Posted on 09/17/2011 10:09:58 AM PDT by GiovannaNicoletta
Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (Jude 3–4).
I will never forget what one of my church history professors told us one day in class in the late 1970s at Dallas Seminary. He said something like the following: Those of us who will follow Christ and His Word, as opposed to the rising emphasis upon religious experience, will increasingly become a smaller group until one day we will be on the outside of the American Evangelical Church looking in. My reaction to my professor was, “No, things will never get that bad within Evangelicalism.” Well, my professor was certainly right. I believe that just such a day has arrived! Like Jude, I would have loved to write about our common salvation, but the times are pressing in on biblical believers. We must contend earnestly for the faith!
New Testament Apostasy
The English word “apostasy” is a transliteration of the Greek noun apostasia and is made up of two smaller Greek words, which are apo and istemi. Apo means “from or away from,” while istemi means, “to stand.” Thus, taken together, the compound word has the idea of “to stand away from,” “depart from,” or “departure.” The verbal form aphistemi is used in 1 Timothy 4:1 and means, “to cause someone to move from a reference point, go away, withdraw.” [1] “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith . . .” (1 Tim. 4:1a). Apostasy, as used in this article means to depart from the faith of biblical Christianity. In other words, to no longer believe what the Bible teaches about anything.
The following is a list of the seven major passages that deal with the last days for the church: 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 4:3-4; James 5:1-8; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 3:3-6; Jude 1-25. 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. The New Testament pictures the condition within the professing church at the end of the age by a system of denials.
Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder and first president of Dallas Theological Seminary, in an extremely insightful statement characterized the last days 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" (cf. 2 Tim. 3:1-5). The indication is that, having denied the power of the blood of Christ (cf. 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." (cf. 1 Cor. 2 :14). [3]
As can be observed from the above characterizations, apostasy occurs in two basic areas: 1) doctrinal defection from the Bible, and 2) immoral or ungodly behavior. The clear course of the last days for the church consists of constant warnings to the believer, especially to pastors and leaders, to be on guard within the flock against doctrinal defection, commonly known as apostasy. Such a characteristic provides for the believer today a clear sign that we are in the last days of the church age.
Christianity or Hinduism?
Caryl Matrisciana in her new video series exposing the new emerging Christianity entitled: Wide is the Gate says at the beginning of her presentation, “There are really only two basic worldviews. The Eastern mysticism of Hinduism . . . and the biblical worldview.” [4] I have long realized this myself when I learned in the 1970s that Hinduism was the polar-opposite of true biblical Christianity. Thus, any time one moves away from the Bible and its teachings by necessity one has to move in the direction of Hinduism and mysticism. My belief has been verified and strengthened over the years as we have seen metaphysical mysticism increasingly come into the Evangelical church during the last 40 years.
I was amazed to read a similar view back in the early 1890s by a pastor who had developed the same belief, but wrote of it in the late 1800s. Samuel J. Andrews wrote a book entitled Christianity and Anti-Christianity in Their Final Conflict. [5] Andrews believes that the polar-opposite of biblical Christianity is what he calls pantheism and the church of his day was moving in that direction. Pantheism, which means that everything is god, is an excellent single term description of Hinduism.
Andrews noted that there are three stages in the history of ideas. “First, their origin in the minds of individual thinkers, . . . Secondly, their popularization and general diffusion. . . . Thirdly, when generally diffused, these ideas find their embodiment in laws and institutions.” [6] Andrews believed that the nineteenth century in which he lived was the second stage of transition to Pantheism, which means that we are clearly in the third and final stage of transition.
When I look at the final form of the apostasy, which will occur during the seven year tribulation in which the antichrist will be dominate, it appears to be a false system along the line of pantheism. There will be false signs and wonders that will be the basis upon which the False Prophet supports the Beast or the antichrist as noted in Revelation 13:13–15. This is reiterated in 2 Thessalonians 2:9 when speaking of the man of lawlessness, “the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders.” This will be the mysticism and magic of Satan himself. This deceptive apex is said to occur because unbelievers in the tribulation “did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Thess. 2:10). One other passage of note in 2 Thessalonians 2 is verse 7 that tells us that “the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” during the current church age preparing the world for the entrance of the antichrist who is currently being restrained from making a full appearance until after the rapture.
Conclusion
Such preparation explains why we are seeing all the world’s false religions and belief systems increasingly unite against Bible believing Christians. This is where the world is headed. Either one is for Christ or he will be against him. No middle ground.
The common denominator for all anti-Christians is human experience set against God’s revelation. Since biblical Christianity is rooted and grounded in the fact that the Second Person of the Trinity became a man and entered history in order that He might die for man’s sin as a substitutionary sacrifice in order to provide salvation to those who believe, it is important for unbelievers to shift focus away from the God-Man to human experience. Biblical Christianity has to be stripped of the historical facts of Scripture like creation, the fall, the flood, the call of Abram, the exodus, the conquest, the Temple, the incarnation, the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, as well as His second coming. In its place is the self-discovery through some religious discipline of the inner self. Nothing more than human experience.
Human experience rather than God’s revelation is the common denominator that links all false religions and philosophies into a common bond. This is why the products of humanistic thinking is being brought into our Evangelical church through items such as psychology and psychotherapy, self-development, quietness and meditation exercises, Yoga, social justice, heath foods, and all kinds of metaphysical approaches that replace a biblical doctrine of holiness and sanctification. The gospel is taking a backseat to social programs and “do-goodism” since these metaphysical approaches seek to reform mankind instead of recognizing our sin and need for the Saviour. These kinds of trends being spearheaded by the emerging church within Evangelicalism are not making the gospel more relevant to the culture instead it is leading the way to hell by making the church no different than the world. It is also setting the stage for accepting the antichrist. Maranatha!
