What is legalism?

What is legalism?
by Matt Slick

In Christianity, legalism is the excessive and improper use of the law (10 commandments, holiness laws, etc). This legalism can take different forms. The first is where a person attempts to keep the Law in order to attain salvation. The second is where a person keeps the law in order to maintain his salvation. The third is when a Christian judges other Christians for not keeping certain codes of conduct that he thinks need to be observed. Let’s examine each one more closely.

The first kind of legalism is where the law of God is kept in order to attain salvation. This is a heresy, a completely false doctrine. We are not able to attain salvation by our keeping the law. Rom. 3:28, "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Rom. 4:5, "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.” Gal. 2:21, “I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.” It is simply not possible to keep the Law enough to be saved. Therefore, to try and gain salvation through one’s efforts is a false teaching. It is so bad that those who hold to it cannot be Christians since it would deny salvation by grace through faith.

The second kind of legalism is where a person tries to keep or maintain his salvation by keeping the law. This is also a false doctrine. We receive our salvation by faith (Eph. 2:8-9), not by our ability to be good because no one does good (Rom. 3:10-12). As Rom. 3:28, 4:5, and Gal. 2:21 clearly show, we are justified by faith, not by faith and works. Furthermore, there are strict warnings about attempting to keep the law in order to maintain salvation: Gal. 3:10, “For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.” And James 2:10, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” So, if a person is seeking to be either saved by his works (Law) or maintain his salvation by his works (Law), then he is under obligation to keep all of it, and if he does not then he is guilty before God. Furthermore, consider Jesus’ words in Matt. 7:22-23, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” Jesus condemns them because they were appealing to their salvation based on their faith and doing good. So it should be obvious that we do not keep our salvation by our efforts.

The last kind of legalism, where a Christian keeps certain laws and regards other Christians who do not keep his level of holiness with contempt, is a frequent problem in the church. Now, we want to make it clear that all Christians are to abstain from fornication, adultery, pornography, lying, stealing, etc. Christians do have a right to judge the spirituality of other Christians in these areas where the Bible clearly speaks. But, in the debatable areas we need to be more careful, and this is where legalism is more difficult to define. Rom. 14:1-12 says that we are not to judge our brothers on debatable issues. One person may eat certain kinds of foods where another would not. One person might worship on a particular day where another might not. We are told to let each person be convinced in his own mind (Rom. 14:5). As long as our freedom does not violate the Scriptures, then everything should be okay.

Mike Murdock's Heresies EXPOSED!

Mike Murdock's Heresies EXPOSED!


Reprinted from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3/03/2003

BLURRING THE LINE

Denton televangelist Mike Murdock makes few distinctions between his resources and those of the ministry he founded. Some critics question whether his actions are proper.
By Darren Barbee
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Not too long ago, Denton televangelist Mike Murdock got an idea, he said during a television broadcast in November.

What was it? He didn't say. He said only that it made him thousands of dollars. In 2002, with the money from that idea, he said, he bought a 1973 Cessna Citation 500, a small corporate jet that usually seats six.

"God gave me an idea that bought me a jet [with] cash," he said.

But Murdock does not own the jet. The Mike Murdock Evangelistic Association bought it in August, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Murdock uses the jet, probably worth $300,000 to $500,000, to travel to appearances at conferences and telethons. He says the corporate jet allows him to do more work than he could on a commercial aircraft.

Did Murdock buy the jet, then donate or sell it to the ministry? He doesn't say.

Whatever the case, Murdock makes few distinctions – privately or publicly – between ministry resources and his own, a Star-Telegram review found. There are numerous examples:

Over the years, the ministry has solicited personal gifts for Murdock even as he has told donors – on tapes and during broadcasts – that the ministry sorely needed money.
Ministry staff members oversee his Denton County estate and handle personal tasks for him.
The ministry uses donor money to support Murdock's father and his son.
Murdock has apparently overseen transactions between the ministry and for-profit companies he owns.
The ministry's accountants say that Murdock has done nothing illegal and that the association was reimbursed to the letter of the law for the time ministry staff members spent working for Murdock or at his estate. Former employees say Murdock is strict about keeping his expenses separate from the ministry's. Yet they also say there is no separating Mike Murdock the man from Mike Murdock the minister.

Experts questioned whether the ministry has skirted a federal law that says nonprofit organizations' activities must be directed exclusively toward promoting a charitable, religious, educational or other type of service exempt from taxation.

"Such an organization's activities may not serve the private interests of any individual or organization," according to the Internal Revenue Service's Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations.

In particular, some lawyers questioned the ministry's solicitation of gifts for Murdock.

Robert Wexlar, a San Francisco lawyer, said the practice seems unusual.

"Certainly, raising money with language suggesting it's a gift for a particular individual is not appropriate," he said.

But the lawyers say the legal codes governing nonprofit groups are so vague that financial records can be manipulated to bend the law without breaking it. Most nonprofits strive to go beyond what is legal to focus on what is proper, said Thomas Wolf of Wolf, Keens & Co., a consulting firm in Cambridge, Mass., that specializes in nonprofit corporations.

"Because we deal with donors who really have very high standards, we're as concerned about the appearance of conflict of interest or appearance of inappropriate use of funds, even if we can justify them," he said.

Murdock dismisses any effort to scrutinize the ministry's practices as an attack by evil powers meant to distract him from his mission of spreading the Word of God.

He quotes Billy Graham, saying: "My enemies would not believe my explanation. My friends do not require an explanation."

Asking for gifts

For several years, the ministry has asked people to give presents to Murdock. And he has said he welcomes such gifts.

In October, Murdock's sister Deborah Murdock Johnson wrote to those on the ministry's mailing list asking for a "love offering" for her brother in honor of clergy appreciation day. An enclosed envelope read "Personal to MM only."

In September 2001, Johnson also wrote to those on the ministry's mailing list, requesting personal donations for her brother.

"Dr. Murdock is having some work done at his home. ... $500, $100 or any amount would mean so much to him," wrote Johnson, who works for the ministry.

In October 1998, Frank Berry made a similar pitch, telling donors to use a special envelope "to assure that your gift is given to Dr. Mike personally." The letter identifies Berry as a ministry board member, though he is not listed that way on IRS filings.

In April 1997, the ministry's general manager wrote donors to tell them that Murdock's birthday was coming up.

"He always focuses on his ministry but we are asking and believing for 300 of his closest friends to sow an extra Seed of LOVE to him personally," the letter said.

That same year, on the ministry's TV program, Wisdom Keys, Murdock said he wanted as many of his viewers as possible to attend his 51st birthday celebration at the ministry's headquarters.

"You don't have to bring a present, but I sure will enjoy one if you bring it."

In 1996, for Murdock's 50th birthday, the ministry received enough cash gifts to buy him a used $12,000 Chevrolet Corvette, according to ministry documents.

The ministry's solicitation of presents for Murdock is questionable, said several experts knowledgeable about nonprofit organizations.

Such solicitations could be legal if the gift went to the ministry rather than Murdock personally; if he had a contract tying his salary to what his name brought in; or if the gift-givers did not claim a tax deduction, said one expert who advises several nonprofit organizations.

"If they're simply turning money over to him, I think the IRS would have a real problem with that," said the expert, who spoke on the condition that he not be named.

Dan Busby, vice president of donor services for the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, said that he did not think such solicitations are illegal but that they are highly unusual for nonprofit organizations, though not churches.

Busby said any money Murdock collected through the offerings would be considered taxable income.

Accountant John Walker of Chitwood & Chitwood of Chattanooga, Tenn., the ministry's new accounting firm, said that he hadn't reviewed the appeals but that in general, such solicitations are perfectly legal. Whether the gifts are termed "love offerings," "blessings" or "birthday gifts," they are simply income, he said.

But Ole Anthony of the Trinity Foundation, a televangelist watchdog group in Dallas, finds the solicitations offensive.

"He's always for years and years used his birthday as a tool for subtly hinting that he should be given birthday presents," Anthony said. "There's something so sleazy about that it makes one sick to their stomach."

One donor who gave Murdock a birthday gift in 1998 was surprised to learn that his compensation package from the ministry that year totaled more than $337,000.

Beverly Franton of West Monroe, La., sent Murdock a birthday present, a check for $25. Shortly afterward, she received a note from his secretary informing her that he needed new shirts.

"I sent $25, which is a drop in the bucket, apparently," Franton said recently. "It was his birthday money, to do whatever he wanted to with."

Sharing employees

Murdock's Denton County estate, known as Hacienda de Paz, was so integral to the ministry that the position "Hacienda supervisor" was just below "general manager" on organizational charts in the late 1990s.

Whether that refers to management of Murdock's estate or of a home office used for ministry business is unclear.

But Murdock has used ministry staff members to oversee his estate.

At least two ministry employees worked primarily at Murdock's home. Others went there to make Murdock fresh carrot juice, set his table and run his errands, ministry documents show.

In summer 1998, then-general manager Matti Cook-Smith tended his exotic pets, coordinated the cleaning of his garage, and selected carpets and tile for the Hacienda, according to ministry documents obtained by the Trinity Foundation. Cook-Smith declined to be interviewed.
On Sept. 24, 1998, Murdock wrote to his handyman, who was listed on the ministry's payroll forms, saying, "Would like for you to help me clean out the garage completely ... so that I can park the Jaguar next to the Corvette."
In an April 30, 1998, memo, Murdock is advised that three employees could attend a valet school to learn "basic hospitality and etiquette."
Cook-Smith carried Murdock's checkbook and had access to his credit cards, according to ministry documents and former employees.
Walker said in a November interview that he had seen canceled checks showing that Murdock reimbursed the ministry whenever its employees spent more than 20 percent of their time at his estate. He did not make those checks available to the Star-Telegram.

"All of the work they did at Dr. Murdock's home was reimbursed by him personally to the ministry," Walker said. "We made sure of that before we took the account."

Only two ministry employees worked exclusively at the Hacienda, where they served as jacks-of-all-trades, he said. Murdock reimbursed the ministry for all their hours but did not have to reimburse it for benefits because the two didn't receive any, Walker said.

But in telephone conversations last month, Walker said the two men did not work exclusively at the Hacienda. He also said that Murdock had reimbursed the ministry for the two men's benefits, including health insurance and Social Security. Indeed, Murdock paid more than what was required, Walker said.

A point of contention is how often other ministry employees worked at Murdock's home.

Faye Snyder, who was Murdock's administrative assistant in 1998, said several employees worked at his home, including her husband, David. She said he worked there almost exclusively.

"He didn't actually work just occasionally," she said. "That was his designated place."

In November, Walker said David Snyder only fed Murdock's dogs.

"We didn't [reimburse] for that," he said. "He's only out there about 30 minutes per day. There's no reimbursement required ... by law."

Walker said Murdock's personal use of such employees was legal because an individual would have to benefit substantially to violate IRS law.

"We deem that to be 80 percent of the time," Walker said.

But last month, Walker said Murdock had reimbursed the ministry for all such expenses.

The reimbursement issue aside, lawyers and accountants noted that Murdock's practices do not appear to advance the ministry's goal of spreading the Gospel.

Ministry employee Laura Coulter said Murdock needs the help because he spends hundreds of hours traveling.

"Dr. Murdock is no different from a CEO with a maid and a butler and a housekeeper and a nanny," Coulter said.

She said that Murdock is doing God's work and that she wouldn't have stuck with him for 31 years if she didn't trust him.

"I work for the ministry. But the ministry is Dr. Murdock. They are one in the same," Coulter said. "If you don't have passion for a person, if you don't believe in the person, you have no business being there."

Books and songs

On Wisdom Keys, Murdock has attributed his prosperity to several sources, including thousands of dollars in royalties from books and songs and windfalls from business deals inspired by God.

