Has the falling away happened yet? Nov. 10th 2013
Introduction
A Watching the world go to hell in a hat basket is depressing. (family, government, economy, social structure are collapsing.)
1 The Bible tells us that in the latter days there will also be a collapse of morality ethics, & faith.
a Are we too far gone to ever recover?
b Will there be a spiritual awakening, revival?
aa Only God really knows the answer to these questions.
bb However, there are “signs” that precede the latter days that are undeniable.
2 Israel is back in their homeland in an international conflict that matches spiritual prophecy to the letter.
a In nearly every corner of the world dark occult & demonic schemes are growing in prominence.
aa Evil genetic experimentation is now a reality.
bb Morality is being gutted by shameless behavior.
b Christian sees - prophecy that brings us great concern - Prior to the tribulation the Bibles tells us there will be a “falling away” of Christians from their faith.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 (NASB) 1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
aa How will we know when this “falling away” happens?
bb How much worse will it have to be before Paul’s prophecy is fulfilled?
B Two weeks ago I preached on Paul’s 1 Thess letter concerning the rapture, resurrection of saints, living Christians will be “caught up” together with the dead in Christ.
1 A few months after Paul wrote 1 Thess, Paul sent them a second letter. (An update, clarification of his former letter.)
a In the time that the Thessalonicans got Paul first letter, false teachers teaching false doctrine had.
aa These false teachers had entered congregations & preached that the ongoing Roman persecution of Jews/Christians, developing revolutionary undercurrent was the Tribulation.
bb The false teachers said, “We are already in the latter days, Tribulation & the Rapture still hasn’t happened.”
b Paul corrects the false teaching the 2 Thess to assure them the Rapture will occur before the day of the Lord. (Which begins with 7 years of Catastrophe)
2 Like Paul & the early church, we find ourselves in an increasingly tumultuous world.
a we see a marked increase in Anti-Christian reality. (Post Christian)
b Israel has set the stage for a procession of prophetic fulfillment.
c Christian turn to Scripture for words of hope in a world that is spinning dangerously out of control.
3 Today, many Bible expositors are suggesting the Christians are on earth while the Day of the Lord begins.
a In other words, the same errorist teaching that went on in the early church is alive & well to this day.
b Those of us who live moment by moment that our “blessed hope,” Jesus promises to personally escort us home as we experience rapture and resurrection.
aa The rapture can happen at any moment. (Doctrine of immanency)
bb The apostle Paul believed in Christians imminent return, taught it to the early church... Christ can come back at any moment.
c 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NASB) 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
aa Paul was adamant that the church would be gone when the day of the Lord happened, which begins with rapture, and wouldn’t experience the Tribulation.
bb 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NASB) 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
I The falling away precedes the Rapture.
1 The first century church believed they were in the Tribulation.
a At the time of 1 & 2 Thess the Roman Emperor was Claudius (Reign was riddled with debauchery, political deceit, & eventually his assassination would bring Nero Ceasar to power)
aa Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome in response to their continuous disturbances - Jews/Christians were shocked/repulsed by the Emperors household.
bb Claudius had appointed Herod Agrippa II as King of Chalcidica (Married his own sister, Bernice)
cc Controlled the finances/politics at the Temple in Jerusalem: Priests had been corrupted with their unholy alliances with both the Roman & Herodian gov
b The early jews/Christians saw the instability of the Roman Empire, corruption of the Priests- God’s judgement must be near.
aa Paul assured them that the event called “the falling away” had yet to happen.
bb Throughout the first century we see the beginning & building of the church, not it’s demise.
cc Even through the reigns of Nero, Vespasian, Titus, & Domition (54-96AD) with their infamous/deadly persecution of church, this “falling away” didn’t occur.
2 Before the Tribulation the “falling away/apostasy” comes first.
a Apostasy (apostasia) means “to stand away from the truth” In a sense moving away from the truth.
aa It’s a revolt & aggressive departure from the truth of God’s Word. - Worldwide, anti-God movement.
bb This falling away will set the world stage for the “son of destruction” (aka the Antichrist)
2 Thessalonians 2:3-6 (NASB) 3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 5 Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? 6 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed.
cc The Antichrist will set upon his throne in the Temple to be worshiped by all of humankind.
b The “falling away” will create the atmosphere, backdrop for the Antichrist.
aa The reason is that the Holy Spirit who had kept the Antichrist at bay until God’s appointed time is “taken out of the way.”
2 Thessalonians 2:7 (NASB) 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
bb In v.6 Paul refers to the “restrainer” as neither gender- “what” & in v.7 he used a masculine gender “he”
cc Today the restrainer is “in the midst” but will one day be, “taken out of the midst.”
c The Holy Spirit is at work today in our midst through the church, Spirit filled Christians, restraining evil.
aa When the church is raptured, the Holy Spirit will release the devil from the restrains the HS has on him now.
bb The Holy Spirit won’t leave, or be taken out of the world with the Church. - If so no one would get saved during the Tribulation.
