Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

Are we living in the season of that day? It certainly seems so by the shock and awe of the 24-hour news cycle. I personally do not think we are quite there; however, we are trending that way fast. Just open your eyes and look at the new normal. Homosexuality, transgenderism, moral relativism, open slander and hatred, disobedience to parents, violence without restraint, and coming next, pedophilia.

 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
(2 Timothy 3:1-5)

Let us look at “holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.” I used to wonder what that meant exactly until this present day. Look at the condition of the church (professed believers in Jesus Christ), I fear it is beyond life support and dead except for a remnant of true believers scattered about. Why do you think The Lord said:  “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14) Did you get that? “Few who find it.”

“Birth Pangs” are starting to shake the foundations of the earth. The author of Hebrews elaborates on Haggai 2:6: And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has promised, saying, “YET ONCE MORE I WILL SHAKE NOT ONLY THE EARTH, BUT ALSO THE HEAVEN.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:26-29)

Therefore, Almighty God is shaking the foundations of the earth. This also entails the very shaking of the Christian faith. It is at this current time unlike any other time in history that large portions of the professed church are falling away. It is in a largely un-persecuted church that apathy has permeated in it like a cancer.  In the USA I call it “Americanity.” Indeed, it flows far from the borders of the USA. Look at Europe for example. Now, look at this trend: Where the church is persecuted it is flourishing spiritually. Its adherent’s cling to the faith despite threats of arrest or even death. Could you imagine if an American mega church entertainment center were faced with such perils? Indeed, it will be and is coming to them as well as all of us. This shaking will separate the Saints from the Aints to be sure.

So then, they have a form of godliness although deny its power. Can you not see this on full display? I would wager that there are more churches like this than there are true bible believing, God fearing churches nearer to you. To be sure, there were always false churches in our midst, but not like now, they have multiplied like a wildfire. So for the past 50 or so years we’ve been watered down by myriads of false teaching, Hyper Faith, Hyper Grace, Name it and claim it, God wants you to be healthy and wealthy, and any other heresies that have cropped in over the last century. We have had by and large, a pulpit bent upon enriching itself with money and material wealth with shepherds that live off the fat of the sheep they are starving, while they themselves are living in grandiose houses. I have seen this personally and firsthand. We have a pastorate when asked anonymously 60% admits to viewing pornography. We have churches crumbling as circular firing squads of envious troubled self-proclaimed believers are bent upon destroying and slandering other brethren. Especially pastors that are attacked and ruined by troublemakers.  All the while our children witness this failed state of Americanity and by the time they reach a certain age they simply leave the church. And to add insult to injury our children learn in academia how science disproves God and their brains are filled with leftist ideologies. They are attacked in multiple directions.

We also have a VERY ignorant church that hardly reads God’s Word, and if/when they do, they do not believe it to be inerrant. It is after all (to them) a book full of fables and ancient myth. Some may accept Jesus is Lord however it is a Jesus they created in their own image.

We live at a time where women are spiritual, and men are absent. There are not many men leading their families in a Godly manner as they themselves weighed down by this troublesome world. Besides, they need to provide material things to their families as well as themselves. (I once guilty of this).  We leave our women to spiritually lead our families a task they are not given by God nor seldom with success. After a while many of them fall away weighed down with sin, just as Paul described would happen, continuing on in 2 Timothy: For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:6-7)

So then some say an apostasy is coming, indeed so it is. In-fact it is underway right now. The groundwork is being laid down as I type. Don’t believe it? Let’s look at some numbers. Lifeway conducted a poll for Ligonier Ministries (I’m not a fan of theirs) with a sampling of over 3000 professed Christians in the United States in March of 2020.

From Worthy Christian News:

A new poll has found that 22% of US Evangelicals believe in “gender fluidity” rather than that people have a God-given gender that is either male or female, the Christian Post reports. The results of the “State of Theology 2020” poll was published by LifeWay Research on September 8.

Sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, the poll involved over 3,000 American participants. The study found that only 73% of American Evangelicals believe that gender is God-given and not a matter of choice.

The survey also found that Evangelicals are more likely to disagree that “gender identity is a matter of choice” (73%) than those who do not hold to evangelical beliefs (47%). Geographically, it was found that Americans in the Northeast are the most likely to believe in gender fluidity (44%). Moreover, those in rural areas were found to be more likely to disagree with gender fluidity (56%) than those in large cities (45%).

The poll showed that participants aged 18 to 34 are also the most likely to agree that gender is fluid (50%). Respondents aged 50-64 are the most likely to disagree (64%) with that premise, the Christian Post reports.

Church attendance appears to make a difference: the poll showed that respondents who attend services at least once or twice a month are more likely to disagree that gender is fluid (57%) than those who do not attend services (47%). [SOURCE]

Even beyond the Worthy News numbers, I found a few other disturbing trends when looking into the internal numbers of the poll.

{Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.}

Among all Christians: 51% agree, 37% disagree and 12% are not sure. When asked to Evangelicals the numbers are not much better: 66% disagree, 30% agree, and 4% are not sure. Did you GET THAT? 30% of evangelical Christians do not think Jesus is God. How is that possible!?!?!? Having a form of godliness and denying its power perhaps?

{The Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.}

Among all Christians: 48% agree, 41% disagree, and 11% are not sure. When asked to Evangelicals: 15% agree, 81% disagree, and 4% are not sure. How is it that 81% say the Bible is true, yet, 30% of the same people said Jesus is NOT God when the Bible point blank states so? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (John 1:1-3)

{God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.}

Among all Christians: 63% agree, 24% disagree, and 13% are not sure. When asked to Evangelicals: 42% agree, 49% disagree, and 9% are not sure. So then, 42% of evangelicals think God accepts other religions and faiths outside of biblical Christianity. Put on a helmet this will make you want to bang your head off a wall. This very same group of evangelicals 100% agree that The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe. If that is so, do 42 out of 100 not have this in their Bibles: Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (John 14:6) ???

What is very disturbing in the last several years of this poll is the fact that the numbers are going in the wrong direction. So indeed, the way is being paved for the coming apostasy. That poses a few questions for self-examination. Is your faith built on solid ground? Are you reading your Bibles daily? Are you truly born again and of the Kingdom that will not be shaken?   Because a shaking is coming.

 

Shalom,

Brian