Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,
Paul has just described the mystery of godliness, and now he turns to its dark opposite. The Spirit warns in plain words that some who once held the faith will give it up.
The Spirit's Express Warning
This warning came straight from the Spirit of God. At that time He still spoke to the church through prophets.
F. B. HoleWhen the Apostle wrote, the Holy Spirit was still giving inspired messages through prophets, as we see in Acts 13:2. The apostles and prophets who carried that inspiration belonged to the foundation of the church (see Ephesians 2:20). Inspiration has now ceased, though we have the Holy Scriptures as its result. He no longer speaks in that authoritative way. Still, He remains with us for ever, and those who have eyes to see can often perceive His direction.
Why the Faith Is the First Target
The warning comes straight after the mystery of godliness. The order matters, because the enemy strikes first at the foundation.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe apostle has mentioned the mystery of godliness. Now he speaks of Satan's power against the faith and truth of God... The faith is the foundation on which everything rests, so Satan aims to destroy it first. He knows that once people give up faith and deny the truth of God, he, the master-mind, can easily bring in his seducing spirits and put demon doctrines in place of the faith.
"Later Times" and "Some"
Kelly sets this warning beside another prophecy about the "last days." The time here is simply "after," and the number is small.
William KellyThe earlier letter (1 Timothy 4:1-3) gave a prophetic warning. But that evil is quite different in time, character, and extent from what we have here. The Spirit did not say "last days." He spoke expressly of later, or after, times — the times that follow the apostle's writing. Instead of a widespread condition of "men" in Christendom, he there spoke of "some" only. The language suits and supposes comparatively few.
The Force of "Depart"
The word behind "depart" is stronger than it sounds in English.
William KellyA verb form of this word occurs in 1 Timothy 4:1. Translators should have kept "apostatise" there, both for consistency and to keep the definite sense of religious defection. The word does not mean corruption. It means abandonment — in politics it means revolt against authority.
Abandonment is only half of it. Something else moves in to fill the empty space.
Hamilton SmithThe apostate is not simply one who neglects the truth, nor rejects the truth. He once professed the faith. He then gives up the truth on purpose and takes up some other religious creed as better than Christianity... So apostasy is not only giving up the truth. It also means taking up error — the doctrine of demons.
Three Parties, Not One
At first glance, those who fall away look like the same people who tell the lies. Kelly, working from his own translation of the verse, counts them separately.
William Kelly"Some will fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of men who spread false stories." So three parties were involved in the abandonment of the faith. First, the victims of the errors. Second, the unseen power of evil — the spirits or demons that misled them. Third, the men who spread false stories, who were the channel... A man may tell lies in hypocrisy. We can hardly speak of a demon's hypocrisy, and Scripture gives no ground for giving a conscience to a seducing spirit.
Where Commentators Differ on the Application
Commentators differ over the details that follow in verses 2 and 3: forbidding marriage and banning certain foods. Some see a system that enforces celibacy and self-denial:
W. TrotterIts main features are seduction, untruth, and hypocrisy. Its dreadful companion is a seared conscience that the truth cannot get through. Its fair pretensions are enforced celibacy and strict self-denial, and by these it gains a reputation for holiness among men.
Others locate it in deliberate dealings with spirits:
F. B. HolePeople have often taken the Spirit's warning in the first three verses as applying to the Church of Rome. We believe it points instead to the deliberate trafficking with demons that we see today in spiritism... Spiritism teaches that both celibacy and vegetarianism are necessary for anyone who wants to be a good "medium." This fulfils both parts of the verse.
Summary
- Spoken — The Spirit gives this warning "expressly," in plain, strong words. He spoke it then through inspired prophets; it stands now in Scripture.
- Targeted — Satan attacks the faith first, because everything rests on it. Destroy the foundation, and demon doctrines move in easily.
- Abandoned — "Depart" means apostatise. It is not corrupting the truth but revolting from it, and then taking up another creed instead.
- Channelled — Three parties are in view: the unseen spirits, the human liars with seared consciences who speak for them, and the victims who listen.
- Limited — It is "some," not all, and "later times," not the "last days." The Spirit gave this warning ahead of time, so no believer need be caught off guard.