The biblical period known as “the last days” has comprised some 2,000 years thus far.  The characteristics described by Paul in II Timothy 3:1-5 have always defined this period.  But as Paul observes later in this same chapter:  “evil men and seducers [“imposters”] shall wax worse and worse” (v. 13).  So it is safe to say that as the age progresses to its God-ordained end, the characteristics described will become both more prevalent and more severe.  Thus at a distance of 2,000 years from its inception, it is evident that we live in truly perilous days.  One of the expressions of that peril follows.

“Men shall be . . . false accusers” (II Tim. 3:3).  The same Greek word here translated as false accusers is translated as slanderers in I Timothy 3:11.  The word comes from a root word, diabolos, which is a name used thirty-four times in the New Testament for Satan and translated as devil.  In addition to the specific evil done by a false accuser or a slanderer, the close linkage with a name descriptive of one of his primary evil activities reveals a great deal about the character of the age and the treacherous inspiration behind it. 

In other words, though slander or false accusation is a sin that we are all prone to and have probably been guilty of to one degree or another, as this age winds down, this sin will become less and less just another manifestation of the carnal flesh and more and more the work of Satan, with the impetus to destroy the truth and those who practice it.

Examples of such activity have increased in frequency in recent years.  While it was once popular to characterize Christians as “Bible thumpers,” “old fuddy-duddies,” and numerous similar terms, these epithets were mainly mildly derisive.  But attacks against those who believe the Word of God have been ramping up in our country.  There have been attempts to marginalize Christianity as reactionary, to label believers as anti-science and anti-reason, hence harmful to the modern way of life.  Attempts have been made to label any who believe in the inspiration of the Bible or a literal interpretation of the Word of God as dangerous radicals.  And there appears to be an orchestrated effort to link the term fundamentalist (a term many Christians have gladly embraced for nearly a century) with groups embracing violence and other forms of terrorism.

These examples of malicious and false statements—slanders—evince the perilous character of these times.  When a significant portion of the populous begins to view God, the Word of God, the doctrines of Christianity, and those who practice it as all parts of a dangerous subculture true peril exists.

Yet because of its source and subtlety, there is another form of false accusation or slander that is in some ways more dangerous than the open sneers and attacks of unbelievers.  It is the false gospel of many modern so-called ministers who, in the name of God and under the guise of preaching the Word, purvey a slanderous message about who God is, what He has done, and what He requires.  Examples of such activity would fill the pages of many books.  But typical examples of such dangerous slander include the notion that God is an avuncular Being who will wink at sin, that the Bible is just a launching pad for our humanistic observations about  the universe, mankind, and our destiny, that everyone is going to heaven, that sin is just a lack of self-esteem, that hell is not real or that everyone is going to heaven, that the primary calling of the church is to meet the social needs of the community, that the role of the church is to recognize and meet the perceived needs of its people—and on and on.  All such statements involve slanderous lies against God and the doctrines revealed in His Word.  When such are promoted by the “Christian” church, the times are truly perilous.