He is vague about the details. But records show that he has three for-profit companies: Wisdom International, Win-Song Productions and Win-Com Media. The companies hold copyrights to his books and songs, he says.

Documents show that those companies share the ministry's address. Their boards include ministry officials. They have done business with the ministry. Murdock also promotes his books and songs through the ministry and on Wisdom Keys. What's more, the ministry sells the books and music cassettes on its Web site and at seminars.

There is conflicting information about whether Murdock's company makes money from the arrangement. IRS forms the ministry filed from 1993 to 2000 indicate that money changes hands.

"Bibles, books, and tapes are manufactured and produced by Wisdom Int'l, Mike Murdock Evangelistic Assn purchased them for the ministry at their normal wholesale value," the ministry told the IRS on forms that Murdock appears to have signed.

The ministry also said on the forms that it had loaned money or extended credit to Murdock's three companies and had furnished employees and office space to them at fair market value. Such disclosures are required to prevent conflicts of interest.

Ministry employees said they helped Murdock complete books. But several former and current employees said they were not aware of Wisdom International and did not know whether they had worked for the company.

In contradiction to the IRS forms, Murdock says no money changes hands.

"We're giving away over a million books a year in the body of Christ," Murdock said during his October "School of Wisdom" seminar in Grapevine.

"Somebody said the other day, 'Now, does the ministry pay you for all those books you give away?' I said, 'They should.' No, no, I do not receive any feedback money from my ministry," he said.

Walker suggested that Wisdom International might have been included on the IRS documents for bookkeeping purposes, but he had not looked at the records in detail when he was interviewed in November.

In February, Walker said Chitwood & Chitwood was looking into the issues of publishing rights and royalties.

Murdock has said that he collects royalties on some of his books.

During a broadcast in December, he said he gets income from royalties associated with a series of "topical bibles" he created. The ministry has sold those books, but it is not clear whether the ministry has also given them away. The books have been sold at retail outlets as well.

In 1997, Murdock used ministry airtime to urge viewers to buy The Leadership Secrets of Jesus, which was published through an independent company.

"It will be a great blessing to you," he said.

He told viewers they could buy it at bookstores such as Waldenbooks and Wal-Mart. If the book made money, it is not clear who received the profits.

Murdock has also received royalties for songs, both as composer and as publisher, he wrote in 58 Covenant Blessings. But he said on a recent audiocassette that he receives no money from the ministry for his songs.

Wisdom International did not print the Murdock books distributed by the ministry, according to documents obtained by the Trinity Foundation. From 1997 to 1999, the ministry paid Able Press, a now-defunct Alabama company owned by Berry, to do much of the printing.

Berry said he could not recall how the ministry and Wisdom International functioned together. But he said he had submitted bids to the ministry for every printing project Able Press handled.

Walker said the books were bought at cost from Able Press. But when he was interviewed in November, he was not clear on the exact relationship among the ministry, Wisdom International and Able Press.

The Internal Revenue Service grants tax-exempt status to organizations whose activities further charitable, educational, religious or other exempt purposes. The organizations' activities must be directed exclusively toward those goals. The activities may not serve the private interests of any individual. Nor can they give a financial advantage to the organization's insiders – a practice known as inurement. Practices such as paying unreasonable compensation or transferring property to insiders for less than its fair market value violate the law. Any amount of inurement, even $1, is grounds for losing tax-exempt status, the IRS says.
-SOURCE: IRS Publication 1828, Tax Guide for Churches and Religious Organizations

Dallas tax accountant Ken Sibley, who reviewed the ministry's IRS forms at the Star-Telegram's request, said that the transactions appear legal but that they are unusual. He said the amount of money the ministry spent to print the books – rarely topping $550,000 – seemed too little to be concerned about.

"While it would certainly be something I would advise against, with the related-party relationship there, I don't know that there's anything wrong with what they did," Sibley said. "We try to maintain a level such that even the appearance of impropriety is something that we want to avoid."

Other evangelical associations take pains to disclose transactions between nonprofit and for-profit corporations.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has been willing to answer detailed questions about its related for-profit venture, World Wide Publications.

World Wide Publications funnels all profits into Graham's ministry, according to its IRS forms.

If there were profits from Wisdom International, they were not put back into the Murdock ministry, according to IRS forms.

Murdock may use ministry offerings to make a record or make a book, but that is an investment in the ministry, said his brother John.

People will never know how much of his own time and money Murdock has devoted to the ministry, his brother said. "He has constantly put stuff back, put stuff back in, put stuff back in."


About this project

Star-Telegram religion writer Darren Barbee spent six months examining the Mike Murdock Evangelistic Association. Staff writers Jeff Claassen and Mike Lee and librarian Jan Fennell provided research assistance. The Trinity Foundation provided some documentation. The project editor was Lois Norder. The articles were copy-edited by Scott Mitchell and John Lydon. The photographers were Ian McVea, M.L. Gray and Rick Moon, and the photo editor was Mark Rogers. W. Matt Pinkney created the illustration. Sarah Huffstetler designed the pages. Tim Bedison produced the graphics.

You may comment on this project by calling Darren Barbee at (817) 685-3818 or Lois Norder at (817) 685-3823.

On the Web

GuideStar
http://www.guidestar.org/

Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
http://www.ecfa.org/

Mike Murdock Evangelistic Association
http://www.mikemurdock.com/

Billy Graham Evangelistic Association
http://www.billygraham.org/

Trinity Foundation
http://www.trinityfi.org/

Ministry gives money to Murdock's relatives

By Darren Barbee
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
3/03/2003
The brass-colored door knocker on the small house in Argyle is engraved with the words The Murdocks.

The Rev. J.E. Murdock, wearing a blue jumpsuit, answers the door of the home he believes his son, Denton televangelist Mike Murdock, bought for him.

The house is tax-exempt and belongs to the nonprofit Mike Murdock Evangelistic Association, Denton County records show.

J.E. Murdock is a lean, broad-shouldered man with a firm handshake. And even if some memories have faded from the 86-year-old's mind, Scripture saturates his language, and his voice rises and falls as if he were still in the pulpit.

When asked whether his son bought the house, J.E. Murdock said he believes that is so.

"And [he] furnished everything," he said.

Some of the ministry's chief beneficiaries are Mike Murdock's relatives, documents show. The ministry, incorporated in 1973 to spread the Gospel and provide charity, gives money to or employs Mike Murdock's father, sister, son and niece.

Since the Star-Telegram began examining the association's finances, Murdock has offered a few more details about how ministry money benefits people close to him.

After years of using donations to provide his father with not only a home but also a car and a salary, Murdock acknowledged the arrangement in a letter in November to those on the ministry's mailing list.

IRS forms haven't shown the extent of the ministry's support for Murdock's relatives. The 2001 form is not yet available.

Murdock's son, Jason, gets $1,400 each month, Murdock said Oct. 19 in Grapevine.

"I want my family blessed. I want my children blessed. I want my son, Jason, blessed," Murdock said. "In fact, our ministry underwrites him about $1,400 a month while he works in a safe house in Atlanta, just to help him out. He's working night and day in a street ministry there."

Murdock said his sister Deborah Murdock Johnson works for him. The ministry's accounting firm said she handles publishing for the association.

One of his nieces works for the ministry, Murdock said last year.

The house where J.E. Murdock lives – valued at $104,095 – was Mike Murdock's parsonage when the ministry had a church in Argyle, according to the Denton Central Appraisal District. A 1997 Lincoln Continental owned by the ministry is routinely parked in the garage for J.E. Murdock to use.

Each month, J.E. Murdock receives a salary for preaching, Mike Murdock wrote in the November newsletter. He didn't disclose the amount.

The ministry reported on one of its IRS forms that J.E. Murdock received no compensation for serving as a board member, though it listed him elsewhere on the form as having received an allocation.

According to the instructions, the IRS documents must "show all forms of cash and noncash compensation received by each listed officer, etc., whether paid currently or deferred."

Filing an incomplete form can lead to penalties for the nonprofit corporation and the individuals responsible.

J.E. Murdock said he has lived in the house for several years. None of the tax documents from 1997 to 2000 indicate that he was allowed to live in the home.

An attachment to ministry tax forms shows that J.E. Murdock received an allocation during those years. In 2000, the ministry gave him $13,250. It is not clear what the money was for. But some of the others who were listed on the attachment said that they had been paid for preaching or singing or that they had received gifts.

In the ministry's newsletter, Murdock wrote that his father's accommodations and salary were "a very small reward for 63 years of ministry."

In October in Grapevine, Murdock said his father never earned more than $125 a week when he worked as a pastor.

It's up to the board to decide whether a ministry should provide salaries and living arrangements for trustees, said Chris Hempe, an accountant and the president of MinistryWatch, which monitors Christian nonprofit organizations.

"The bigger-picture issue is if you're going to compensate a board member for something they're doing ... there's a rule there against providing what they call excess benefit," he said.

"If it can be proven that the nonprofit gave somebody basically some sort of compensation ... that exceeded the value of what it was really worth, that's excess benefit."

Is repentance necessary for salvation?

Is repentance necessary for salvation?

Emotions run high and opinions vary widely on this issue, but I’ll share my convictions on this issue.

The word “repent” has to be understood within the context in which it is being used. In fact, very often, it should not even be translated “repent” because of the wrong preconditioned theological connotations this carries. It is a matter of what some would call, “illegitimate totality transfer.” This occurs when the meaning of a word in one passage is carried over to every other place the word occurs. The Greek word for “repent” is metanoia (noun) or metanoeo (verb). It basically means a change of mind and the context must determine what is involved in that change of mind. In passages where salvation is in view it is equivalent to believe or trust in and involves a change of mind about any form of self-trust in human works, good deeds, religious tradition, etc. followed by a trust in the finished work of Christ which alone has the power to save us. It means a turning from self-trust to trust in Christ.

Believe and repent are never used together as if teaching two different requirements for salvation. When salvation from eternal condemnation is in view, repent (a change of mind) and believe are in essence used as synonyms. Lewis Chafer wrote:

Too often, when it is asserted—as it is here—that repentance is not to be added to belief as a separated requirement for salvation, it is assumed that repentance is not necessary to salvation. Therefore it is as dogmatically stated as language can declare, that repentance is essential to salvation and that none could be saved apart from repentance, but it is included in believing and cannot be separated from it (Lewis Sperry Chafer, Vital Theological Issues, Roy B. Zuck, General Editor, Kregel, Grand Rapids, 1994, p. 119).

Roy B. Zuck writes:

Repentance is included in believing. Faith and repentance are like two sides of a coin. Genuine faith includes repentance, and genuine repentance includes faith. The Greek word for repentance (metanoia) means to change one’s mind. But to change one’s mind about what? About sin, about one’s adequacy to save himself, about Christ as the only way of salvation, the only One who can make a person righteous (“Kindred Spirit,” a quarterly publication of Dallas Seminary, Summer 1989, p. 5).

In Luke’s rendering of the Great Commission he uses repentance as a single requirement in the same sense as believing in Christ (Luke 24:46-47). As Dr. Ryrie says of this verse, “Clearly, repentance for the forgiveness of sins is connected to the death and resurrection of Christ.” The repentance comes out of the recognition of one’s sin, but the object of repentance is the person and work of Christ, or faith in Christ. Interestingly, in Luke 8:12 he uses believe alone, “Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.”

A comparison of other passages clearly supports the fact that repentance often stands for faith in the person and work of Christ. Compare Acts 10:43 with 11:17-18; 13:38-39 with 2:38. Also, note Acts 16:31 which uses “believe” alone.

The stated purpose of the Gospel of John is to bring men to faith in Christ (20:31), yet John never once uses the word repent, not once. If repentance, when used in connection with eternal salvation, is a separate or distinct requirement from faith in Christ, then John does not give the whole gospel. And if you can believe that, you can believe anything. Speaking of the absence of John’s use of repent in His gospel, Ryrie writes:

And yet John surely had many opportunities to use it in the events of our Lord’s life which he recorded. It would have been most appropriate to use repent or repentance in the account of the Lord’s conversation with Nicodemus. But believe is the word used (John 3:12, 15). So, If Nicodemus needed to repent, believe must be a synonym; else how could the Lord have failed to use the word repent when talking to him? To the Samaritan harlot, Christ did not say repent. He told her to ask (John 4:10), and when her testimony and the Lord’s spread to other Samaritans, John recorded not that they repented but that they believed (vss. 39, 41-42). There are about fifty more occurrences of “believe” or “faith” in the Gospel of John, but not one use of “repent.” The climax is John 20:31: “These have been written that you may believe . . . and that believing you may have life in His name.” (Charles C. Ryrie, So Great Salvation, Victor Books, p. 98).

What about Acts 20:21? “… solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Some would say, “Doesn’t this passage teach that faith and repentance are not synonymous and that repentance is a separate requirement?” No! Paul is summarizing his ministry in Ephesus and what he solemnly proclaimed to both Jews and Greeks, specifically, repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. The two words, repentance and faith, are joined by one article in the Greek text which indicates that the two are inseparable, though each focuses on a different aspect of the one requirement of salvation, namely, faith in Christ. We can legitimately translate it like this. “Solemnly testifying … a change of mind about God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Repentance, metanoia, focuses on changing one’s mind about his previous conception of God and disbelief in God or false beliefs (polytheism and idolatry) about God (see 1 Thess. 1:9). On the other hand, belief in Christ, as an expression of a change of mind, focuses on the new direction that change about God must take, namely, trusting in Christ, God’s Son, as personal Savior.

It has also been suggested that in this summary Paul is emphasizing the distinction between the particular needs of Gentiles and Jews. Gentiles who were polytheistic needed to change their minds about their polytheism and realize that only one true God exists. Jews needed to change their minds about Jesus and realize that He is their true Messiah (Ryrie, p. 98).

For an extended study of “repent” read Ryrie’s chapter on this issue in his book, So Great Salvation. Also, Bob Wilkin has done a huge study on “repent” in Grace Evangelical Journal. You can actually find them on the web. Go to our web site, click on “Other Sites” and scroll down till you come to “Grace Evangelical Society.”

Of course, there is also a repentance needed in the Christian life in relation to specific sins (2 Cor. 7:9; Rev. 2:5) but this repentance has nothing to do with salvation (Matt. 21:28-30).

For more on this issue see, ABCs for Christian Growth, Part 3, Lesson 7 “Assaults on the Gospel” on this web site.

I would also recommend Joseph Dillow’s book, The Reign of the Servant Kings, Schoettle Publishing Co., Hayesville, NC. This is a tremendous book that can help give a foundation for looking at many problem texts from a truly exegetical, contextual viewpoint. It stresses salvation by faith alone, the security of the believer, the basis of assurance, but also the need of faithfulness, not to keep from losing salvation or to persevere to prove salvation, but to receive rewards and reign with the Savior. I have been impressed with this book, not just because I happen to agree with his basic position, but because of the excellent and honest approach to the text, his thorough documentation, and many resources used.

Where can the teaching of women ordination lead?

Where can the teaching of women ordination lead?
by Matt Slick

In order to get to the position that women can be pastors and elders, people must ignore and or reinterpret a lot of Scripture. The problem with this is that once accomplished, the same method used to justify the woman's pastor/elder position can also be used to undermine other areas of biblical truth.

Now, there is no exact correlation between believing in women elders/pastors and apostasy. But we can see a general sequence of doctrinal positions that lead away from biblical fidelity, women pastors is one of them. In fact, women ordination seems to be a precursor to apostasy. We see that denominations that hold to women pastors later overwhelmingly come to support abortion, homosexuality, and deny the inerrancy of scripture. Of course, not all egalitarians hold to all three of these serious errors, but the pattern is there and you can see it the article Denominations, women ordination, and other errors where I have documented various denominations that hold to women ordination in other important issues.

The cluster of errors listed above is not all there is. Here are some other errors I've found with many egalitarians as they backtrack and reinterpret other topics in their attempt to maintain their position against biblical orthodoxy.

saying Gen 1 is a separate creation than Gen. 2
saying that there is no hierarchical structure in the Trinity, thereby, denying the economic trinity
denying authoritative headship in marriage
denying Christ's authoritative headship in the church
saying sin entered the world through Adam and not Eve because he knew better and she was deceived
denying Adam's representative position over mankind, thereby denying Federal Headship.
Time and people

If you want to mess something up, all you need is two things: people and time. It is our tendency to rebel against God and fall into error, to become more liberal. Adam and Eve messed up in the Garden of Eden. Are we any better than they? The early church began to have problems quickly which is why many of the epistles of the New Testament were written -- to correct error. We are sinners and we look for ways to justify our desires and to make our journey through life easier. But truth does not make that journey easy and so we tend to dull its edges so it doesn't cut as deeply into our wants.

To summarize, the problem with justifying women pastors is twofold. First, it's not what the Scriptures teach. Second, it opens the door up to other errors.

What does the scripture say?

1 Tim. 2:12-13, "But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. 13 For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve."
Titus 1:5,6, "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you might set in order what remains, and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, 6 namely, if any man be above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation or rebellion."
The verses clearly teach a woman is not to teach or exercise authority over a man because Adam was created first, thereby making it a doctrinal mandate, not a cultural one. In the second verse, Paul tells Titus to appoint men as elders. So, we can clearly see that the Bible teaches it is the men who are to be an authority in the Church. But, in order to justify having women be in authority and teaching men, the texts are deconstructed and reinterpreted. In the case of first Timothy "a woman" means a "wife of a particular man." Or, Adam being created first means that "he is more responsible for his sin than Eve." Or, that "husband of one wife" really is a phrase used of women as well.

I could go on listing some of the particulars held by egalitarians in their denial of Scripture, I hope you already have the point. It is simple. Error leads to error and unless we adhere to the clear teaching of Scripture, we will drift further and further away from God's revelation.

Does this seem overblown? It should not. If you compromise in one area, it is easier to compromise in another. We must then ask the same question Jesus asked, "...when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).

Ultradispensationalism

Ultradispensationalism

Advanced Information
Dispensationalists distinguish Israel from the church and so look for a point in history at which God's redemptive program changed from the one form of administration to the other. The most common dispensationalism finds the beginning of the church in Acts 2 with the Spirit's coming at Pentecost. From the standpoint of Acts 2 dispensationalism two other views seem extreme, or "ultra." According to Acts 13 dispensationalism the church began when Paul started his mission to Jews and Gentiles (Acts 13:2). According to Acts 28 dispensationalism the church began toward the end of Paul's ministry with his reference to Israel's rejection of the kingdom of God and the sending of God's salvation to the Gentiles (Acts 28:26 - 28).

Acts 28 dispensationalism is sometimes called Bullingerism after its leading proponent, Ethelbert William Bullinger (1837 - 1913). Other writers holding this position include Charles H Welch, A E Knoch, Vladimir M Gelesnoff, and Otis R Sellers. Bullinger's analysis of the NT led to three dispensations where Acts 2 dispensationalism has two (Israel before Pentecost and the church after Pentecost). Bullinger's first administration encompassed the time of the Gospels when Christ offered the kingdom of Jews only and entrance was signified by water baptism. Second was the traditional period in Acts and the earlier NT epistles when the apostles offered the Jews participation in the "bride church" and practiced two baptisms, in water and in the Spirit. Third was the oneness of Jew and Gentile in the body of Christ addressed in Paul's prison epistles (Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, 1 Timothy, Titus, and 2 Timothy) and entered by Spirit baptism alone.

Bullinger based some of his arguments upon dichotomies of words that did not refer to incompatible realities. For example, the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper had to do with the flesh only and so had no place in the body of Christ alleged to be of the Spirit only. Bullinger failed to understand that just as the inner and outer man can be one man, so the inner Spirit baptism and outer water baptism can constitute one baptism. The church, as many recent studies have indicated, is made up of tangible people in bodies meeting together in visible gatherings for the purposes of ministering to the whole person, both spirit and body. Christ's reference to baptism in the Great Commission need not exclude it from application to today's church.
Spokesmen for the Acts 13 dispensationalism are J C O'Hair, C R Stam, and Charles F Baker, author of a major textbook, A Dispensational Theology. Baker's name is associated with the Grand Rapids Grace Bible College, which prepares people for ministry in Grace Gospel Fellowship and the Worldwide Grace Testimony.

Answering the Acts 28 dispensationalism. Baker notes that Paul's statement (Acts 28:28) does not mark the beginning of the body of Christ but should be understood in the past tense, the gospel had been sent to the Gentiles (R S V , N I V , and others). Baker also argues effectively for the unity of all the Pauline epistles in their teaching about the church. In Paul's letters he finds support for the practice of the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11) but not water baptism. Paul's transitional use of water baptism for Jews (he assumes) is not regarded as normative for Gentiles (1 Cor. 1:13 - 17). Baker interprets baptism in Rom. 6:3 - 4 as mere Spirit baptism, but as has been noted, it may best be understood as both inner Spirit baptism and outer water baptism.

In defense of Acts 2 dispensationalism Charles C Ryrie argues that the question is when God initially formed the church, not when it was first understood. Baker replies that God plainly stated what he was doing earlier, bringing in the consummation of all prophecy and offering the kingdom to Israel (Acts 2:16; 3:24). As late as Acts 11:16, he writes, the apostles preached only to Jews. However, Baker failed to quote Acts 3:25, which explains that through the Jews all people on earth will be blessed. Is the message in the early chapters of Acts to the Jews exclusively, or to the Jews first, in order that Samaritans and Gentiles also may be added to the church? Baker's attempt to divorce the Pentecostal reception of power from the Spirit's baptism cannot stand in the light of the total development in Acts. The church began when believers in the crucified and risen Christ were baptized by the Spirit into one body (Acts 2:38, 41, 44, 47; cf. 1 Cor. 12:13) to which the Spirit added Samaritans (Acts 8:17) and Gentiles (Acts 10:28, 34 - 35, 45 - 48; 11:18).

Baker's chief reason for objecting to Acts 2 dispensationalism is that what happened prior to Paul had been prophesied by the prophets, but nothing about the body of Christ was revealed before Paul. Such all or nothing reasoning is imposed upon Scripture, not drawn from it. The fact that Paul most fully understood, explained, and received the mystery of uniting Jew and Gentile in one body need not imply that Peter, Cornelius, and the Jerusalem church had grasped nothing of this truth (Acts 10:30 - 38; 11:1 - 18). Did not Jesus Christ lay the one foundation for the church and prepare the disciples to establish it? Robert L Saucy shows that the church is built upon the entire work of Christ's first coming and is sustained through his present leadership. But he also finds that the actual historical formation of the church occurred in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.

G R Lewis
(Elwell Evangelical Dictionary)

Bibliography
E W Bullinger, How to Enjoy the Bible; A H Freundt, Encyclopedia of Christianity, II; L S Chafer, "Bullingerism," BS 104; C F Baker, A Dispensational Theology; C C Ryrie, Dispensationalism Today; J B Graber, Ultradispensationalism; R L Saucy, The Church in God's Program.

