4Q174
4QFlorilegiumThey are those of whom it is written in the book of Ezekiel the Prophet, The Levites [strayed far from me, following] their idols are the sons of Zadok who [seek their own] counsel and follow. They are the sons of Zadok who [seek their own] counsel and follow [their own inclination] apart from the Council of the Community. [Why] do the nations [rage] and the peoples meditate [vanity? Why do the kings of the earth] rise up, [and the] princes take counsel together against the Lord and against [His Messiah]? Interpreted, this saying concerns [the kings of the nations] who shall [rage against] the elect of Israel in the last days. This shall be the time of the trial to come concerning the house of Judah so as to perfect ... Belial, and a remnant of the people shall be left according to the lot (assigned to them), and they shall practise the whole Law... Moses.
2 Timothy 3:1
1 But understand this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, opposed to what is good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, loving pleasure rather than loving God. 5 They will maintain the outward appearance of religion but will have repudiated its power. So avoid people like these.
Notes and References
"... A final example reveals still more of the community’s self-understanding. In an interpretation of Psalm 1, 4Q174 indicates that those who turn from the “way” (ךרד) of sinners (Ps 1:1) are to be identified with the prophet whom God warned not to walk in the “way” of the people (Isa 8:11). As becomes clear, both passages are seen as referring to the scribe’s own community, who must endure a time of testing in these latter days, a period referred to in 4Q174 as “the time of refining that is coming” (האבה ףרצמה תע)—itself an exegetically derived phrase (Dan 11:32, 35, cf. Ps 105:19).12 The expectation of testing, especially in the last days, was a common feature of early Christian belief (e.g., Acts 14:22; 2 Tim 3:1; Rev 2:10) ..."
Carlson, Reed A Structure for the End of the World: 4QFlorilegium and the “Latter Days” in Early Jewish Tradition (pp. 246-254) Word & World Volume 40, Number 3, 2020