Volume 22, Issue 1 _________________________________Bible Prophecy Ministry


The Great Falling Away



      With this months newsletter being the last one I shall be writing within the 20th century, my mind is racing back over this century, and also at the same time, envisioning the events that may lay just ahead, prophetically speaking, in the next century.

      The 20th century has witnessed two world wars, it saw the advent of nuclear weapons, it has seen the miraculous rebirth of the state of Israel, and it has also seen the church experience extreme fluctuations in its earthly ride amongst the nations.

      As a Christian, looking forward into the upcoming century, I can't help but sense deep down inside, a spiritual sensitivity that suggests to me that the Lord is soon to come, and that the completion of history is not only imminent, but at hand, at the very door.

      Many Christians today enjoy a deep soul-stirring excitement about the prospect of the long anticipated second coming of Jesus Christ. But, then again many do not seem the least bit fired up about that being an imminent event.

      I get many questions from readers and enthusiasts of Bible prophecy regarding events during the great Tribulation, and events leading directly into it, but I find that many people seem to be unaware of some of the signs of the times which would prevail right inside of the church itself, prior to the Tribulation.

      These ominous signs began with the very birth of the church 2000 years ago, but their subtle, gradual leavening within the church has produced a prevalent spirit of complacency and apathy among its numbers especially in our 20th century; which has witnessed a culminating consequence of doctrinal compromises.

      This culminating condition in the last days church is known in the Bible as the "Great Falling Away." This condition was prophesied to exist within the universal church just prior to the Day of the Lord. In fact, this condition may be said to be of a necessity for the logistical underpinning of the Man of Sin, or Antichrist.

      So then, while Biblically discerning Christians can watch all the unfolding seasonal signs of end times prophecy concerning Israel, they should also be more acutely aware of signs within world churchdom itself, signals which correspond with the conspiracy of the "mystery of iniquity".

      So then, while Biblically discerning Christians can watch all the unfolding seasonal signs of end times prophecy concerning Israel, they should also be more acutely aware of signs within world churchdom itself, signals which correspond with the conspiracy of the ages old "mystery of iniquity".

      The mystery of iniquity has a long history. It was fathered by Satan himself. It is a supernatural spirit of evil scheming, perpetuated by the think tankers of Hell, seeking to undermine the working of the great mystery of God's wonderful Grace!

      It has long given up on conquering the church of Jesus, and subsequently, has thus sought to infiltrate the church by joining it, and seeking to conform it over into another entity, under another Christ.

      The Christian must therefore be constantly alert to the unceasing attack of the demonic horde from hell upon the church. Remember, Jesus said; the gates of Hell would never prevail over his church. Although the church will never be stolen or defeated, the fact remains that Satan will subtly obstruct its mission.

      In reality, the fact of the matter is that the very church itself has exhibited symptoms of many signs of the last days even before the miraculous birth of the nation of Israel began a countdown to the end.

      In his letter to the assembly of Jesus followers in the city of Thessalonica, Paul alluded to just such a condition that would permeate many of the churches during the last days.

      II Thessalonians 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come except there come a Falling Away first; and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.

      So, very clearly then, we have definite advice that something shall have needed to take place within the church world itself before the Antichrist can appear.

      So, what is a "Falling Away"? What does it mean?

      Since it comes first, before all of the other things with regards to the man of sin, the rapture, the timing of great Tribulation; we should know more about it; as it stands to reason that we should experience it.

      According to scripture, there shall be unmistakable and progressive signs within the church before that event known as the Rapture takes place, although the final condition of the last days world church will not reach the Apostate condition until after the genuine church has been caught away to be with the Lord.

      A Falling Away, is defined as a deviation from, or the forsaking of an authentically established position.

      The letters to the seven churches in the book of the Revelation conveys an evaluation of churches all throughout church history. Those letters culminate by addressing lastly the church of Laodicea. This analogy shows that Jesus is knocking on its door, yearning to be let inside by anyone who may hear him knocking.

      How is it that the founder of the church ( Jesus ) has come at this point to be in a position altogether outside of the church, knocking on its door, seeking admission, rather than on the inside where he began?

      Revelation 4:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and annoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see.

      This verse indicates that this particular church has never even experienced spiritual rebirth through Jesus death, burial, and resurrection to start with. Implied by the accusation of being naked, is the idea that it appears exposed to every old wind of philosophy, due to its spiritual lack of doctrinal covering. Therefore it is blind, and in need of healing before the sense of spiritual sight can even be functional within it.

      This church typifies the Great Falling Away, which has become so prevalent among churches during the 20th century, simultaneously with Israel's rebirth.

      Today, there is a very deep concern within sincere Christiandom sensing a lacking of that abundant life that Jesus offers to all that follow him. That spirit of life abundant needs constant feeding, therefore the neglect and absence of teaching, hearing, preaching, sharing, understanding, and defending the unchanging and absolute eternal truths of God's Holy Word will lead to a church environment of lukewarmness.

      Jesus attempts to introduce himself to the church at Laodicea under the name being Faithful and True is really an effort by him to establish the foundation of faithfulness and truth inside of that church.

      The spiritual disparity between churches today is a direct product of the good seed falling on unsuitable soil. Jesus alluded to this disparity in his parables of the sowing of the fields.

      Verse 23 of Matthew 13 indicates that only after the good seed has taken root in understanding can there come forth good fruit to an ever increasing yield.

      The stony ground, thorns, and tares growing along side of the wheat all point to an unreceptive mind; and a lack of rootedness in the words of life.

      In essence there are two patterns of believers in the church. One is characterized as hearing the word but not discerning the word, being more preoccupied with the things of this world. The other pattern for hearers of the word is that it is received in all good faith, digested for consumption, producing abundantly the water of spiritual life springing up from inside.

      Today’s falling away church has failed to consume the True Word, and stifles those believers who have truly absorbed the Holy Spirit fueled endowment of spiritual wisdom and insight. Thus, generation after generation of church members come and go without any concept of the fervent power and sustenance of the Abundant Christian life obtained from feeding on the meatiness of the Holy Bible!

      The church in this prevailing condition ultimately shall find itself swept along into the Apostate church establishment of the post-rapture era, completely and totally susceptible to the Grand Delusion perpetrated by the Antichrist himself.

      The present church age shall indeed end in apostasy rather than ending with the church conquering the whole world. The apostasy has already taken its firm stranglehold in the church by successfully leading the church away from doctrinal and moral standards that were once the fixed, unchangeable anchors of Biblical absolutes.

      Apostasy has always been categorized as a departure from faith in God's revealed word, and also a sound understanding of that word, whether written or spoken.

      The church, which for so long was kept pure, by the Satanically inspired battles of persecution, has in our 20th century found a comradery with this world, and become indoctrinated with this worlds ideology, both doctrinally and spiritually; and the result is that it has no desire to be separated from this world.

      Someone has stated that the first casualty in the art of warfare is the truth. Indeed, it is the case, as Satan began immediately to cast aspersions upon the word of God, and he has ever since kept attacking the divinely inspired record. The purpose of course is to divert people away from the truth.

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