| The Apostasy, a Strange Fire Article by Pete Lounsbury, copyright 2005 |
The Final Apostasy
According to current Christian consensus, the Great Apostasy will occur just
before the return of Christ.
Supposedly the professing church will depart from Biblical truth
en masse and begin confessing ungodly doctrine. This then would enable
the anti-christ to take over and cause havoc in the earth until Jesus destroys
him. The problem is that in 2 Thessalonians 2 (where the idea of this special
Apostasy is pin-pointed), there is no discussion of a falling away from the
faith at all. There will be a falling away of something-- but not of the faith.
Here is the consensus view, condensed from a number of articles I've read:
The "apostasy" (Gk. apostasia), literally meaning "departure," "falling away"(2 Thess. 2:3), or
"abandonment and rebellion," will occur. In the last days. Multitudes within the professing church
will depart from Biblical truth. Both the apostle Paul and Christ depict a dismal picture of the
condition of much of the visible church - morally, spiritually, and doctrinally - as the present age
closes. Paul in particular stresses that the churches will be invaded by godless elements in the
last days. This "falling away" within the church will have two dimensions. Apostates may proclaim
right doctrine and, yet abandon God's moral standards. Many churches will tolerate almost
anything for the sake of numbers, money, success, and honor. The Gospel of the Cross with its
call to suffer reproach from the world, to radically denounce sin, to sacrifice for the kingdom of
God, and to deny one's self will become rare.
If you do a search for Apostasy on Google you'll most likely come up with
web sites by Moslems talking about how Just it is to punish those who
change their Islam religion for some other religion, namely Christianity. In
some of their countries this Apostasy is punishable by death. That's terrible!
you say. But wasn't Apostasy from the Roman Catholic Faith also
punishable by death in the Medieval Times? Or how about the reformists
Calvin or Zwingli putting to death those who didn't agree with them.
Apostasy is a good excuse to kill people you don't like. But it is not in the
Bible. Theologians love to throw the word Apostasy around to condemn
people who don't agree with them.
Here is an all too common example of a man who has it all catagorized as to
what it means to be a apostate or heretic! Bring on the Inquisition:
If there is indeed an apostasy occurring in the Christian Church, we would not know it unless we
first examined the Bible closely and then compared the Church to the Word of God. It is only
after truth is established that we would then have a measuring rod by which apostasy can be
detected. Therefore, I propose the following list of biblical truths as a sample of essential
Christian and non-essential doctrines by which we might compare other teachings and
phenomena. Note this is not absolute and the nuances of several can be debated as not all will
agree with the categorization of all points.(Hey Hey!)
1. Primary Essentials (Nature and work of Christ) - Cannot deny and be Christian since they are
explicitly stated as required in scripture.
1. Jesus is both God and man (John 1:1,14;8:24; Col. 2:9; 1 John 4:1-4).
2. Jesus rose from the dead physically (John 2:19-21).
3. Salvation is by grace through faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 5:1-5).
4. The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Gal. 1:8-9).
5. There is only one God (Exodus 20:1-3; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8)
2. Secondary Essentials - (Nature of God) Cannot deny and be Christian.
1. God exists as a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (See Trinity)
2. Virgin Birth of Jesus - relates to incarnation of Christ as God and man.
ETC. ETC. ETC.
OK! I don't believe in some of this stuff! So call me a heretic and stone me!
The point is Apostasy in the born-again Body of Christ is not possible. Once
you're in the Body, your always in the Body. If you were to get out of
fellowship, and turn away from God, life might not be too good anymore, but
you would still be with Christ in the end. In Paul's time, the believers
wouldn't even know if, theologically, this Apostasy had occurred. It wasn't a
big enough sign to indicate the end times. The sign that would mean
something to these guys was if Christ came back in the clouds, as the
angels had promised the disciples, or conversely, if the believers were
suddenly taken to Christ (as in the rapture).
Where do Christians get the idea of this great Apostasy?
From ll Thessalonians 2:3, where the Greek word apostasia is
institutionalized into the grand concept of Apostasy. Little do they know that
apostasia indicates a far greater event than a theological rebellion!
Let's study the Word of God in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2:1-8.
