Most of the leaders of Christendom are proclaiming that Christendom's best days are just ahead of us. In contrast, we have the testimony of Jesus Christ and all of His Apostles
that the last days would be characterized by
The Great And Final Apostasy Of Christendom.
Recommended Reading:
THE END IS HERE! . . . . .THE CHOICES ARE CLEAR!
BOOK: THE GREAT DREAM
-The Great And Final Apostasy Of Christendom, described.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: THE DIMINISHING GROUND OF THE ABSOLUTE
-"Yea, hath God said?"
CHAPTER 2: THE FAMOUS FINAL SCENE
- Exposition on 2 Thess. 2:1-12
CHAPTER 3: WHERE IS THE LOVE
- Exposition on Matt. 24:12
CHAPTER 4: THE LAST TRUMPET,part 1 - part2 - part3
- Exposition on 2 Peter 3:3-4
CHAPTER 5: TWO SIGNS OF THE APOSTASY, part 1 - part 2
-Exposition on 1 Tim. 4:1-6
CHAPTER 6: ANOTHER JESUS
- Exposition on 2 Cor. 11:4
CHAPTER 7: JANNES & JAMBRES IN THE PULPIT
- Exposition on 2 Tim. 3:1-9
CHAPTER 8: MANY ANTICHRISTS, part 1 - part 2
- Exposition on 1 John 2:18-19
CHAPTER 9: BASKING IN THE POISONED LIGHT
- Exposition on Luke 16:15
CHAPTER 10: THE GREAT DREAM, part 1 - part 2
- The New Unity
CHAPTER 11: JESUS AND YOUR FAMILY
- Exposition on Luke 14:26
CHAPTER 12: THE JESUS WHO DIDN'T
- Homily on John 21:21
CHAPTER 13: THE "GOSPEL" OF RESIGNATION, part 1 - part 2
- Exposition on Mal. 3:14-18
CHAPTER 14: THE GOD OF ALL COMFORT
- Exposition on Matt. 11:28-30
CHAPTER 15: THE MASTER OF THE MILLIONS
- Exposition on Matt. 6:24
CHAPTER 16: THE LIE OF TITHING
- Exposition on Deut. 14:22-29
CHAPTER 17: THE PHARISEES AND THE SADDUCEES ARE STILL IN CHARGE, part1 - part 2
- Exposition on Luke 22:24-27
CHAPTER 18: THE HIRELINGS, part 1 - part 2
- Exposition on Matt. 7:21-23
CHAPTER 19: HATE IT OR LOSE IT
- Exposition on John 12:25
CHAPTER 20: NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S FLUTES
- Exposition on Daniel 3:4-6
END TIME APOSTASY
"...the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away
from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons..."
1 Timothy 4:1
The free-fall of American evangelical Christianity into various kinds of apostasy in the last couple of decades has been breathtaking. The last twenty-five years have witnessed the greatest change in the American Church in her entire history. Where are things headed? What does this mean in light of the Bible’s prophesied plan for the church age?
WHAT IS APOSTASY?
The English meaning of apostasy means “the abandonment or renunciation of a religious belief” or simply to depart from one’s faith. Apostasy “is the formal abandonment or renunciation of one's religion, especially if the motive is deemed unworthy.”
Thus, an apostate is one who moves away from something that he formerly held. There are two words used in the Greek New Testament for apostasy. First is apostasia, from which we get our English word apostasy. The noun, apostasia is a compound of the two Greek words apo “from” and istémi which means “to stand,” hence “to stand away from,” or more smoothly put, “to depart from.” Next, is the verb piptô which simply means “to fall,” or “fall away from.”
