The Spiritual Temperature of the Last Days

So, what does the Bible say about the spiritual temperature in the last days? The answer is sobering. It is not a pretty picture, and it is not the picture many people are presenting today. The Bible does not describe the last days as a time when the whole world suddenly turns to God in a sweeping global revival. It describes something far more serious. It describes spiritual decline, deception, compromise, and a departure from the faith.

Jesus Himself raised a searching question in Luke 18:8 when He said, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” That is not a question we should pass over lightly. The Lord did not say, “When I come, will I find the whole world full of faith?” He asked whether faith would be found at all. That does not mean there will be no believers when Christ returns, but it does show us the condition of the age. Faith in Jesus Christ will not be the popular thing. Truth will not be loved by the masses. Genuine trust in God’s Word will be rare in comparison to the unbelief, religious confusion, and spiritual deception filling the earth.

The classic passage written to the church concerning the last days is II Timothy 3. Paul wrote, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.” He then gives a long description of what people will be like: lovers of their own selves, covetous, proud, blasphemers, unthankful, unholy, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Then he says something very important in II Timothy 3:5. They will have “a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” That means religion will still exist. Church language will still exist. Spiritual vocabulary will still exist. There will still be meetings, movements, and outward appearances. But the life, truth, and power of God will be denied. That is one of the most dangerous conditions of all—not open atheism, but powerless religion. Not no godliness at all, but a form of godliness without the truth of Christ at the center.

This is why we must be careful when people keep speaking as though the last days are guaranteed to bring some great worldwide revival. The Bible’s emphasis is different. I Timothy 4:1 says, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith.” Again, that is not the language of revival. It is the language of departure. People will give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. They will not simply walk away from church buildings; many will walk away from the truth while still sounding spiritual. They will embrace teachings that sound religious, emotional, and powerful, but are not rooted in the sound doctrine of Scripture.

Paul also warned the elders at Ephesus in Acts 20:29, saying, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.” Wolves do not bring revival. Wolves scatter the flock. Wolves devour. Wolves come in with smooth words, false doctrine, spiritual manipulation, and religious appearances. They may speak the language of blessing, breakthrough, power, and destiny, but if they are not pointing people to the finished work of Christ and the truth of God’s Word, they are not feeding the sheep. They are endangering them. And Paul said these wolves would not merely attack from the outside. They would enter in among the flock.

Then in II Timothy 4, Paul gives another last-days warning. He says the time will come when people “will not endure sound doctrine.” That is one of the clearest descriptions of our spiritual climate. The problem is not merely that sound doctrine will be unavailable. The problem is that people will not endure it. They will not tolerate it. They will not sit under it. They will turn away their ears from the truth and be turned unto fables. That means false teaching will not be forced on everyone against their will. Many will actually prefer it. They will want teachers who tell them what their itching ears desire to hear.

You cannot have a genuine revival while false doctrine rages and truth is rejected. You cannot have a true move of God where the Word of God is being pushed aside. You cannot have revival built on emotion, hype, signs, personalities, or religious entertainment while sound doctrine is neglected. A true work of God always honors Christ, exalts His finished work, upholds the truth of Scripture, and calls people away from deception—not deeper into it.

So the real question is not whether the crowd is excited. The real question is whether the truth is being preached. The real question is not whether people are gathering in large numbers. The real question is whether they are continuing in the faith. The real question is not whether something looks spiritual on the outside. The question is whether Christ is being honored, His Word is being believed, and sound doctrine is being endured.

The Bible tells us plainly what the last days will look like. There will be a falling away. There will be a form of godliness without power. There will be a departure from the faith. There will be seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. There will be wolves among the flock. There will be people who will not endure sound doctrine. That is the spiritual temperature the Bible describes. And because of that, believers must be sober, watchful, grounded, and discerning. We are not called to follow every movement that claims revival. We are called to hold fast to Christ, hold fast to His Word, and stand firm in the faith once delivered unto the saints.

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The Spiritual Temperature of the Last Days