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The Last Days Apostasy of the Church

http://www.bible-prophecy-today.com/2009/11/last-days-apostasy-of-church-part-1.html
September 25th, 2010

By Dr. Andy Woods


5 SpiritandTruth.org
Many other topics would be more pleasant to write about rather than the last days apostasy of the church. It
would be far easier to talk about the positive topic of God’s love rather than something as negative as
apostasy. Yet, this subject must be broached since it is part of God’s message in the Bible. In fact, this series
will contend that it is impossible to understand God’s plan for the end times without understanding what
10 Scripture reveals about the last days apostasy of the church.
Let’s begin with a definition of apostasy. The English word apostasy is derived from two Greek words. The
first word is the preposition apo, which means “away from.” The second word is the verb histēmi, which
means, “to stand.” Thus, apostasy means, “to stand away from.” Apostasy refers to a departure from known
or previously embraced truth. The subject of apostasy has little to do with the condition of the unsaved
15 world, which has always rejected divine truth and therefore has nothing from which to depart. Rather,
apostasy pertains to the spiritual temperature within God’s church. While some might think that apostasy
relates to some external factor such as whether the economy is up or down, the subject of biblical apostasy
relates to internal church conditions.
Because comprehension of what Scripture reveals concerning apostasy is critical toward completely
20 understanding God’s end-time program, this series will develop several general characteristics of apostasy.
They include the following: apostasy is a sign of the last days, is warned against repeatedly in the New
Testament, impacts every major doctrine, is internal, knows no limits in terms of who becomes involved in it,
can happen quickly, is satanically energized, is destructive, makes life difficult for the man of God, and can
be guarded against.
25 A Sign of the Last Days
Apostasy is a sign of the last days of the church. When we speak of the signs of the end, many subjects come
to mind such as the return of the Jews to their land or the trend toward one-world government. However,
these kinds of signs concern God’s future program for Israel rather than the church. Apostasy is another sign,
often taking place right under our noses, which we fail to recognize as a sign of the end. Apostasy is the
30 specific scriptural sign given indicating that the church is nearing the completion of her earthly mission.
Second Timothy 3:1 says,
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.”

Paul’s words to Timothy here are important since this letter represents Paul’s last will and testament. Because
they were given just prior to the apostle’s death (2 Tim 4:6 ), they represent a time in his life when he was
35 most serious. Also, this book, along with 1 Tim and Titus, is a pastoral epistle designed to give young
Timothy apostolic guidance regarding how to pastor God’s church. Here, Paul does not predict a last days
revival but rather the coming of dangerous times. Later on in the same chapter Paul explains,
“But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim
3:13; italics added).

Thus, Paul in this final letter seems to be anticipating an increasing drifting away from truth throughout the
church age.
5 The prediction of growing apostasy throughout the present age can also be seen in the eight Matthew 13
parables. In Matt 12, it is apparent that Israel was going to reject her king and His offer of the kingdom.
Israel’s religious leaders had even attributed Christ’s miracles to Satan (Matt 12:24). Thus, in Matt 13, Christ
through the use of eight parables outlines the course of a new intervening age to elapse in between Israel’s
rejection of the king and when she will accept Him in the future. This new age represents truth unrevealed in
10 prior revelation (Matt 13:16-17). While encompassing the church age (which exists in between the Day of
Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2 and the rapture), this new era extends beyond it as well. It begins with
Israel’s formal rejection of Christ’s kingdom offer (prior to Acts 2) and ends when Israel accepts her king
(after the rapture). When taken together, these eight parables describe the course of this new era.
The parable of the sower teaches that the gospel will be preached throughout the new age with various
15 results depending upon how the hearer’s heart has been prepared (13:1-9, 18-23). The parable of the wheat
and the tares teaches that it will be difficult to distinguish between the saved and the unsaved throughout
professing Christendom and a separation between them will not transpire until the age’s conclusion (13:24-
30, 36-43). The parable of the mustard seed teaches that Christendom will experience great numerical and
geographic expansion from a humble beginning (13:31-32). The parable of the leaven working its way
20 through the meal teaches that professing Christendom will experience increasing moral and doctrinal
corruption as the age progresses (13:33).
This parable is the most important in terms of predicting increasing apostasy throughout the present age.
Unfortunately, many interpreters miss this crucial point by interpreting the leaven as something good rather
than evil. Walvoord explains:
25 What does the leaven represent? Postmillenarians and amillenarians…usually assume
dogmatically that leaven cannot represent evil in the parable, although it is universally used to
represent evil in both the Old and New Testaments…It is more evident than ever in the last third
of the twentieth century that the gospel has not permeated the world and that evil tends to
permeate the entire professing church, which is exactly what Matthew 13 teaches. In the Old
30 Testament leaven is consistently used to represent evil…In the New Testament, leaven was used
by Christ of the externalism of the Pharisees, of the unbelief of the Sadducees, and of the
worldliness of the Herodians, and in general of evil doctrine (Mt 16:6-12; Mk 8:14-21). In Paul’s
letters, likewise, leaven represents evil, as in 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 and Galatians 5:7-10. In the
parable, the meal represents that which is good…The professing church, however, is permeated
35 by evil doctrine, externalism, unbelief, and worldliness, which tends to inflate the church and
make it larger in appearance, even as the leaven inflates the dough but actually adds nothing of
real worth. The history of the church has all too accurately fulfilled this anticipation, and the
professing church in the world, large and powerful though it may be, is permeated by the leaven
of evil which will be judged in the oven of divine judgment at the end of the age…To some
40 extent, evil will extend even to…the body of true believers in the church as well as those that
come to Christ after the rapture…even true believers fall far short of perfection and can embrace
to some extent worldliness, externalism, and bad doctrine.1

Toussaint similarly notes:


The discussion revolves around the significance of the word “leaven” (zymē). Many contend that
45 leaven is used here in a good sense and pictures the spread of the gospel throughout the earth.
Others state that the word represents evil and is used to illustrate the growth of evil within the
group which professes to inherit the kingdom. This latter interpretation has the stronger support.
It is consistent with the doctrine of Scripture concerning the evil character of the end of the
church age and the tribulation (1 Timothy 4; 2 Timothy 3; Jude; 2 Peter 3; Revelation 6–19). One
of the greatest supports for the interpretation that leaven speaks of evil is the use of the word in
5 Scripture. Invariably leaven pictures sin (Exodus 12; Leviticus 2:11; 6:17; 10:12; Matthew 16:12;
Mark 8:15; Luke 12:1; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8; Galatians 5:9). Finally the verb used here, “to
hide”…is very unusual if leaven represents good. It is a much more fitting word if leaven is to
have a sinister effect. This is similar to the idea in the parable of the wheat and the darnel. The
way the woman hides the leaven in the meal parallels very closely the manner in which the
10 enemy sowed darnel by night. This parable reveals the fact that evil will run its course and
dominate the new age. But it also indicates that when the program of evil has been fulfilled, the
kingdom will come.2

