Come to...senses (366) (ananepho from aná = again + nepho = be sober) is literally to become sober again, regaining one's senses and describing one who comes out from a drunken stupor (in the present context spiritually speaking which in some ways is even worse than an alcoholic stupor). Satan makes people drunk with his lies, and the servant’s task is to sober them up and rescue them. The enemy intoxicates his victims with the vintage wines of the lust of the flesh (pleasure), the lust of the eyes (possessions), and the boastful pride of the life (power and position)." (1Jn 2:15-note , 1Jn 2:16-note) The victim will forfeit their spiritual senses by drinking of any one of these wines, and only divine intervention is capable of sobering and reviving them from Satan's grip. The truth is that unless God reaches down and supernaturally revives the drunken, slumbering victim (granting them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth), our words and warnings will fall on deaf ears. Vine writes that... ananepho, rendered “recover themselves” denotes to return to soberness, as from a state of delirium or drunkenness (see the R.V. marg). The suggestion therefore is that the reception of error produces a state of insensibility to the will of God. The devil is ever seeking to capture the believer in his snare and prevent him from doing the Lord’s will. (2 Timothy 2) John MacArthur notes that The destructive effect of false teaching and sin numbs the conscience, confuses the mind, erodes conviction, and paralyzes the will. (2 Timothy. Moody) Barnes writes that ananepho... means to become sober again, as from inebriation; to awake from a deep sleep; and then, to come to a right mind, as one does who is aroused from a state of inebriety, or from sleep. The representation in this part of the verse implies that while under the influence of error, they were like a man intoxicated, or like one in deep slumber. From this state they were to be roused, as one is from sleep, or as a man is recovered from the stupor and dullness of intoxication. (Barnes Notes on the NT) They were mentally intoxicated, drunk with the cup of the great harlot's abominations, full of her immorality. Lies, half-truths, falsehoods, worldly chatter, foolish and ignorant speculation produce spiritual inebriation, a stupor resulting in loss of judgment and proper control of one’s faculties. The destructive effect of false teaching and sin numbs the conscience, confuses the mind, erodes conviction, and paralyzes the will. This word may refer to a practice in which sowers scattered seeds impregnated with drugs intended to put birds to sleep that a net might be drawn over them to capture them. Kent adds that These persons who have been trapped by the Devil were not the same type as those described in 2 Timothy 2:21 (note) or Titus 3:10 (note). From such, the minister is to remove himself. Those in 2Timothy 2:25, 26 are to be dealt with kindly in order to bring about a return to sober thinking. They are captured alive by Satan. There is at least an inference that these persons may be true believers who have become ensnared. If they are, the repentance and recovery may be expected, and the offenders may yet be restored to the will of God.” (From Paul Apple - 2 Timothy 2 Passing the Torch of Leadership - 67 pp Pdf) AND ESCAPE FROM THE SNARE OF THE DEVIL: ek tes tou diabolou pagidos: (Ps 124:7; Isa 8:15; 28:13; Act 26:18; 2Cor 2:11; Col 1:13; 2Th 2:9, 10, 11, 12; 1Ti 3:7; 6:9,10; Rev 12:9; 20:2,3) This passage more literally reads and they may awake out of the devil's snare Escape from translates the preposition ek (1537) which means out of or from. As Dean Alford writes... These people have, in a state of intoxication, been entrapped; and are enabled, at their awaking sober, to escape. "Copy and paste the address below into your web browser in order to go to the original page which will allow you to access live links related to the material on this page - these links include Scriptures (which can be read in context), Scripture pop-ups on mouse over, and a variety of related resources such as Bible dictionary articles, commentaries, sermon notes and theological journal articles related to the topic under discussion." http://www.preceptaustin.org/2_timothy_224-26.htm#sober