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering
together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by
word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by
any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away [apostasia] first, and
that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing
himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
And now ye know what withholdeth[katecho] that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [katecho] will let, until he
be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume
with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
The topic of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 is stated in the first verse:
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
by our gathering together unto him.
Our gathering together unto him in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 is the topic of these
verses and is equal to what is expressed in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
concerning our being caught up together to meet the Lord:
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye
sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the
dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with
the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Then,
verse 2 tells us not to be shaken in mind that Christ will come back without you knowing
about it.
It will be an awesome event! You will
know when it happens! Guaranteed!
Then
verse 3 tells us Christ will not come back
unless something big happens--
a falling away!
2 Thessalonians 2:3:
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there
come a falling away [apostasia] first
Theologically, the word apostasia (a falling away; departure) has come to
be defined, in this verse, as " turning away from a belief". It is defined this
way because theologians, for various reasons, argued for this definition.
Then, as history passed, an English word developed to correspond to the
poorly translated Greek word apostasia. That word is "Apostasy".
"Apostasy" does mean to change or deny one's religion. Do you see how
a word can evolve into something different than it's origin. Take the English
word "terrible". Biblically "terrible" means awesome, instilling fear and
respect. God is called terrrible for this reason. These days, however,
terrible is used to express inadequacy, such as, "Timmy's homework is
terrible" or " I had a terrible day at the office"
The word apostasia in biblical Greek is assumed to have the same meaning
as our English word Apostasy. Our English word does mean to change
one's religion and become a heretic. But long ago the Greek word apostasia
was not institutionalized and did not necessarily have that same connotation.
It's meaning was more like, "a falling away"-as in the KJV or a
"departure"-as in the World English Bible. The King James Bible people
were smart and would have translated the word Apostasy if it fit. But it does
not fit and would not be an apt translation.
Would Apostasy by a bunch of Christians be big enough to certify that the
Day of the Lord is upon us? No! Why? Because heresies are always with
us! (OK, born-again believer, pop into any Christian Church and start
writing heresies down. You may be right! You may be wrong! but one
thing's for sure is that you're not going to agree with all you hear. Does this
make you an apostate. Are you going to lose your salvation? Is Christ going
to forget about you? I think not.)
OK. Maybe this great theological Apostasy is where the Vatican turns to
Judaism. Or how about a bunch of non-born-again pew-dwellers converting
to Islam. Would God care? I don't think so. Would that be a big enough deal?
I don't think so. Then what is this Apostasy supposed to be?
The Bible does not state that the Big Event is an
Apostasy at all!
What big event will indicate the coming of Christ ?
"a falling away"
A falling away of what?
Do you know? Does the Verse tell you? NO! It does not tell you
in the verse.
BUT does it tell you in the remote context of the chapter?
YES! (it tells you in the remote context very very clearly).
Let's Look and See!
Verses 3 through 5, in 2 Thessalonians 2, say that after this "falling away"
the anti-christ will be revealed.
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; Who opposeth and exalteth
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple
of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told
you these things?
And that means BIG TROUBLE for anyone who has to hang around and
deal with him. Fortunately for the Born-again Church, we will be taken out of
here in the nick of time! The Bible says, the Church will not be appointed to
the wrath--see 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9.
Concerning our topic, however, 2 Thessalonians 2:6 tells us, "And now
you know what withholdeth [katecho] that he [the anti-christ] might be
revealed in his time."
WHAT WITHHOLDETH? We're supposed to know this (according
to Paul)! Well, what power protects the world from the wrath of the devil? Is
it not true that the Devil would like nothing more than to Destroy all mankind,
according to John 10:10.
Who stops him? God stops him!
Like in Job, if God takes His hand of protection away, what happens. Utter
Destruction.
1. When any good was taken out of Sodom with Lot what happened? Utter
destruction!
2. When any good was taken out of the world with Noah (via the Ark) what
happened? Utter destruction!
3. Now. If any good were taken out of the world at this time (say the Spirit of
God decided to "fall away" from the world with all the believers) what would
happen? You guessed it. Utter destruction by the hand of the
Anti-Christ--the Devil's man.
What "Withholdeth", my friends?? What will "fall away" creating this horrid
vacuum?
The Spirit of God will fall away!
Make sense?