When used abstractly of “falling away from the faith,” for example, it fits into the category of apostasy.When surveying the New Testament teaching on apostasy, it becomes apparent that it is one of the most frequently mentioned subjects. Yet, rarely do evangelicals preach, teach, or talk about this frequently mentioned biblical topic. There are a large volume of Scripture passages in the Epistles alone that are devoted to the issue of apostasy:
Romans 1:18-32; Romans 16:17-18; 2 Corinthians 11:1-15; 2Cor. 13:5; Galatians 1:6-9; Gal. 5:1-12;
Philippians 3:2 and Philippians 3:18-19; Colossians 2:4-23; I Timothy 1:3-7; I Tim. 4:1-3; I Tim. 6:3-5; 2 Timothy 2:11-26;
2 Tim. 3:1-9; 2 Tim. 4:15; Titus 1:10-16; Hebrews 2:1-4; Heb. 3:7; Heb. 4:13; Heb. 5:12; Heb 6:12; Heb. 10:26-31; Heb. 12:14-17; 1Peter 3:19-20; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 2 Pet. 3:3-10; I John 2:18-23; I John 3:4-12; I John 4:1-6; 2 John 1:9; Jude 1:3-23.
Apostasy
and its evil effects provide the main message of such books as Galatians, 2 Thessalonians, Hebrews, and Revelation. Further, Paul warned the Ephesians elders of apostasy during his final meeting with them after spending three years teaching them(Acts 20:17–38).
In summarizing New Testament descriptions of apostasy, they fall in two broad categories. First, apostasy relates to the area of doctrine. Specifically, an apostate is one who moves away from the sound doctrine of the New Testament to a false or unhealthy
teaching that does not line up with the Bible. Second, apostasy relates to behavior. Anyone who professes to be a believer and does not follow the New Testament ethic is viewed as an apostate. Simply put, apostasy has to do with word and deed.
THE CHURCH AGE
Apart from a few exceptions, the church age is not a time of prophetic fulfillment. Instead, prophecy will be fulfilled after the rapture, in relation to God’s dealing with the nation of Israel in the seven-year tribulation. The current church age in which believers
live today does not have a specific prophetic countdown or timetable, as does Israel and her 70 weeks of years prophecy (Daniel 9:14-27). The New Testament does, however, provide general traits that characterize the church age. Even specific prophecy that is fulfilled during the church age relates to God’s prophetic plan for Israel and not directly to the church. For example, the prophesied
destruction of Jerusalem and her Temple in A.D. 70 relates to Israel (Matthew 23:38; Luke 19:43-44; Luke 21:20-24). Thus it is not inconsistent that prophetic preparations relating to Israel are already underway with the reestablishment of Israel as a nation in 1948
even though we still are living in the church age. The church age is not characterized by historically verifiable prophetic events,
except her ending with the rapture. But the general course of this age has been prophesied and can provide a general overview of what can be expected during this age.
THE LAST DAYS
Sometimes Christians read in the Bible about the “last days,” “end times,” etc., and tend to think that all of these phrases all of the time refer to the same thing. This is not the case. Just as in our own lives, there are many endings. There is the end of the work
day, the end of the day according to the clock, the end of the week, the end of the month, and the end of the year. Just because the word “end” is used does not mean that it always refers to the same time. “End” is restricted and precisely defined when it is modified by “day,” “week,” etc.
The Bible teaches that this present age will end with the rapture, followed by the tribulation which will end with the second coming of Messiah to the earth. Thus, we must distinguish between the “last days” of the church age and the “last days” of Israel’s tribulation. The following passages refer to the end of the church age: 1Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1; Hebrews 1:2; James 5:3; 1 Peter 1:5, 20; 2 Peter 3:3; 1 John 1:10-18; Jude 1:18.
APOSTASY AND THE LAST DAYS
The New Testament teaches us to expect that apostasy will arise within the church throughout the church age, but especially during the last days of the church. In fact, guarding against apostasy is one of the top priorities that the New Testament assigns for a pastor and the spiritual leadership of a local church to be engaged. Yet, I have found over the years that about the only ones who take these passages seriously are those who also take a literal interpretation of prophecy seriously. Generally, there are some exceptions, one has to believe strongly in the biblical teaching of premillennialism to be engaged in practicing the New Testament warnings concerning various kinds of apostasy. Most within evangelicalism want to be positive, which is an apostate mentality, instead of biblically truthful about issues. There are seven major passages that warn of the dangers latent during the church’s
last days (1 Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; 2 Tim. 4:3-4; James 5:1-8; 2 Pet. 2:1-22; 2 Pet. 3:3-6; Jude 1:1-25). Interestingly, virtually all of these comments come from the epistles written shortly before the death of each Apostle writing (i.e., during the last days of the various Apostles), as if to highlight their warnings about apostasy in the last days of the current church age. Every one of these passages emphasizes over and over again that the great characteristic of the final time of the church will be that of apostasy.
