demon-possessed men… exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way.” “Perilous” means “fierce.”
Now I want you to hear this—especially those watching by livestream and on God TV. There are some things that are going to happen that you’re not going to be able to change by prayer, pleading, or any other activity.
Here’s what the Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:1–5. Paul said:
“Know this…” He didn’t say, “Consider this.” He said, “Know this.” In the last days, dangerous, fierce times will come.
“For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents…” and he lists eighteen things.
I don’t have time to go through all eighteen, but I want to show you how he starts and how he ends.
He starts with what men love: “lovers of themselves, lovers of money.” And he ends by saying they are “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.”
And then look at verse 5: “having a form of godliness but denying the power. From such turn away.”
Now please understand: I am a man of grace. I understand grace. I preach grace. I love grace. I believe in God’s mercy.
But these eighteen things Paul lists are not aimed at the world—they’re in the church.
Why would Paul write to sinners and say, “having a form of godliness”? Sinners don’t have a form of godliness. He’s writing to Christians. He’s writing to people who have been born again.
Peter and others were apostles to the Jews, but Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles. These Gentiles came out of deep sin—idolatry, sexual immorality, and perversion—and they got saved. Paul was sent to them. He mentored them and instructed them. And he was telling them: now that you’re saved, you’ve got to turn from this stuff.
But many of them didn’t show much change. They received forgiveness, but they started dabbling back in what God saved them out of.
So it begins and ends with what people love: themselves, money, and pleasure.
Why those three? Because if you love yourself, you’re going to take care of yourself. To take care of yourself, you need money. And money buys pleasure. Money can’t buy peace and joy, but money can buy pleasure. It can buy all the little things you like and that make you happy.
So Paul is describing a self-absorbed generation of Christians in the last days.
Now I’ve got to cover this quickly:
There is a difference between entering the kingdom and inheriting the kingdom.
The Bible talks about how we enter the kingdom through salvation—that born-again experience. Salvation is the door into God’s kingdom.
But what happens to many people is they enter through the door, and then they park right there. They make their bed right there. They dabble in the kingdom and dabble in the world too—never a total commitment. Just dabbling here and dabbling yonder.
Now let me talk about inheriting the kingdom.
When I give you these Scriptures, you’re going to think I made a mistake and say, “Pastor, Paul was writing to sinners.” But he was writing to the church. You don’t write epistles to sinners—you write epistles to the church.
I want to show you three passages—two in Galatians, one in Ephesians, and one in Corinthians. When you see these, you’ll think, “No, Pastor, you’re wrong.” Just hold your criticism until you hear me out.
1 Corinthians 6:9 (NIV):
“Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?”
There’s the word: inherit. Everybody say “enter.” Now say “inherit.” Say it again.
Paul says, “Don’t be deceived.” Why would you write that to sinners? They’re already deceived. He’s saying to Christians: don’t be deceived.
Let me read the passage (and it’s shocking, but it’s a perfect picture of today’s church):
“Do you not realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived…”
Then he lists behaviors: sexual sin, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, theft, greed, drunkenness, abuse, cheating.
And he says: “None of these will inherit the kingdom.”
Then Paul says, “Some of you were once like that.” That’s how you know he’s writing to the church. He said, “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
So they entered the kingdom, but Paul warns that people can live in such a way that they will not inherit the kingdom.
Now the second Scripture: Galatians 5:19 (and following):
“The acts of the flesh are obvious…” and he lists sexual immorality, impurity, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and the like. And he says:
“I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Paul wouldn’t be writing to sinners telling them not to live in the flesh—every sinner is in the flesh. He’s addressing Christians. He’s addressing the household of faith, and he’s saying: if you live like this, you will not inherit the kingdom.
Now the third Scripture: Ephesians (to the church at Ephesus):
“Of this you can be sure: no immoral, impure, or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God… Let no one deceive you…”
Paul is warning Christians: let no one deceive you.
And I’m saying today behind this pulpit: I feel the authority to say it. I can feel it coming out of me under unction and anointing. I know what I’m supposed to do right now. I’m not judging anybody else’s life or ministry, and I’m not being self-righteous. I’m simply saying: this is why I’m here, and this is what I’m going to do.
So here it is: three different places in the New Testament—Paul says these kinds of people will not inherit the kingdom.
Let me close with a Scripture from Jesus. If this isn’t clear, I don’t know what will make it clearer.