Additional Note

Recently, a Minister who visited BELIEVE soundly criticized us for this author's presentation. The Minister felt that this author was consistently denigrating 'late Acts' Dispensationalism in preference for Acts 2 Dispensationalism. We do not see this bias, but we are now looking for a better overview article for our presentation. Unfortunately, it seems that the proponents for each of the possibilities tend to write articles that strongly support their own point while severely attacking the opposing positions. Normally, we would just include several articles, presenting each position, but there do not seem to be 'short' articles available, and having this presentation be a combination of three separate hundred-screen articles doesn't seem appropriate.
The Minister was not done with us (or this author)! He was also extremely irate that we did not present or discuss Acts 9 Dispenstionalism. Until his comment, we apparently had led sheltered lives, because we had been unaware that we had overlooked yet another alternative. He claims that that position has existed since at least 1950, but we do not know how generally that position is held, or any facts on the matter. We will look into it!

And finally, the visitor was incensed that the author of the above article stated that C R Stam supported Acts 13 Dispensationalism, when he knew for a fact that Stam supported Acts 9 Dispensationalism. Again, we have no way (yet) of confirming these potential shortcomings in this presentation. Until we can accumulate facts, we decided to let visitors to this page know about these claims.

Another Additional Note

It appears that the mid-Acts Dispensationalism, referred to above as Acts 13 Dispensationalism, has now split into at least four separate groups! They seem to be very closely related in concept, all essentially relying on Acts 13, but they see the actual process beginning in: Acts 8, Acts 9, Acts 11, or Acts 13. As witnessed by the passionate note just above from a visitor to BELIEVE, these various groups seem to have intense feelings regarding their specific positions as being correct and the others being wrong! However, with a "larger perspective" we still see value in the article at the beginning of this presentation, as distinguishing the broader categories of early-, mid- and late-Acts Dispensationalisms, as being substantially different. Where that article refers to Acts 13 Dispensationalism, we ask readers to realize that the author was apparently referring collectively to the four separate mid-Acts positions and groups.
The dialogue between the four mid-Acts groups is ongoing, and the positions seem to still be somewhat fluid. BELIEVE tries to never get tangled in ongoing controversies, so that's why we are still willing to lump the four together, even though it seems to upset all four groups! We suspect that in a few years, the specific positions and credibility of each of the four positions will be better established, and at that time, it will be appropriate for BELIEVE to add presentations of their separate positions.

Prophecy THE INTERPRETATION OF PROPHECY

Prophecy
THE INTERPRETATION OF PROPHECY
General Assumption in Biblical Interpretation (added 8-17-2011)

As in all sciences, theology is based on assumptions. Mankind finds itself living in an ordered world with

observable natural laws and evidence of design. The natural laws and evidence of design. The nature of the ordered

world in which we live reveals an evident interrelationship of purposes requiring the existence of a God who is infinite in power, rational, and having the basic elements of personality, intellect, emotion, and will. The observable facts of nature as well as revelation through Scripture must be consistent with such a God. These facts, organized into a rational system, are the substance of theology, making it a science embracing the revealed facts about God. These facts, organized into a rational system, are the substance of theology, making it a science embracing the revealed facts about God, Creation, and history. God of history is gracious, holy, loving, patient, faithful, and good, and his infinite attributes of knowledge, power, and rational purpose. What is true of theology as a whole is especially true of biblical interpretation. In approaching the interpretation of the bible, at least four assumptions are essential.

1. In order to have a coherent and consistent interpretation of the Bible, it is necessary to assume that there are ample proofs that the Bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit and that the human authors were guided in writing of Scripture and in the selection of the very words that they used. Accordingly, the Bible is an inerrant revelation containing all the truth that God intended to be included and excluding all facts that were not to be included. As the inspired Word of God, it should be expected that, properly interpreted, the Bible does not contradict itself.

2. The Bible was intended to communicate truth about god and the universe, to record historical facts, to reveal ethical principles, to provide wisdom for human judgments, to reveal moral and material values, and to provide prediction of future events.

3. The Bible progressively reveals the truth of God in such a way that changes in the moral rule of life are recognized, such as the contrast between the Mosaic Law and the present age of grace Later revelation may replace earlier revelation as a standard of faith without contradicting it.

4. Though the Bible is an unusual book, in many respects it is a normative piece of literature, using words to convey truth, and yet providing a great variety of literary forms, such as history, poetry, and prophecy, and sometimes using normal figures of speech. Though a supernatural book, the Bible nevertheless speaks in normative ways which can be illustrated in literature outside the Bible.

Defination of common used prophecy terms:

Armageddon

The word “armageddon” only occurs in Rev. 16:16. It is the location of the final great battle between good and evil called the Great Day of God Almighty.

Apocalypse

From the Greek word for “revelation,” or “unveiling.” It is synonymous with Armageddon and refers to those future things dealing with the return of Christ and the great battle of Armageddon.

Amillennialism
The teaching that there is no literal 1000 year reign of Christ as referenced in Revelation 20. It sees the 1000 year period spoken of in Revelation 20 as figurative. Instead, it teaches that we are in the millennium now, and that at the return of Christ (1 Thess. 4:16 – 5:2) there will be the final judgment and the heavens and the earth will then be destroyed and remade (2 Pet. 3:10). The Amillennial view is as old as the Premillennial view. (Also compare to Postmillennialism).

Antichrist

A figure who opposes God. The word is used to describe a spirit of rebellion against God, “…the spirit of the Antichrist…” (1 John 4:3) and of a specific future person identified as the man of lawlessness (2 Thess. 2:3). He actively opposes Christ (2 Thess. 2:4) and when he arrives, he will be able to perform miracles (2 Thess. 2:9). Some believe he will be an incarnation of Satan and as such will be able to deceive many. His number is 666 (Rev. 13:18). A further possible description of him might be found in Zech. 11:15-17).

Eschatology

The study of the teachings in the Bible concerning the end times, or of the period of time dealing with the return of Christ and the events that follow. Eschatological subjects include the Resurrection, Resurrection, the Rapture, the Tribulation, the Millennium, the Binding of Satan, the Three witnesses, the Final Judgment, Armageddon, and The New Heavens and the New Earth. In the New Testament, eschatological chapters include Matt. 24, Mark 13, Luke 17, and 2 Thess. 2. In one form or another most of the books of the Bible deal with end-times subjects. But some that are more prominently eschatological are Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Joel, Zechariah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, 2 Thessalonians, and of course Revelation. (See Amillennialism and Premillennialism for more information on views on the millennium.)

God

The supreme being of the universe. He is the creator of all things (Isaiah 44:24). He alone is God (Isaiah 45:21,22; 46:9; 47:8). There have never been any Gods before Him nor will there be any after Him (Isaiah 43:10). God is God from all eternity (Psalm 90:2). In Exodus 3:14, God revealed His name to His people. The name commonly known in English is Jehovah. This comes from the four Hebrew consonants that spell the name of God. (See Tetragrammaton.)

God is a Trinity, knows all things (1 John 3:20), can do all things (Jer. 32:17,27 – except those things against His nature like lie, break His word, cheat, steal, etc.), and is everywhere all the time (Psalm 119:7-12).

Heaven

Heaven is the dwelling place of God and for those who go there a place of everlasting bliss.

Scripture implies three heavens, since “the third heaven” is revealed to exist (2 Cor. 12:2). It is logical that a third heaven cannot exist without a first and second. Scripture does not describe specifically the first and second heaven. The first, however, apparently refers to the atmospheric heavens of the fowl (Hosea 2:18) and clouds (Dan. 7:13). The second heaven may be the area of the stars and planets (Gen. 1:14-18). It is the abode of all supernatural angelic beings. The third heaven is the abode of the triune God. Its location is unrevealed. (See Matt. 23:34-37; Luke 10:20; and Rev. 22:2, 20-27).

Hell

Hell is the future place of eternal punishment of the damned including the devil and his fallen angels. There are several words rendered as Hell: Hades – A Greek word. It is the place of the dead, the location of the person between death and resurrection. (See Matt. 11:23; 16:18; Acts 11:27; 1 Cor. 15:55; Rev. 1:18; 6:8). Gehenna – A Greek word. It was the place where dead bodies were dumped and burned (2 Kings 23:13-14). Jesus used the word to designate the place of eternal torment (Matt. 5:22,29,30; Mark 9:43; Luke 12:5). Sheol – A Hebrew word. It is the place of the dead, not necessarily the grave, but the place the dead go to. It is used of both the righteous (Psalm 16:10; 30:3; Isaiah 38:10) and the wicked (Num. 16:33; Job. 24:19; Psalm 9:17). Hell is a place of eternal fire (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 19:20). It was prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41) and will be the abode of the wicked (Rev. 22:8) and the fallen angels (2 Pet. 2:4).

Judgment

Condemnation. There are several judgments: the judgment of the believer’s sins (John 5:24), the judgment of the believer’s self (1 Cor. 11:31-32), the judgment of the believer’s works (2 Cor. 5:10), the judgment of the nations (Matt. 25:31-46), and the judgment of the wicked (Rev. 20:11-15).

There is no judgment for the Christian in respect to salvation (Rom. 8:1). We were judged in Christ on the cross 2000 years ago. However, as Christians we will be judged according to our works (2 Cor. 5:10) with, most probably, varying degrees of rewards. But, remember, the judgment of our works does not affect our salvation.

Kingdom of God

The kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven seem to be variations of the same idea. A kingdom implies a king. Our king is Jesus. Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world (John 18:36). Jesus’ authority did not come from man but from God (Luke 22:29).

Entrance into the kingdom of God is by a new birth (John 3:5), repentance (Matt. 3:2), and the divine call (1 Thess. 2:12). We are told to seek the kingdom of God first (Matt. 6:33) and to pray for its arrival (Matt. 6:10). “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” (Rom. 14:17). It is also a future kingdom where full ruler-ship in the actual presence of the king Jesus will occur when He returns to earth.

Millennium

Literally, this word means 1000 years. In the study of end time doctrines (eschatology) the millennium is the period of time of Christ’s rulership. The debate has been over when the millennium will take place and what what form will it actually be. The terms that have arisen out of this debate are premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism. Premillennialism teaches that the millennium is yet future and that upon Christ’s return He will set up His earthly kingdom. Amillennialism teaches that the millennium is a figurative period and that Christ’s rule began when He first became man. Postmillennialism teaches that through the preaching of the Word of God, the world will be converted and will then usher in Christ and the kingdom of God. There are good arguments for each position.

Postmillennialism

The belief that through the preaching of the word of God, the entire world will be converted to Christianity and this will usher in the kingdom of Christ. This is when Christ will return.

Premillennialism

This is a teaching concerning the end times (eschatology). It says that there is a future millennium (1000 years) where Christ will rule and reign over the earth. At the beginning of the millennium Satan and his angels will be bound and peace will exist on the entire earth. At the end of the 1000 years Satan will be released in order to raise an army against Jesus. Jesus will destroy them and then the final judgment will take place with the new heavens and the new earth being made.

Rapture

The rapture is an eschatological (end times) event whereupon the return of Christ the true believers who are “alive and remain shall be caught up together with them [those who already died as Christians] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air…” (1 Thess. 4:17). This is the time of the resurrection where the Christian receives his resurrected body. First to receive their new bodies are those who have died as Christians, and then “those who are alive and remain.”

There is much debate over the time of the rapture. Does it occur at the beginning (pre-trib), in the middle (mid-trib), or at the end(post-trib) of the tribulation period? (See Tribulation.)

Second Coming

The Second Coming is a term applied to the return of Christ. If there is a second coming, it follows that there must have been a first. The first coming of Christ was His incarnation when He was born. At the Second Coming of Christ every eye will see Him (Rev. 1:7) as He descends from heavens in the clouds (Matt. 24:30; Mark 14:6).