The parable of the hidden treasure teaches that national Israel (


Exodus 19:5
15 ) will remain in unbelief only to be converted at the age’s conclusion (13:44). The pearl of great price teaches
that the Lord will gain a treasure from among the Gentiles throughout the interadvent age (13:45-46). The
parable of the dragnet teaches the same message as the wheat and tares or the co-existence of good and evil
only to be separated at the age’s conclusion (13:47-50). The parable of the householder depicting the man
bringing both new and old treasures from his house teaches that these parables describing fresh and new
20 truths about the course of the present age must be considered alongside what prior revelation teaches about
the future kingdom in order to understand God’s total program (13:51-52).
Thus, the present age represents a period when the gospel is preached resulting in the salvation of some.
However, a counterfeit sowing will also take place. Despite God’s work throughout the church age,
Christendom will experience an increasing doctrinal and moral corruption. Therefore, the teaching
25 concerning the increasing apostasy of the church can be found not only in Paul’s final letter but also in the
Matthew 13 parables.
This teaching on the apostasy of the church does not mean that God cannot sovereignly send refreshing
waves of revival and reformation, as He has done at various times. However, these refreshing seasons are not
the norm but rather occur only intermittently throughout church history. Also, a proper understanding of
30 apostasy represents a worldview that is diametrically opposed to “kingdom now” theology, which is the idea
that the church will gradually Christianize the world thereby ushering in long-term cultural progress. The
only way “kingdom-now” theology can be defended from Scripture is to ignore what the New Testament
predicts concerning the apostasy of the church.
Endnotes

35 1. John F. Walvoord, Matthew: Thy Kingdom Come (Chicago: Moody, 1974), pp. 102-4.
2. Stanley D. Toussaint, Behold the King: A Study of Matthew (Portland: Multnomah, 1980; reprint, Grand
Rapids, Kregel, 2005), p. 182.
The Last Days Apostasy of the Church
http://www.bible-prophecy-today.com/2010/02/last-days-apostasy-of-church-part-2.html
September 25th, 2010

By Andy Woods
5 Apostasy must be understood in order to comprehend the last days scenario. This series of articles is
dedicated toward tracing the general characteristics of apostasy. In the previous article, apostasy was defined
as a movement within Christ’s church representing a departure from known truth. There, it was also
established that apostasy is the central sign revealed in Scripture signaling the near completion of the
church’s earthly mission (2 Tim 3:1, 13; Matt 13:33).
10 A Massive New Testament Subject
Another point to understand about apostasy is that it represents a massive New Testament subject.
Surprisingly, apostasy is one of the most frequently mentioned subjects in all of the New Testament. In fact,
it is difficult to read much of the New Testament before encountering warnings concerning apostasy. For
example, such warnings are found in the Gospels (Matt 13), Acts (Acts 20:29-31), the Pauline letters (Rom
15 16:17-18; Gal 1:6-9; 2 Cor 11:1-15; Philip 3:2, 18-19; Col 2:8; 1 Tim 4; 2 Tim 3–4; Titus 1:10), and the
general epistles (Heb 2:1-4; 2 Pet 2–3; Jude; 1 John 4:1-6).1 The early chapters of the Apocalypse also reveal
the reality of apostasy. Revelation 2–3 describes seven letters to seven churches in Asia Minor. Five of these
seven churches are in need of rebuke from Christ due to their apostate condition.
Interestingly, entire New Testament books were written solely for the purpose of warning believers
20 concerning apostasy. Galatians was written in order to warn against the Judaizers. Colossians was written for
the purpose of warning Christians about the Colossian heresy. Hebrews was written to keep the audience
from leaving the full revelation of Christ and lapsing backwards into Judaism. Both Jude and 2 Peter were
written as warnings concerning apostasy.
Sadly, despite the abundance of New Testament material dealing with the subject of apostasy, very few
25 modern Christians have ever heard a sermon on apostasy from their local church. Perhaps the reason for this
omission has to do with the subject’s negativity. Because apostasy is not a positive subject, many preachers
avoid it. It is far easier for pastors to talk about something positive, practical, or relevant than it is to warn of
the inherent dangers associated with apostasy.
Apostasy Concerns Every Major Doctrine
30 Yet another point to understand is that warnings against apostasy pertain to every major doctrine. What will
the apostates deny? Is there any doctrine that will be left off the “chopping block”? Are there any doctrines
that are so essential to the heart of Christianity and considered so precious that no apostate would dare deny
them? The answer is a resounding “no!” The New Testament reveals that apostates will deny “the faith” (1
Tim 4:1). Notice the definite article in front of the word faith. In other words, the apostates will even deny
35 the very faith of Christianity. Apostates will also deny God (Jude 4). 2 Peter 2:1 predicts a denial of both
Christ and His atoning death when it says, “denying the master who bought them.” The apostates will also
deny “sound doctrine” (2 Tim 4:3).
They will similarly deny God’s role in creation (2 Pet 3:5). The verb thelō, which means to “wish” or
“desire,”2 in this verse expresses the apostates’ desire to push God out of their thinking when contemplating
creation. The NKJV well captures this idea when it translates 2 Pet 3:5 as follows:
“For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth
5 standing out of water and in the water” (italics added).

Not only will the apostates deny God’s role in creation, but they will also deny His future return.
2 Peter 3:4
records the apostates asking, “Where is the promise of His coming?” Despite the fact that the return of Christ
is embraced by virtually all of Christendom’s creeds and confessions, Scripture predicts that the apostates
10 will even deny this important doctrine. We are seeing this prophecy being fulfilled today with the resurgence
of preterism, which takes prophecies that have traditionally been understood as futuristic and instead argues
for their historic or past fulfillment. Full preterists even go so far as to say that there is no such thing as a
future Second Coming since
all
15 Bible prophecy has been fulfilled in the past.
3

The New Testament predicts that the apostates will even tamper with the doctrine of the resurrection. One
would think that at least this doctrine would be off limits since Christianity collapses if Christ has not been
resurrected. Paul explained,
20 “and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain” (1 Cor
15:14).

However, Paul elsewhere explained that the apostates would have little respect even for the resurrection and
its implication. He noted,
“Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that
25 the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some” (2 Tim 2:17-18, italics
added).