You see, there will be no great theological Apostasy. Just a waxing worse
and worse of sinfullness and finally a departure of the Spirit of God, the
power that holds back the full hatred of the devil.
This event will not be hidden in theological circles, it will not be a doctrinal
disagreement amongst obscure churches. It will involve the disappearance
of millions of people. The retreat, temporarily, of all true goodness and the
beginning of such evil and destruction as has never been seen.
Forget Apostasy. This event will get the world's attention!
Now the second verse about the power that holds back the power of the
devil. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 says:
"For the mystery of iniquity does already work [ok that explains Tsunamis,
Islamic Terrorists, Volcanos and Earth Quakes]: Only he who now letteth
[katecho, holds back] will let [hold], until he (the spirit of God) be taken out
of the way."
The word "LETTETH" is the same Greek word as "WITHHOLDETH" from
the previous verse. The word is Katecho, which means to hold back, retain
or control. In other words there might be bad stuff going on now but God is
still controlling how much is allowed to be perpetrated. The Devil is only
controlled by God and His power. When the power of God leaves the scene,
the Devil's nature is to destroy.
Understand? No Apostasy! Just a leaving by all that's Godly. The "falling
away" in 2Thessalonians 2:2 is the falling away of all that's good from this
planet, leaving only the EVIL MAN and the remaining population!
Of Course it doesn't end there because in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 it says,
And Then shall that Wicked [one} be revealed, whom the Lord
shall consume with the spirit of his mouth,
and shall destroy with the brightness of his
coming. Amen! Amen!
The summary is this, because there is an assumption on the part of the
theological world that the Greek word apostasia always means the same
thing as the English word Apostasy; then 2 Thessalonians 2:3 must be
indicating a great heretical Apostasy occurring which supposedly
introduces the end times. This is not the case, because the verses
following clearly state that the supposed apostasy is actually a "falling away"
of the Spirit of God, which is the power that holds back the devil. There is a
big difference here with many ramifications to consider. A Christian
Apostasy, NO! Leave the concept of Apostasy to Islam and to their
self-righteousness and hatred. Christians have a better hope to
contemplate!
According to current Christian consensus, the Great Apostasy will occur just
before the return of Christ.
Supposedly the professing church will depart from Biblical truth
en masse and begin confessing ungodly doctrine. This then would enable
the anti-christ to take over and cause havoc in the earth until Jesus destroys
him. The problem is that in 2 Thessalonians 2 (where the idea of this special
Apostasy is pin-pointed), there is no discussion of a falling away from the
faith at all. There will be a falling away of something-- but not of the faith.
Here is the consensus view, condensed from a number of articles I've read:
The "apostasy" (Gk. apostasia), literally meaning "departure," "falling away"(2 Thess. 2:3), or
"abandonment and rebellion," will occur. In the last days. Multitudes within the professing church
will depart from Biblical truth. Both the apostle Paul and Christ depict a dismal picture of the
condition of much of the visible church - morally, spiritually, and doctrinally - as the present age
closes. Paul in particular stresses that the churches will be invaded by godless elements in the
last days. This "falling away" within the church will have two dimensions. Apostates may proclaim
right doctrine and, yet abandon God's moral standards. Many churches will tolerate almost
anything for the sake of numbers, money, success, and honor. The Gospel of the Cross with its
call to suffer reproach from the world, to radically denounce sin, to sacrifice for the kingdom of
God, and to deny one's self will become rare.
If you do a search for Apostasy on Google you'll most likely come up with
web sites by Moslems talking about how Just it is to punish those who
change their Islam religion for some other religion, namely Christianity. In
some of their countries this Apostasy is punishable by death. That's terrible!
you say. But wasn't Apostasy from the Roman Catholic Faith also
punishable by death in the Medieval Times? Or how about the reformists
Calvin or Zwingli putting to death those who didn't agree with them.
Apostasy is a good excuse to kill people you don't like. But it is not in the
Bible. Theologians love to throw the word Apostasy around to condemn
people who don't agree with them.
