“Apostasy” means there is a “falling away.” If there is a “falling away” from something, then there must be a “falling to” something else, right? What we are actually talking about is that people are moving away from one ideal, which has its own set of rules or laws. Take for instance, music: After the fifties, there was an “apostasy” (a “falling away”) of rockabilly. Rockabilly required a song to sound a certain way, with the required musical instruments and the required beat, thus we are able to hear a difference between rockabilly and R&B.

It simply means that the musicians have moved on to playing a song with different instruments, different beats, or whatever. Here you see that apostasy means moving to something different than what we are presently used to. Does this mean that apostasy is always a bad thing? No, it simply means there is a movement from one to the other. And yet, when you look at those two words, it implies a “fall” from somewhere, to drop in height or some level.

When you walk off a cliff, there is an extreme apostasy! So we “feel” this word…we “sense” that it is not a good thing to “fall away.” It leaves us with the idea that to “fall away” means to be moving from normal to something less than normal. It then requires other words to describe whether the “fall” is hurtful or not, whether we will be able to survive the fall, and whether we will experience suffering—or even death—as a result.

In this text, we are using the term “apostasy” as in the “apostasy” of the church of Jesus Christ from the Bible, God’s Holy Word. The Lord is speaking to the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:5, emphasis added. He said: “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.”

This is a perfect example of apostasy. In this verse, we see that there was a level already founded in the church of Ephesus and that now, there was a “falling away” or an “apostasy” of those in that church to something less than the normal. The following verses speak of the various churches that “fall away” from preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ!

The preaching of Balaam and Balac is mentioned; in actuality, it is saying that they are preaching ANYTHING and EVERYTHING…other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. In another phrase, it could be money or prosperity in life or work that is replacing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Look at the verse above and notice that it says: “from whence thou are fallen.” Makes you feel like they fell a great distance, right?

So it is here that we must understand that the Bible is simple in nature. That fall off the cliff where they HAD been was a fall without a bottom! This shows that death, to a human, is the disembarkation point from this world and the embarkation point to the place you have chosen to go!

It is so simple to see where those verses say, “repent” (you go to heaven) or if you “don’t repent” (you go to hell)! You must understand that “the fall” was your choice! God does not stand at the cliff and push people off! The Lord God Almighty WANTS to save you from that fall! God wants to stop you in the walk you are on, to open your eyes with His wisdom and discernment so that you will see the path you are walking (the cliff ahead) and turn around. Still…it is YOUR choice!

Today, people are hungry for salvation! They are able to see where this life is going, and 99.9 percent of it is going down the drain! Many of us grew up seeing a bright and shining future, only to be continually faced with hardship, pain, and suffering. It is Satan who comes along and tells some, “It is God’s fault. HE made this happen to you. If He was a loving God…this wouldn’t have happened!”

These same people simply give up, like when they are falling off the cliff. Wouldn’t it be better to question what you are thinking: “Would God really do this to me? If God IS love, then why would He allow this?”

It is so sad when people are not willing or are too lazy to ask the right questions. Is it because they WANT a lousy life…? NO! They simply want a fantastic life handed to them! They don’t want to do anything for it or they feel it should be an automatic feature, because of whom they are. “Pride…goeth before a fall.”

My favorite verse…Matthew 11:28-30: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

So here we are, in the midst of churches that are heavily embedded into ecumenism  (many ways to God) and those who preach nothing but how to be financially prosperous (the best ways to make it in this world). But the Bible specifically states that this world is about to come to an end, and that the ONLY way to heaven and the Father…is through Jesus Christ!

Are we missing something here? “Repent” from teaching…anything…other than the gospel of Jesus Christ. That IS the “apostasy” that is going on right now, the “falling away” of so many people from Jesus Christ!

I must make a point here: It is one thing to turn your back on Jesus Christ and choose to go to hell, but it is a whole different story to be a minister or pastor or any other teacher and teach people the WRONG gospel! There is going to be a “special” place of suffering for those who do these things! This is a willful decision to pervert the Word of God for your own gain, in whatever form that gain comes.

Hell is not some egg basket that everyone simply jumps into, and off we go! Hell is a place that will be specifically designed for each and every person, according to their deeds, according to the intent of their heart. As with anything dealing with the Lord God Almighty, everything is on a very personal level! Think in terms of Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus Christ. Jesus said that it would be better that he had never been born! Can you imagine for a moment what his place in hell might be like??

This apostasy of the church of Jesus Christ is a cold and hard decision perpetrated by those who are against God. There are NO two ways about it! Matthew 6:19-21 states, emphasis added:

“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Are we missing anything here? Are any exceptions noted? You must remember that the Lord sees the heart. The Lord knows every intention of your heart and this is how He will judge you.

So what are the reasons for this apostasy? As with any SIN ever committed by man, it always begins with pride, and pride does go before a fall. So what is pride? If you remember, it was pride that made Satan, as Lucifer the angel want to be LIKE God. It is a personal and most boastful desire in us to be better than anyone else or higher up the status than another, or to subjugate anyone. God, in His infinite wisdom, did NOT design us to that end!

When we allow pride in our lives we are in defiance of God! When this occurs, we are telling everyone around us that we are better than they are, and therefore God should be even more respectful of us, to that end. How brazenly blasphemous to God, much less anyone here on earth, can anyone be? Then, we hear that little statement of late, “Well…it’s all about ME!!” What so many people forget is that the Lord is offering us a gift of life eternal. A gift can only be GIVEN to someone else! In that respect, the person saying “It’s all about me” isgiving nothing… and that person is only taking!

Luke 6:31–38 states: “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? For sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? For sinners also do even the same.

And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”

The apostasy is against everything these verses have stated!

To him that has ears…let him hear.