Laodicea is the seventh church of Revelation 2—3 and likely represents the condition of the final stage of the church. Laodicea is clearly the most apostate of the seven churches. In fact, our Lord threatens to spew this self-sufficient church out of His mouth (Rev. 3:16) and he is pictured as outside of His own church knocking (Rev. 3:20). Individual believers within this church are not threatened, but it is clear that this church is primarily made up of apostates, who are not true believers. The apostasy of the
church in our day is preparing Christendom for her role during the tribulation as the Great Whore of Babylon (Revelation 17:1-7) that will be used by the Antichrist to gain world power. Dr. Pentecost notes: “This condition at the close of the age is seen to
coincide with the state within the Laodicean Church, before which Christ must stand to seek admission. In view of its close it is not surprising that the age is called an “evil age” in Scripture.”
The New Testament pictures the condition within the professing church at the end of the age by a system of denials.
• Denial of GOD—Luke 17:26; 2 Timothy 3:4-5
• Denial of CHRIST—1 John 2:18; 1 John 4:3; 2 Peter 2:6
• Denial of CHRIST’S RETURN—2 Peter 3:3-4
• Denial of THE FAITH—1 Timothy 4:1-2; Jude 1:3
• Denial of SOUND DOCTRINE—2 Timothy 4:3-4
• Denial of THE SEPARATED LIFE—2 Timothy 3:1-7
• Denial of CHRISTIAN LIBERTY—1 Timothy 4:3-4
• Denial of MORALS—2 Timothy 3:1-8; 2 Tim. 3:13; Jude 1:18
• Denial of AUTHORITY—2 Timothy 3:4
Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, characterizes the last days apostasy for the church in the following way:
A very extensive body of Scripture bears on the last days for the Church. Reference is to a restricted time at the very end of, and yet wholly within, the present age. Though this brief period immediately precedes the great tribulation and in some measure is a preparation for it, these two times of apostasy and confusion—though incomparable in history—are wholly separate the one from the other. Those Scriptures which set forth the last days for the Church give no consideration to political or world conditions but are confined to the Church itself. These Scriptures picture men as departing from the faith (1 Tim. 4:1-2). There will be a manifestation of characteristics which belong to unregenerate men, though it is under the profession of "a form of godliness" ( 2 Tim. 3:1-5). The indication is that, having denied the power of the blood of Christ ( 2 Tim. 3:5 with Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 1:23-24; 2 Tim. 4:2-4), the leaders in these forms of righteousness will be unregenerate men from whom nothing more spiritual than this could proceed (1 Cor. 2:4).
CONCLUSION
The clear course of the last days for the church consists of constant warnings to the believer to be on guard against doctrinal defection, known as apostasy. Scripture indicates that apostasy will characterize Christendom during the time when the rapture
will take place. Thus we need to be sober and alert to the many ways in which the current evangelical church in America is sinking into apostasy, lest we too become caught up in things that are not pleasing to our Lord.
Then there are the millions throughout the world who are involved in the occult, astrology, witchcraft, spiritism and Satanism. The Harry Potter series of seven fantasy novels promoting witchcraft among children, written by English author J. K. Rowling. have sold more than 325 million copies and have been translated into more than 64 languages.
Millions of Americans look to Oprah Winfrey and her new age advisors such as Marianne Williamson and Eckhart Tolle for counsel about their lives as they reject the saving grace of God.
The most obvious sign of the spiritual decline of the church is apathy - apathy towards the house of God, the Word of God and the presence of God. Apathy sometimes overtakes a believer - even an entire body of believers - before they are even aware anything is wrong. The fruit of apathy is apostasy.