Endnotes
[1] W. F. Arndt, F. W. Danker, F. W. Gingrich, & Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), p. 158.
[2] Taken from J. Dwight Pentecost, Things To Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1958), p. 155.
[3] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, 8 Vols. (Dallas: Dallas Seminary Press, 1948), vol. IV, p. 375.
[4] Caryl Matrisciana, Wide is the Gate: The Emerging New Christianity, Vol. 1 (Menifee, CA: Caryl Productions, 2011), @ the 4 minute mark of the DVD.
[5] Samuel J. Andrews, Christianity and Anti-Christianity in Their Final Conflict (Chicago: The Bible Institute Colportage Association, 1898).
[6] Andrews, Christianity and Anti-Christianity, p. 201.
The judgment of God is the final act ...indeed there is a judgement of ALL men ...that includes Mary ... who is already in heaven ...so a rapture does not eliminate that .
A rapture simply does not exist except in fantasies, and certainly not in Christian ones. Unless you follow the traditions of men, which most antiCatholics proclaim, yet practice.
Hint: Who came up with this unScriptural idea?
Iscool, you might find the words of TN wise.
To the contrary. It's pretty easy to find one taught by the Lord Jesus Christ and commissioned by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Unless you scour the ranks of Protestant churches, that is...
Not necessarily. Between the Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 and 39 wars, Islam will be absolutely devastated as a credible, viable "religion".
Last Sunday I spotted J. R. Church's Hidden Prophecies in the Psalms in the church library. Being interested in the history of the current dispensational interpretation, I consulted him on Psalm 83. Church, at least in this edition, equated that conflict with both Ezekiel 38-9 and Armageddon.
(Others reading this might profit from reading Har Magedon: The End of the Millenium.)
Catholocism would be one of the worst of choices. I certainly don’t want to go back under the law as the Catholics do. Their Old Testament Priests, and Bishops, long robes and “sitting in the best seats”. Their rituals and rules aren’t what Christ died for. The veil was rent long ago my good man. Our only High Priest is Christ and access to Him is direct.
The link you gave goes to the Amazon site where the book can be purchased and gives no details of what the book actually says.
A rapture simply does not exist except in fantasies, and certainly not in Christian ones. Unless you follow the traditions of men, which most antiCatholics proclaim, yet practice.Hint: Who came up with this unScriptural idea?
The rapture, as the catching up of the church to be with the returning Christ in the air, certainly is scriptural.
The Scofield/LaHaye/Lindsay/Left Behind rapture, a secret transporter beam outta here on the nick of capital T Tribulation, involves a lot of creative interpretation, squinting just right, etc. Square theological peg, round scriptural hole. If one can make that work, one can make anything work.
(As an aside, having run temporarily through serious stuff, I'm finally reading the first Left Behind novel. The prose ranges from pedestrian to dire. I read the first page and thought "It was a dark and stormy night..." )
No, no, that's fine. You may either follow the institution that the Lord Jesus Christ created and the Holy Spirit commissioned at Pentecost or you may spurn it. Your choice. In spite of the rationalizations that antiCatholic spew, there really is only one choice: you either go with what Christ has given us or else you do not.
Mary was judged and pronounced Kachiratomene.
My contention would be that it can tortured out of Scripture, wrung out and the molecules reassembled to provide support. I would question as to why such as thing did not exist in anyone's belief until Scofield magically happened on this blessed idea.
My contention would be that it can tortured out of Scripture, wrung out and the molecules reassembled to provide support. I would question as to why such as thing did not exist in anyone's belief until Scofield magically happened on this blessed idea.
The link you gave goes to the Amazon site where the book can be purchased and gives no details of what the book actually says.
As of this instant, used copies can be had from Amazon alternate vendors for $.01, plus Amazon's usual $3.99 shipping.
The cover style of the edition I saw made me think it dated from the '70s or '80s.
I believe the closest reference to the Catholic Church is found in Revelation and the admonition is to “come out of her”.
Seven years is seven years and that's how long the Tribulation will last.
Jesus will shorten the length of the days to save lives, but the Tribulation itself will last for seven years.
Such is your belief. We have Scripture; what do you have? The god in the mirror?
It is NOT for sale it is what Christ said would be. Remember the ten virgins and half had to go BUY some 'oil'. Salvation is offered to those who will in this flesh age. Christ is returning for a harvest with a double edge sword not to offer tickets for a trip out of here.
I would question as to why such as thing did not exist in anyone's belief until Scofield magically happened on this blessed idea.
Exactly. You don't find it in the text, unless you come to the text expecting to find it.
Back in 2005, Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids had a conference on preaching apocalyptic texts. I'm not sure the audio is still there (see here, scroll down to June 2005), but it's worth looking up, Gordon Fee's and G. K. Beale's especially. (The audio links are to a Realaudio stream, not sure how that's going to work now.)
LOL And the bodily assumption is in which passage from scripture exactly?
The article is right on the money. This world is drowning in apostasy and the blatant denial of Scripture by self-confessed "Christians" is inarguable proof of the inerrancy of Scripture.
Apostasy is one of the last signs before the removal of the Church and the beginning of the Tribulation. Thank you for giving those of us who know Christ as Savior stronger hope that our Redeemer is coming for us soon.
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