For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; |
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; |
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; |
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. |
For the time is coming when [people] will not tolerate (endure) sound and wholesome instruction, but, having ears itching [for something pleasant and gratifying], they will gather to themselves one teacher after another to a considerable number, chosen to satisfy their own liking and to foster the errors they hold. |
for the time will come when they will not endure our wholesome doctrine in that they will hold themselves firmly against it, but, dominated by their own personal cravings, they, having ears that desire merely to be gratified, shall gather to themselves an accumulation of teachers. |
For the time is coming when men will not tolerate wholesome teaching. They will want something to tickle their own fancies, and they will collect teachers who will speak what they want to hear. |
For a time will come when they will not listen to wholesome teaching, but to gratify their own evil desires will surround themselves with teachers who teach to gratify their own evil desires, because their ears are itching to be tickled, |
For 1063 the time 2540 will come 2071 when 3753 they will not 3756 endure 430 sound 5198 doctrine; 1319 but 235 after 2596 their own 2398 lusts 1939 shall they heap 2002 to themselves 1438 teachers, 1320 having itching 2833 ears; 189 |
- time - 2 Tim. 3:1
- sound doctrine - 1 Tim. 1:10 π Tit. 2:1ff
- desires - 2 Tim. 3:6
- heap up - Mt. 24:5 π Mt. 24:10 π Mt. 24:11 π 2 Pet. 2:1 π 2 Pet. 2:2
- An Admittedly Flawed System - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Some people are able to admit that the “church” system is flawed – but what does that really mean?
- Against the Night; The “Church” Paradigm (a la Colson); Neil Girrard Chuck Colson’s excellent spiritual and political analysis of a decade ago are marred by his own presupposed paradigms.
- All In - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Many so-called “Christians” rely on their “fire insurance” religiosity – is this wise? Safe?
- Almost There: The “Church” Paradigm (a la Wilkerson) - Neil Girrard A comparison of messages from David Wilkerson and Watchman Nee reveals some important truths for the body of Christ today.
- 5. American Independence vs. Body Interdependence; Poverty in the Body of Christ - Neil Girrard Perhaps the worst influence that American independence has had on the spiritual understanding of believers is found in the usual interpretation given to Paul's words to the Thessalonians.
- Babylonian Captivity - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) The “pastor” in the pulpit on a platform paradigm is the heart and soul of the deceptions that keep the “church” in its Babylonian captivity.
- The Basis of Unity - Neil Girrard The basis of our unity today is not to be found anywhere else but in Christ.
- Beyond Expectation - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Jesus’ entire ministry could be described as little more than a series of incidents designed to confront the hidden false expectations everyone had of Him.
- Building Paneled Houses - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) The Lord is again asking, “Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses while My house lies in ruins?” How would this word of the Lord from Hag. 1:4 apply to modern twenty-first century followers of Christ?
- Candles, Flashlights, Lasers and the Sun - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) God intends to have a variety, even an arsenal of people-types at His disposal and for His usage.
- Catch 22: The American “Church’s” Dilemmas - Neil Girrard A penetrating look at the numerous self-imposed dilemmas which keep the “church” from being the body of Christ.
- Church Home - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Modern Christianity tells us we need a “church home.” What is a “church home”? Do we really need one?
- Come! - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) If ever we needed to see in a text who is speaking, who is being spoken to and what is being said, this portion of the Revelation would stand as one of the more paramount passages for our day.
- Coming Out and Moving On - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Failing to come completely out of the “rabbit hole” can be as lethal as simply and blindly remaining asleep in the depths of the “church” pit.
- Credulous: A Review - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Andrea Lingle’s book provides a real grappling with real-life problems all throughout the book and deposits very few detractions from a frank, refreshingly objective examination of the author’s spiritual journey through the minefield of “church.”
- Critical Blockage - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Paul told us what the manifold grace (mercy and power) of God would do – why don’t we see it in our corporate assemblies?
