Word of the Week

May 3, 2025

Chalepos: Describing the Times

 

How would you describe today’s world in a single word?

In the midst of the Covid pandemic, commentators almost wore out the word “unprecedented” as a description for the wild combination of crises swirling around the world.  Disease, riots, economic decline, and political divisions filled the headlines.  Today’s headlines don’t seem much tamer.

Yes, our times are unprecedented.

But they are not unanticipated.

In the first century, the apostle Paul chose a single word to describe “the last days.”  It was the word chalepos, often translated “difficult” or “dangerous.”  He predicted, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1).

In one sense, we have been living in “the last days” ever since Jesus came (see Hebrews 1:1-2).  But it is also clear that history is moving toward the return of Christ.  Matthew 24:4-8 describes an increase in chaos in the days preceding His return, and it is safe to say that we are moving closer and closer to “the last days of the last days.”

Let’s take a closer look at the word Paul chose to describe the last days.

Chalepos occurs only one other time in the New Testament.  Matthew 8:28 describes Christ’s arrival at the country of the Gadarenes on the east side of the Sea of Galilee.  When He stepped ashore, two demon-possessed men met him as they were coming out of some tombs.  The verse says that “they were so exceedingly chalepos that no one could pass by that road.”

These demoniacs were not merely difficult – they were so fierce and violent that they terrorized the area.  They were dangerous, and they prevented people from traveling freely along that route.

The word chalepos also appears in earlier Greek writings and in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament.

• It could describe hurtful words that were hard to bear.
• It could describe men or animals that were hard to handle and therefore dangerous.
• It could describe circumstances that were hard to deal with.
• It could describe an intellectual difficulty that was too hard for a student to solve.
• It often included the idea of something morally evil or wicked.

I believe Paul would aptly use chalepos to describe 2020.  It has been more rigorous than merely a “difficult” crossword puzzle, though it has certainly been hard to figure out.

Our world is hard to deal with.  It is filled with ferocity and wickedness to such an extent that it is dangerous.  And it is almost certainly fueled by demonic influence.  1 Timothy 4:1 declares, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.”

Warren Wiersbe explains, “There is no doubt that these characteristics started to appear in Paul’s day, and now they have increased in intensity.  It is not simply that we have more people in the world, or better news coverage.  It appears that evil is deeper and of greater intensity, and that it is being accepted and promoted by society in a bolder way.  It is not that we have small pockets of rebellion here and there.  All of society seems to be in ferment and rebellion” (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary).

2 Timothy 3 further defines chalepos by listing 19 characteristics of the times.  It is worth your time to read through this list and compare it to the events unfolding around us.

How are we supposed to respond to an out-of-control time like this?  Paul gives a simple prescription:

1. Do not follow the flow of evil (3:5)
2. Cling to the truth of Scripture (3:14)
3. Preach the Word (4:2)

We’re on a wild ride, but we should not be surprised.  God told us about it ahead of time, and He has provided everything we need to follow Him faithfully in the midst of it!

 

Study Hint:  When a word occurs only twice in the New Testament, look for lexicons or commentaries that will tell you how it was used in earlier eras of Greek history.  For chalepos, the most helpful source I used was The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, edited by Colin Brown, volume I, page 419-420.

 

Coming Up

The Christian church is under attack around the world, and believers are often called upon to bear witness to their Lord in the most extreme circumstances.  Next week we will look at the Greek word for “witness.”

 

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