Thus, the preceding discussion indicates that there are no doctrinal “sacred cows” as far as the apostates are
concerned. The New Testament predicts that everything that can be denied will be denied.
An Internal Matter
30 Another characteristic of apostasy is that it is primarily internal. Toward the end of his third missionary
journey, Paul made a stop at Miletus, which is an Asia Minor seaport near Ephesus. It is there that he had the
opportunity to address the elders of the church at Ephesus. In this magnificent address as recorded in Acts
20:18-35, Paul unfolded grand ecclesiologic principles designed to govern the ministries of the Ephesian
elders as they attempted to shepherd Christ’s church at Ephesus. In this discourse, Paul also sounded the
35 alarm concerning apostasy. Apparently, Paul was serious about this subject since he had warned the Ephesian
elders about it both day and night, with tears, for a period of three years (Acts 20:31).
As Paul depicted the characteristics of apostasy, he also noted its internal character. He said,
“I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
And from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the
40 disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30; italics added).

Jude also noted the internal character of apostasy. He explained,


“For certain persons have crept in unnoticed” (Jude 4, italics added).

Thus, these verses indicate that apostasy is not something that takes place outside of the four walls of the
church. Rather, it is a reality that takes place within her midst. When one looks for apostasy, he should not
look for it in the unsaved world. Instead he should look for it behind pulpits, in Christian publications, and
5 even in Christian schools.
Apostasy Knows No Limits
Another characteristic of apostasy is that it knows no limits. The very people or groups that one would
initially think would not be involved in apostasy are sometimes the very ones “leading the charge” into
apostasy. For example, Exodus 32:1-10 indicates that while Moses was on Mount Sinai for a 40-day period
10 receiving God’s Law, the children of Israel at the base of Mount Sinai quickly apostatized by constructing a
golden calf. What is most shocking about this event is that the ringleader of this apostasy was none other
than the high priest Aaron. Similarly, Judges 17–18 records a wandering Levite who helped introduce the
first instance of idolatry into the land of Israel after the conquest under Joshua. This idolatry was first
introduced into a household and then an entire tribe (Dan). Again, what is startling about this story is that the
15 Levite responsible for these actions was none other than Jonathan, who was the son of Gershom or the
grandson of Moses (Judges 18:30).
A New Testament example of apostasy is found in Rev 2:4-5 where Christ charged the church at Ephesus
with having left its first love. Apparently, this sin represented a severe departure in Christ’s eyes since He
threatened to take away from the Ephesians their lampstand or sphere of influence unless they returned to
20 Him. It is again surprising to observe that it was none other than the church of Ephesus involved in this
departure. Paul founded the church at Ephesus on his third missionary journey during a three-year stay in
Ephesus. Ephesus had been the recipient of the ministries of Apollos, Priscilla and Aquila, Timothy, and even
John.4 Ephesus also had three letters addressed to her. Each of these letters eventually became part of the
New Testament canon (Eph, 1–2 Tim). Yet, despite this solid theological foundation, Ephesus eventually
25 departed from Christ. In sum, one would never have guessed that Aaron, Jonathan, and Ephesus would have
ever been involved in apostasy. Yet these are the very ones who led in the area of apostasy.
Therefore, no one is immune from apostasy. This fact is evidenced by the following rules given at the
foundation of a well-known Christian school.
Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his
30 life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to
lay Christ in the bottom as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and learning. And seeing
the Lord only giveth wisdom, let everyone seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seek it of
Him (Prov. 2, 3). Everyone shall exercise himself in reading the Scriptures twice a day that he
shall be ready to give such an account of his proficiency therein.5

35 Most people are amazed to learn that these were the rules of Harvard given at the school’s inception in 1636.
Yet, spiritually speaking, the Harvard of today is quite different from the early Harvard. Over time, Harvard
apostatized from its Christian roots. When founded, any prediction of the eventual drifting of the school from
its biblical foundation would probably have been looked at as a gross overstatement. Yet such a departure is
what has happened. Thus, as demonstrated through the examples of Jonathan, Aaron, Ephesus, and Harvard,
40 apostasy knows no limits.
Endnotes