Tribulationon

According to premillennialism, this is a seven year period that immediately precedes the return of Christ and the millennial kingdom of His rule which lasts for 1000 years. It will be a time of great peace (the first 3 years) and great war (the second 3 years) when the Antichrist rules over many nations. At the midpoint of the tribulation (at the end of the first 3 years) the Antichrist will proclaim himself worthy of worship. Many will bow down and worship the Antichrist and many will refuse. Those who refuse to worship the Antichrist will be killed. The second half of the tribulation is called the Great Tribulation. It will involve the whole world (Rev. 3:10). There will be catastrophes all over the world. (See Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 17.)

THE CHURCH AT THE END OF THE AGE--- AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

THE CHURCH AT THE END OF THE AGE---
AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

by Lambert Dolphin



The church of Jesus Christ is described by at least seven symbols, or figures, in the New Testament:

Jesus is the Great Shepherd and we Christians are the sheep (Jn 10:1-18).
He is the True Vine and we are the branches (Jn 15:1).
We are "living stones" building built into a house which is a habitation for God---Christ Jesus is the cornerstone (1 Peter 2:4-7, Ephesians 2:19-22).
The Lord is described as a merchant who finds and buys a single pearl of great price (Mt. 13:45).
He is Great High Priest over the household of faith, and we are his servant-priests (Heb. 4:14-16).
The church is the Body of Christ, every one a member of every other, and all under the direction of Christ the Head of the Body (1 Cor. 12:12-14, Ephesians 2:11-18, 4:4-16).
Finally the church is the Bride of Christ and Jesus the waiting Bridegroom (2 Cor. 11:2, Eph. 5:26, 27; Rev. 21:9).
Jesus announced the calling out of a new believing community, the church, on the occasion of Peter's testimony of faith in the Lord Jesus at Caesarea Philippi, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." (Matthew 16:18) Incidentally, Jesus was here speaking of the church prevailing in an offensive, not a defensive posture. The very gates of hell itself, he said, would not be able to resist or withstand the assaults of his church. The church was intended to be a formidable powerful opponent which would overcome all evil, "Who is this who looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army with banners?" (Song of Solomon 6:10). Paul closes his letter to the Romans with the admonition, "...I would have you wise as to what is good and guileless as to what is evil; then the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet." (Rom. 16:19-20)

The amazing fact which the Scripture clearly declares, but which thousands of Christians have failed to see, is that God has designed that his church should be a kind of government on earth undergirding visible governments. This would make possible a climate of benevolent law and order, the rule of justice and peace, and would hold in restraint the wild forces of tyranny, anarchy and murder. (See Matt. 5:13, 14; Phil. 2:14, 15; 1 Tim. 2:1, 2.) Whenever the church has approached the biblical pattern, righteous conditions have begun to prevail. And when it has turned from this divine pattern to rely on secondary forces it has become proud, rich and tyrannical, or worldly, weak and despised by all. (Ray C. Stedman, Body Life, 1972, 1995).

The calling out of Gentiles and their grafting into believing Israel as a whole new class of believers under a New Covenant with God was not revealed in the Old Testament. It is a "mystery" which in the Bible means something previously hidden but now made known by the Spirit in the New Testament:

"When you read this you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace...to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose which he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Ephesians 3)

Jude, the brother of our Lord, began his short epistle urging his readers with all diligence and earnestness "to contend [epagonizomai, from epi, upon or about, (intensive) plus agon, a contest], for the faith which was once for all time [hapax] delivered [paradidomi, or delivered over, handed over] to the saints." Jude is talking about the faith, the total content of the Christian faith, not just simple faith or trust in God. This faith was handed as a package from the Lord Jesus to the Apostles and was then transmitted from one generation into the next, person to person. Finally, we, too, in our own time were reached with this glorious good news, transmitted to us by faithful witnesses. We are now responsible for the whole package and its communication to the next generation, undiluted and unpolluted. The package includes all that the Old and New Testament have to teach us accompanied by a sound heritage of interpretation and wisdom from God imparted to his people. That way the church maintains its central integrity and orthodoxy.

Though Christians may differ in certain peripheral matters, we all need to seek and hold on to a core of sound understanding and to establish a Biblical world-view for ourselves. We are all strangers and pilgrims in an evil world, en route to the heavenly Jerusalem---traveling companions with those saints who have gone on ahead of us.

An urgent, diligent concern for balance, wholeness and the content of the faith is reflected in Paul's last words to the elders at Ephesus where he had labored long and arduously:

"And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they came to him, he said to them: 'You yourselves know how I lived among you all the time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which befell me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance to God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ...I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears...'" (Acts 20:17-31)

There is little doubt that today many churches in America promulgate a contentless Christianity, and false teachers certainly abound on every side. Not only does Paul warns of these "fierce wolves" who will draw away many by subtle enticements of slightly off-centered teaching, he also indicated that men will become less responsive to truth as the age draws to its end,

"Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by giving heed to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons." (1 Tim. 4:1):

"I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word, be urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be unfailing in patience and in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears [knetho, itching, is a metaphor meaning eager to hear (anything that suits them at the moment)] they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. As for you, always be steady, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Tim. 4:1-5)

In their concern for doctrinal corrections and theological orthodoxy in teaching, the Apostles wanted all believers to be acquainted with the "whole counsel of God." How can we do the will of God if we remain unacquainted with his ways and his character and his plans for mankind?

Yet orthodoxy in doctrine and full Biblical knowledge is not sufficient---as the Lord himself warned the church at Ephesus (they excelled in doctrinal excellence), "I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first." In the faith, (which was once for all time transmitted to the saints), lifestyle, conduct, self-giving love and godliness are vitally important. Truth not acted upon is lost and hypocrisy is something God deeply hates. Mere profession of faith not backed up by a changed life is worthless. In his great chapter on love (1 Cor. 13) the Apostle warns that "If I have no love it profits me nothing," and Peter says, "love covers a multitude of sins." (1 Peter 4:8) God seeks for wholeness in his children, which requires doctrinal integrity plus a responsive daily walk with God---in order that our lifestyles come around to match our beliefs. Indeed we are to pursue holiness, "without which no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14).

The church at Pergamum was warned against the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. Many Bible scholars hold that this departure from the truth concerns clericalism: the establishment of a division between a paid-professional clergy and a more or less passive laity. Elders are to encourage the flock as shepherds, and not run or manage the affairs of the church as if it were a business, professional, organization. The New Testament calls all believers into the ministry. All receive enabling spiritual gifts, all are priests under one Great High Priest, Jesus. Infiltration of the world's values into churches has certainly brought serious problems today, for instance the introduction of top-down management rather than servant-authority into church government. Jesus said clearly in this regard,

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; even as the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matthew 20:25-27)

Jesus said, "When the son of man returns will he find (the) faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8) These words cause us to question the final state of the church around the world at the time of Second Advent. The Old Testament is a dismal record of Israel's continued and repeated failure---despite the patient long-suffering love and mercy of God. Why then should we expect the church to succeed where other sinful sons of Adam have failed? True the promises of God and provisions made by the New Covenant are stronger and more powerful than those given to Israel under the Old Covenant, but it is biblical to say that the predicted end of the church in the New Testament is failure. Only a "remnant" will be saved out of professing Christendom---as was the case with Israel. The majority of professing nominal Christian church-goers will, sadly, go into the false, or harlot church of the tribulation period.

The idea that the Gospel would gradually subdue the people of the world and eventually bring them to the feet of Christ is contradicted alike both by the Scriptures and by history, and the result has been the rapid decline in the twentieth century of optimism in relation to the triumph of the church in the present age...A survey of Scriptural prophecy as it relates to the spiritual trends of the present age should have made clear to any inquirer that the present age will end in apostasy and divine judgment rather than victory for the cause of Christ through the triumph of the church. Major passages of Scripture deal with this subject and the expositor is embarrassed by the wealth of material which plainly teaches that the end of the age will be characterized by apostasy (Matthew 24:4-26; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; 1 Timothy 4: 1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; 4:3, 4; 2 Peter 2:1-3:18; Jude 3-19; Revelation 3:14-16; 6:1-19:21).

An examination of these major passages on apostasy in the New Testament will reveal that the development of apostasy will be in three stages: (1) the doctrinal and moral departure in the church prior to the rapture, i.e., during the last days of the true church on earth; (2) the apostasy in the professing church after the true church is raptured, i.e., in the period immediately following the rapture: (3) the final apostasy in which the professing church as such will be destroyed and the worship of the beast, the world ruler, as the human representative of Satan will be inaugurated (Matthew 24: 15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12; Revelation 13:4-8; 17:16-18). Of major importance is the fulfillment of the prophecy relating to apostasy in the church being fulfilled in the contemporary situation, a subject to which the Scriptures give considerable space. (John F. Walvoord, The Nations, Israel and the Church in Prophecy, Zondervan, 1967)

In seven parables of the kingdom of heaven recorded in Matthew 13, two apply directly to the weakened decadent, corrupt state of Christendom at the end of the age of the church:

"Another parable he put before them, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.'"

Ray C. Stedman comments on this parable as follows:

Mustard seeds are small seeds and ordinarily grow into reasonable shrubs. Mustard is a spice, an irritant, used in earlier times to make burning mustard plaster, which when placed on the chest was thought to cure all manner of ills. Here Jesus describes the state of the kingdom of God (at the end of the age) as an outlandish, overgrown, useless tree in which the vultures perch. The final state of the church will be like an inefficient bureaucratic organization infiltrated with evil birds of prey, no longer a company of pilgrims on a journey out of this life-pilgrims who should be salt and light wherever they go.

How visibly this has been demonstrated in our day when from the pulpits and the spokesmen of the church have come up a flood of stupid, crazy, mixed-up ideas---evil concepts which have blasted and blighted and ruined the hearts and minds of people, just as our Lord said. These things have only occurred since the tree has become fully grown and branched out, as we near the end of the age. (Ray C. Stedman, Behind History p76, Word, 1976)

The second parable is equally ominous in its warning about the course of the age:

"Jesus told them another parable. 'The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.'" (Matthew 13:31-33)

Ray C. Stedman comments on this parable as follows:

Leaven in scripture is always a symbol of evil. The measures of flour represent the fellowship God intended for his people to enjoy with him and with one another. The pervasive influence of the leaven of hypocrisy which was the leaven of the Pharisees, the leaven of the Sadducees which was rationalism, the leaven of materialism, characteristic of the Herodians, the leaven of legalism---all have worked together to ruin the quality of spiritual life God intended for his church.

Our Lord is looking down the centuries to follow and he sees the thing which is most precious to God about the work which he himself has begun among mankind. This is the fellowship of God with his people, the sharing of life with each other and with God, the family of God, the oneness of the body of Christ, with all the members sharing life in openness and honesty together under the love and forgiveness of the Father. And into that wonderful fellowship these false, evil principles are introduced by those who had the right and the authority to preserve this fellowship, i.e., the leaders of the church. It is they who introduce the leaven into it, who permit it to come in and do not exclude it as they should. Those who are charged with the responsibility of developing the fellowship of God's people nevertheless allow hypocrisy, formalism, ritualism, rationalism, materialism, legalism, immorality---all of these things-to come in. And when these things set into a church they destroy the fellowship of God's people.

What an instructive parable this is! As we apply it to ourselves we can see that this is what has been happening. This is why churches are oftentimes charged with being cold and unfriendly-because there's no fellowship. It is too often only on the most superficial basis that people come and sit together in the congregation, not as members together of one great family, but as individuals listening to a service but not relating to the person next to them. But that isn't Christianity as it is intended to be manifested. That is only a form, only a moment in the Christian life. The major part is to be the sharing of each other's concerns, the bearing of one another's burdens, the confessing of our faults one to another and praying for one another that we may be healed, the opening of our lives and the transparency of our actions before others. This is the great fellowship that our Lord is seeking.

