Changing Their Minds

It’s disappointing when Christian leaders who you depended on to be sound with their doctrines suddenly come out and disavow their stances. It’s been happening ever since the Apostle Paul’s day, hence this warning to his young protégé Timothy:

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… (2 Tim 4:3, NKJV)

While I’m not certain on the itching ear’s part, these leaders will have acolytes flocking to them as they say what they want to hear on subjects like Hell and prophecy. Such is the environment we live in with social media algorithms creating a psyop-like bubble of information.

While I can name names on these doctrinal dissuaders, I won’t for now. One popular spokesperson had this to say about the topic of Hell:

“Jesus died so that we could have eternal life. But do the wicked have eternal life in Hell? And if they do, why does the Old Testament describe the fate of the wicked in the opposite terms?” he asked, pointing to references using words like “destroy,” “perish” and “death” when describing the fate of the wicked.

“The soul that sins, it shall die,” he said, quoting from the prophet Ezekiel. “It will perish. It will be destroyed, which is like the ending of life, not the ongoing life forever in punishment.”

He also pointed to history and the rise and fall of nations as an illustration of what he believes happens to those who die apart from faith in Jesus Christ. “When you look at God’s judgment upon individuals or on nations, cities, empires, He says they’re gone … The symbolism is scorched earth, destroyed, gone, and their name is remembered no more,” he said. “... And they’re not coming back. It’s like forever. Which really is a better description of dying, of perishing. Not being granted eternal life so that you can be tormented forever. That doesn’t seem to fit.”

Unfortunately, that isn’t what the Bible says about Hell. Jesus, when talking about the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 which isn’t a parable, but a real account, says that the rich man is indeed in eternal torment and even wants his living relatives to change so they can avoid it like him. Verse 24 tells us this:

So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

Ironically, this man used to teach correctly on Hell.

More Theological Falling Away

Another hot topic, pardon the pun, is that off prophecy and the Rapture which this same person also disavows now after teaching it as the truth, too. He is joining a growing line of Rapture teachers who are jumping off the bandwagon including a very accomplished man, described this way from his website:

He holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a visiting or adjunct professor at Southern Evangelical Seminary, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (Charlotte), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Fuller Theological Seminary, Denver Theological Seminary, the King’s Seminary, Regent University School of Divinity, and Global Awakening Theological Seminary and he has contributed numerous articles to scholarly publications, including the Oxford Dictionary of Jewish Religion and the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament.

That’s quite a lot of education there. I’m not going to denigrate his accomplishments, but his recent book, which details why he is no longer a believer in a Pre-Trib Rapture, has the usual arguments with the usual gaping holes in it. Another really good Bible teacher who is very good at defending the Bible against evolutionists and old earth teachers has also turned his back on believing in the Rapture. If you want a response to these teachers and the holes in their logic, read it here. They and others I have to put in the camp of those who aren’t enduring sound doctrine now. Sadly, they have a wealth of other teachings that are spot on. But in all these cases past and present it is the Bible itself that has the last word.

There’s Coming A Time

And going to the Word is what we will do now. In an article about Paul’s admonition from gotquestions.org we get more on those verses I referenced earlier:

Paul warns Timothy, an elder of the church in Ephesus, that there will come a time when people “will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3, NKJV); instead, “they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” The idea of “enduring” sound teaching has to do with “tolerating” it or putting up with it. In other words, people will refuse to listen to what is good and right. They will be intolerant of the truth.
context is king so reading the previous verses is in order:
Prior to the warning, Paul establishes the source and utility of the Scriptures. The Scriptures are from the mouth of God, or God-breathed, and are beneficial for teaching, among other things, which leads to the maturing and equipping of the Christian (2 Timothy 3:16–17). This maturing and equipping has the purpose of allowing the believer to complete every good work that God has ordained.
Paul then tells Timothy to prepare for these errors and those who teach them and be ready to use the Bible to counter them:
Paul exhorts Timothy to be ready to proclaim the Scriptures at all times (2 Timothy 4:1–2), exhorting and correcting others by using the Word of God. Timothy is to study, practice, and then teach the Scriptures (cf. Ezra 7:10).

A Time Of Urgency

I think with all the availability of incorrect teaching we are living in the days Paul talks about more than at any previous time:

In 2 Timothy 4:3, Paul provides the reason for urgency in such a task: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine.”
The Greek word translated “doctrine” is simply referring to “teaching” or “instruction.” Often, teaching and instruction systematized is understood as doctrine. The Greek word translated as “sound” can also be understood as “healthy” or “free from error.” Paul is warning Timothy that there will come a time when people will not desire to hear true or correct teaching—teaching that accords with reality. Instead, “they will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timothy 4:3, NLT).

Trust me when you peruse the comments for their videos, you’ll see those who have itching ears. All people, teachers and hearers need to heed these admonitions to stay on the right path:
It is important that we, as teachers and learners, heed the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 4:3. As teachers, we must teach sound doctrine, holding to the truths of Scripture regardless of the consequences. As learners, we must seek sound doctrine and receive it, if we are to live according to the truth. The learner’s desires must take a back seat to the truths of Scripture. Prayerfully, as the learner matures and is transformed by the renewing of the mind, his or her desires align more and more with the sound doctrine of Scripture.
We need to make certain that our desires don’t lead us. We need to control our desires so that they conform to wanting the truth:
It is beneficial for the learner to desire sound doctrine. It is also important for the learner to test what is being taught. During Paul’s second missionary journey, he travelled across Greece, proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ to all. Many believed in the gospel (Acts 17:4). Paul eventually reached the town of Berea where he also presented the gospel. The Bereans notably received Paul with eagerness, and they “examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (verse 11). The Bereans are a perfect example of how the learner ought to desire sound doctrine and examine the Bible to test whether an unfamiliar doctrine is truly sound.

Pardon me when I tell you that we need to get testy. As in testing the words these leaders are now putting out against what the Bible teaches. Hopefully we can wear the Berean badge proudly as we do.