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Apostasy

Apostasy. . . . I will build my church. Matthew 16:18. 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. 2 Thessalonians 2:3

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Apostasy

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  1. Apostasy

  2. . . . I will build my church. Matthew 16:18

  3. 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. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 “Falling away” is derived from the Greek term “apostasia,” which means “defection, departure, revolt, to depart from.”

  4. Modern definition of “Apostasy”: 1 renunciation of a religious faith, 2 abandonment of a previous loyalty: defection. Merriam-Webster Dictionary

  5. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:9

  6. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:6-7

  7. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord . . . Matthew 21:9

  8. This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me . . . This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. Luke 22:19-20 I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me. Matthew 26:21

  9. My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death . . . And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Matthew 26:38-39

  10. . . . Behold, he is at hand that doth betray me. And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with a great multitude with swords and staves . . . . he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master: and kissed him. Matthew 26:46-49

  11. And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes . . . And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death . . . Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am . . . And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. Luke 14:53, 55, 61-62,65

  12. And they cried out again, Crucify him. Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him. And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. Mark 15:13-15

  13. And so Pilate . . . had scourged him Mark 15:15

  14. And the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium . . . And they clothed him with purple, and plaited a crown of thorns, and put it about his head, and began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshiped him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. Mark 15:16-20

  15. And they took Jesus, and led him away. And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha . . . John 19:16-18

  16. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. Mark 15:25 And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary, there they crucified him . . . Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. Luke 23:33-34

  17. They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall . . . And they crucified him, and parted his garments . . . Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads . . . Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save . . . Matthew 27:34-42

  18. Father, into thy hands I commend my Spirit. Luke 23:46

  19. Jesus is the Only Person Who Ever Conquered Death . . . he is risen, as he said. Matthew 28:6

  20. . . . I will not believe . . . Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands: and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. John 20:25, 27-28

  21. The Great Commission Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, unto the end of the world. Matthew 28:18-20

  22. Jesus Ascended to Heaven And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Luke 24:50-53 Jesus Ascended to Heaven And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Luke 24:50-53

  23. Day of Pentecost And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues . . . the multitude came together and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. Acts 2:2-4

  24. The Needs of All Were Met And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common, and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. Acts 2:42-45

  25. The Power of God’s Spirit Was So Strong That They Were Willing to Sacrifice Everything Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. Acts 4:34-35

  26. Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded; yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God. Micah 3:6-7

  27. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord; WILL WORK FOR SPIRITUAL FOOD And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. Amos 8:11-12

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

  29. That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled by letter, except ye receive it from us; neither by spirit, nor by word, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means; for there shall come a falling away first . . . 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3

  30. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears. Acts 20:29-31

  31. WHAT BECAME OF THE CHURCH THAT CHRIST BUILT?

  32. John Wesley (1703-1791), co-founder of the Methodist movement: It does not appear, that these extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were common in the church for more than two or three centuries. We seldom hear of them after that fatal period, when the emperor Constantine called himself a Christian . . . From this time they almost totally ceased: very few instances of the kind were found. The cause of this was not, (as has been vulgarly supposed,) “because there was no more occasion for them,” because all the world was become Christians.(continued)

  33. Wesley (continued): This is a miserable mistake: not a twentieth part of it [the world] was then nominally Christians. The real cause was, “the love of many,” almost of all Christians, so called, was “waxed cold.” The Christians had no more of the Spirit of Christ, than the other heathens. The Son of Man, when he came to examine his church, could hardly “find faith upon the earth.” This was the real cause, why extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost were no longer to be found in the Christian church; because the Christians were turned heathens again, and had only a dead form left. John M. Wesley, Sermons on Several Occasions, Vol. 2 (New York: J. Emory and B. Waugh, 1830), 266.

  34. Johann von Mosheim (1694-1755), German Lutheran church historian and chancellor of Gottingen University: During this [seventh] century true religion lay buried under a senseless mass of superstitions, and was unable to raise her head. The earlier Christians had worshiped only God and His Son; but those called Christians in this century worshiped the wood of a cross, the images of holy men, and bones of dubious origin. Johann Lorenz Mosheim, Mosheim’s Institutes of Ecclesiastical History, Ancient and Modern, Fifth Edition (London: WillamTegg, 1867), 250.

