Apostasy
The picture of
the Church in the end times that is portrayed in the Bible is not a
very pretty one. For one thing, the Bible prophecies that the
Church will be racked by apostasy. Jesus prophesied that "many will
fall away" (Matt. 24:10). Likewise, Paul said the Anti-Christ
cannot be revealed until "the great apostasy" takes place (II
Thess. 2:3).
Paul reveals
the source of the apostasy in II Timothy 3:5 - "Men will hold to
form of religion but will deny its power." The fulfillment of this
prophecy began in the 1920's with the ascendancy of the German
School of Higher Criticism. This school of thought, which quickly
swept American seminaries, advocated that the Bible should be
approached like any other piece of literature - with a critical
eye. The concepts of the special inspiration and inerrancy of the
Bible were rejected. The Bible came to be viewed as Man's search
for God rather than God's revelation to Man. As a human product,
it was considered to be full of myth, legend, and
superstition.
This assault on the integrity of God's Word opened the floodgates
of apostasy. Before long Christian theologians and ministers were
laughing about the virgin birth of Jesus, discounting His miracles,
casting doubt on His resurrection, and flatly denying His second
coming.
As the uniqueness of Jesus was downplayed, many denominations
began to embrace the damnable doctrine of Universalism. And that is
where we are today, caught up in the midst of a gross apostasy
which says, "Believe what you want. The important thing is to be
sincere. There are many roads to God." All of which makes a liar of
Jesus who said: "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes
to the Father except through Me" (John 14:16). The result is that
there are a lot of sincere people who are sincerely going to
Hell.
Cultism
A second set
of prophecies warn that the Church will be assaulted by cultic
deception in the end times. Jesus emphasized this point repeatedly
in His Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24:5, 11 & 24). And Paul
underlined it in the strongest possible language when he wrote:
"The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away
from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines
of demons" (I Tim. 4:1).
The
fulfillment of these prophecies began in the 19th Century with the
rise of Mormonism and its demonic teaching that Jesus is the
brother of Lucifer, one of thousands of Gods created by the super
god, Adam, an exalted man. The Jehovah's Witnesses were next on
the scene with their perverted teaching that Jesus is the Archangel
Michael.
This century
has witnessed the rapid multiplication of the cults, just as
prophesied. Today, life long Christians who do not know why they
believe what they profess to believe are being sucked into the
cults by the tens of thousands.
Equally appalling is the direct penetration of the Church by cultic
doctrine. Well known Christian leaders are advocating the ancient
Shamanistic practice of visualization as the key to prayer. Others
are teaching one of Satan's oldest lies - that those who have been
born again are "little gods."
The latest
cultic fad is the concept of Satanic salvation; namely, that we do
not owe our salvation to the blood Jesus shed on the Cross but
rather to some imaginary torment which He suffered at the hands of
Satan for three days in Hell. And then, of course, there is
Masonry, the oldest form of cultic penetration of the Church, with
its secret blood oaths, its works salvation, and its
Universalism.
The degree of
cultic penetration into the Church is perhaps best illustrated by
two recent events.
Not long ago
the number one rated "Christian" televangelist in America served as
the< main speaker for the dedication of the new international
headquarters of the Unity Church. The Unity Church is a classic
cult that teaches reincarnation and denigrates the uniqueness of
Jesus by advocating that the Christ potential resides in each of
us. That same televangelist continues to hold church growth
seminars for the Unity Church.
Meanwhile, one
of the leading Charismatic spokesmen in America has called for
Christians to embrace the Mormons!
Confusion
A third group
of prophecies indicate that in the end times the Church will be
assailed by doctrinal error. These are doctrines that do not damn
the soul but which confuse and weaken the spirit.
In II Timothy
4:3-4, Paul says: "For the time will come when they will not endure
sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will
accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own
desires and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn
aside to myths." There are many popular myths in Christendom today
that either rob people of the power of their faith or else deceive
them into practicing a presumptuous faith.
Among
Fundamentalists there is a myth that God retired in the First
Century and that with Him went all manifestations of the
supernatural, including angels, demons, spiritual< gifts, and
miracles. Among Charismatics the doctrinal abuses have been
epidemic, including the following myths:
1) Faith is to
be placed in your faith and not in God.
2) It is always God's will to heal.
3) The believer has the authority of Jesus.
4) It is God's desire that believers be financially prosperous.
5) Believers can have what they want through positive
confession.
The winds of
doctrine (Eph. 4:14) are blowing through the Church at gale force
and believers are being tossed here and there by the waves, all in
the fulfillment of prophecy.
Worldliness
A fourth
characteristic prophesied about the Church in the end times is that
it will be compromised and corrupted by worldliness. The prophetic
picture of this worldly church is found in Revelation 3:14-22,
where the church at Laodicea is described.
The seven
churches depicted in Revelation 2 and 3 are symbolic of seven
periods of church history. The church at Laodicea, the last to be
presented, is representative of the type of church that will
prevail in Christendom at the end of the Church Age.
The picture is
a pathetic one. The Church is apathetic, neither hot nor cold. The
apathy is a product of the Church's adoption of a worldly attitude
expressed in the words, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and
have need of nothing." Jesus responds with a scathing rebuke: "You
don not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind
and naked."
In fulfillment
of this prophecy, our churches today are filled with cultural
Christians who have accepted Jesus as Savior but not as Lord. They
are schizophrenic Christians who walk with one foot in the Church
and the other in the world. They are carnal Christians who shout
"Hallelujah!" on the weekend but who live like pagans during the
week. They are greedy Christians in pursuit of health, wealth, and
power. The Cross and its message of sacrifice is as offensive to
them as it is to the world.
