Nuggets from Countdown to the Second Coming—Creating Antichrist’s False Church (Part 2) | thebereancall.org

Dave Hunt

Paul was given remarkable insights so uniquely applicable to our modern world that they could not possibly have come to him by any means except divine inspiration. He warned, “...in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves” (2 Timothy:3:1, 2). Mankind has always been self-centered, selfish, and narcissistic. Our generation, however, is the first one in history being taught to love self. It is now widely accepted that we naturally dislike ourselves and must learn to love ourselves before we can love God or other people. The first commandment has become “Thou shalt love thyself,” relegating “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God” to second place.

Christ would never have said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” if we all disliked ourselves. His command to “love your neighbor as yourself” obviously assumes that we already love ourselves and is not intended to encourage but to correct self-love. It urges us to give to our neighbors some of the loving care we naturally lavish upon ourselves. Yet a popular “gospel singer,” who began her career with “Guide Us, O Thou Great Jehovah,” now croons, “Loving yourself is the greatest love of all.” Even evangelical churches hold seminars teaching members how to love themselves. It is like pouring gasoline on a fire already out of control. And once again, the phenomenon has appeared for the first time in our present generation.