Jesus said:
“Many will come to me in that day… and they will say, ‘Lord, Lord…’”
Stop right there. The Bible says no one can call Jesus “Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. Saying “Lord” implies a born-again confession—recognizing Him as Lord.
Then Jesus said they will say:
“Did we not prophesy in your name… and in your name drive out demons… and in your name perform many miracles?”
So you have people calling Him Lord, prophesying, casting out demons, and doing many works in His name.
And Jesus says:
“I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.’”
In other words: you are not going to inherit my kingdom. You came in the door—you entered—but you’re not going to have any part in the inheritance.
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Thought for 6s
Five Things We Will Learn
- Why Scripture presents God as the only fully reliable source for understanding both the future and the past.
- The difference between what God keeps secret and what He intentionally reveals in Bible prophecy.
- Seven guiding principles for handling prophecy without pride, speculation, or distortion.
- Why “perilous times” describes more than cultural darkness—and includes what can happen inside the church.
- The sobering distinction between entering the kingdom and inheriting the kingdom, and why Jesus and Paul both warn believers not to be deceived.
Perilous Times and the Question Everybody Is Asking
We’re looking at 2 Timothy 3:1. It says, “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.” If you don’t mind, I’d like you to say that out loud with me, everybody. Let’s read it together. And I want to do it one more time.
Who can predict the future? By now, most everybody knows that people—Christians and unbelievers—are asking questions.
My pastor raised me up, and he always told me, as you’ve heard me say before, “Son, you don’t ever want to try to answer questions nobody’s asking. That’s the most surefire way to lose a crowd—start talking about things people aren’t interested in, and trying to answer questions nobody’s asking.”
But we’re living in times right now when people have a lot of questions, and they want to know what’s going on.
One might think there are many sources that can answer prophetic questions, but there really aren’t. If you take a minute and try to search out what’s going on today in any other way, you may try many sources.
Some look to science—experts in physics, sociology, medicine, economics, food production, and climate. They can interpret numbers, project trends, and hypothesize from studies, but they can’t truly predict the future.
Others look to the New Age and mystics. But astrology, fortune-telling, and the various arts of mysticism can’t deliver clarity with consistency. They’re unreliable, and their confident predictions often come to nothing.
There’s only one source in the world that is faultless and totally reliable—and it’s this right here: the Word of God.
Within the pages of Scripture we find prophetic insight. We find what we seek only in Scripture. And the Word of God is the only thing that can satisfy the longing to know about the future—only the Word of God.
God’s Claim: Only He Can Tell the Future
God makes direct statements about Himself—two from Isaiah 44 and one from Isaiah 46:
- He declares Himself Israel’s King and Redeemer, “the first and the last,” and challenges anyone to step forward and prove they can do what He does—establish a people and explain their future.
- He says He exposes false prophets, makes fools out of fortune-tellers, and carries out the predictions of His prophets.
- He declares, “Only I can tell you the future before it happens. Everything I plan will come to pass. I do whatever I wish.”
So only God—say it out loud—only God can predict the future. Only God’s Word is correct, 100%.
And the claim isn’t only about the future. The teaching presses further: God’s Word is also the surest anchor for understanding the past. When human records are shaped and reshaped by agendas, Scripture stands as the unchanging reference point.
Seven Principles for Understanding Bible Prophecy
1) Some prophecies God will keep secret
In Bible prophecy, God has some things He will always keep secret. Deuteronomy gives the framework:
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of the law.”
That means two things at once:
- God has secrets He does not permit us to know. They belong only to Him.
- God has truths He has chosen to reveal. Those belong to us—and to our children—so we can obey and live accordingly.
This teaching makes the point plainly: one of the biggest mistakes believers can make is becoming fascinated with what God called secret, while neglecting what He already revealed. When people claim special access to God’s hidden secrets, they move into dangerous territory—because God already told us those things are not ours to possess.
Two examples highlight the difference:
- Revealed: Acts 1:11 teaches that Jesus will return in the same way He ascended.
- Secret: Jesus teaches that no one knows the day or hour—not angels, not even the Son, but only the Father.
Scripture itself shows us what is open and what is closed.
2) Prophecies are given for a reason
Prophecy is not given to make people feel superior, or to create spiritual celebrity. Prophecy is given so believers will know, embrace, and obey what God has revealed—and share it faithfully.
