“Egos Inflating Over Time” was the name of the university report that found American young people have slid into full-blown narcissism.

Narcissus, the Greek mythological character entranced by his own reflection, has come to symbolize American youth culture—the Generation Y, or Millennials. The under-30 crowd has overdosed on self-absorption and feeling entitled to luxuries, this study found.

The study from San Diego State University found that 30 percent more college students showed “elevated narcissism” in 2006 compared with 25 years ago.

This shouldn’t be a shocking revelation to anyone who has read reporting from theTrumpet.com. What is interesting about this particular study is that it points to several social ills that will likely result as this group grows older.

Among the problems this generation is expected to experience are a lack of empathy and an inability to form relationships. The study’s lead author, Jean Twenge, also says these young people “tend to have problems with impulse control, so that means they’re more likely to, for example, be pathological gamblers [or] commit white-collar crimes.”

Such unsavory character traits are consistent with the Greek meaning of narcissism—a word rooted in the Greek word narke, which means “numb” and implies not just vanity, but callousness and insensitivity. This is perfectly logical behavior for anyone absorbed in self, possessing a strong sense of entitlement.

What is especially interesting is how closely this litany of problems from an overly self-centered culture aligns with the prophecy in 2 Timothy 3, where the Apostle Paul foretold that “in the last days” people would be “lovers of their own selves.” This would result in people being “without natural affection” and “covetous [luxury-as-entitlement], boasters, proud … unthankful.” The entire list can be found in the first five verses of this chapter—describing a period Paul calls “perilous times.”

The good news is the “last days” refers to the time just before Jesus Christ returns—establishing a new world order, a world of peace, based on love for fellowman and the end of ego inflation and narcissism.