As you trace this pattern down through history you can see how leaven has been working. The very ones who were responsible to keep God's house free from it---the leaders, the pastors, the elders, the teachers within the church---are the ones responsible for allowing these conditions to come in and to prevail. And each time they have done so they have destroyed this marvelous fellowship. (Stedman, Behind History, p90)

A great apostasy, or falling away, from true, biblical Christianity is another clear sign of the end of the church age according to Paul's second letter to the Thessalonians:

"Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day [of the Lord] will not come, unless the apostasy comes first...The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2 Thess. 2)

Each of the letters to the seven churches in Revelation (Chapters 2 and 3) contains a special message to the remnant of true believers in every congregation and in every age. This minority group in every church is described as overcomers. Each of these groups is given a special challenge appropriate to their situation and circumstances.

All Christian churches now in existence can be described as belonging to one of these seven generic groups. In addition, the course of the church age from the First Century till now has enjoyed a season of time in which each of these churches in turn has been the congregation of predominant influence in that age---beginning with Ephesus and closing with Laodicea.

To the church which is doctrinally sound but has lost its love, warm and openness (Ephesus) the remnant is urged to recover that lost love fervent love for the Lord Jesus---and for one another. They are promised: "To him who overcomes I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God."

To Christians who are suffering persecution and great hardships, Smyrna-type believers are encouraged to not fear and to endure, if necessary, to the death. "He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death." Pergamum-like churches with their hidden idolatry and permissive attitude towards immorality need urgently to repent and correct these serious problems. Their faithful remnant is promised: "To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone which no one knows except him who receives it."

In both the church of Pergamum and Thyatira, Jesus was gravely concerned about their continued toleration of sexual immorality and associated idolatry infiltrating in from the pagan world outside. Thyatira's faithful remnant was given the challenge, "He who overcomes and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received power from my Father; and I will give him the morning star. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." Sardis' remnant Christians, who have not soiled through garments through defilement by the world are encouraged, "He who overcomes shall be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."



There can be little doubt the church in America today is fully Laodicean. The age of Philadelphian Christianity has quietly slipped away from us in the past half-century. The Philadelphian Christian remnant was told, "He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Since the Laodicean church is representative of the church as a whole at the close of our age we should pay special attention to the Lord's analysis of this church and his words of exhortation to the faithful remnant that remains at the end of the age.

"The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. 'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. He who overcomes, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Returning to the various symbols of the church mentioned in the first paragraph, the figure of the church is a reminder that Christ is calling a virgin bride out of an idolatrous world:

"...Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:26,27)

The church described as the body of Christ, with Christ the head of the Body (Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 12-14) is a reminder that the true church is a living organism, not an organization. We need one another and depend on one another as the various organs and systems of the human body are interdependent. Each member of the church reports directly to the Head, there is no hierarchical leadership in the church. All members have spiritual gifts and all are called to the ministry. "If one member suffers, all suffer, if one rejoices all rejoice."

"But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift...And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, in order to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the purpose of building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love." (Ephesians 4:7-16)

Ray Stedman describes the fellowship and Body Life of the church and how to recover it in our time:

Now, openness and oneness of the body together is the key to all revival. Every time the Spirit of God has ever moved in history he has always begun here. He has restored to the church the sense of belonging to each other and to God together, the sense of openness and honesty and transparency, of the need to bear each other's burdens and to uphold one another before God, to be concerned and to care for each other, and to demonstrate it by deeds of help and mercy toward each other---all because we share the life of God. We are free to do this because we do not have to be hung up with defensiveness about ourselves. We have received the forgiveness of God, the grace of God, and that frees us to be at one with someone else. This is the most precious thing in the world in God's sight...

That is what is often lacking in the church today. We have taken away the koinonia, the commonness of the body of Christ. We have lost that to a great extent in the church in general. But we have held onto the kerygma, the preaching, the proclamation. We expect to convince everybody by an intellectual presentation of truth. But the reason why the evangelical church of our day is rejected and set aside in so many quarters is that people who come to it are disappointed because they hear great words but they don't see great lives; they don't see warmth, they don't see love and acceptance, they don't see understanding and forgiveness. What they too often run into is strife and bickering and fighting and quarreling and unforgiveness, jealousy and bitterness, grudges and splits and feuds and divisions, hostility and anger, worry and anxiety. They listen to the preaching of these great words that the church has to say and then they look at our lives to see how it works. And what they see convinces them that the words are not true. What they see is exactly what they find in their own lives and homes.

So they say to us, "What are you Christians talking about? What's the difference? What do you Christians have that we don't have---without the inconvenience of having to go through all the rites you go through. What is so great about this message? Why doesn't it do something for you? Why should we believe it and go to all the trouble of becoming a Christian when we can live the same way ourselves? We don't need the church or the Bible to teach us how to fight. We don't need the gospel to help us to be angry and resentful and bitter and divided against each other. We can do all that without it." And so there is an immediate loss of attention to the message that we are proclaiming because there is no evidence of the witness of communion. What is missing is the oneness, the precious fellowship together of the people of God living the life of God. (Stedman, op.cit. p91ff)

What can we as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ at the close of the age of the church? From the messages of Jesus to the seven churches it is clear that Christ offers special words of encouragement to the overcomers in each church. Each of us can make himself or herself unconditionally available to the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not necessary for us to get dragged down by those around us if our individual congregation has departed from the truth in teaching or conduct or has lost its first love. We can study to show ourselves approved, (2 Tim. 2:15), we can turn aside from the base things of the world and seek God's best so that we are worthy of the Master's most honorable use (2 Tim. 2:19-21).

Above all, we can pray. And we ought to pray for revival, for those "times of refreshing" God gladly brings to his church when a few of his people turn to him in real repentance and intercession. In response to Solomon's great prayer on the occasion of the dedication of the First temple in Jerusalem, the Lord spoke these words to the King:

"When I (the LORD) shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:12-14)

Addendum:

The Church In The End Of The Age, by John Walvoord

Are there Signs of the Rapture of the Church?

One of the neglected areas of prophetic study is that pertaining to the end of the church age. The assertion is often confidently made that there are no signs of the rapture of the church, as it is presented everywhere in Scripture as an imminent event. Therefore, it is argued, we should be looking for the coming of the Lord, rather than for signs that precede, as the rapture of the church is before the time of tribulation predicted in Scripture.

Most of the prophetic word relating to the end time has to do with the second coming of Christ to establish His kingdom in the earth. Prophecy is devoted to the events which precede the second coming rather than a series of events preceding the rapture itself. In the Gospel of Matthew, for instance, the general and specific signs leading up to the second coming of Christ are clearly outlined and the great tribulation is presented as the great, unmistakable sign of the second coming of Christ to the earth. In a similar way in the book of Revelation, an extended revelation is given beginning in chapter 6 of the events which will mark the end of the age preceding Christ's return to the earth. If these events follow rather than precede the rapture of the church, they cannot be taken as signs of the rapture itself.

There are, however, two bona fide areas of study relating to anticipation of the rapture itself. One of these has to do with preparation for events which will follow the rapture. There are extensive preparations in the present world scene which seem to be a foreshadowing and preparation for events which will follow the rapture. If so, these would constitute evidence that the rapture itself may be near. These signs will be presented in a later discussion.

Another important area, however, is the Scriptural description of the church at the end of the age. According to Scripture, there will be a progression of fulfilled prophecy in the church age itself which will be observable before the rapture even though its final form will not come into existence until after the true church has been caught up to be with the Lord. In a word, the Scriptures predict that there will be a growing apostasy or departure from the Lord as the church age progresses, and its increase can be understood as a general indication that the rapture itself is near. The Scriptures dealing with this subject are those which describe the church in the end of the age. These are in contrast to events of the tribulation itself which come to pass subsequent to the rapture.

The History of Apostasy

The concept of apostasy or departure from the faith is by no means a new idea, but can be traced throughout Scripture beginning in the Garden of Eden. There the taunting question expressed by the serpent to the woman, "Yea, hath God said?" (Genesis 3:1), introduced unbelief to the human race which has borne its sad fruit through the centuries since Adam. Basically, apostasy has always been a departure from faith in God's revealed Word, whether oral or written. It was that unbelief which inspired the first sin and in subsequent generations made necessary the terrible judgments of God upon human sin. In the Old Testament, it took the form of questioning God's revelation concerning sacrifices as revealed in Cain's rejection of blood sacrifices as a way of approach to God which ended in the murder of his brother. Abel. It was this same attitude of unbelief which rejected the preaching of righteousness through Noah even as he was building the ark which ended in the terrible judgment of the flood. It was the departure from the revealed worship and will of God which led to the construction of the Tower of Babel and the introduction of God's plan for Abram and his seed. It was lack of apprehension of the plan of God for Abram's posterity that caused Jacob to leave the land and ultimately to find his way down into Egypt to escape the famine. It was through unbelief that Israel failed to conquer the land under Joshua and to ignore in subsequent generations the solemn warning of Moses. It was unbelief that produced the awful immorality of the period of the Judges. It was unbelief that led Israel into idolatry which ended in the captivities of Assyria and Babylon. Finally, it was unbelief which blinded the eyes of Israel in rejecting the credentials of their Messiah and Saviour.

The history of the church subsequent to the close of the canon is also a sad record of departure from God. The church, kept pure through persecution in the early centuries, soon began to depart from the faith contained in the Scriptures once the church became a popular organization under Constantine. The first casualty was a departure from chiliasm, or the doctrine of the premillennial coming of Christ and the establishment of His millennial kingdom. Though the early church as well as the church of the Middle Ages seems to have clung resolutely to the idea of a bodily second coming as indicated by their creeds, the precious truths of the imminent coming of the Lord for His church and the establishment of Christ's righteous reign on earth soon lost its prominence. The teaching arose that Christ could not come back until a thousand years after the time of the apostles. This was based on the erroneous idea that the church was already in the millennium and that the millennium had to run its course before Christ could return.

The next important casualty in Scriptural doctrine was the departure from grace beginning with Augustine and his theology. While holding resolutely to the doctrine of human depravity with its corresponding need of divine grace, Augustine and subsequent theologians in the Roman Catholic Church maintained that grace was channeled through the church and the sacraments and, apart from this medium, there could be no true salvation or bestowal of grace. As a result, the great doctrine of justification by faith, the truth of the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit, and the truth that believers had immediate access to the throne of grace without an earthly priest as mediator became dim. Soon the authority of the Scriptures as the Word of God became subordinate to the authority of the church, and the interpretation of the church took precedence over the teaching ministry and illumination of the Holy Spirit. The Word of God, thus shackled and to a large extent kept from the people, cast its restricted light on the darkness of the Middle Ages.

The Protestant Reformation, of course, brought a fresh study of great essentials of Christian truth. Once again the Word of God was made its own authority. The great doctrine of justification by faith was proclaimed. The Roman priesthood was thrust aside in favor of the clear teaching that every Christian is a priest once he has put his faith in Christ and can have immediate access to the throne of God in the name of his Saviour. Likewise the grace of God came as an immediate bestowal of the Holy Spirit. Though Protestantism did not completely shake loose the sacramental idea of the Romanish system, it was a new state of freedom. Every man now could interpret the Bible guided by the Holy Spirit as his teacher and could revel in the abundance of God's sanctifying truth.

The Protestant Reformation, however, had barely begun before the sad evidence of further departure began. In the centuries that followed, the enlightenment freed men's minds and wills to believe and do as they pleased. No longer shackled by the dogma of the church, men could achieve new understanding of the physical and philosophic ream. Soon higher criticism began to rear its ugly head, and rationalism demanded that Christian doctrines be submitted to the bar of reason. Mystics arose who made experience the criteria of theological judgment. Critics began to divide the Bible and challenge traditional views of authorship and historical backgrounds. Apostasy invaded Protestantism with the same devastating effect it had had on the Roman Church.