3 Although the H.S. will not be taken out of the world, He will be taken out of the midst for all Satan’s forces to go to work.
a If MLB, NFL, NBA got rid of their umpires/refs how do you think the games would look?
b The HS will be present on earth during the Day of the Lord (which begins at rapture) but He will not be the restraining force against evil as He is today. (Chaos, pandemonium, bedlam, unruliness, holy mess.)
T.S. Leading up to Rapture, the “falling away” will take place.
II What does the “falling away” look like?
A The first question we ask is, Does the “falling away” apply to society at large or just the church?
1 Simple answer - those outside the church/unredeemed are already in a fallen state - already apostate in their belief system.
a The only real moral/ethical restraint comes from what little influence they receive from the longstanding Judao - Christian traditions/teachings.
b Societies in the West are still deeply influenced by their Christian heritage.
aa It’s faint, eroding daily... but it’s still there.
bb The believing Church is still a force in society... but our days are numbered!
2 In Revelation, the 7 churches of Asia Minor, represent 7 different ages of the church.
a Ephesasis, the first church mentioned is full of evangelistic/apostolic zeal.
b The last church, Laodicia, has fallen from faith & are in risk of being rejected.
Revelation 3:14-17 (NASB) 14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this: 15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 ~'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 ~'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
aa This is the modern-day church that has come to depend upon it’s own wealth rather than the power of the HS.
bb The Laodician church ran the risk of being spat out of the Lord’s mouth - Equivalent of being rejected from His body - the body of Christ.
cc This church is comprised of unbelievers posing as Christians.
C They have wealth, social power, beautiful buildings, but they don’t have the HS.
B The church has drifted into the apostasy several times (dark ages to now) but right before/after Rapture the organized church will be radically changed!
1 It will be an apostate church that welcomes the social & governmental changes of the world we regard today as terrifying.
a The departure of the true Church leads to the total apostatizing of the organized church.
aa The Laodician was in a sad condition.
bb I believe we are seeing the church today in a similar condition.
b 2 Timothy 4:3-4 (NASB) 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.
aa Changing the Bible to suit gender-neutral wording. This has crept into the church periodically in the last 30 years. Due to pressure from the secular society, some Christian based Bible publishers are offering gender-neutral Bible. This is sad. Is God’s word any less true because it is not gender-neutral. Should Christians change God’s word to suit the unbeliever? No and No.
bb Metropolitan Community Church which openly approves of homosexuality.
cc The Evangelical Lutheran Church “in America decided to undertake it’s first major study on whether to endorse the morality of homosexual relationships. The Rev. Ann Tiemeyer of Woodie, NY said she supports greater acceptance of gay church members and clergy. “It is time to send a message that we are a welcoming church, in our clergy as well as our pews.”“
dd The Evangelical Lutheran Church, “doesn’t have an official position on creation vs. evolution, but we subscribe to the historical-critical method of biblical interpretation, so we believe God created the universe and all that is therein, only not necessarily in six 24-hour days, and that he may actually have used evolution in the process of creation.”
ee The Episcopal Church,” committee has backed efforts by Washington’s acting Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon t oust a conservative priest. A nine-member panel of clergy and laity said Dixon followed church law when she rejected the decision of the Christ Church vestry to hire the Rev. Samuel Edwards and ordered him to leave by May 25. Edwards refused, and continues to conduct services and occupy the rectory.”
ff The Mennonite Church, “after nearly two decades of negotiation, the nation’s two largest Mennonite denominations overwhelmingly approved a merger Thursday that creates the 125,000 member Mennonite Church USA... Many delegates expressed mixed feeling about the new membership guidelines, under which the church will not recognize same-sex marriage. Individual congregations and regional conferences will decide whether homosexual will be allowed as members.”
gg The Presbyterian Church, “In a closely watched case, the highest court of the Presbyterian Church refused to rule Tuesday on whether a homosexual man is eligible to serve as a church elder. The court said that dispute surrounding Wayne Osborne had become moot because the FPC of Stamford, Conn. Had installed another group of elders.”
hh The United Church of Christ, “set up a $500,000 scholarship fund for day and lesbian seminarians Friday and urged wider acceptance of homosexuals by other denominations.”
ii The United Methodist Church, “The supreme court of the UMC was asked Thursday to reconsider the denomination’s ban on gay clergy.”
A Once the true church is gone - the church left behind will embrace anything.
a The world will be glad we’re gone! (The liberals will be glad to get rid of us! - Rejoicing) but things are about to get real bad for them.
b (IL) Marine leaving and airport, hugging his wife & baby - as the wife was leaving tears rolled down her face - life would be hard for her now.
aa When the church leaves, the World will be a very hard place to live in.
bb Enter into the Great Tribulation.
Conclusion
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