In these days and times, it has been shown that many, many, people are searching for explanations concerning the end of times, as spoken of in the Bible. I applaud anyone who is willing to seek out these answers because in the process, they will find Jesus Christ who is and was and ever shall be God. I am also aware of those who are the “scoffers.” The Bible makes it known that they will abound in the last days. This statement by our Lord is found in 2 Peter 3.3-4, emphasis added:

“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”

And as many people can attest, this is the situation, wherever one turns his or her attention. I must admit, though that I do not have a problem with the scoffers—mostly because they are very ardent concerning their beliefs and are very vocal as well. I can simply proceed by stating that, “God will NOT be mocked.” These individuals have already made up their minds, whether or not they understand what the Bible is stating.

In their defense, so to speak, I must say that they have no true knowledge of the Scriptures and the reason is that they do NOT belong to Our Lord and Savior; therefore, they will not have a divinely inspired discernment. Many say they have a hard time reading the Bible and understanding what is written there, and so again, I remind them that they need to come to Jesus Christ and give their lives to Him. After doing so, they need to ask for discernment or understanding of what they are reading.

In essence, this is a leap of faith that only the Lord can give, usually not of the sort a new believer would be capable of. Typically, the new believer will spend a certain amount of time as a “newborn” partaking of the Scriptures, like a baby with milk. It would be ludicrous to expect them to understand certain things without first coming to know WHO Jesus Christ truly is. In other words, groundwork must be laid before moving on to the things dealing with the last days.

Here again is a concern and also a period of time when many get discouraged and lost. It is also a time when the “newborn” needs assistance from others who are farther along. Many of Paul’s letters were concerned with this very subject matter and older Christians need to be aware of this and provide the needed assistance. This is our normal, everyday work for the Lord.

In these, the last days, there is another concern of the most heinous form, the apostasy of many who believe they are true believers and yet their direction is not of the Lord. It can be found in many churches teaching the “prosperity” theology, or the theology of happiness, while here on earth. It is the teaching of another gospel, one other than the Word of God that is found in the Bible. This, then, is a bastardization of the Bible and most heinous in nature. Oprah Winfrey stated that there are many ways to the Father and yet the Bible states in John 14.5-9, emphasis added:

“Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?”

This shows without fail that Jesus Christ is God and the ONLY way to the Father is Jesus Christ! So as we see, the apostasy is everywhere and it is so very convenient to anyone. The Internet is full of it! For those searching so desperately, this then is the bane that must be proven to all, a defined line, drawn between truth and falsehood. It is the saddest of all, when we read or listen to or watch on TV someone who professes a gospel that is anything less than the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And then to think that there are those who have sought the Lord Jesus Christ with all their hearts and have come away with a knowledge that is against Our Lord and Savior and are now lost in eternity! The Bible is NOT metaphorical, subjective, or anything else…It is to be read, and faithfully believed as the truth without question. The discernment of God’s Word, the Bible, is only of God…as a gift!!

Today more than any other time in all the history of mankind, everyone seems to innately KNOW that “something” is up, and that “something” is going on, and they want to know what that “something” is. Never before has knowledge been so readably available, or has technology been moving so ferociously. People across the world are in a position to feel that they can sit back and take it easy, not worry, because the diseases are a thing of the past, technology has run its course, and we are now safe. What’s there to worry about? Let’s party on, dude!”

And yet the Bible says in Matthew 24.37-39: “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

In my humble opinion…we are there, right now!

Humanity has run its course, according to the will of God! The last days are upon us, with the Rapture of the church of Jesus Christ ready to take place any day!

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).

We will see this Rapture take place; we will hear the trumpet of God, and then voice of Jesus Christ calls us to join Him in the clouds…and so shall we ever be with the Lord. This is not speculation or rumor; this is fact as the Bible, God’s Holy Word, says! As Jeff Foxworthy says, there will be “pandalerium” in the streets! Babies will be gone, adults of every age will be gone and everyone is going to KNOW that something truly serious has just taken place!

I already know that the government will eventually state that this was the result of extraterrestrial beings taking all those who are missing, but I also know that the vast majority will know differently…deep in their hearts, they will know! I cannot imagine what many will feel, those who have been told over and over again about the Rapture of the church of Jesus Christ. The ever-present statement, “left behind,” doesn’t seem to fit the bill. And yet the horror and panic, the terror that those people will experience will be immeasurable!

There will be a call for explanation like has never been known in all the time that humans have been on this little planet! Some will instantly remember that now begins the “Tribulation,” a time of unparalleled violence and destruction…that they are now in “center stage.” They will remember being told that for the next seven years, this earth and everyone on it will be at the center of God’s anger poured out without dilution!

I can’t help but feel the deepest sorrow of sorrows for those left behind, that they must now deal with everything God can hand out to them for their unbelief. It is beyond my ability to comprehend the level of fear they will experience when they discover the truth of the Bible and learn that the joke is now on them…They will no longer be laughing and scoffing! My heart aches…already!

With this image so securely etched in my head and heart, I call to anyone reading this. Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to heaven and the Father! There is NO other gospel than the gospel of Jesus Christ, His blood shed on the cross at Calvary for the forgiveness of sin! No one can write on the last days without writing about the gospel according to Jesus Christ. The beginning was about God’s love and then creation. Then again, the last days are about God’s love and the destruction of the world, as we know it.

Today, the weatherman says it is going to be over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I hate the heat. Anything over 90 degrees is just plain hot, dry, wet, whatever! Thinking of the heat of hell is beyond me, and I don’t want anything to do with it! Add to that the separation, the isolation, the anger and hatred, the eternal desperation, but most of all…the lack of any sort of HOPE…and on top of that, lasting for eternity! Go ahead, flip me on over, I’m done just thinking about it! I do however, know of a place of continual refreshment, the haven of hope, eternal peace, just ask me!