The departure from the doctrine of infallible inspiration of the original writings in the nineteenth century in Europe soon found its way to the Western Hemisphere and precipitated the modernist-fundamentalist controversies of the first quarter of the twentieth century. With the departure from the doctrine of inspiration, there came ultimately a like departure from the doctrine of Christ. The virgin birth began to be questioned and declared unimportant. The deity of Christ was reduced to a divine quality rather than to a state of divine being. The bodily resurrection of Christ was made a spiritual resurrection instead of a literal raising of His body from the grave. Open skepticism arose within the church concerning doctrines of final judgment and of heaven and hell. The love of God was regarded as making impossible a God of righteous judgment.

The twentieth century marked not only the departure from Biblical Christianity to an extent never before witnessed in the history of the church, but also signaled the rise of new and confusing heresies. Multiplied cults and new forms of religion arose with varied degrees of allegiance to Christianity, a new combination of old errors came into being, of which the most powerful and important is neo-orthodoxy. The growth and character of apostasy in the world today, when viewed in the light of predictions in the Scripture concerning the last days of the church, seem to be a clear parallel to what one might have a right to expect in the days immediately preceding the rapture.

The General Character of Heresy in the Last Days

One of the major revelations concerning apostasy in the last days is that contained in 1 Timothy 4:1-3: "Now the Spirit speaks 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; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth."

This revelation given by Paul to Timothy according to the passage itself has to do with the "latter times." The character of departure from the faith is specified as containing the following items: (1) giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (2) speaking lies in hypocrisy; (3) having a conscience which is insensible; (4) forbidding to many; (5) and commanding to abstain from certain food. While these factors can be seen to some extent throughout the history of the church, they are increasingly evident in modern Christianity. The satanic character of departure from the faith is evident in the Confusion existing in the church regarding its proper theology. That which is contrary to the Scriptures is offered as the truth of God. Much that is traveling in the guise of religion is to spiritually minded Christians nothing other than an evidence of the power of Satan with all its deceptiveness. False doctrines are advanced without any attempt to relate them to the Word of God. In the name of religion much is promoted that demonstrates an insensitivity to the morality and holiness commanded of true Christians.

Of special interest is the prophecy that in the end of the age there will be prohibition of marriage and requirement to abstain from certain foods. It is evident in the Roman Church today that priests are forbidden to marry on the ground that the single estate is more holy than the married estate, something which is not taught in the Word of God. It should be clear to any reader of Scripture that the creation of Eve was God's plan, not Adam's, and that the command to populate the earth by bearing children preceded rather than followed the fall. Though an individual cases it may not be God's will for some to marry, as illustrated in the case of Paul, others were in the will of God in the married estate as in the case of the Apostle Peter. The prohibition regarding marriage originates in the commands of men, not in the Word of God, and is a sign of the encroaching false religion which characterizes the end of the age in contrast to the true faith contained in the Scriptures.

Another obvious factor is the religious custom to abstain from meats on Friday and to refrain from certain foods during Lent. This again is a man-made invention and certainly not taught in the Word of God. As the apostle indicates, if the food is that which God has created to be received with thanksgiving, then it can be eaten without violation of the moral will of God. The encroaching ritualism represented in these two items of I Timothy 4:3 is typical of religion as it attempts to curtail freedom which belongs to the child of God under grace. The fact that these three verses provide such an accurate picture of the contemporary scene leads to the conclusion that that which Paul described as coming to pass in the latter time is already being fulfilled in the professing church today.

The Denial of the Person and Work of Christ

One of the major sections on apostasy in the last days is that provided in II Peter 2-3. In these two chapters a comprehensive picture of the false teachers of the last days is given. In II Peter 2:1,2, the major features of apostasy are predicted: "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 bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."

According to Peter, there would arise in the church period false teachers corresponding to the false prophets which Israel endured. These false teachers would by stealth bring in that which he described as "damnable heresies" or "destructive heresies." It is cleat here that the apostle is not dealing with minor variations within the Christian faith such as often characterized difference of opinion within the orthodox church. It is rather that he predicts departures of such character that they are destructive completely to the Christian faith, that is, make impossible the salvation of those who adhere to them. He states that these heresies can be described as "denying the Lord that bought them" with the result that they will bring upon themselves swift destruction.

It would be almost impossible to state more succinctly the fundamental denial of the Christian faith which characterizes our day, for modern Christianity has indeed denied the Lord who bought them. This is actually a twofold error which is having a devastating effect upon the church. It is, first of all, the denial of the person of Christ and, second, a denial of His work.

It is characteristic of modern liberalism to teach that Jesus Christ was not born of a virgin, but actually was the natural child of Joseph and Mary. In attempting to explain the unusual influence of Christ upon His generation, and to account for the formation of the Christian church, it is often admitted that Christ was an unusual person even if He were only an ordinary man.

Modern liberals often explain that Jesus as a lad was an unusual person. He had an unusual consciousness of God and an unusual devotion to the will of God. Liberals explain that this was so noticeable in His character that people began to identify Him with God and called Him the Son of God. Accordingly, they point to Christ as the great example. They say that just as Christ became the Son of God by yielding to the will of God, by thinking God's thoughts, by worshiping God, and by doing God's will so that others can follow in His example and also become the sons of God.

From the standpoint of orthodox Christianity, of course, this is indeed a damnable heresy. It is affirming that Christ was an ordinary man who became divine in His experience but not in His person. It by-passes the whole matter of Christ's substitutionary atonement, the natural depravity of men, and the need for supernatural grace. Though often taught cleverly and covered up with evangelical terminology, it is all the more a deceptive device to take people from the truth as it is in Christ Jesus.

Modern neo-orthodoxy, while not straying as far as many liberals have gone, nevertheless tends to ignore the question whether Christ existed from all eternity past as the Second Person. They tend to by-pass the problem of whether there was indeed a genuine incarnation of the infinite God and man and whether Christ as a man was indeed all that He was before as the infinite God. Though the expression "Son of God" and the adjective "divine" are often attributed to Christ, it is not at all clear whether they mean by this something distinctive and unique. There is far more denial of the person of Christ in modern Christianity than is immediately apparent. It is probable that never before in the history of the church has there been more subversion of the true doctrine of Christology than there is in the contemporary theology of the church.

If denial of the person of Christ is common, even more so is there denial of the concept that Christ bought us. The idea that Christ is a substitute for sinners, that He died as a Lamb upon the cross, that He bore our sins as the Scriptures indicate, and by the shedding of His blood effected a judicial basis for our salvation, is all most offensive to the modern mind. To modern men the death of Christ is at best a noble example of sincerity of purpose or a demonstration of the wickedness of man, in that man would crucify such a noble character. To the liberal, the love of God is redemptive itself apart from the sacrifice of Christ and in effect liberals do exactly what Peter predicts, they deny the Lord bought us with His shed blood. While there may be differences of opinion on the interpretation of prophecy within the body of Christ, which do not affect the eternal salvation of those who hold these opinions, it should be obvious to every careful student of the Word of God that a denial of the person of Christ and a denial of the sacrifice of Christ strikes a blow at indispensable Christian truths and, as Peter predicts, those who deny this will bring upon themselves the righteous judgment of God.

Peter goes on to prophesy that many will follow their pernicious ways. It is sadly true that the way of truth is in a minority in the modern day. While churches beautiful in architecture and rich in appointment are evident in every city, their existence and their popularity is not in itself an evidence that the truth is being preached. Instead, Bible-believing Christians are sometimes viewed as cultic, as abnormal, as reactionary, as anti-intellectual, and as those who do not keep abreast of the times. Not many churches today welcome either to the pulpit or to the pew those who expound apostolic doctrine which is normally considered orthodox in the history of the church. Instead, those who have platitudes of good works, who preach interesting but unchallenging sermons and who leave their congregation undisturbed seem to be in the ascendancy.

The Apostle Peter spares no words in describing these false teachers. He accused them of "covetousness," of "feigned words," of making "merchandise of you," as being subject to God's "judgment," and "damnation" (II Peter 2:3). He accuses them of walking "after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness," of being such as "despise government," who are "presumptuous," "self-willed," who "speak evil of dignities" (II Peter 2:10). He declares that they are "as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed," who "speak evil of things that they understand not" and who "shall utterly perish in their own corruption" (II Peter 2:12). He declares that they "shall receive the reward of unrighteousness, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the daytime" (II Peter 2:13). Even in the observance of the Lord's Supper, they are "spots" and "blemishes" (II Peter 2:13). Their immorality is revealed in that they have "eyes full of adultery," and "cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls" (II Peter 2:14). They are "covetous," "cursed children"; "they have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness" (II Peter 2:14,15). They "are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever" (II Peter 2:17). They "speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh" (II Peter 2:18). They promise "liberty" though "they themselves are the servants of corruption" (II Peter 2:19). They are said to fulfill "the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire" (II Peter 2:22).

In the Epistle of Jude, a similar indictment is leveled against those who are apostates. They are said to be "ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 4). Jude does not spare denunciation of apostate teachers, comparing them to the apostates in Sodom and Gomorrah, both in their rebellion against God and against Christian moral standards. In most details, Jude parallels II Peter.

From these extended references to the moral character of apostasy, it is clear that God takes a far more serious view both of the theology and morality of false religion than is common among Christians today. The Word of God strips the apostates of any veneer of respectability, sincerity of motives, or worthy purpose, and reveals them for what they are, tools of Satan and the enemies of Christ and of all who love Him.

This shocking portrayal of the character of false teachers and their doctrines is too little realized by the church of Jesus Christ today. Misguided by religious phrases and the pomp and ceremony of modern Christianity, with its appearance of scholarship and its supposed progress in theology, many today are not willing to face the stark reality of heresy within the church and the widespread departure from Biblical faith. Here in the words of Peter and forming this portion of the inspired Word of God, heresy is unmasked and the contemporary church is seen from God's viewpoint. The hypocrisy, immorality, vanity, and emptiness of modern liberalism has its culmination in denying the Lord who died for a lost humanity.

Denial of the Second Coming of Christ

In the form of a postscript to the Apostle Peter's general description of apostates in the last days, the prediction is added that there would also be departure from the truth of the second coming of Christ. Peter writes: "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" (II Peter 3:3,4). In this passage false teachers are described as "scoffers, walking after their Own lusts:' On the one hand they are unbelievers, that is, those who will not accept the Word of God concerning the coming of the Lord, and, second, they are motivated by their own lusts and immorality.

It is an obvious fact that modern liberals scoff at the second coming of Christ, motivated primarily by their desire to avoid the doctrine of divine judgment upon sin which is commonly associated with it in Scripture. The widespread denial of a bodily return of Christ is prompted by a desire to avoid the teaching of Scripture concerning the revelation of righteousness which will accompany fulfillment of prophecy relating to the second coming. These false teachers approach the doctrine of the second coming with a question born of unbelief as they ask, "Where is the promise of his second coming?" They attempt to support their unbelief by the statement, "Since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."

Both the questions raised and the supporting evidence is, of course, contradicted by the facts of history. There is no logical support of the idea that a delay in the second coming of Christ is a valid argument against its ultimate fulfillment. Many prophecies in the Scriptures were fulfilled thousands of years after their deliverance, and there is no reason to believe that the passage of time alters the sure Word of God. The argument that all things have continued undisturbed since creation is contradicted by many Scriptures.

Peter points out that their assumption that all things have continued without interruption from beginning of creation is an absolute untruth. The entire Word of God bears its testimony to the fact that God does intervene in human events, that He does guide human history, that both naturally and supernaturally the providential government of God is manifest in the history of the world. An illustration is afforded first of all in the doctrine of creation itself in that God by His own command caused the earth to stand out of the water and in the water and created the starry heavens above. In verse 6 he refers to the earth as being destroyed by being overflowed with water. This is usually considered a reference to the flood of Noah. Peter says that just as God once destroyed the earth with water, so it is predicted He will in the future destroy the earth by fire.

