Apostasy

Text: 2Thes. 2:1-3 - Now, we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together to Him, that you may 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. Let no one in anyway deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 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.

Apostasy - Conscious abandonment of allegiance or duty. A falling away from what was once believed. The Revell Bible Dictionary - "A defection or falling away from the faith." 2 Thes. 2:1-3 predicts a time of apostasy, rebellion, a falling away from the faith, when the Anti-Christ is revealed.

Just before the Anti-Christ is revealed, there will be a mystery of lawlessness already at work. Many will depart from the faith. Some will be those who knew God at one time but the cares of the world choked it out of them, either through hardships, loss of faith, or licentiousness. Some may have never had a true saving faith at all but were merely going through the motions, being raised in the church; they were just a part of a group and never really knew the Lord. Near the time of the end, most people's love will grow cold.

Matthew 24:12 - And because lawlessness is increased, most peoples love will grow cold.

Lawlessness: A transgression of the law. A violation against God's Word. A turning away from the principles of the Word of God. A denial of the faith. Abandonment. Everyone is doing what is right in his or her own sight. making their own principles and rules. Being governed and dictated by their emotions, flesh, lusts, wants and desires. They are disobedient to authority, rebellious against traditions, laws, and rules. They have become impolite, rude, arrogant, backbiters. No true commitment to anyone or anything. Selfishness abounds. Self indulgences, self-gratifications, narcissistic in nature. Looking out for the self. They are never satisfied with what they have, always wanting more. Ungrateful, boastful and shipwrecked in their faith because they are trusting in the wrong things.

Paul states in 1 Tim. 1:5 - "The goal of our instruction is Love from a pure heart." If we lose sight of love, then we have lost sight of the faith, for love is the very reason we are here. For if we do not have Love, we are nothing! (1Cor. 13:2)

The picture here of "love growing cold" is that of selfishness. When one's love waxes cold, they no longer feel anything for others but merely are interested in their own pleasures and self-preservation. Their love for God and the brethren has died. They are run by their emotions. Just because they feel compassion for an event, doesn't mean they love. Some people are so selfish, that even when something bad happens to others, they are merely reaching out to appease their own hurt they are feeling inside rather than reaching out to the person that is actually hurt. This is the ultimate in selfishness.

In Matthew 24:12 - the word Love used here is the Greek word: Agape. It denotes Christian love. Christian love has God for its primary object and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His commandments, not just because one is afraid of losing something or not being blessed. The love Christians are to have for God is such that no matter what life gives us, no matter what persecutions we suffer, w love and believe in Him anyway. We are willing to die, to give up these earthen vessels to be with our Lord. The Christian has no home here on earth but his citizenshipis in heaven. To live is only Christ and to die is gain. The Christian does not seek to save his life, that is, his earthly wants and desires do not come before his obedience to the Lord, but rather he gives up all that for the sake of the cross. Agape - Love seeks the welfare of all and works no ill to any. This passage is referring to the Christians love growing cold.

Matthew 24:12 is described in The Life Application Bible as: "With false teachings and loose morals comes a particulary destructive disease - the loss of true love for God and others. Sin cools your love for God and others by turning in your focus on yourself! You cannot truly love if you think only of yourself."

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible explains these three points in Matthew 24:12 as follows:

1.) "Jesus foretells the persecution of His own people and ministers, and a general apostasy and decay in religion. The apostasy of some will come. When the profession of Christianity begins to cost men dear, then shall many be offended, shall first fall out with, and then fall off from, their profession. Those who knew/know the way of righteousness shall turn aside from it. Suffering times are shaking times, and those fall in the storm, that stood in fair weather. Many will follow Christ in the sunshine, but will leave Him in the cloudy dark day.

2.) The malignity of others: "Then they shall betray one another, those that have treacherously deserted their religion, shall hate and betray those who adhere to it. Apostates have commonly been the most bitter and violent persecutors. Persecuting times are discovering times. Wolves in sheep's clothing will then throw off their disguise, and appear wolves they shall betay one another and hate one another."