- Dealing With a Sinning Brother - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Perhaps the most needed - and perhaps the most absent - aspect of Christian living today is knowing just how to deal with a brother’s sin.
- A Division of Labor - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) In the work of God, there is a division of labor that has lain unseen for centuries, even millennia. What is it?
- Do Not Yield - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Many “Christian” leaders demand blind obedience from their followers but what does the New Testament really say about obeying men?
- The Do Nothing Gospel; - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Some are teaching that any work whatsoever is “self-effort” so as to be saved or a return to law as a way to earn one’s salvation. But is this so?
- Doing the Will of God - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) A study in the New Testament about the importance of doing the will of God.
- The Duplicity of Popularity - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) The success of a “pastor” or “church” is measured almost entirely in its popularity but is this a good standard by which to judge a man or “ministry”?
- 3. Elymas the Sorcerer; The Sons of the Devil - Neil Girrard Paul expressly singles out Elymas as a son of the devil.
- Enemies of the King - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Far too often we do not take seriously just who and what is considered the enemy of God.
- Ephesians: Paul’s Time Capsule - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Some Bible scholars insist that Ephesians is merely a general letter for all believers - others question the authenticity of Paul’s authorship because Paul’s usual inclusion of eschatology (the study of prophesied end-times events) is absent. What is the real story and why is it so vitally important for us to understand Paul’s intent today?
- Fables - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Paul warned us that the time would come when believers would be turned aside to fables. What did he have in mind?
- False Prophets - Neil Girrard Just what makes a false prophet false? The answer will surprise many people.
- The Father’s Business - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) As sons of God we need to be about our Father’s business – but what is that?
- The Final Reformation - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) It is believed by some that we are standing at the front of the “last reformation.” What’s that all about?
- From the Word – Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Apologetics is a good thing, right?
- Gaining True Spiritual Maturity - Neil Girrard When we try to gain spiritual maturity by our own efforts, we usually make things worse, not better – why is that?
- God? - Neil Girrard What do we say to the growing number of people who no longer want anything to do with God because of their past “church” experiences?
- God In Our Own Likeness - Neil Girrard Re-inventing God has devastating consequences upon our lives, now and in eternity.
- The Greatest Dangers to The Final Reformation - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) If we believe “the last reformation” is truly a genuine move of God, what are the greatest dangers facing such a movement?
- Hijacked! - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) We do not normally associate the term “hijacked” with the New Testament yet this is precisely what has happened and is happening.
- I Have Not Sent Them – Neil Girrard By what means can we test the men and women who come along claiming to be “apostles” sent by the Lord to proclaim the way of the Lord?
- If I Were the Devil - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) If you were the devil, what would you do to defeat God’s judgment and purpose against you and show that you are like the Most High?
- In the Way - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) The parable of the wheat and the tares holds a unique place in the New Testament.
- The Inerrant Word of God - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Paul’s prophecy that many will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables fulfilled in mainstream “Christianity” on such a widespread scale that it is all but impossible to conclude that this is the time of the apostasy.
- Inoculated - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Many Americans are unreached by the gospel because they have been inoculated against it, most often at some “church.”
- Juxtaposition - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Why are so many leaving “organized expressions of Christian religion”?
- King James Only - Neil Girrard Some groups insist on reading the King James Bible only – what is that all about?
- The Kingdom Is the Key - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) An accurate understanding of the kingdom of God is the key to understanding the collection of writings we commonly call the New Testament.
- Kingdom or Church? - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Did Christ come to found and institute the church or did He come to bring forth the kingdom of God among men?
- Lopsided Theology - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) If there is any word that might come closest to describing everyone’s ideas about Christ and God in this time and season, it would be the word “lopsided.”
- Loving Truth; Lords of Darkness - Neil Girrard There may be no more important attitude than the love of truth for those who will be alive at the end of the age when Christ returns.
- Many Deceptions and The Lie - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) How do we reconcile the difference between the many New Testament prophecies that speak of a plurality, even a multiplicity, of deceptions with Paul’s reference to a single lie that carries severe, eternal consequences for those who come under its power?
