Paul was released from his 2 years in house arrest in Rome and made a final journey. He probably went to Spain, and then he went to Crete where he left Titus to correct false teachers on that island. He then went to Miletus (2 Timothy 4:20 where he left Trophimus ill) and Ephesus (or close by) where he left Timothy to correct false teachers in the church there. 1 Timothy 1:³ “I urge you, as I did when I was on my way to Macedonia, to remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach different teachings ⁴ and not to occupy themselves with myths and endless genealogies that promote speculations rather than the divine training that is known by faith.” He then went to Troas (we know that b/c he left his cloak there, 2 Timothy 4:¹³ “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments.”) Paul wrote 2 Timothy after he was arrested again and put in prison in Rome to be beheaded by Nero shortly thereafter. He then went to Macedonia where he proably wrote a letter to Titus and the first letter to Timothy. He then probably visited Corinth (1 Timothy 4:20 “Erastus remained in Corinth”). He was making his way to Nicopolis (Titus 3: ¹² When I send Artemas to you, or Tychicus, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.” We don’t know if he made it to Nicopolis, but he was arrested either in Nicopolis or one the way to Nicopolis and put in prison in Rome where he would write 2 Timothy to Timothy. He would be beheaded by Nero in 66-67 AD or so.

Here is a great simple map of this last journey (I hope it shows up in this blog; here is the site to find the map and a discussion: https://www.thebiblejourney.org/). So this map will be the basis for a few blogs on the Pastoral Epistles (1, 2 Timothy and Titus). He probably visited Spain at some point in this journey. Evidence from early church fathers: Clement of Rome (a late first century bishop of the church in Rome), a contemporary of Paul, suggests that Paul did travel to the West, which is believed to be Spain. Other early church fathers like John Chrysostom and Cyril of Jerusalem also support the idea of a Spanish visit. The Muratorian Fragment: (170-200 AD) This early Christian text mentions Paul’s departure from Rome for Spain.

As stated in 1 Timothy 1:3 the main reason he left Timothy in Ephesus was to correct false teachers there. Timothy was an evangelist who had miraculous gifts of teaching, so he would have Biblical authority to correct false teachers. He describes the false teachers in several places in 1 Timothy.
The false teachers there are not the usual Judaizers that Paul fought constantly who tried to make circumcision of Gentile Christians a test of fellowship (that issue is never mentioned in 1 Timothy). They did created legalistic rules (in 1 Timothy 4:1-4 they forbade marriage). They are characterized by their focus on endless genealogies and myths (perhaps legends about Old Testament characters as found in the pseudepigraphic like the book of Enoch) writings, which lead to speculation rather than promoting God’s work of faith. They distort the law, using it to create legalistic rules (1 Timothy 4:1-4 they forbade certain foods which would probably be the forbidden unclean meats of Leviticus in the Law) and divisions rather than understanding its purpose in revealing sin and pointing to Christ. Ultimately, their teachings are motivated by a desire for prestige and personal gain, rather than genuine love and a pure heart. Paul even named two of the false teachers (1 Timothy 1:²⁰ among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.” Paul told Timothy that there might be some of the elders in Ephesus who needed to be rebuked by Timothy for false teaching or bad conduct (1 Timothy 5:17-22). Paul had warned the Ephesian elders about false teachers even among the elders (when he met with them at Miletus on his 3rd missionary journey). He had told the elders: Acts 20:²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. ²⁹ I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰ Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them.” Paul gave a detailed description of the false teachers in 1 Timothy 6:³ Whoever teaches otherwise and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness ⁴ is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, ⁵ and wrangling among those who are depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.” They were preaching for money.

So, in trying to apply this particular situation of false teachers in Ephesus, what can be said of false teachers today. I came up with 3 tests for false teachers today.

1. They preach and teach with impure motives. They desire power, money, or sex (or some combo of these 3). 2 Peter 2:1 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. ² Even so, many will follow their debaucheries, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned. ³ And in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words. Their condemnation, pronounced against them long ago, has not been idle, and their destruction is not asleep. ¹² These people, however, are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed. They slander what they do not understand, and as those creatures are destroyed, they also will be destroyed, ¹³ suffering the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. ¹⁴ They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!” It is hard to know the motives of teachers and preachers and we should be careful in judging anyone’s motives. But eventually a tree is known by its fruit and their motives will become more obvious. Jesus said: Matthew 7:¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus you will know them by their fruits.” For example, a megachurch preacher who has a net worth of 30 million dollars (there are several of them) makes him (or her) a false teacher in my opinion. A paid preacher who is caught having affairs with some of the members of his church is another example (plenty examples of those). A preacher like Jim Jones (People’s Temple, the mass Guyana suicide)or David Karesh ( the Waco, Texas Branch Davidians) who claimed to be an inspired prophet who could freely have sex with the women in his flock are examples of false teaches with impure motives.
2. Their teaching will focus on controversial issues, intellectual debates, etc. instead of focussing on the central themes of the person and work of Jesus and daily Christian living. They might impose their own interpretations of scripture on others. They might be as described in Colossians 2:¹⁶ Therefore, do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food or drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or Sabbaths. ¹⁷ These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the body belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, initiatory visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, ¹⁹ and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and tendons, grows with a growth that is from God.” We had a movement within the Restoration Churches (known as the Churches of Christ) of preachers who started making as tests of fellowship issues like using money from the treasury to help orphanages or using one cup in the Lord’s Supper or having kitchens in the church building. Those issues were not heaven/hell issues and should have been discussed and debated lovingly but instead they ended up in power struggles and many divisions within the churches.
3. Often false teachers will introduce teaching that is foreign to the basic teaching of the 27 books of the New Testament. For example, Christian Science adds all the writings of their prophetess Mary Baker Eddy (they also deny the deity of Jesus). The Jehovah’s Witnesses have their prophet founders Rutherford and Russell and their writings and a lot of rules they bind on their members. The Seventh Day Adventists have their prophetess Ellen White and her writings. The Mormons have the stories of Joseph Smith and his writings, as well as the book of Mormon which they say has equal authority as the New Testament. The Catholic church taught that the Pope would be the head of the church and that his papal decrees were equal authority to the decrees of the apostles. I would have to say that these are movements begun by false teachers and false prophets. We don’t need to judge those who are members of those movements (I know a Mormon man whom I think is a fruit of the Spirit Christian), but we must warn people about those false teachers and false prophets and their writings. We have to be careful before we call someone a false teacher. I know that in the church that I was raised in that our preachers called Baptist preachers and Billy Graham false teachers b/c those preachers didn’t preach baptism exactly like my church did (even though the Baptists taught the importance of immersion of those old enough to believe). My preachers acted like we had the correct teaching on every single doctrine and issue in the Bible, and that anyone who disagreed with our interpretations was a false teacher. Of course that led to many different lists of sectarian teachings that they couldn’t even all agree on. Conservative denominational preachers are not false teachers if their motives are pure. They might disagree on issues but they usually agree on the core teaching of the person and work of Christ and the requirements for Christian living. But I must mention that this latest LGBQT movement within some of the denominations (like the Methodists) is false teaching and should be condemned.
   

So I hope this give us the basic context of 1 Timothy 1 and some possible application to false teachers today. Paul said in 1 Timothy 3:15 that the church is the “church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” Jude warned in Jude 3: I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once and for all handed on to the saints. ⁴ For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into debauchery and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:²³ Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. ²⁴ And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, ²⁵ correcting opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth ²⁶ and that they may escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.” We must defend the faith in love, but we must correct those who really are false teachers and false prophets in order to protect those who would be led astray by them.