1. For an expanded list of New Testament verses dealing with apostasy, see H. Wayne House and Thomas
Ice, Dominion Theology: Blessing or Curse? (Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1988), 281, n. 46.
2. Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd
ed., ed. Frederick William Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 447.
3. For a refutation of the preterist position, see Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, eds., The End Times
Controversy (Eugene, OR: Harvest, 2003).
4. Robert G. Gromacki, New Testament Survey (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1974), 133.
5 5. Rules of Harvard in 1636; quoted in David Barton, Original Intent (Aledo, TX: Wall Builder Press, 1996),
81.
The Last Days Apostasy of the Church
http://www.bible-prophecy-today.com/2010/02/last-days-apostasy-of-church-part-3.html
September 25th, 2010
By Dr. Andy Woods
5 SpiritandTruth.org
Apostasy is an important yet often neglected subject when attempting to comprehend what the Bible teaches
about the end times. Thus, this series of articles is dedicated toward tracing ten general, biblical
characteristics of apostasy. In the previous articles, apostasy was defined as a movement within Christ’s
church representing a departure from known truth. It was also established that apostasy is the central sign
10 revealed in Scripture signaling the near completion of the church’s earthly mission. It was also shown that
warnings against apostasy consume much of the New Testament and that these New Testament warnings
relate to virtually all of Christianity’s most cherished doctrines. Apostasy is also a phenomenon that occurs
internally within the church and even is led by individuals or groups considered the least likely candidates to
depart from truth. This article will attempt to develop two more characteristics of apostasy: its speed and
15 satanic influence.
Apostasy Can Happen Quickly
Another characteristic of apostasy is the speed or haste in which it can transpire. Apostasy need not take
several generations to occur. Galatians 1:6 says, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who
called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel” (italics added). When Paul wrote to the Galatians, he
20 expressed shock or surprise on two grounds. First, he was astonished at how quickly his readers had deserted
the truth that he had imparted to them. Second, he was amazed that the Galatians had parted company with
him on the very gospel itself. They did not disagree with Paul on some tangential or minor issue but rather on
the core nature of the gospel, which represents the heart of Christianity.
A natural question arises. How long of a period of time elapsed in between Paul’s initial contact with the
25 Galatians and when Paul addressed them in his letter? Most modern New Testament scholars hold to what is
called the Southern Galatian Theory. According to this view, Paul evangelized and planted churches within
the area of Southern Galatia (modern-day Turkey) on his first missionary journey around A.D. 48. He then
wrote to these same churches upon his return to Syrian Antioch after the conclusion of his first missionary
journey. Therefore, Paul wrote to these same churches about one year after his original contact with them.
30 Paul penned the letter out of concern that the new Galatian believers had shifted theologically. Although they
had experienced salvation through faith alone in Christ alone, they had begun to embrace the false teachings
of the Judaizers that sanctification could be achieved through a mixture of faith in addition to obedience to
the Mosaic Law (Gal. 3:3). Paul spends the entire letter to the Galatians seeking to rescue them from this
error. The important point to recognize here is that the very churches that had heard Paul preach and even
35 saw his miracles (Gal. 3:5; Acts 14:3, 8-11) had departed dramatically from critical Pauline gospel principles
within a short duration of time consisting of about one year. Thus, the speed at which apostasy can occur
cannot be overstated.
In the previous article, reference was made to the golden calf incident (Exod. 32:1-10). There, Israel while
encamped at the base of Mount Sinai apostatized from God at the very moment Moses was atop Mount Sinai
40 receiving God’s Law. As in the case of the Galatians, this turning away from God did not represent a
departure over some minor issue. Rather, it represented apostasy from the fundamental issue of monotheism.
When God brought this issue to the attention of Moses on Sinai, He made reference to the speed at which
Israel had apostatized. Exodus 32:8 says, “They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I have
commanded them” (italics added). Apparently, Moses had been on Sinai for only 40-days (Exod. 24:18) and
45 it was during this short time period that Israel apostatized on the fundamental issue of the true knowledge of
God. Again, the speed at which apostasy can occur should be noted. While it took the Galatians about a year
to depart from the core principles of the gospel, it took Israel only 40 days to depart from God by lapsing
into idolatry.
The speed in which apostasy can take place also finds illustration in Christ’s words to the church at Ephesus.
5 The previous article noted Christ’s rebuke to the Ephesian church, which had forsaken its first love (Rev. 2:4-
5). Again, the foundational nature of this departure deserves notice. Like the Galatians who had left the core
principles of the gospel and Israel who had forsaken monotheism, the Ephesians had allowed other pursuits
to eclipse their initial love and devotion to Christ. Interestingly, Paul had earlier addressed the church at
Ephesus around A.D. 60. Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians was written from Rome during his first Roman
10 imprisonment and constituted the first of his four “prison letters.”1 The letter to the Ephesians fails to reveal
any clue of a major defection taking place within the church. Yet when Christ addressed the same church in
Rev. 2:1-7, the church looked entirely different since it had abandoned its first love. While, as mentioned
above, Paul wrote to the Ephesians in A.D. 60, it is traditionally believed that John on Patmos received and
recorded the vision that subsequently became known as the Book of Revelation in A.D. 95.2 Thus, within
15 just three and a half decades (from A.D. 60 to A.D. 95), the church at Ephesus had departed on the
foundational issue of love and devotion to Christ. In sum, while it took the Galatians one year to abandon the
gospel and Israel 40 days to abandon monotheism, it took Ephesus less than four decades to neglect its first
love. All of these biblical examples illustrate the speed in which apostasy can occur.
The rapid speed in which apostasy can occur was first driven home to me as a new believer. I became a
20 Christian in 1983 through a home Bible study affiliated with a Bible teaching church. This wonderful church
then nourished me in my newfound relationship with Christ during most of my high school years. I then
temporarily left the church for a few years in order to attend college and graduate school in another area.
Upon my return to the church just a few years later, I found an entirely different church due to an interim
change in ministry philosophy. No longer was the Bible taught except in a highly selective fashion. Concepts
25 such as the realities of sin, hell, and the exclusivity and blood of Christ were omitted from the church’s
teaching ministry all in the name of not wanting to offend the unchurched. God used this experience to open
my eyes not only to the reality of apostasy but also to the speed in which it can occur even in spiritual
environments once considered fundamental and secure.
Apostasy Is Satanically Energized
30 Who ultimately is behind apostasy? The following verses divulge Satan as the true culprit. 2 Corinthians 11:3
says, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his own craftiness, so your minds may be
corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (italics added). Here, Paul expresses concern that just as Satan
led Eve away from God’s simple command not to eat from the forbidden tree, Satan might similarly lead the
Corinthians into apostasy. 1 Timothy 4:1 similarly notes, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter
35 times some will depart from the faith giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons” (italics
added). The adverb “expressly” indicates the Spirit’s earnest desire to convey an important truth. This
important spiritual reality is that demons are the ultimate source of power behind the last days apostasy of
the church.
Do men or Satan cause apostasy? The answer to this question is “yes” since both alternatives are true. Satan
40 places ideas into the minds of fallen men typically in positions of ecclesiastical influence in order to push the
church further into apostasy. Satan even uses believers in order to accomplish this endeavor. Satan’s ability
to use carnal believers, or those who cater to their sin nature, is apparent from the following passages. Christ
rebuked Peter for giving verbal expressions to satanic thoughts. Christ’s rebuke occurred when Peter
attempted to persuade Christ not to die on the cross (Matt. 16:23). Later, Peter noted that Satan had filled the
45 hearts of Ananias and Sapphira thereby prompting them to lie to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4). It seems
evident that Ananias and Sapphira were believers since their sudden deaths struck fear into the hearts of the
rest of the church (Acts 5:11). Such fear probably would not have overtaken the church had Ananias and
Sapphira been unbelievers. The early church likely reasoned that if two of their own could be severely
disciplined by God then the rest of the church could be similarly disciplined. Also, Paul exhorted the
Ephesian believers not to harbor bitterness and instead to forgive. Otherwise they would give Satan a place
of influence in their lives (Eph. 4:26-27). Thus, these passages all seem to indicate that Satan has an ability
to negatively influence the lives of carnal believers.
5 Why would Satan want to use Christians in spheres of influence within the church to cause the church to
depart from truth? Satan’s ambition has always been to push the church into apostasy so as to get it off
message and outside of her divine purpose. Once the church becomes something that God never intended she
quickly loses her effectiveness in the world. God’s purpose for the church is threefold: to glorify God (Eph.
3:21), to edify the saints (Eph. 4:11-16), and to accomplish worldwide evangelization and disciple making
10 (Mark 16:15; Matt. 28:18-20). The church operates with power only to the extent that she functions within
her divine design. Once the church moves outside of these divinely designed guidelines she loses her power
and effectiveness. This reality explains why Satan is the ultimate cause of apostasy. If Satan through apostasy
can cause the church to take on tasks that God never delegated to her or become something that God never
designed her to be then he will have crippled the church in accomplishing her earthly mission.
15 Endnotes

1. Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians represent Paul’s prison letters.