Judgment
Because of the
apostasy, heresy, cultism, and worldliness that the Bible says will
characterize the end time Church, the Bible prophesies that the
Church will come under judgment. In Revelation 3:19 Jesus says to
the church at Laodicea, "Those whom I love,< I reprove and
discipline."
The glitzy,
overindulgent church of the 70's and 80's is now tasting the
judgment of< God. Sin is being exposed. Religious empires are
being dismantled. The Lord is calling us from the Cadillac to the
Cross. Through discipline, the Spirit is motivating us to humility,
righteousness and holiness.
Judgment has
begun in the House of the Lord, where it always begins (Ezek. 9:6
and I Peter 4:17). The Lord is disciplining His Church as a prelude
to the pouring out of His wrath upon the world.
The Latter
Rain
Is there any
good news about the Church in prophecy? Yes, there is. The
incredibly good news is that the Bible prophesies a great pouring
out of God's Spirit in the end times to empower those who are
receptive to stand against the onslaught of Satan.
The prophecy
is found in Joel 2:28-30. Because this prophecy was quoted by Peter
in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost to explain the phenomenon of
tongues (Acts 2:14-21), many have assumed that it was fulfilled on
that day. That assumption is erroneous.
The context
before the passage (verses 18-27) makes it clear that there will be
two< outpourings of the Spirit (the "early and latter rain") and
that the final outpouring will occur after the Jews are regathered
to their land and re-established as a nation. Also, the context
after the passage (verses 31 & 32) indicates clearly that the
ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy will occur at the time of the
Second Coming.
We have been
in the period of the "latter rain" ever since the re-establishment
of the state of Israel on May 14, 1948. The Spirit is being poured
out, and the gifts of the spirit are being manifest in a way
unparalleled since the First Century. The praise and worship of the
Tabernacle of David are also being restored to the Church to
further empower it for spiritual warfare.
This great
anointing of the Spirit is producing a remnant that is immersed in
the Word, committed to righteousness, crucified to self, dedicate
to prayer, surrendered in worship, zealous for evangelism and
yearning for the soon return of Jesus. It is this remnant that will
usher in the Lord's return on a cloud of praise.
A Modern
Day Prophecy
Concerning the Church
Printed below
is an excerpt from a prophecy given by the late Stanley Frodsham,
former editor of the Pentecostal Evangel. The prophecy was
delivered at the Elim Bible Institute Summer Camp Meeting in
1965.
"When I visit
My people in mighty revival power, it is to prepare them for the
darkness
ahead. . .Take heed to yourselves lest you be puffed up and think
that you have arrived. Many shall be puffed up as in the olden
days. . .
"Listen to the
messengers, but do not hold men's persons in admiration. For many
whom I shall anoint mightily, with signs and miracles, shall become
lifted up and shall fall by the wayside. I do not do this
willingly; I have made provision that they might stand. I call many
into this ministry and equip them; but remember that many shall
fall. They shall be like bright lights, and people shall delight in
them. But they shall be taken over by deceiving spirits and shall
lead many of My people away.
"Hearken
diligently concerning these things, for in the last days shall come
seducing spirits that shall turn many of My anointed ones away.
Many shall fall through divers lusts and because of sin abounding.
. .
"I warn you to
search the Scriptures diligently concerning these last days, for
the things< that are written shall indeed be made manifest.
There shall come deceivers among My people in increasing numbers
who shall speak for the truth and shall gain the favor of the
people. For the people shall examine the Scriptures and say, 'What
these men say is true.' Then when they have gained the hearts of
the people, then and then only shall they bring out these wrong
doctrines. Therefore, I say that you should not give your hearts to
men, nor hold people's persons in admiration. For by these very
persons shall Satan enter into My people. Watch for
seducers!
"Be not
deceived, for the deceiver will first work to gain the hearts of
many, and then he shall bring forth his insidious doctrines. You
cannot discern those that are of Me and those that are not of Me
when they start to preach. But seek Me constantly, and then when
these doctrines are brought out you shall have a witness in your
heart that these are not of Me.
"The minister
of righteousness shall be on this wise: his life shall agree with
the word and his lips shall give forth that which is wholly true,
and it will be no mixture. When the mixture appears, then you will
know he is not a minister of righteousness. The deceivers speak
first the truth and then error to cover their own sins which they
love. . .
"I desire you
to be firmly established in My Word and not in the personalities of
men that you will not be moved as so many shall be moved. . .
Diligently inquire of Me when you hear something that you have not
seen in the Word, and do not hold people's persons in admiration,
for it is by this very method that Satan will destroy many of My
people."
An interesting thing about
this prophecy is that it was published in Jimmy Swaggart's
magazine, The Evangelist, in October 1987. Later on, the problems
encountered in his life and ministry were to serve as a partial
fulfillment of the prophecy.
The message is
clear. We must all be on guard spiritually. None of us is immune to
deception. Everything must be tested by the Word. If a doctrine
fails the test of Scripture, it is to be rejected, regardless of
who is teaching it. Our trust is to be placed in the Word and not
in men.
We must stop
chasing after men and miracles. A fixation on either will result in
deception. False teachers can appear as angels of light. Miracles
can be performed by the power of Satan. Our eyes are to be fixed on
Jesus, and Him only. Our authority in all things is to be His
Word.
There is much talk going around these days about how unified,
triumphant and glorious the Church will be in the end times right
before the return of Jesus. This pollyanna image of the Church is
certainly attractive, but it does not correspond with what the
Bible prophesies
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