VI. THE APOSTACY SIGN

Speaking of “The day of the Lord,” the Apostle states:

“Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, . . . that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, or yet be troubled, ... as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thess. 2:1-3, R. V.).

By this passage we understand that “The day of the Lord” cannot come until two signs are fulfilled: The “man of sin” must be revealed. We are not now concerned with this sign because he cannot be revealed before the Church is removed from the earth (2Thess. 2:7-8); but we are concerned with the apostasy, or “falling away” which is here predicted. Very much is prophesied in the New

Testament regarding this apostasy of the “last days” and “latter times,” meaning the last days' of the presence of the true Church in the world. “Last days,” when referring to the Church, are days of spiritual darkness: while “last days," when referring to Israel, are days of her kingdom blessings. The second Epistles, excluding 2 Corinthians and including 3 John and Jude, are written largely to picture conditions of the “last days” for the Church. The message of these Epistles is of the most vital importance today. Only the briefest quotations can be made here:

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy” (1 Tim. 4:1-2).

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, . . . having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Tim. 3:1-5).

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall be followers of their pernicious ways” (2 Peter 2:1-2).

“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” (2 Peter 3:3-4).

“But evil men and seducers [imposters] shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13).

Far from predicting a converted world at the end of this age, these passages predict the overrunning of false teaching and doctrine by the power of Satan. That world-ruling enemy of God is always seeking to be “like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14) and is, by such Scriptures as these, prophesied to be the author of counterfeit systems of religious faith in the “last days.” A counterfeit is effective only as it is like the real. Satan does not set up a new body of truth; he borrows some truth from the Bible and blasphemes the name and person of Jesus Christ by placing Him at the head of his false religions. In these counterfeits Christ is made out to be a Christian Science healer, a spiritist medium, the unresurrected Christ of Russellism, the ideal man of New Thought and New Theology. Within our one generation these systems have appeared. They are sweeping the earth and even opposing God’s Truth on our mission fields. They are not of God. It matters little what they may call themselves. They, without exception, deny the efficacy of the blood of Christ and His redemption by which alone a lost soul may be saved. Thousands are caught in these systems today believing them to be of God because they do quote some Scripture and do recognize the person of Christ, though they deny His redemptive work on the cross. To choose these teachings, is to have given up every hope of heaven; for there is none other name given among men whereby we must be saved. They continue a “form of godliness,” but they “deny the power thereof." The power of the Gospel is the blood and cross of Christ (1 Cor. 1:18; 1 Cor. 1:23-24).

If there was spiritual darkness in the middle centuries, ours is Egyptian darkness. They were blinded with superstition and priest-craft, but they never denied the inspiration of the Bible, the Deity of Christ, the virgin birth, His substitutionary death, His bodily resurrection, or His second advent; yet today every one of these truths is being denied in our leading colleges and universities. This infidelity is being preached from thousands of our so-called Christian pulpits.

Truth has always had its enemies, but they have remained outside. Now the Tom Paines and Ingersolls have put on the vestments of the church. They are preaching their doctrines from her sacred desks.

The new situation consists in the attempt of the enemy to keep the outward form of our faith, quoting Scripture and eulogizing Christ, but denying every word of saving grace. This gigantic monster of confusion originated in Germany and has been largely accepted over the civilized earth. Germany’s military conquest is small compared with her spiritual conquest. Her armies may be defeated, but her unbelief is cursing the world. These “doctrines of devils” which devitalize truth by denying redemption through the blood of Christ were all predicted and were to be God’s sign to us of the presence of the “last days.” What more evidence do we need that these days are already here?