What does 2 Timothy 3:13 mean?

Persecution against godly people is to be expected in this world; it's one of the few constants in life (2 Timothy 3:12). In contrast, the sins of "evil people and impostors" can be expected to get worse and worse. What Timothy was currently experiencing from these false teachers and evil people would not get any better. Such people would continue their "deceiving and being deceived."

Paul often raised an alarm against the deceptions of false teachers. In Romans 16:18 he taught, "For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive." In Ephesians 5:6 he wrote, "Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." He often warned against spiritual deception (1 Corinthians 3:18; 6:9; Galatians 6:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:3). James (James 1:16, 26) and John (1 John 1:8; 2:26; 3:7; 2 John 1:7) also provided similar warnings. Deception was a major problem even in the earliest churches and continues to be an area of concern today.