3.) Love growing cold: "When lawlessness has increased, the love of many will wax cold. When iniquity abounds, seducing iniquity, persecuting iniquity, this grace commonly waxes cold. Christians begin to be suspicious of one another, and so love comes to nothing. There shall be such a great decay of love of many but not of all, for God will always have a remnant."

In the Later Times

Here we have another picture of what will happen before the Lord's return and how SOME will FALL AWAY from the faith:

1 Tim. 4:1-2 - "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron."

2 Tim. 3:1-5 - But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.

The Life Application Bible states: "the form of appearance of godliness includes going to church, knowing Christian doctrine, using Christian cliches, and following a community's Christian traditions. Such practice cam make a person look good, but if the inner attitudes of belief, love, and worship are lacking, the outer appearance is meaningless. Paul warns us not to be deceived by people who only appear to be Christians. It may be difficult to distinguish them from true Christians at first, but their daily behavior will give them away. The characteristics described in 3:2-4 are unmistakable."

Zodhiates - Hebrew/Greek Key Study Bible:

* Lovers of Self - Grk. Philautos (philo - loving) (autos - self) In reality it is not the one who simply loves himself but one who simply loves himself more than he ought to, involving self-conceit and selfishness. A person who is characterized by an undue sparing of self and whose primary concern is that things be easy and pleasant for himself. This is one who loves his life so much that he seeks ignobly to save it.

* Lovers of Money - Grk. Aischrokerdes - Given to greed. Always wanting more.

* Boastful - Grk. Alazon - Boaster in words. Vaunting in those things that one does not posses. Boasting about things one has with contempt for others. Proud. One who shows himself above his fellows. To be drunk with pride with a heart lifted up not only against man but against God. Insolent wrongdoer to others for the pleasure, which the infliction imparts.

* Arrogant - Grk. Huperephanos (huper - over) and (phainomai - appear) One who shows himself above his fellow men in honor preferring himself.

* Revilers - Grk. Blasphemos - sluggish, slow, stupid. To be abusive, reviling, destroying one's good name. Abuse against someone. A false witness wounding ones reputation by evil speaking.

* Disobedient - Grk. Apeithes - Unbelieving, disobedient. Not letting oneself be persuaded, hard, stubborn.

* Ungrateful - Not feeling or exhibiting thankfulness.

* Unholy - Wicked.

* Unloving - Grk. Astorgos - without family love.( An attribute the Anti-Christ will posses). No families ties or connections.

* Irreconcilable - Grk. Aspondos - the absolutely irreconcilable who, being at war, refuses to lay aside his enmity or to listen to terms of reconcilliation, implacable. IN a state of war.

* Malicious Gossips - Grk. Diablos (the devil) One who falsely accuses and divides people without any reason. He is an accuser, a slanderer.

* Without Sefl-Control - Powerless, incontinent. Controlled by pleasures, wants, desires and emotions.

* Brutal - Extremely ruthless or cruel. Harsh, unrelenting.

* Haters of Good - Grk. Aphilagathos - A person who may have pity, but does not necessarily do anything to relieve the suffering of another through self-denial. Incapable of any self-denial in order to be kind.

* Treacherous - Marked by betrayal of fidelity, confidence or trust. Undependable, unreliable. Truce breaker. Never keeps promises or commitments.

* Reckless - Heady, rash, Heedless or careless. Hasty, boldness.

* Conceited - Grk. Tuphoo - to raise or make a smoke. Symbolizing pride, insolence; to be drunk with pride with a heart lifted up not only against man but also against God.

* Lovers of Pleasure Rather than Lovers of God - Seeking self-gratification rather than selflessness. Complacent. Asleep in the light.

A Look Back

During the time of King Solomon's reign, he acted wickedly in the site of God when he was led away by his wives to serve other gods. He erected statues for for his wives that they could worship. Because of this, God told Solomon that He was going to divide the kingdom of Israel. This marks the beginningof the divided kingdoms. Throughout the books of the prophets, you will see judgments against Judah and then judgments against Israel. These are the two divided kingdoms. It was divided thusly:

Israel - The Southern Kingdom (10 Tribes)

Judah - The Northern Kingdom (1 tribe - Judah) Jerusalem remained the Capitol.

