FALLING AWAY? DEPART FROM THE FAITH? Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 1 Tim 4:1 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; 2 Thess 2:4 The word translated falling away in Greek is APOSTASIA from which we get the word apostasy, and it means to DEFECT or to depart from the position you held. It does NOT mean rapture. Paul gave a pretty stern warning about what can happen to those who do not have a love for the truth. A love for the truth means that one becomes a Berean and searches the Word for themselves, rather than merely accepting ear tickling teaching from popular books and movies which appease the flesh. Here is what Paul said about that: For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2 Tim 4:3 Our acceptance or belief in anything spiritual cannot be based on how it makes us feel or on how good the person delivering the message appears to be. The forbidden fruit which Eve ate LOOKED good and appealed to her senses and her mind. She expected it to make her more like God and more spiritual. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise.. (Gen 3:6). That is the lure of many of the most cunning deceptions today. 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: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thess 2:8-12 There is a very good reason why deception was the very first thing which Jesus told the disciples would be a sign of His coming, and the sign which He repeated three times in Matt 24. He said, Do NOT be deceived. If it were not possible for the elect to be deceived, then He would not have given the multiple warnings against it. (Aletha Swanson)
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 23:44:40 +0000
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