The Second Epistles have a special bearing on the last days, and give direction to the people and servants of God how they are to act in the midst of ever-increasing apostasy and departure from God and His Word. In the First Epistle we have seen the saints in the wilderness suffering for righteousness, with the devil as a roaring lion seeking to devour. Here the same devil appears in the garb of “an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14), not persecuting but deceiving and seducing by means of the false religions of the day into which he seeks to lure God’s saints. Two classes are mentioned in the second and third chapters—in chapter 2, religious professors of the High Church and Romanist type, and fearful is their doom; in chapter 3, the Broad Church or semi-infidel class, sneering at the Lord’s coming and seeking to make themselves comfortable in the world. Then in chapter 1 two classes of true believers are seen: first, those who go on adding to their faith bravery, self-control, godliness, and so on, saints roughing it for Christ’s sake; next, those who lack these, and who, like Samson in Deliliah’s lap, have become blind by being mixed up with the world’s religion. Truly then this Second Epistle is a solemn one to us, seeing it has pleased God that our lot should be cast in these last days of which it treats.