2. For a defense of Revelation’s A.D. 95 date, see Mark Hitchcock, “A Defense of the Domitianic Date of the
Book of Revelation” (Ph.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 2005).

The Last Days Apostasy of the Church


20 http://www.bible-prophecy-today.com/2010/03/last-days-apostasy-of-church-part-4.html
September 25th, 2010

By Dr. Andy Woods


SpiritandTruth.org
Apostasy is an important yet often neglected subject when attempting to comprehend what the Bible teaches
25 about the end times. Thus, this series of articles is dedicated toward tracing ten general, biblical
characteristics of apostasy. In the previous articles, apostasy was defined as a movement within Christ’s
church representing a departure from known truth. It was also established that apostasy is the central sign
revealed in Scripture signaling the near completion of the church’s earthly mission, that warnings against
apostasy consume much of the New Testament, and that these New Testament warnings relate to virtually all
30 of Christianity’s most cherished doctrines. Apostasy is also a phenomenon that occurs internally within the
church, is led by individuals considered the least likely candidates to depart from truth, can happen quickly,
and is ultimately satanically energized. This article will attempt to develop two more characteristics of
apostasy: its destructive character and the deleterious impact it has upon those within the church who are
attempting to remain faithful to God’s truth.
35 Apostasy Is Destructive
Apostasy takes a toll. Bleeding sheep, bruised feelings, and disillusioned Christians are always found in the
wake of any church or group that apostatizes from the truth. The Spirit wants believers to be aware of the
dangers associated with apostasy, which explains why Scripture frequently analogizes apostasy to familiar
dangers from the physical world. For example, 1 Tim. 1:19-20 compares apostasy to a shipwreck when it
says, “…which some have rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus
5 and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme” (italics added). When we
contemplate a shipwreck we think of the tremendous loss of life and property. Yet, just as a shipwreck is
harmful in the physical world, apostasy is equally as harmful in the spiritual realm. On a similar note, Paul
also compared apostasy to ravenous wolves entering the flock and gorging upon innocent sheep. Acts 20:29
says, “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock” (italics
10 added).
Paul later warns, “And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who
have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they have overthrown the
faith of some” (2 Tim. 2:17-18, italics added). Here, Paul analogizes apostasy to “cancer” (NKJV) or
“gangrene” (NASB). We are all familiar with the destruction that “cancer” or “gangrene” can bring upon the
15 physical body. Through the use of this metaphor Paul notes that apostasy is equally as damaging to one’s
spiritual health. Thus, in verse 18, Paul explains that the apostasy introduced by Hymenaeus and Philetus had
overthrown or unsettled the faith of some. Here, the verb translated “overthrown” is also used in John 2:15 in
reference to how Christ overturned the moneychangers’ tables in the temple. Like the overturning of a table,
apostasy represents a similar destabilizing influence.
20 We are quick to recognize danger in the physical world. We remember the Tylenol scare of the 1980’s. At
that time, it was discovered that some people who had taken cyanide-laced Tylenol had died. Once this was
discovered, public service announcements were given, Tylenol was recalled and banned, and new protective
legislation was passed all in an attempt to keep others out of harm’s way. In other words, society reacted
appropriately and promptly to the prospect of physical danger. While we are quick to recognize a physical
25 threat, we are not as equally aware or vigilant in the presence of spiritual threats. Yet, Scripture, by
analogizing apostasy to familiar dangers from the natural world, is explaining that apostasy is just as
destructive to one’s spiritual life.
Apostasy Brings Difficulty to the Man of God
Another reality associated with apostasy is the difficulty it brings upon those within Christ’s church desiring
30 to remain loyal to biblical truth. Paul said, “But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse,
deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim. 3:13, italics added). He also predicted, “For the time will come when
they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they
will heap up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to
fables” (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Although there are many applications of these verses, they bear a striking similarity to
35 a modern ministry philosophy that has captured the hearts of many of today’s evangelical churches known as
the “church growth movement.” Church growth is not per se wrong as long as God is the one giving the
growth (Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 3:6).
However, God-induced numerical growth is not what modern-day church growth advocates promote. Rather,
what they mean by church growth is sociological polling in an attempt to determine what the unsaved want
40 to experience in church. When such data is collected, it is concluded that the unsaved want entertainment,
shorter sermons, “practical” preaching enabling them to succeed in business, and fewer references to
offensive concepts such as blood, hell, sin, or Christ’s second coming. The church growth movement then
concludes that if the church is then repackaged to satisfy these yearnings of the unsaved, then people will
flock to church thereby causing it to grow. While no one disputes that large crowds can be accumulated
45 through the use of this methodology, the real question is, “does the end result represent God’s definition of
what the church is supposed to be?”
In actuality, what transpires is that the spirit of the world invades the church. Consequently, 2 Tim 3:2-4
represents the characteristics that people in the church begin to exhibit. The main thought of these verses is
depicted in the opening and concluding phrases while everything else sandwiched in between amplifies this
central thought. Thus, the central thrust of these verses is that men will become lovers of self (3:2a) rather
than lovers of God (3:4b). Everything else in between these phrases describes the characteristics of people
when they reach this state (3:2b-4a). Therefore, Paul predicts that when men become lovers of self rather
5 than God they will exhibit the following characteristics: love of money, boastfulness, arrogance, blasphemy,
disobedience to parents, unthankfulness, lovelessness, unholiness, unforgiveness, slanderous, lacking self-
control, brutality, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, and pleasure lovers.
While many interpreters mistakenly apply these verses to the outside world, the world has always been this
way. If the world has always exhibited these qualities, how could the world manifesting these qualities
10 constitute a sign? Rather, 2 Timothy is a pastoral letter. Timothy, the immediate recipient of the letter, was a
pastor over the church at Ephesus. Therefore, Paul is describing what people within the church will become
like once the spirit of the world invades the church.
Some may question whether it is possible that Christ’s church could so depart from truth that she is no longer
governed by Him but rather by a non-Christian philosophy. Yet this very scenario was what was transpiring
15 within the church at Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22). There, Christ is depicted as standing outside the door of the
church, knocking on the door, and seeking re-entry (Rev. 3:20). Evangelists often use this verse in order to
describe Christ as standing outside the heart of the unbeliever, knocking on the door, and inviting the
unbeliever to become a Christian. Although some may come to Christ through such a presentation, this is not
a correct representation of the verse’s context. This verse is not found in an evangelistic context. Rather, it
20 represents a church that has so apostatized from truth that Christ has been dethroned as the church’s
governing authority. Consequently, Christ is portrayed as standing outside the door of His own church
seeking re-admittance as ruler of His own people. In fact, Laodicea actually means “ruled by the people.”
Newell observes, “The name comes from laos, people, and dikao, to rule: the rule of the people:
‘democracy,’ in other words.”1
25 It is in this context of the spirit of the world controlling the church that Paul warns, “But know this, in the
last days perilous times will come” (2 Tim. 3:1, italics added). We might ask, “perilous for whom?” Since 2
Timothy is a pastoral letter, we can safely conclude that the peril or danger that Paul predicts will arrive will
be the adversity experienced by Timothy as well as all other faithful pastors. Why will Timothy and others
experience peril once the spirit of the world invades the church? The man of God will experience difficulty
30 in such a setting because he will be attempting to declare God’s truth before people who are not interested in
listening to it but are rather more interested in having their ears tickled. Thus, pastoral work will become
difficult, as the pastor will find himself battling with his own congregation.
This fact explains why Pauline warnings of apostasy are accompanied by warnings of difficulty for the
pastor. For example, reference has already been made to Paul’s prediction that “evil men and imposters” will
35 grow “worse and worse” (2 Tim. 3:13). However, the preceding verse says, “Yes, and all who desire to live a
Godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12, italics added). Similarly, reference has
already been made to Paul’s warning that the church will no longer support a platform for the teaching of
sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4:3-4). Interestingly, the subsequent verse says, “but you be watchful in all things,
endure afflictions…” (2 Tim. 4:5, italics added). Paul warns Timothy of these coming dangers since Timothy
40 is the one who must bear up under them as a spiritual leader attempting to be faithful to God in the midst of a
church that is gradually moving away from truth. In sum, as described in this article, not only does apostasy
introduce spiritual danger but it also brings adversity into the life of the faithful spiritual leader.
Endnotes