And the teaching adds a warning: if God gives truth and revelation, and we do nothing with it, we should not expect more. Revelation is meant to be stewarded, not stored.
3) Prophecies are for a specific time and situation
Prophecies are often difficult to understand until the moment they begin to unfold. The example given is Israel’s restoration and return:
- The world watched in 1948 as Israel returned to the land.
- In 1967, Jerusalem returned to Jewish control.
Suddenly, what seemed distant or unclear became visible in real time. Often, prophecy becomes unmistakable when it is right “on top of you.”
4) God gives prophecies for guidance
Prophecy is not only predictive; it is directional. Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24 illustrates this: He describes the conditions believers will face in severe tribulation and tells them what to pray regarding their circumstances.
The point is not that God is absent—it’s that God can be sovereign while still calling His people to alertness, prayer, and wise response.
The teaching also includes a pastoral caution: when preaching prophecy, don’t get so rigid that you leave no room for how fulfillment may differ from your assumptions. Some details become clear only as events arrive.
5) All prophecies focus on Jesus
Prophecy is Christ-centered. Revelation teaches that the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy, and John 16 teaches that the Holy Spirit will guide into truth and show things to come—always glorifying Jesus.
This section emphasizes the necessity of reverencing and yielding to the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit is the One who shows what is coming, then blocking Him out—personally or corporately—weakens the church’s discernment at the exact moment it is most needed.
6) Prophecies mean what they say
The teaching insists that God does not allow prophecy to be “spiritualized away” until it loses meaning. Some prophecies are symbolic, and Scripture signals when imagery is being used. But the major claims of prophecy are often literal in fulfillment—just as the virgin birth, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension were literal.
The message warns against sensational interpretations that replace biblical categories with trendy theories. Prophecy should be handled with Scripture itself as the interpretive anchor.
7) God is sovereign
God has never allowed a word He gave through His prophets to fall to the ground unfulfilled. He does not make mistakes, require corrections, or discover oversights. He remains in control—hand on the throttle—neither rushed nor delayed.
And as events draw nearer, what now seems confusing will become clearer.
“Perilous Times” and the Fierce Condition of the Last Days
The message returns to 2 Timothy 3 and focuses on the meaning of “perilous.” It connects that word to “fierce,” noting its use in describing demon-possessed men in Matthew—men so fierce that no one could pass that way.
Then comes a central claim: some end-time developments cannot be prayed away, because they are prophesied. People may plead for a utopia, but Scripture says perilous times will come.
And the teaching takes a sharp turn: Paul’s list is not merely a description of “the world.” The phrase “having a form of godliness” signals the church.
Paul lists eighteen traits and frames them by what people love:
- lovers of self
- lovers of money
- lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God
The warning is not aimed at outsiders alone. It is aimed at believers who maintain religious form while denying God’s transforming power.
Entering the Kingdom vs. Inheriting the Kingdom
The teaching draws a crucial distinction:
- Entering the kingdom is through salvation—the new birth.
- Inheriting the kingdom speaks to the afterlife, to final participation in the kingdom’s reward and reality.
The message confronts a pattern: some enter the door of salvation and then “park” there—dabbling in the kingdom while also dabbling in the world, never fully surrendered.
Then it presents Paul’s warnings to churches—epistles written to believers:
1 Corinthians 6:9–11
Paul warns that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God, and he says, “Do not be deceived.” The passage lists patterns of sin and concludes that those who persist in them will not inherit the kingdom. Then Paul adds the clarifying line: “Some of you were once like that.” In other words, this is written to the church—people who have been washed, sanctified, and justified—yet still warned not to drift back into what God saved them out of.
Galatians 5:19–21
Paul lists acts of the flesh and warns that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom. Again, the logic is direct: he is instructing believers, not describing unbelievers.
Ephesians 5:5–6
Paul tells the church that no immoral, impure, or greedy person has inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God—and adds the warning: “Let no one deceive you.”
The thread is consistent: believers must not be lulled into deception that treats repentance, transformation, and holiness as optional.
Jesus’ Final Warning: “I Never Knew You”
The message closes with Jesus’ sobering words:
Many will come to Him in that day and say, “Lord, Lord,” claiming prophetic ministry, deliverance, and works done in His name. Yet Jesus replies plainly: “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers.”
The conclusion is meant to shake complacency: entrance language is not the same as inheritance reality. The call is to wake up, to refuse deception, and to live the truth we say we believe.