Rotimi Paul Oluwatoba’s scientific contributions

p> The present time in Nigeria and globally has been more perilous than ever, characterized with bizarre occurrences within the church and the larger society. This study explores the Pauline eschatological prediction of the perilous times when men will become lovers of self, lovers of money, and lovers of pleasure more than God (II Timothy 3:1, 2 & 5). Experiential and theological methodologies were adopted for generating qualitative primary and secondary data. The theological aspect of the research employed the tools of biblical exegesis, textual analysis, and literatures. The experiential aspect involved in-depth interviews (IDIs), observations, social media contents and Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) to access current events and personalized experiences of respondents who were purposively selected from within and outside the church. The results were discussed in the light of Christian theology, social ethics and Pastoral ministry. The Nigerian society is evidently witnessing the perilous times when love of self, money and pleasure will become the untoward defining features of human society and sadly too, of men that profess the faith. Transactional gospel, gimmickry, merchandize of holy things, and self-indulgent love of money are rife in the contemporary church. Ostentatious lifestyles, lack of support for the minister at the local church, and false messages on material blessings are what trap church ministers and laypersons in this end-time evil. The context and practice of ‘full time’ ministry when the local assembly is not able to support its minister is a challenge that predisposes some to ‘Simoniacal’ presentations, offering the gifts of God for monetary gain. Sound biblical teachings to protect the people of God and expose the mercenary spirit in sacred function is the local church most potent weaponry. </strong

p class="abstracttextDILIGENTIA">The primary focus of this paper is the eschatological implication of the Greek word χαλεποί -perilous or fierce, from its description of human society in the last days as καιροὶ χαλεποί -perilous time (II Timothy 3:1) and its use in describing the horrifying or fierce experiences of the maniac of Gadara (Mathew 8:28). Academic discussions on eschatology have largely been focused on cataloguing the catastrophic unfolding end time events, such as natural disasters, wars, global outbreak of diseases, Israel diplomatic relations and their prophetic timeline. The general depravity of the human society as a prophetic dimension of the end time has not received its deserved attention. This study, through qualitative research, assessed the theological, eschatological and socio-ethical implications of the end time depravities ( χαλεποί ) on Nigerian society. There is a connection between demonic activities, as in the maniac of Gadarenes, and the identified bizarre human activities in and outside the Nigerian Church. Spiritual discernment, disengagement from corrupt personalities and discipleship of future leadership are recommended for the preservation of the end-time church. BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRACT Fokus utama dari makalah ini adalah penerapan eskatologis dari kata Yunani χαλεποί -berbahaya atau ganas, dari gambarannya tentang masyarakat di akhir zaman sebagai καιροὶ χαλεποί -waktu yang berbahaya (II Timotius 3:1) dan penggunaannya untuk menggambarkan pengalaman mengerikan atau ganas dari orang yang kerasukan di Gadara (Matius 8:28). Diskusi akademis tentang eskatologi sebagian besar terfokus pada penggambaran mengenai bencana yang akan terjadi di akhir zaman, seperti bencana alam, peperangan, wabah penyakit global, hubungan diplomatis Israel, dan garis waktu nubuatannya. Kebobrokan umum dari masyarakat manusia sebagai dimensi nubuatan kenabian dari akhir zaman belum mendapatkan perhatian yang seharusnya. Penelitian ini, yang dilaksanakan melalui metode penelitian kualitatif, ditujukan untuk mengevaluasi secara teologis, eskatologis, dan dampak sosio-etis dari kebobrokan akhir zaman (χαλεποί) pada masyarakat Nigeria. Terdapat hubungan antara tindakan-tindakan kerasukan, seperti dalam kasus orang kerasukan di Gadara, dan tindakan-tindakan tidak lazim lainnya yang teridentifikasi di dalam dan di luar Gereja Nigeria. Penulis menghimbau agar gereja di Nigeria memiliki ketajaman rohani, dan jangan melibatkan diri dengan pemimpin gereja yang memiliki kepribadian yang tercemari oleh kesesatan. </p