Here is an all too common example of a man who has it all catagorized as to
what it means to be a apostate or heretic! Bring on the Inquisition:
If there is indeed an apostasy occurring in the Christian Church, we would not know it unless we
first examined the Bible closely and then compared the Church to the Word of God. It is only
after truth is established that we would then have a measuring rod by which apostasy can be
detected. Therefore, I propose the following list of biblical truths as a sample of essential
Christian and non-essential doctrines by which we might compare other teachings and
phenomena. Note this is not absolute and the nuances of several can be debated as not all will
agree with the categorization of all points.(Hey Hey!)
1. Primary Essentials (Nature and work of Christ) - Cannot deny and be Christian since they are
explicitly stated as required in scripture.
1. Jesus is both God and man (John 1:1,14;8:24; Col. 2:9; 1 John 4:1-4).
2. Jesus rose from the dead physically (John 2:19-21).
3. Salvation is by grace through faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 5:1-5).
4. The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:1-4; Gal. 1:8-9).
5. There is only one God (Exodus 20:1-3; Isaiah 43:10; 44:6,8)
2. Secondary Essentials - (Nature of God) Cannot deny and be Christian.
1. God exists as a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (See Trinity)
2. Virgin Birth of Jesus - relates to incarnation of Christ as God and man.
ETC. ETC. ETC.
OK! I don't believe in some of this stuff! So call me a heretic and stone me!
The point is Apostasy in the born-again Body of Christ is not possible. Once
you're in the Body, your always in the Body. If you were to get out of
fellowship, and turn away from God, life might not be too good anymore, but
you would still be with Christ in the end. In Paul's time, the believers
wouldn't even know if, theologically, this Apostasy had occurred. It wasn't a
big enough sign to indicate the end times. The sign that would mean
something to these guys was if Christ came back in the clouds, as the
angels had promised the disciples, or conversely, if the believers were
suddenly taken to Christ (as in the rapture).
Where do Christians get the idea of this great Apostasy?
From ll Thessalonians 2:3, where the Greek word apostasia is
institutionalized into the grand concept of Apostasy. Little do they know that
apostasia indicates a far greater event than a theological rebellion!
Let's study the Word of God in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2:1-8.
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering
together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by
word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by
any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away [apostasia] first, and
that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all
that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing
himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
And now ye know what withholdeth[katecho] that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth [katecho] will let, until he
be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume
with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
The topic of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 is stated in the first verse:
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
by our gathering together unto him.
Our gathering together unto him in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 is the topic of these
verses and is equal to what is expressed in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
concerning our being caught up together to meet the Lord:
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye
sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the
dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with
the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Then,
verse 2 tells us not to be shaken in mind that Christ will come back without you knowing
about it.
It will be an awesome event! You will
know when it happens! Guaranteed!
Then
verse 3 tells us Christ will not come back
unless something big happens--
a falling away!
2 Thessalonians 2:3:
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there
come a falling away [apostasia] first
Theologically, the word apostasia (a falling away; departure) has come to
be defined, in this verse, as " turning away from a belief". It is defined this
way because theologians, for various reasons, argued for this definition.
Then, as history passed, an English word developed to correspond to the
poorly translated Greek word apostasia. That word is "Apostasy".
"Apostasy" does mean to change or deny one's religion. Do you see how
a word can evolve into something different than it's origin. Take the English
word "terrible". Biblically "terrible" means awesome, instilling fear and
respect. God is called terrrible for this reason. These days, however,
terrible is used to express inadequacy, such as, "Timmy's homework is
terrible" or " I had a terrible day at the office"
The word apostasia in biblical Greek is assumed to have the same meaning
as our English word Apostasy. Our English word does mean to change
one's religion and become a heretic. But long ago the Greek word apostasia
was not institutionalized and did not necessarily have that same connotation.
It's meaning was more like, "a falling away"-as in the KJV or a
"departure"-as in the World English Bible. The King James Bible people
were smart and would have translated the word Apostasy if it fit. But it does
not fit and would not be an apt translation.
Would Apostasy by a bunch of Christians be big enough to certify that the
Day of the Lord is upon us? No! Why? Because heresies are always with
us! (OK, born-again believer, pop into any Christian Church and start
writing heresies down. You may be right! You may be wrong! but one
thing's for sure is that you're not going to agree with all you hear. Does this
make you an apostate. Are you going to lose your salvation? Is Christ going
to forget about you? I think not.)