Though not mentioned by Peter, it is obvious that the history of Scripture contains many other interventions of God into the natural situation. Many of His chastisements of Israel are illustrations of the fact that all things have not continued as they were from the beginning of creation. The greatest intervention of all was in the first coming of Christ when God invaded the human sphere in the form of the incarnation, The literal fulfillment of promises pertaining to the first coming is a foreshadowing of the literal fulfillment of promises pertaining to the second coming. For liberals, of course, who deny a genuine incarnation and who do not accept the testimony of Scripture, probably the appeal to nature used by Peter is the most valid and telling argument.

The promise of a future destruction by fire is joined to an explanation as to why the second coming has not already been fulfilled. As Peter explains it, in the first place, "one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day (II Peter 3:8). By this he means that time is not a factor with God in the same sense as it is with man, in that a thousand years pass as quickly for God as one day does with man. On the other hand, he means that there is the same planning in one day of human experience as there is in a thousand years of human history. God views the world in its history both from the microscopic and telescopic viewpoint. For this reason, the passage of several thousand years since the first coming of Christ is no argument at all that the second coming will not be fulfilled in God's time.

In contemporary theology, however, even liberals have been forced to give renewed attention to the doctrine of the second coming. Liberals have been jarred from their complacency by the events of the first half of the twentieth century including World War II. They have had to face the fact that the world could come to a sudden and dramatic end and that such an end is not beyond reason and certainly not beyond the Scriptural revelation. As the second half of the twentieth century began, however, it soon became clear that this renewed attention to the doctrine of the second coming of Christ was not a return to the Biblical truth, but rather an attempt to evade its plain teaching. The second coming of Christ is thus regarded as a spiritual experience, as a divine intervention into human consciousness or possibly as fulfilled in the death of the believer. The dramatic events related in Scripture as preceding and following the second coming of Christ are usually ignored.

Further light is given on the real cause for delay in Christ's return to the earth in II Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." The reason for the seeming delay in the coming of the Lord is not due to slackness or inability to fulfill His promise, but is inspired instead by the longsuffering of God who wishes to extend mercy to the ultimate limit, permitting all who will come and escape the divine judgment which attends the second coming. God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." This is His desire and though the Scriptures clearly reveal that God's heart will not be completely satisfied in this respect in that many will perish, it is the will of God that opportunity should be afforded as long as possible.

In due time, however, the Day of the Lord will come. Peter describes this in verse 10 as a time "in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (II Peter 3:10). From Revelation 20:11; 21:1, we learn that this will take place at the end of the Day of the Lord rather than at its beginning, that is, the Day of the Lord is viewed as the extended period of time between the rapture of the church and the end of the millennium, and will be climaxed by destruction of the present heaven and earth and the creation of a new heaven and earth.

It is stated plainly that the earth and the works in it are going to be burned up. According to II Peter 3:11: "All these things shall be dissolved." This could not he at the beginning of the millennium, for life continues including identifiable. geographic locations such as the Mount of Olives, the city of Jerusalem, and the nations which surround Israel. Peter states clearly that God's ultimate purpose is something more than simply Christ coming back to earth. It is the fulfillment of God's plan to bring in the eternal state where righteousness will reign and where the saints will enjoy the blessings of the grace of God throughout eternity. Those who scoff at the second coming of Christ are thereby denying the total of God's program prophetically for the world and will participate in what Peter refers to in II Peter 3:7 as "the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."

The prediction that there will be scoffing concerning the second coming of Christ is sadly fulfilled in the twentieth century. Few pulpits today proclaim a bodily second coming of Christ to tile earth. In the minds of many professing Christians, truths concerning the second coming are considered as proper items of faith only for cults and those outside tile main body of Christendom. Countless thousands of professing Christians are totally ignorant concerning the facts of Scripture which describe the second coming of Christ.

Though modern liberals have written in recent days numerous works dealing with the second coming of Christ, an examination of their contributions revealed that they are not talking about the second coming of Christ as presented in the Bible, but are using the terminology to refer to crisis in Christian experience or to the death of the believer. Actually, though using the terminology, they do not believe in a bodily second coming of Christ and thereby contribute to the confusion and unbelief that is characteristic of modern Christendom in relation to these great truths. Never before in the history of the church has the truth of the second coming of Christ been so vaguely held so far as the church at large is concerned as in our day. Actually the modern church denies the very idea of the prophetic and declares that it is impossible for anyone to predict the future whether it be the second coming of Christ or any other event in prophecy. Thus, unbelief is on the throne and faith and hope are shoved aside.

Coldness and Indifference in the Church

In the letter to the church at Laodicea, the last of the seven churches of Asia, the charge was made that they were lukewarm: "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 spew thee out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:15, 16). Whether or not the seven churches of Asia are prophetic of the entire age as many have held, the charge against the church at Laodicea is remarkably accurate for the church today. In contrast to the church of the Middle Ages which was dead, the modem church fulfills the description of being neither hot nor cold, quite self-content with its supposed riches and attainment. It is characteristic of much of the modern church to say complimentary words about Christ, but to avoid any clear testimony concerning His unique deity and His eternity. There is constant reference to "Jesus of Nazareth" but less clear is the question as to whether He was what He claimed to be, one with the Father in being as well as in fellowship.

The church today is too evidently overtaken by its worldliness. The lives of its people are often indistinguishable from those outside the church. Its prayer meetings are the poorest attended meetings of the week. Its congregations build great cathedrals to house their own worship, but often have little concern for the dying millions who have never heard of Christ. In some of the major denominations, it takes over forty congregations to support one full-time missionary on a foreign field. Rejection of such a pseudo-Christianity is evident in the striking statement, "I will spew thee out of my mouth" (Revelation 3: 16). If the Laodicean church is characteristic of the church of the last days, it does not foreshadow any glorious triumph such as is prophesied in postmillennialism.

In II Timothy 3: 1-5, there is a graphic picture of apostasy in the last days. Paul described it as a time of peril (II Timothy 3:1), a time when "men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away" (II Timothy 3:2-5). His summary of the situation at the end time in II Timothy 3: 13 makes it clear that the end of the age will be one of apostasy, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."

The increment of evil, the growth of hypocrisy, selfishness, and unbelief within the bounds of professing Christendom are according to Scriptures the signs of the approaching end of the age. Though there are thousands of faithful congregations and many pious souls still bearing a faithful testimony to Christ in our modern day, it is hardly true that the majority of Christendom is bearing a true testimony. It is the exception rather than the rule for the great fundamentals of the church to ring from the pulpit and for the pew to manifest the transforming grace of God in life and sacrificial devotion. In a word, the last days of the church on earth are days of apostasy, theologically and morally, days of unbelief, and days that will culminate in divine judgment.

The Relation of the Rapture to the Apostasy

In the church at Thessalonica, a misunderstanding concerning prophecy is corrected in II Thessalonians 2. Apparently through a false letter or report, they had been led to believe that the Day of the Lord had already come, and they were now in the predicted time of trouble from which they had been assured they would be delivered in I Thessalonians 5. In correcting this misunderstanding, the apostle definitely states that the Day of the Lord cannot come until apostasy of a special character takes place as defined in II Thessalonians 2:3,4: "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."

According to this revelation, the Day of the Lord which apparently follows the rapture of the church cannot come, that is, cannot fulfill its predicted character until there be "a falling away first" or, as it may be literally translated, "a departure first:' It has been debated whether this departure refers to the departure of the church as indicated in the rapture or whether the traditional interpretation that it refers to a departure from the faith should be in view. If it refers to the rapture, it is an explicit statement that the rapture must occur before the Day of the Lord and it constitutes a support of the pretribulational position. If it refers to the departure from faith, i.e., apostasy, it teaches that the Day of the Lord cannot come until the man of sin be revealed, a person described as "the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God" (II Thessalonians 2:3,4). Most expositors refer this description to the first beast of Revelation 13, the one described as the coming world ruler who will be worshiped by all men. Some refer it to the second beast of Revelation 13, that is, the false prophet who will be the religious head of the world in that day. In either case the reference is to a period between the rapture of the church and the second coming of Christ to the earth, a period described by our Lord as a time of great tribulation. The apostasy here described, while a 'culmination of the apostasy which characterizes the end of the church age, has the peculiar character of centering in a man who claims that he is God and demands that the entire world worship him. The description corresponds to that found in Revelation 13 where the world ruler is described as one who blasphemes God, who has power for forty-two months, the exact length of the great tribulation, who makes war with the saints, who has power over all kindred, tongues, and nations, and whom all that dwell upon the earth shall worship (Revelation 13:5-8).

When the rapture of the church takes place, every true Christian will be caught up out of the world. Those who are within the professing church who are left behind are unsaved and without real redemption in Christ. There is little to hinder their progression into the utter apostasy described for this period which is completely devoid of Biblical truth. The false religion of that day will be inspired of Satan, and culminates in the worship of a man who blasphemes God and all that is called Christian. The character of apostasy before and after the rapture therefore stands in sharp contrast, though in some sense the apostasy following the rapture builds upon that which has preceded it.

As will be brought out in later discussion, apostasy in this period takes two forms. First, that which has the semblance of Christianity and is the culmination of the movement toward a world church, as will be characteristic of the first part of the period between the rapture and the second coming. Second, the final stage of apostasy will follow, which will be that predicted in II Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 13, namely, the worship of Satan's man who will be both the political dictator of the world and the object of its worship as God. The super-church foreshadowed in Revelation 13 is seen also in Revelation 17 in the symbolism of the harlot sitting upon the beast. The final state is that of the worship of the world ruler who has destroyed the super-church in favor of the worship of himself (Revelation 17:16).

Prophecies of the End of the Church Age Fulfilled

The important conclusion which may be reached upon a careful study of prophecies dealing with the end of the church age is that all that is necessary before the rapture has been fulfilled, and that we can confidently await the coming of the Lord for His church as the next step in the fulfillment of prophecy relating to the church. There is a sense in which this has always been true inasmuch as these prophecies were to some extent fulfilled even in the first I century. With the passing of the years, however, the trend has been irresistibly in the direction foreshadowed by these prophecies and today the situation is clearly parallel to that which is anticipated in the great prophecies of Paul, Peter and John. In the Middle Ages, the ignorance and unbelief of the masses as well as the blindness of the church could be traced in part to a lack of dissemination of ideas. In a modern world, however, where communications have reached a new peak with multiplied thousands of books and other publications supplemented by radio and television, there is less excuse today than ever before in the history of the world for unbelief. To a large portion of the world, at least, the facts are available for those who wish to investigate. In the face of such modern conveniences and opportunity, unbelief is all the more startling because, humanly speaking, God has no other device than that of proclamation of the truth. The world today is responsible not because the truth is inaccessible but because they have turned away from it deliberately. There is no recourse in such a situation but divine judgment. The best efforts of the evangelical church are falling far short in keeping up with the increasing birth rate, much less countering the avalanche of unbelief and ridicule which expresses the world's attitude toward divine revelation. The stage is therefore set for a demonstration of the power of God, first in the period of judgment preceding the second coming, and then climaxing in the second coming of Christ and the gathering of the nations before the bar of divine justice. For the true church, it means that the days of its pilgrimage may be coming fast to a close. On the one hand, this calls for expenditure of every effort to snatch as brands from the burning those who have not yet come to Christ. On the other hand, the hope of His soon return should constitute both a comfort and a challenge to be "always abounding in the work of the Lord" (I Corinthians 15:58) and to purity of life and motive (I John 3:3). (The Church in Prophecy, by John F. Walvoord, Revised Edition, Kregel 1999)