1. William R. Newell, The Book of the Revelation (Chicago: Moody, 1935), 75. See also Robert L. Thomas,
45 Revelation 1–7: An Exegetical Commentary, ed. Kenneth Barker (Chicago: Moody, 1992), 296.
(See the complete series on the Apostasy of the Church by Andy Woods at SpiritandTruth.org).
The Last Days Apostasy of the Church
http://www.bible-prophecy-today.com/2010/05/last-days-apostasy-of-church-part-5.html
September 25th, 2010

By Andy Woods
5 SpiritandTruth.org
Apostasy is an important yet often neglected subject when attempting to comprehend what the Bible teaches
about the end times. Thus, this series of articles is dedicated toward tracing ten general, biblical
characteristics of apostasy. In the previous articles, apostasy was defined as a movement within Christ’s
church representing a departure from known truth. It was also established that apostasy is the central sign
10 revealed in Scripture signaling the near completion of the church’s earthly mission, that warnings against
apostasy consume much of the New Testament, and that these New Testament warnings relate to virtually all
of Christianity’s most cherished doctrines. Apostasy is also a phenomenon that occurs internally within the
church, is led by individuals considered the least likely candidates to depart from truth, can happen quickly,
and is ultimately satanically energized. Moreover, apostasy is destructive in character and also has a
15 deleterious impact upon those within the church who are attempting to remain faithful to God’s truth. The
last two articles in this series will discuss a final characteristic of apostasy: apostasy negatively impacts those
who have not taken preventive measures against it. This final characteristic is perhaps the most important to
discuss since it explains what believers can do to insulate themselves from apostasy’s pernicious influence.
The Need for Aggressive Action
20 As the various characteristics of apostasy have been noted throughout this series, what has been depicted is a
strong downstream current. This mighty downstream current of apostasy influences all Christians, whether
we choose to acknowledge it or not. Although some are more conscious of the ever-present “tug” of apostasy
than others, the reality is that the chronic “pull” influences all believers. Picture yourself in the midst of a
river being dragged along by a downstream current. Suppose that you do not want to be pulled downstream.
25 What do you do? If you do nothing and remain passive you will continue to be pulled in a direction you do
not want to go. The only way to reverse your predicament is to do something active or aggressive. For
example, assuming the river is shallow enough, you might attempt to brace your feet on the bottom of the
river in order to counteract the river’s natural downstream direction. You could also paddle upstream or
toward the shoreline. You could even call out for help. The only real unacceptable option is remaining
30 passive. Passivity is a sure guarantee that you will be taken in the direction you do not want to go.
While we all understand this imagery in the context of the natural world, the same imagery is equally
applicable in the spiritual world. Remaining passive is a sure way to succumb to apostasy’s negative
influence. What aggressive action must be taken in order to find insulation and protection from apostasy’s
constant influence? The answer to this question is really quite simple. Upon encountering a New Testament
35 command exhorting the believer to do something, we simply obey the command. The New Testament is
littered with such commands. As these imperatives become more than words on a page to us but rather things
that we incorporate into daily life, we soon discover that the influence that apostasy once had over us begins
to wane.
Many of these biblical injunctions amount to simple preventive maintenance. We all understand that over the
40 long run it is easier and less expensive to take our automobiles in for regular mechanical check ups in order
to prevent a break down from occurring rather than taking the car in after it has already broken down. As the
saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” In other words, being proactive in order to
prevent something bad from happening is better than reacting to a bad situation after it has already
transpired. As Proverbs 27:12 puts it, “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself; the simple pass on and
5 are punished.” As we regularly obey a host of New Testament commands, we discover that we can actually
prevent apostasy from occurring, which is better than making a difficult “up hill climb” back to divine truth
after we have already apostatized. Similarly, by implementing a variety of New Testament commands, we
can prevent apostasy from even occurring in our personal lives.
Test All Things
10 One such command is, “Test all things; hold fast what is good” (1 Thess. 5:21). How do believers “test all
things”? One of the greatest gifts given to us by God is a reliable standard of divine truth through the closed
canon of Scripture. The Holy Spirit, who authored the Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21), is not
schizophrenic. It is impossible for the Holy Spirit to say one thing at one time and something contradictory
another time. In other words, it is an impossibility for the Holy Spirit to reveal something in Scripture and
15 then something entirely different through a human teacher, prophet, theologian, doctrine, philosophy, etc.
Thus, believers can protect themselves from the apostasy that is so prevalent in our day by simply comparing
everything we hear with the eternal Word of God. Those items taught to us that are consistent with what God
has already revealed in Scripture are to be accepted and embraced while those things that are inconsistent
with scriptural truth are to be rejected and discarded.
20 Of course, the command to “test all things” in this manner is replete throughout the Bible. This exhortation is
as old as 1405 B.C. when Moses on the plains of Moab exhorted the Jews who were on the verge of entering
Canaan not to believe every prophet. He explained, “If there arises among you a prophet or dreamer of
dreams, and he gives you a sign or wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to
you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods which you have not known, and let us serve them,’ you shall not
25 listen to the words of that prophet…” (Deut 13:1-3). Here, Moses explains that the test of truth is not an
experience or even a miraculous manifestation from a prophet who “arises among you.” Rather, truth is
determined by whether the prophet’s message is in conformity with prior divine revelation. In this case it is
not since the prophet’s exhortation to “go after other gods” contradicts the first two commandments in the
previously revealed Decalogue (Exod 20:1-6; Deut 5:6-10). These verses are especially important for today’s
30 experientially based Christianity, which is prone to attach divine authority to a message based upon a
subjective experience, a miraculous manifestation,1 or even the giftedness of the presenter. Paul taught the
same principle in the New Testament when he told the Galatians, “But even if we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8). Notice
that Paul explained that divine authority should not be ascribed to a teaching made either by him or any other
35 apostle or even an angel2 if such a teaching contradicted what prior revelation taught concerning the gospel.
Moreover, the Scripture commends the Bereans for testing all things. Acts 17:11 says of them, “These were
more fair minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched
the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” Apparently, the Bereans understood the
principle of testing all self-proclaimed sources of truth by prior revelation. They even, to their credit, put
40 Paul himself to the test on a daily basis. Christ similarly commended the Ephesians for following the same
practice of testing all things. He said of them, “And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are
not, and have found them liars” (Rev. 2:2). Although Christ later criticized the Ephesian Christians, He
commended them for their unwillingness to accept something as true simply because it claimed to have come
from an apostolic source. He praised them for their diligence in testing all things through the light of prior
45 revelation. John similarly sought to insulate his readers from encroaching Gnosticism by also teaching them
to test all things by prior divine revelation. He explained, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the
spirits, whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
However, the believer only has an ability to test all things to the extent that he is familiar with what God has
already revealed in the scriptural record. The way those in the banking industry are trained to recognize
counterfeit currency is not by studying counterfeit currency. Rather, they become familiar with texture, color,
and even the smell of genuine currency. Thus, when false currency comes across their hand they can
immediately recognize it as false since their familiarity with the real currency gives them a frame of
5 reference to compare the false to, thereby enabling them to recognize its falsity. In other words, lack of
familiarity with the real leads to an inability to recognize the false. Similarly, scriptural illiteracy prevents
Christians from being able to discern truth from error consequently making them vulnerable to apostasy.
Thus, the author of Hebrews views the capacity for spiritual discernment emanating from familiarity with
Scripture as a sign of spiritual maturity. Hebrews 5:14 notes, “But solid food belongs to those who are of full
10 age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” In sum,
passivity makes resisting apostasy impossible. Rather, the capacity to resist the natural flow of apostasy only
becomes viable to the extent that the believer actively familiarizes himself with Scripture and actively
compares every teaching he receives with this prior divine revelation.
Endnotes