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. [2 Timothy 4:3-4]
Despite the clear declaration by God that His statutes, laws and judgements are everlasting, many have chosen their own way dismissing God's commandments as being meaningless in light of the end of the Old Testament sacrificial system and the destruction of the Second Temple in A.D. 70.
“It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God". - Matthew 4:4
It's rare to hear a preacher teach from "every word that comes from the mouth of God," calling his flock to fully obey God and even more rare for them to warn their flock of the consequences of their rebellion. For these and many others, they choose to practice a system laid out in the 10 planks of communism rather than the 10 Commandments system ordained by God. Some have already aligned themselves with the Antichrist system to prepare their flock to accept the mark of the beast.
The appearances of these false gospels, false Christ's and false prophets is only a prelude to the final apostasy. They are only preparing the way for the ultimate antichrist who will set himself up in the temple and declare himself to be God. You might say he is preparing his followers to accept his ultimate lie.
What fuels this apostasy?
Unbelief:
Implicit or explicit rejection of the
authority of God's Word is being spread throughout the Church, often,
it seems, with the explicit purpose of leading God's people
away from His Word, and sometimes to the active encouragement
of immorality.
Pulpits across America are silent about
sin and do not tell their congregations of their need for
repentance. Rather, they preach a politically correct gospel
of "tolerance" of sin.
According to Ralph Martin,
"Even when the unique and absolute claims of Christ are not
clearly rejected on an intellectual level, syncretism often
fosters an emotional hostility to such claims. This creates an
atmosphere that saps the strength of Christianity as
effectively as explicit apostasy. If belief about the unique
and absolute claims of Christ is unclear, then faith is
corrupted, worship becomes enfeebled and distorted, and
evangelism ceases." [Ralph Martin, A Crises
of Truth (Ann Arbor, MI: Servant Books, 1982), pg. 21.]
According to a recent survey by the Barna
Research Group, while 88% believe Jesus Christ was a real
person, what they believe about Him differs sharply from
scriptural teaching. Forty-two percent of those surveyed
believe that while He lived on earth, Jesus committed sins,
just like other people. Even among born-again Christians,
one-quarter believe Jesus sinned during His time on earth.
In the book, The Da Vinci Code, author Dan Brown
claims "almost everything our fathers taught us about Christ
is false." For example, Brown suggests that Jesus married Mary
Magdalene as he raises doubts of the origins and legitimacy of
orthodox Christianity. The Da Vinci Code was a worldwide
bestseller with more than 60.5 million copies
sold.
Other pulpits are silent about sin because those
sitting in the pews do not want to hear anything that might
shatter their perceived security. Or, maybe the preacher is
more interested in the collection plate and he believes that
if he preaches anything controversial, he will lose some large
contributors... or worse yet, lose their 501(c)3 tax exempt
status granted by the godless emperor.
Ignorance:
Without regular communication with God
through prayer and regular, systematic study of God's Word, we
are at the mercy of the doctrinal storms that are raging in
the church today. Much of Christendom is now in an apostate
condition as professing believers accept "new revelations"
even though it conflicts with the revealed Word of God.
New Age occultism
of every variety is exploding not only in the secular world
but also in the church in what is indeed the greatest
worldwide revival of paganism ever known. Spanning the globe and encompassing
hundreds of millions of teachers and disciples, it has within
its fold thousands of individual cults, churches, groups, and
organizations. Those who preach a distorted gospel are even
gaining strategic leadership positions in denominations and
theological schools, enabling them to deceive and mislead many
within the church.
All kinds of radical groups claim
some affinity to the gospel of Jesus Christ and only serve to
confuse the non-churched and borderline Christian. The KKK for
example has as one if its rallying cries, "We are Warriors
fighting for our great white race, our families and our savior
Jesus Christ." When Masons quote from
the Bible, references to Christ are omitted, and prayer is
never allowed to be offered (in a "well-ordered" lodge) in the
name of Jesus Christ. Masons do not care whether a person
privately petitions God or Jehovah, Allah or Buddha, Mohammed
or Jesus, the God of Israel or the "Great First Cause," but in
the Lodge, the only petition allowed is to the "Great
Architect of the Universe."