- Meeting - Neil Girrard We’ve spotted the “church” building, the “pastor” and even the “liturgy” – but what about our “meetings”?
- Mighty in the Scriptures - Neil Girrard William Beck, a translator of the New Testament, called for men like Apollos who were mighty in the Scriptures. But will that really help us?
- The Missing Piece of the Puzzle - Neil Girrard Jesus told us, if we have ears to hear, that we would need a “new” way to view ourselves in the end times.
- The Mother of Abominations - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) “Mystery Babylon” encompasses more than most people realize.
- The Net - Neil Girrard To be fishers of men we need fishing equipment.
- No Good Thing - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) It is a great day in the Lord when we finally learn there is no good thing in our flesh – but what will it take for us to learn that there is no good thing in the “church”?
- No Lie Is of the Truth - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Every lie we discover embedded in our thinking can and even must be discarded.
- No Substitutions - Neil Girrard The subtle substitutions Satan attempts to deceive us with can rob us of our heritage as sons of God.
- Numbers Don’t Matter - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) If numbers don’t matter in evaluating a particular “ministry,” why are its leaders so vocal about how many people they’re reaching?
- One Hundred and Seven Theses - Steve Camp Christianity today is increasingly dominated by the spirit of this age rather than the Spirit of Christ. We call ourselves to repent of this sin and to recover the historic Christian faith in the arts again.
- One Small Hiccup: Chip Brogden’s The Church in the Wilderness - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) A nearly flawless work of spiritual insights and wisdom is unfortunately marred by one expression of the author’s opinions – but don’t let that stop you from buying or reading the book for yourself!
- The Open Church – A Review - Neil Girrard A good book to read - with the understanding that it represents some serious compromises to the vision that God tried to give.
- Opening Spiritual Ears - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) The ear that hears what God is saying is one of the most important things that accompany salvation. So why is this truth so often explained away or ridiculed?
- 3. Organization: Necessary and Dangerous (Part 2); The “Church” Paradigm (a la Tozer) - Neil Girrard Parasitical organizations attached to the work of God is precisely what Jesus predicted.
- Our Heavenly Calling in Christ - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Our heavenly calling in Christ requires a balance of deeper and more accurate knowledge of exactly what God has done for and given to us accompanied by our diligent obedience and spiritually mature attentiveness to the responsibilities He has placed upon us.
- Our Threefold Enemy - Neil Girrard Those who would have us fight only the flesh leave us blind to our defenses against the demonic and the world and to the offensive weapons God has given us that we might obtain His objectives.
- Out of “Church” - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Coming out of “church” is a lot more than just leaving the building and no longer sitting at the feet of the “man of God” behind his pulpit.
- Outside the Box - Neil Girrard In one short quote, J.B. Phillips put his finger squarely on the problems of modern churchianity.
- The Parable of the Wise and Foolish Wedding Maids - Neil Girrard Centuries of foolish and even demonic paradigms have distorted the clear meaning behind Jesus’ words in this parable.
- The Passing Darkness - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) The reason mainline denominations are dying out is blatantly obvious for those who have eyes to see.
- Passion, Purity, Pleasure, Power - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Rock music offers us a clear glimpse into what is wrong with and lacking in today’s believers.
- Pastors - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) What is a pastor? Why is the “pastor” so central to “church”?
- The Perfect Church - Neil Girrard All those who subscribe to the “church” paradigm believe they have their hands on the whole counsel of God - yet, it is precisely this blind grip on partial truths that gives the “church” paradigm its lethal power over those who believe in it.
- The Power of “Church” Deception - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Those ensnared in obvious sin are more likely to attain to liberty than those ensnared by “church” deceptions because so few recognize how unScriptural the “church” has become.