OK. Maybe this great theological Apostasy is where the Vatican turns to
Judaism. Or how about a bunch of non-born-again pew-dwellers converting
to Islam. Would God care? I don't think so. Would that be a big enough deal?
I don't think so. Then what is this Apostasy supposed to be?
The Bible does not state that the Big Event is an
Apostasy at all!
What big event will indicate the coming of Christ ?
"a falling away"
A falling away of what?
Do you know? Does the Verse tell you? NO! It does not tell you
in the verse.
BUT does it tell you in the remote context of the chapter?
YES! (it tells you in the remote context very very clearly).
Let's Look and See!
Verses 3 through 5, in 2 Thessalonians 2, say that after this "falling away"
the anti-christ will be revealed.
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; Who opposeth and exalteth
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple
of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told
you these things?
And that means BIG TROUBLE for anyone who has to hang around and
deal with him. Fortunately for the Born-again Church, we will be taken out of
here in the nick of time! The Bible says, the Church will not be appointed to
the wrath--see 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9.
Concerning our topic, however, 2 Thessalonians 2:6 tells us, "And now
you know what withholdeth [katecho] that he [the anti-christ] might be
revealed in his time."
WHAT WITHHOLDETH? We're supposed to know this (according
to Paul)! Well, what power protects the world from the wrath of the devil? Is
it not true that the Devil would like nothing more than to Destroy all mankind,
according to John 10:10.
Who stops him? God stops him!
Like in Job, if God takes His hand of protection away, what happens. Utter
Destruction.
1. When any good was taken out of Sodom with Lot what happened? Utter
destruction!
2. When any good was taken out of the world with Noah (via the Ark) what
happened? Utter destruction!
3. Now. If any good were taken out of the world at this time (say the Spirit of
God decided to "fall away" from the world with all the believers) what would
happen? You guessed it. Utter destruction by the hand of the
Anti-Christ--the Devil's man.
What "Withholdeth", my friends?? What will "fall away" creating this horrid
vacuum?
The Spirit of God will fall away!
Make sense?
You see, there will be no great theological Apostasy. Just a waxing worse
and worse of sinfullness and finally a departure of the Spirit of God, the
power that holds back the full hatred of the devil.
This event will not be hidden in theological circles, it will not be a doctrinal
disagreement amongst obscure churches. It will involve the disappearance
of millions of people. The retreat, temporarily, of all true goodness and the
beginning of such evil and destruction as has never been seen.
Forget Apostasy. This event will get the world's attention!
Now the second verse about the power that holds back the power of the
devil. 2 Thessalonians 2:7 says:
"For the mystery of iniquity does already work [ok that explains Tsunamis,
Islamic Terrorists, Volcanos and Earth Quakes]: Only he who now letteth
[katecho, holds back] will let [hold], until he (the spirit of God) be taken out
of the way."
The word "LETTETH" is the same Greek word as "WITHHOLDETH" from
the previous verse. The word is Katecho, which means to hold back, retain
or control. In other words there might be bad stuff going on now but God is
still controlling how much is allowed to be perpetrated. The Devil is only
controlled by God and His power. When the power of God leaves the scene,
the Devil's nature is to destroy.
Understand? No Apostasy! Just a leaving by all that's Godly. The "falling
away" in 2Thessalonians 2:2 is the falling away of all that's good from this
planet, leaving only the EVIL MAN and the remaining population!
Of Course it doesn't end there because in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 it says,
And Then shall that Wicked [one} be revealed, whom the Lord
shall consume with the spirit of his mouth,
and shall destroy with the brightness of his
coming. Amen! Amen!
The summary is this, because there is an assumption on the part of the
theological world that the Greek word apostasia always means the same
thing as the English word Apostasy; then 2 Thessalonians 2:3 must be
indicating a great heretical Apostasy occurring which supposedly
introduces the end times. This is not the case, because the verses
following clearly state that the supposed apostasy is actually a "falling away"
of the Spirit of God, which is the power that holds back the devil. There is a
big difference here with many ramifications to consider. A Christian
Apostasy, NO! Leave the concept of Apostasy to Islam and to their
self-righteousness and hatred. Christians have a better hope to
contemplate!