In many ways the Church has
turned to the beliefs, teachings and practices of the world
and the cults, from the penchant for humanistic psychology
among conservative evangelicals to the cultic affinity for
godhood and the demonstration of godlike powers among more
extreme charismatics. Popular movements and teachers are
influencing the Church to take dominion over the earth, to set
up the Kingdom as a requirement for Christ to return, to
produce signs and wonders, and to solve its problems through
unbiblical methods such as self-esteem therapies, 12-step
recovery programs, inner-healing rituals, "binding demons"
strategies, and "Christian" mysticism. Many professing
Christian leaders promote unity by demoting doctrine and
encourage ecumenism to
include even overt paganism.
Fear:
A large part of the church is held in
bondage because of fear of the unknown. They don't know their
Bibles and they don't know about the promises of God. Rather,
they rely on what others tell them. Self help books flourish
and authors fill bookshelves with titles extolling every kind
of human wisdom - but they do not contain the truth of
Scripture.
Fear drives some to seek knowledge in
places where truth is the most distorted. New Age teachers
abound with messages from ascended masters and spirit guides.
For example, one popular quasi-christian movement surrounds
the writings of Helen Schucman who penned "A Course in
Miracles," which teaches that the world, sin, sickness are all
illusions which can be overcome with the power of the mind.
Where you find the "Course" you will often also find teachings
about reincarnation, Yoga, dream rap, channelling, Christ
consciousness, pyramidology, astrology, meditation,
metaphysics, shamanism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. You might
expect to find these teachings at some remote New Age retreat
center, but incredibly "A Course in Miracles" is the text
being used by many Sunday School classes in some mainline
Christian churches. I personally was first introduced to the
study at one of Wichita's leading evangelical churches.
For many Christians caught in the web of fear, they
profess faith but look to works for their salvation for they
have no faith. They judge others according to their works as
well for that is their only barometer, i.e. that which they
can see. They walk by sight exclusively and not by faith. What
can I do for God? And, what are you doing for God? They can be
very busy workers, but they do not listen to the voice.
Carnality:
There is
little focus on Christ's second coming because that would end
the pursuit of pleasure and prosperity. Instead of Christ as
the object of affection, the popular church is attracted to a
celebrity, an evangelist, a project, a political cause, a
fund-raising campaign, a new building, or supposed miracles
and healings. Faith has turned to fantasy with a message of
health, wealth, and comfort. In that kind of environment "easy
believism" flourishes and many people who associate themselves
with the church aren't even Christians. They may have a form
of godliness, but they deny its power. Satan is still using
this form of deception, and often his representatives are
being disguised as ministers of righteousness. While
propagating that which brings death and darkness to the mind
and heart of the sinner, they profess to be representatives of
enlightened living. This is satanic deception.
Theology in many modern churches is focused on meeting
people's needs, on solving one's own problems so one can live
more comfortably. Few churches hold to a Christ-centered faith
that helps a believer stand in the midst of his trials. "For
all too often the twentieth-century church takes its cues and
defines its role by the ways of the world. It accommodates a
consumer-oriented culture that wants, above all else, to feel
good. And it focuses on action at the expense of character, on
doing rather than being. There is nothing wrong with seeking
to meet people's needs or creating programs to do so. The
church setting should be an environment where non-Christians
feel welcome. The church should grow. But when programs and
growth become the central focus, the church is in danger of
profaning her first Love... In danger of trivializing the
holy." [Charles Colson, The Body, pg. 381.]
Are you
prepared?
Are you armed with the truth so as to recognize the lie and extinguish the firey darts of satan? Are you burdened with a sinful past that weighs you down and makes you feel unworthy? Maybe you've lived a good life, went to church every Sunday, and followed the Ten Commandments as best you could. But, you're still unsure of what right you have to enter heaven. Friend, there is an answer you can find right here!
The Coming Crisis And The End Of
Days
Soon this world will be
thrown into a time of great tribulation. God's word tells us
that, before the end, there will only be a small number who
will stand firmly on the Rock of Truth in preparation for the
crisis that is soon to over-take the earth.
Click Please read ....Surrender My Weapon