- 5. Pragmatism Goes to Church; The “Church” Paradigm (a la Tozer) - Neil Girrard Even in 1960, Tozer recognized that the “religious majority” within the “churches” would exhibit the same wrath as the Jews exhibited against Jesus and all His followers – and that the “religious majority” were a mixed multitude rejecting the sound doctrine of hearing the Lord and submitting to His rule.
- Preaching Christ in a Post-Christian Society - Neil Girrard There may befall the preacher of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ no harder task than to preach His name, His truth, His story to a people who have already heard “all that,” digested “all that,” done “all that,” rejected “all that.”
- The Promise of Eternal Life - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Juan Ponce de Leon’s pursuit of the fountain of youth in the 1500s is very comparable to modern “Christianity’s” ideas on how to gain eternal life.
- The Purpose of America - Neil Girrard Who said America can’t be found in the end-times prophecies? And who said God invented democracy?
- The Purpose of Parables - Neil Girrard Parables serve a much more precise purpose in the teachings of Jesus than most people realize.
- Q and the Next[?] Red Pill; America: The Big Picture - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) A spiritual Christian perspective of a particular aspect of the Christian influence found in the Q posts.
- Responding to the Apostasy - Neil Girrard As the great falling away from the faith unfolds all around us, what response should we make?
- 15. The Responsibility of Leadership (Part 2); The “Church” Paradigm (a la Tozer) - Neil Girrard Here again Tozer tumbles down a slippery slope – a mistake he does not make often – and lands in a heap at the bottom.
- The Right and Only Way - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Is there such a thing as the right and only way – what is it?
- The Right Answer - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) How we answer the question “Who do you say that I am?” effects everything about how we will go about practicing the way of following Christ.
- Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Many teachers reduce Paul’s instruction to Timothy to merely “understanding” the word of truth – but what if the Holy Spirit really meant “divide” the word of truth?
- Ritualism and Hypocrisy; Lords of Darkness - Neil Girrard The ruler of false religion’s first (but by no means the last) great victory in the church age (that is, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost) was convincing men they needed to hold regular meetings and practice rituals in the name of Christ.
- Satan’s Scriptural Strategies - Neil Girrard Satan’s strategies to oppose, cripple and even destroy the people of Christ are taken straight from the pages of Scripture.
- Separate - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) One can believe in all the “essential doctrines” of Christianity but if one speaks out against the ills and evils of “church” and organized, institutional “Christian” religion, then that one simply cannot possibly be a brother in Christ. What?
- Sitting at the Master’s Feet - Neil Girrard Mary’s choice to sit at Jesus’ feet gives us a picture of how what is most important in the genuine Christian life.
- Six / Twenty-Four / Five-Twenty B.C.; “Building the Temple” - Neil Girrard Obedience to the King, Christ Jesus, is not optional if we are going to co-labor with Him in building His temple, His body, His people.
- Sound Doctrine; Lords of Darkness - Neil Girrard Scripture tells us exactly what “sound doctrine” and it is relevant to all people who name the name of Christ.
- Spectrums: “Church” or Ekklesia - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Any individual, whether the worst kind of evil villain or the best kind of saint or hero, is a combination of both good and bad characteristics – so why are led to believe that an assembly, which is made up of many individuals, must be either merely “good” or “bad” and not some mixture of both?
- The Spirit of Religion or the Spirit of Truth? The Devil’s Counter-Offensive - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) How can you address a complex issue with simplicity?
- Spiritual Blindness - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Whether we look at Nicodemus or Eve or Cain or Saul or Elymas or ourselves, the sin nature is common to every man, woman and child.
- The Standard of Perfection - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Jesus said that we should be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect – so why aren’t we perfect?
- Strong Delusion - Neil Girrard When God sends strong delusion on all who take pleasure in unrighteousness, who can stand?
- The Subliminal Message - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) The subliminal message is the one that always sticks the longest even (and especially!) when that hidden message is not perceived or understood consciously – so what do we really hear when a man speaks from behind a pulpit?
- Tag Team; Lords of Darkness - Neil Girrard The demonic excels at what it does precisely because they do work together in their vast scams against humanity.