15 1. How can these false prophets perform miracles if they are not in a right relationship with God? Satan is
also in the miracle working business as many sections of Scripture amply testify (Exod. 7–8; Matt. 7:21-23;
24:24; Acts 8:9; 16:16; 2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13:3, 13, 15; 16:13-14; 19:20).
2. Interestingly, many false religions that are prevalent today got their start from someone allegedly receiving
a communication from an angel. Such an angelic manifestation, in and of itself, should not be mistaken for
20 divine truth since Satan can also appear as an attractive angel (2 Cor. 11:14; Isa. 14:12-13; Ezek. 28:14).
The Last Days Apostasy of the Church
http://www.bible-prophecy-today.com/2010/05/last-days-apostasy-of-church-part-6.html
September 25th, 2010

By Andy Woods
5 SpiritandTruth.org
Apostasy is an important yet often neglected subject when attempting to comprehend what the Bible teaches
about the end times. Thus, this series of articles is dedicated toward tracing ten general, biblical
characteristics of apostasy. In the previous articles, apostasy was defined as a movement within Christ’s
church representing a departure from known truth. It was also established that apostasy is the central sign
10 revealed in Scripture signaling the near completion of the church’s earthly mission, that warnings against
apostasy consume much of the New Testament, and that these New Testament warnings relate to virtually all
of Christianity’s most cherished doctrines. Apostasy is also a phenomenon that occurs internally within the
church, is led by individuals considered the least likely candidates to depart from truth, can happen quickly,
and is ultimately satanically energized. Moreover, apostasy is destructive in character and also has a
15 deleterious impact upon those within the church who are attempting to remain faithful to God’s truth.
Apostasy also negatively impacts those who have not taken preventive measures against it. Our previous
article demonstrated the need for aggressive action, or a lack of passivity, in order to counter apostasy’s
negative influence. One such aggressive step involves the need to test all things through the grid of the
measuring stick of the closed canon of Scripture. This article will focus on a final way to combat apostasy:
20 by returning to the preeminence and authority of Scripture in our personal lives and local churches.
An Unpopular Command
Paul discussed the reality of apostasy more in the Book of 2 Timothy than in any of his other letters. There,
Paul exhorted young Timothy, who was pastoring in Ephesus, to devote himself to Scripture. He said, “Be
diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
25 word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). This pastoral injunction seems so simple. Yet this is the area where the
contemporary American church is most negligent. For example, T.A. McMahon notes the dilution of the
ministry of the Word in many churches.
As we’ve noted, most seeker-friendly churches focus much of their time, energy, and resources
on accommodating unchurched Harry and Mary. Consequently, week after week, the entire
30 congregation is subjected to a diluted and leavened message. Then, on Wednesday evening, when
a fellowship is reduced to a quarter or a third of its normal size, would it be reasonable to assume
that this remnant is served a nourishing meal featuring the meat of the word, expositional
teaching, and an emphasis on sound doctrine and discipleship? Hardly. We’ve yet to find a
seeker-friendly church where that takes place. The spiritual meals offered at midweek services
35 are usually support group meetings and classes for discerning one’s spiritual gifts or going
through the latest psycho-babble-ized “Christian” bestseller…rather than the study of the
Scriptures.1

Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, observes this same
ecclesiastical trend. While quoting Mark Galli, he notes:
“It is well and good for the preacher to base his sermon on the Bible, but he better get to
something relevant pretty quickly, or we start to mentally check out.” That stunningly clear
sentence reflects one of the most amazing, tragic, and lamentable characteristics of contemporary
5 Christianity – impatience with the Word of God.

