The Great Apostasy Part II

Matthew 24:36–39 ESV

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Jesus unpacks a time when the world will come to an end and the long awaited return will occur

Foolishness in assuming we can tell the day or the hour

Hints… The days of Noah

eating and drinking

marrying and given in marriage

unaware until they were swept away

The end of the age spoken by Jesus has key markers which speak to the need to be ready

The great rebellion will divide the church between the fallen and the remnant of the Lord

Defining the Apostasy

Defiance of established system or authority; a rebellion; abandonment or breach of faith.

Things not going to get better

Matt 24:10 many will fall away betray one another; hate one another

increase in lawlessness causes many to grow cold

Two types of apostates

Never saved

1 Corinthians 1:18 ESV

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

There are those who are apostates in their nature and hold themselves as enemies of God

James 4:4 ESV

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

The one who is an apostate in nature has made themselves enemies of God

Lost their faith

Contrary to some profession it is possible to lose one’s faith

Blasphemy of the Spirit

Luke 22:1–3 ESV

Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve.

Judas walked with Jesus and it could hardly be said he did not believe in Christ

Judas enters the fallen or rebellious state when he allows Satan to enter him

Fallen but not Lost

1 Corinthians 5:1–2 ESV

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

There are sins that will lead to an abbreviated time on earth

The purpose is t preserve the spirit of the person even if the flesh should die

1 Corinthians 5:5 ESV

you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

Apostasy and the Man of Lawlessness

2 Thessalonians 2:1 (ESV)

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him...

Paul addresses the return of Christ and the “rapture” all in one.

v. 3 it will not come unless the rebellion comes first

things are going to continue to get worse

2nd law of thermodynamics does not say things will get better but are regressing and getting worse

The man of lawlessness...

2 Thessalonians 2:4 ESV

who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Notice where he stands… spoken about in the book of Daniel, and in Jesus account of the end

He is stealing the worship given to the Lord

Calls himself God

The man of lawlessness is the one who wars against the saints until the Lord’s return

Operates with Power v.9-10

False signs and wonders

wicked deception

to the (not lost) pereshing

the effort is to destroy the people of God

The One Restraining Him

2 Thessalonians 2:6–7 ESV

And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.

The object of what it is that is restraining the man of Lawlessness

Holy Spirit… as if the HS at some point ceases to be

Mystery that is already at work

contrasting systems a civil governmental system and spiritual governmental system

The person of who is restraining comes out from the midst of this time

that which is restraining it is in place… the gospel… those who are professing until they cease to be

The Church through the end of the age

Matthew 24:13–14 ESV

But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The proclaimed gospel will be the marturion (testimony; witness)

only after the marturion/testimony/witness does the end come

We will see in the weeks to come the unfolding of the ultimate plan for the church who are to be the martyrs for the gospel...

these will function in great power and signs and wonders will be seen in them… the church will function no for its own glory but for the Glory of the Lord.