- Tags Come Second - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Some people want to believe that “denominational tags” are permissible and harmless and even irrelevant. Really?
- Teachers - Neil Girrard Teachers are a part of the body of Christ - and a prominent part of the apostasy. So which is which?
- Teachings of the Spirit - Neil Girrard It is most important that the Holy Spirit, and not some man, be our real teacher. Here’s why.
- A Thing of Bronze - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) The bronze serpent Moses raised in the wilderness some 3500 years ago holds more implications for us today than most realize.
- Think Like I Think - Neil Girrard I expect, insist and demand that you think like I do – just like the Bible says.
- Those Who Despise and Reject Authority - Neil Girrard Though many people leaving the “church” are accused of rebelling against authority – and Peter’s and Jude’s prophecies are used - this is only a misrepresentation of the real meanings in these prophecies.
- To Live For - Neil Girrard What is that we really live for?
- Told to Go: Or, Riding the Wrong Horse - Neil Girrard Most “Christians” turn a deaf ear to God’s command to “Come out” because it would require leaving the comfort zone of the “church” and comfortable “church” society circles.
- Too Deeply - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Many Christian leaders today act as if exhortation is offensive and that the philosophy of offending anyone does not come from the Bible.
- Treasures - Neil Girrard Do we really know what our treasures really are?
- Two or Three - Neil Girrard There are multiple layers of deception around the modern practice of “meeting.” Are we willing to face this?
- The Untrustworthy Bible - Neil Girrard Why would anyone ever want to read a book that can be used to “prove” anything and everything (and ultimately, therefore, nothing) that anyone would want to “prove” from it?
- The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness - Neil Girrard The message and backdrop of John the Baptist holds much more relevance for us than we might think.
- The Voice of Strangers - Neil Girrard The primary element that makes one’s voice that of a stranger is the very subtle strain of presuming oneself better or superior over others and most teachers who possess this strain either deny or justify it!
- Voices - Neil Girrard There are literally thousands of Christian writers pumping out new books, each year, with their own individual visions of the future, of the present and even of the past. What does this tell us?
- 8. We Must Be Still to Know; The “Church” Paradigm (a la Tozer) - Neil Girrard If the people who have read Tozer – and a lot of “pastors” and religious leaders have read his writings – would have simply heeded this message, the landscape of Christianity might be vastly different than it is now.
- What Do You Seek? - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Most people who are confronted with this question at least know that they want, even need, an answer in life. But where do we look?
- What God Is Really Saying Now - Neil Girrard What are God’s priorities for His remnant today?
- What’s Wrong With “Church”? - Neil Girrard A broad question indeed - but a special focus on how to meet brings specific answers.
- Where Do You Go To Church? - Neil Girrard This seemingly innocent question covers a whole lot of territory.
- Where Should I Go To Church? - Neil Girrard This important - but ignorant - question deserves to be answered.
- Who Is My Neighbor? - Neil Girrard Jesus’ story of “the good Samaritan” has more to do with life today than many people realize.
- Why Do We Meet - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) The modern “church” is so confused that few, if any, seem to remember or even know what the mission of the genuine ekklesia is.
- Why Not One? - Neil Girrard Why has Christ’s High Priestly prayer that we would all be “one” remained unanswered?
- The Wiles of the Devil - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) Any soldier intending to survive the day’s battle needs to know what weapons his enemy is using and how to counter those weapons.
- Your God Is Too Small: A Review - Neil Girrard J.B. Phillips’ book, Your God Is Too Small, is an excellent, well thought-out description of the various false gods and pseudo-“Gods” worshiped (or at least nominally followed) at most “churches” and a rational perspective of Christ and God that will well serve any genuine follower of Christ in these days of apostasy and rampant deception.
- Zeitgeists: A Clash of Titans; America: The Big Picture - Neil Girrard - ( in Adobe/pdf format ) One concept almost completely ignored by the “church’s” prophecy industry prognosticators is the existence and work of an age’s zeitgeist.