Paul, writing a letter to Timothy:
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Study to shew thyself approved.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
If Timothy studies he will shun profane and vain babblings:
2Ti 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
Those that do not shun babblings are like Hymenaeus and Philetus:
2Ti 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
These two, Hymenaeus and Philetus have erred since the resurrection had not happened.
How would one know that Philetus and Hymenaeus had erred.
1. Was it because they said they had seen the dead rise into the air?
No, since all of them must have been expecting a spiritual resurrection.
2. Was it because they said they had seen Jesus return again? No, all must have been expecting a spiritual return.
3. Was it because they were not even expecting the return of Jesus to happen for thousands of years. No, they must have been expecting his return soon.
4. All of the above could have been true if they were expecting them to be spiritual and Paul would have no reason to repute them. Yet Paul said:
1Ti 1:18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
1Ti 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
1Ti 1:20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Paul said they had blasphemed the word of God.
Many people today look for all of the above to be things that many will see with their own eyes and would never believe them unless others were also reporting it to be so. Since Philetus and Hymenaeus were surely saying the above, the people of that time were not looking at natural things and might very well have been persuaded by them.
So what could have they said or not said to show they were in err?
The only sure natural sign of Jesus coming in judgment would have to do with the answer given to the disciples, when they asked:
Mat 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
Mat 24:2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the age?
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Jesus is saying, just as Paul said later to Timothy: “Take heed that no man deceive you.”
The deception that Hymenaeus and Philetus did was not to mention what Jesue said in Matthew 24:2 in response to the question of the disciples, “When, shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the age?”
It was the only sign to be seen with the natural eye. The destruction of the temple, and it had not happened at that time.
It happened in 70AD and because of that we know that the resurrection and the end of the age happened.
Would Paul say that there are false teachers today?
Those that might say:
‘At hand’ means far, far away.
‘This generation’ means a future generation.
‘Behold I come quickly” means thousands of years later.
‘The epistles were written to us, not to the early churches or Christians.’
‘The book of Revelation was written to us, not to the seven churches of Asia of that time.’
We are the one’s who have to study so that we know truth from err!
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Study to shew thyself approved.
2Ti 2:16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
If Timothy studies he will shun profane and vain babblings:
2Ti 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
Those that do not shun babblings are like Hymenaeus and Philetus:
2Ti 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
These two, Hymenaeus and Philetus have erred since the resurrection had not happened.
How would one know that Philetus and Hymenaeus had erred.
1. Was it because they said they had seen the dead rise into the air?
No, since all of them must have been expecting a spiritual resurrection.
2. Was it because they said they had seen Jesus return again? No, all must have been expecting a spiritual return.
3. Was it because they were not even expecting the return of Jesus to happen for thousands of years. No, they must have been expecting his return soon.
4. All of the above could have been true if they were expecting them to be spiritual and Paul would have no reason to repute them. Yet Paul said:
1Ti 1:18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
1Ti 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
1Ti 1:20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Paul said they had blasphemed the word of God.
Many people today look for all of the above to be things that many will see with their own eyes and would never believe them unless others were also reporting it to be so. Since Philetus and Hymenaeus were surely saying the above, the people of that time were not looking at natural things and might very well have been persuaded by them.
So what could have they said or not said to show they were in err?
The only sure natural sign of Jesus coming in judgment would have to do with the answer given to the disciples, when they asked:
Mat 24:1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
Mat 24:2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the age?
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Jesus is saying, just as Paul said later to Timothy: “Take heed that no man deceive you.”
The deception that Hymenaeus and Philetus did was not to mention what Jesue said in Matthew 24:2 in response to the question of the disciples, “When, shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and the end of the age?”
It was the only sign to be seen with the natural eye. The destruction of the temple, and it had not happened at that time.
It happened in 70AD and because of that we know that the resurrection and the end of the age happened.
Would Paul say that there are false teachers today?
Those that might say:
‘At hand’ means far, far away.
‘This generation’ means a future generation.
‘Behold I come quickly” means thousands of years later.
‘The epistles were written to us, not to the early churches or Christians.’
‘The book of Revelation was written to us, not to the seven churches of Asia of that time.’
We are the one’s who have to study so that we know truth from err!