This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 TIMOTHY 3:1KJV
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2 Timothy 3:1 (KJV)

What does 2 Timothy 3:1 mean?

2 Timothy 3:1 warns that difficult and dangerous times will come in the future, specifically described as "the last days." The verse is telling the reader to be aware and prepared for challenging periods ahead.

Paul is writing this letter to Timothy, a young leader in the early church, to encourage and instruct him. Paul wants Timothy to understand that following Jesus will not always be easy, and that there will be times of trouble and hardship as history moves forward, especially as the end approaches.

The Greek behind 2 Timothy 3:1

  • "Perilous" (χαλεποί, chalepoi): This Greek word means harsh, fierce, or difficult. It suggests not just danger but times that are hard to bear or endure, highlighting the seriousness of what Timothy should expect.
  • "Last" (ἐσχάταις, eschatais): This word means final or latter. It often refers to the closing period of an era, which in the New Testament is sometimes called "the last days," pointing to a significant and challenging phase before a major change.
  • "Times" (καιροί, kairoi): This word means specific seasons or appointed times, not just general time passing. It underlines that these difficulties are not random but are part of a set period that has significance.

Why 2 Timothy 3:1 matters

  • This verse sets the stage for the following passage, where Paul lists specific problems and behaviors that will mark these perilous times, helping the reader understand the seriousness of what is coming.
  • By using the word "know," Paul is not just giving information but urging Timothy to be alert and not caught off guard by future challenges.
  • The idea of "the last days" connects this warning to other biblical passages about the end times, showing that hardship is expected and not a sign that God has lost control.

Where else these words appear

“perilous” Greek G5467 · used in 2 verses

  • Matthew 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

“come” Greek G1764 · used in 7 verses

  • Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
  • 1 Corinthians 7:26 I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.
  • 2 Thessalonians 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

“last” Greek G2078 · used in 49 verses

  • Matthew 5:26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
  • Luke 14:10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
  • 1 Corinthians 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

“times” Greek G2540 · used in 82 verses

  • Matthew 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
  • John 5:4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.
  • Ephesians 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: