forbidding marriage and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
Forbidding to marry,.... Which points out not the Encratites, Montanists, and Manichees, who spoke against marriage; but the Papists, who forbid it to their priests under a pretence of purity and holiness, and at the same time allow them to live in all manner of debauchery and uncleanness; for these are the persons that forbid marriage in an authoritative way, and in hypocrisy: for that...
The Spirit speaks expressly of a general apostasy coming in the latter days: some will depart from the faith delivered once to the saints, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. Not all will fall away, for God will keep a remnant according to the election of grace, but the mystery of iniquity now works, and the apostasy is already begun.
AI summary
Commenting on 1 Timothy 4:1-5
Verse 3. Forbidding to marry. That is, "They will depart from the faith through the hypocritical teaching--of those who forbid to marry." . This does not necessarily mean that they would prohibit marriage altogether, but that it would be a characteristic of their teaching that marriage would be forbidden, whether of one class of persons or many. They would commend and enjoin celibacy and virginity.