Bible Reading: II Thessalonians 2
Key Verse: Verse 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;”
Key Words: except there come a falling away first
The church at Thessalonica was being taught false doctrine in regard to the second coming of Jesus; so Paul writes the church and tells them in verse three what the spiritual condition of the church will be like before the Lord’s return. Simply stated, Paul said that in the last days there would be a falling away from God. The words “falling away” come from the Greek word apostasia, from which we get our word apostasy.
There are those who believe that before the Lord returns there will be a worldwide revival, a spiritual awakening; but according to the Scriptures, that will not be the case. As the church age comes to an end, it will be filled with lukewarmness, complacency and rejection of the truth. We are told in Revelation 3:14-17, “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:.. .”
In the last days of the church age the church will grow worse, worldly, and weaker. I believe that we are seeing this today in churches as a whole.
How perverted our churches have become can be seen through the music, dress, and lack of spiritual life. But a great illustration of the perversion of the church can be seen through its growing acceptance of sexual perversion as a lifestyle choice. Many churches have joined in this parade of tolerance of promiscuity.
In 1972 the United Church of Christ (not the predominant Church of Christ most people are familiar with today), ordained a homosexual pastor into the ministry. Now, you may wonder why I would bring this to your attention. The United Church of Christ was a predominant church during the early days of our country. They were not called the United Church of Christ back then; they were known as the Puritan Church. Those who, at one time, prayed down God’s wrath on such sins now openly practice it. The church as a whole is falling away into the depths of apostasy.
I challenge each one of you not to be discouraged but rather to lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.
What to do:
✞ Occupy until the Lord returns.
✞ Stay close to God with a life of devotion.
✞ Be a part of a strong Baptist church, and be faithful to its ministries and services.
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