The church at Thessalonica
was being taught false doctrine regarding 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.
Dr. Mike Rouse
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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