(read 1 Kings chapters 11-12)

Reading on in Kings, you'll find an array of kings and how they ruled. Many were awful and did evil in the site of the Lord by erecting altars to other gods. When we get to 2 Kings 18, we find Hezekiah who was a righteous king. He was taken by an ailment and prayed to God that he would be healed. God heard his prayer and delivered him. He then had a son who became the most wickedest king in all of Judah's history. (2 Kings Chapter 21). (Prov. 29:2) His name was Manasseh who reigned 55 years and did utter wickedness in the site of God. It was so bad, that it drew the nation completely away from God that they no longer knew Him. Manasseh sacrificed children in the fire and did other horrific deeds. After him came a king named Amon, (2Kings21:19) who gave birth to a son named Josiah. Josiah was a righteous king. (2Kings chapter 22).

King Josiah

Josiah became King when he was 8 years old. He began to run things around for the nation. He followed after his ancestor, King David. 2 Chron. 34. Josiah went on a massive quest to tear down all the images and do what was right in the site of God. He purged the nation of evil worship and the false gods. After Josiah ridded the land of the evil influences, he realized this wasn't enough. He had to restore and implement God's laws. Cleaning the house is one thing, but it needs to be filled with righteousness and truth. Josiah ordered the temple, which was the house of God, to be repaired. It was in shambles after it had been ransacked.

Great offerings were taken to repair the house of God. Everyone pitched in. As this was taking place, they discovered something that had been lost for years. It was the Pentateuch, the law of God, the ancient Bible. Hilkiah found it in the house of God. Can you imagine, the nation was so corrupt that they had lost the oracles of God. Now it was found and they took it to the King. When King Josiah heard the words of the book, his heart was pierced. Conviction fell upon him because he had realized how far they had fallen away from God. He tore his clothes in deep repentance and mourning.

Are We Falling into Apostasy?

So many have gotten away from the true teachings of the Word of God that it has led His children into a state of Apostasy. We are responsible to devour the Word and return to Biblical principles and not interpret the Word the way we see fit.

Are we falling into a state of apostasy and depending on the world for our help? (Isaiah 30:1,2 ) (Isaiah 31:1) Egypt has always been a representation of the world. When we depend on secular humanism and philosophies of man rather than God, we are entering into a state of apostasy. As Christians, we must keep our eyes focussed on God and His Word and not turn to the left or to the right. Our faith must remain in God and what His Word tells us and not on what the world is doing. In this world, we are promised that we will have tribulation. Bad things are going to take place in our lives, but we must remain faithful to God and believe that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We must believe that through the hardships, He will be with us and strengthen us through it. Our faith should be as such that even if bad things happen, we are willing to give it up for Christ, "for to live is Christ, but to die is gain." If Christians do go through the "Great Tribulation," would we remain faithful through that time? Could we endure what the saints of old did? Isaiah was put into a log and sawn in two, Peter was crucified upside down and John was dipped into a vat of hot oil. We seem to lose all patience and control when we get stuck at a red light or our check books don't balace.

Like Josiah, we need to tear our garments and get back to Biblical basics. Our modern day gospel is not designed to help us through times of tribulation but instead to comfort us and bring us niceties. The mentality is that no one feels bad. The gospel pricks at the very heart of sin. Without truth, we are lost. Look at the report card Jesus gives the church in chapter 3 of the book of Revelation. He tells them what they are doing good and also tells them what they are doing bad. Then he tells them how to get back on course. This is a wondeful balance of truth and love, it's a guidline for the church that misses the mark and how it can get back on track.We need to examine ourselves daily to see whether or not we are in the faith. We need to set aside time to read the Word, to pray and to have a real relationship with God. Not only for our own walk but so that we can be a witness to a lost and dying world. It's time to throw out the idols in our heart that keep us from serving God completely. Perilous times are coming to our families, to the church and to the world. We will only be able to stand in this day if we know the Lord. Today is the day to return to the Lord. Sow to the Spirit, reap the fruit of the Christian life, return to your first love!

A Remnant Shall Return

Througout the Bible we find traces of God's faithful remnant. If you have slipped into a state of complacency, It's not too late for you to wake up and be a part of God's faithful remnant. Jesus says in Revelation 3: Isaiah 30:18 -