...Galli was told to cut down on the biblical references in his sermon. “You’ll lose people,” the
staff member warned. In a Bible lesson on creation, the teacher was requested to come back next
Sunday prepared to take questions at the expense of reading the relevant scriptural texts on the
doctrine. Cutting down on the number of Bible verses “would save time, and it was strongly
10 implied would better hold people’s interest.”

…Indeed, in many churches there is very little reading of the Bible in worship, and sermons are
marked by attention to the congregation’s concerns - not by adequate attention to the biblical
text. The exposition of the Bible has given way to the concerns, real or perceived, of the listeners.
The authority of the Bible is swallowed up in the imposed authority of congregational concerns.

15 As Mark Galli notes:

It has been said to the point of boredom that we live in a narcissistic age, where we
want to fixate on our needs, our wants, and our hopes – at the expense of others and
certainly at the expense of God. We do not like it when a teacher uses up the whole
class time presenting her material, even if it is material from the Word of God. We
20 want to be able to ask our questions about our concerns, otherwise we feel talked
down to, or we feel the class is not relevant to our lives.

…Don’t spend a lot of time in the Bible, we tell our preachers, but be sure to get to
personal illustrations, examples from daily life, and most importantly, an application
we can use.

25 The fixation on our own sense of need and interest looms as the most significant factor in the
marginalization and silencing of the Word. Individually, each human being in the room is an
amalgam of wants, needs, intuitions, interests, and distractions. Corporately, the congregation is a
mass of expectations, desperate hopes, consuming fears, and impatient urges. All of this adds up,
unless countered by the authentic reading and preaching of the Word of God, to a form of group
30 therapy, entertainment, and wasted time – if not worse.

Galli has this situation clearly in his sights when he asserts that many congregations expect the
preacher to start from some text in the Bible, but then quickly move on “to things that really
interest us.” Like…ourselves.

...The Biblical formula is clear – the neglect of the Word can only lead to disaster, disobedience,
35 and death. God rescues his church from error, preserves his church in truth, and propels his
church in witness only by his Word – not in congregational self-study.

In the end, impatience with the Word of God can be explained only by impatience with God. We
– both individually and congregationally – neglect God’s Word to our own ruin.2

Even professors at leading evangelical institutions have also noticed a precipitous decline in the Bible
40 knowledge of their incoming students.
For the last four years, the Bible and Theology department at Wheaton College in Illinois has
studied the biblical and theological literacy of incoming freshmen. These students are
intellectually ambitious and spiritually passionate. They represent almost every Protestant
denomination and every state in the country. Most come from strong evangelical churches and
5 possess a long history of personal devotion and Christian involvement (regular church
attendance, youth groups, camps, missions, etc.). They use the Bible regularly – but curiously,
few genuinely know its stories. The Bible has become a springboard for personal piety and
meditation, not a book to be read. These students very likely know that David killed Goliath, but
they don’t know why he did it or that Goliath was a Philistine or who the Philistines were. When
10 asked to complete a test in which a series of events must be placed in order, our students returned
surprising results. One-third of the freshmen could not put the following in order: Abraham, the
Old Testament prophets, the death of Christ, and Pentecost. Half could not sequence: Moses in
Egypt, Isaac’s birth, Saul’s death, and Judah’s exile. One-third could not identify Matthew as an
apostle from a list of New Testament names. When asked to locate the biblical book supplying a
15 given story, one-third could not identify Paul’s travels in Acts, half did not know that the
Christmas story was in Matthew or that the Passover story was in Exodus.3

This dangerous trend is also expedited through the postmodern epistemology that claims that the true
meaning of the biblical text is virtually unknowable. According to Kristen Bell, wife of prominent emergent
church pastor Rob Bell, “I grew up thinking that we’ve figured out the Bible…that we knew what it means.
20 Now I have no idea what most of it means.”
4

A Critical Command
These departures notwithstanding, the most effective bulwark against apostasy is a return to the centrality of
Scripture. Productive things begin to transpire when God’s Word is once again given its proper place.
25 Spurgeon once analogized returning to the Scripture in the local church to releasing a lion from its cage.
Similarly, Paul explained that the Word of God is not only profitable for our initial salvation but also for our
sanctification and equipping (2 Tim. 3:15-17). Thus, he pleaded with Timothy to preach the Word when it is
both popular to do so and when it is not (2 Tim. 4:2). Interestingly, of the many items that the early church
gave themselves to such as prayer, evangelism, communion, and benevolence (Acts 2:41-47), the first item
30 mentioned was a single-minded devotion to apostolic doctrine (Acts 2:42). Why? Such a doctrinal focus
equipped the church to fulfill all these other activities. Unless Scripture occupies a preeminent place in our
lives and churches, spiritual maturity is an impossibility (Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Pet 2:2). The Scripture has the
ability to feed the deepest yearnings and needs of the human heart like no other book (Deut. 8:3; Matt. 4:4).
Job explained, “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12).
35 The general trajectory of national Israel throughout the pages of the Old Testament is one of rebellion and
disobedience. However, there are a few recorded instances of a revival and a return to God. These seasons of
refreshment are always marked by an important prerequisite: a return to Scripture. For example, the many
reforms that took place in Josiah’s day was preceded by not only the discovery of the Law in the temple after
many years of neglect but also by a desire to honor and embrace it (2 Kgs. 22). Similarly, the great revival
40 that broke out among the post-exilic community in Nehemiah’s day (Neh. 9–12) was also preceded by Ezra
the scribe standing upon a high platform in order to read and explain God’s Word to God’s people (Neh. 8).
This same pattern can also be found throughout the last two thousand pages of church history. For example,
the Protestant Reformation would likely never have taken place unless the reformers had focused upon God’s
Word alone and made it their ambition to build proper doctrine upon it. Despite the encroachment of
45 apostasy in our own day, we find that we have the ability to protect ourselves from its influence to the extent
that we return to the fidelity, authority, and centrality of Scripture.
Endnotes
1. T. A. McMahon, “The Seeker-Friendly Way of Doing Church,” The Berean Call, March 2004.
2. Albert Mohler, “Falling on Deaf Ears?–Why So Many Churches Hear So Little of the Bible,” online:
http://www.albertmohler.com/, 19 February 2010.
3. Gary M. Burge, “The Greatest Story Never Read,” online: http://www.christianitytoday.com/, accessed 26
5 March 2010.
4. Kristen Bell; quoted in Andy Crouch, “The Emergent Mystique,” Christianity Today.

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