  35. Martin Luther (1483-1546), launched the Protestant Reformation and Lutheran Church: In 1517, Martin Luther, a Catholic priest, nailed 95 criticisms of the church to the door of the Castle church in Wittenburg, Germany. At that time, the Catholic church was the only existing Christian church in Europe. If you wanted to get to heaven, it would have to be through papal authority. Initially, Luther wanted to reform the Catholic church, but after the Diet [Council] of Worms, Germany in 1521, he saw that he would have to separate from Catholicism.

  36. Roger Williams (1603-1683), advocate for religious freedom and founder of the first Baptist church in America: What would it take to leap the whole way, into perfect and pure congruence with the ancient pattern? It would take, Williams reluctantly concluded, more than mere mortals by themselves could ever achieve . . . But how, sixteen hundred years later, could such a church be formed? The doctrine of apostolic succession might seem to be the answer; that the authority and commission of Christ had been transmitted, generation by generation, from his own time to the present. But that would mean that a wholly false church . . . could in its impurity faithfully preserve and rightly pass on a wholly pure power. And that made no sense at all. (continued)

  37. Roger Williams (continued): After Constantine, a true ministry no longer existed, and none but God could now bring it back. Williams did not come to this position easily, nor did he find it easy to persuade others that recreating the true church of Christ was a vain pursuit – apart from direct divine intervention. Edwin S. Gaustad, Liberty of Conscience: Roger Williams in America (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), 91-92.

  38. Roger Williams: He seems rather to have conceived that the church of Christ had so fallen into apostasy, as to have lost both its right form and the due administration of the ordinances, which could only be restored by some new apostolic, or specially commissioned messenger from above . . . He conceived “that the . apostasy of anti-Christ hath so far corrupted all, that there can be no recovery out of that apostasy, till Christ shall send forth new apostles to plant churches anew. Edward B. Underhill, Struggles and Triumphs of Religious Liberty (New York: Edward Colby, 1851), 238-239.

  39. Roger Williams: On his return from England he [Roger Williams] refrained from fellowship with the Church [the Baptist church in Providence that he founded], and lived in an isolated religious condition, preaching the gospel to the Indians, as he found opportunity, but refusing to participate in the ordinances. He had embraced a singular notion, which is thus stated by one of his biographers: “He denied that any ministry now exists, which is authorized to preach the gospel to the impenitent, or to administer the ordinances.” John Mockett Cramp, Baptist History: Foundation of the Christian Church to the Close of the Eighteenth Century (London: Elliot Stock, 1868), 461.

  40. Almighty God of love, Set up the attracting sign, And summon whom thou dost approve, For messengers divine. From favored Abraham's seed The new apostles choose, In isles and continents to spread The soul-reviving news. Charles Wesley

  41. Alexander Campbell (1788-1866) was a major force in the “American Restoration” movement. He tried to avoid denominational labels. With his father and Barton Stone, he started what eventually came to called the Disciples of Christ or Churches of Christ: We argue that all Christian sects are more or less apostatized from the institutions of the Savior: that by all of the obligations of the Christian religion, they that fear and love the Lord are bound to return to theancient order of things, in spirit and truth. Alexander Campbell, The Christian Baptist, Volume 5 (Bethany, VA: A. Campbell, 1827), 402.

  42. In 1830, Alexander Campbell severed ties with the Baptist Church and ceased publication of the Christian Baptist monthly. He began a new monthly publication called the Millennial Harbinger, in which he said: We have to pattern after the first church as well as we can. But we can never equal it. With all our efforts, the great disparity will ever remain. And could The Apostles and primitive Christians be here, they would doubtless weep at beholding it. Alexander Campbell, Millennial Harbinger: A Monthly Publication Devoted to Primitive Christianity, Vol. 5 (Bethany, VA: A. Campbell, 1830-1870),40.

  43. I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel. Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. Galatians 1:6-7

  44. Alexander Campbell: The day of light, so illustrious in its beginning, became cloudy . . . By the Reformation of the seventeenth centurythat dark cloud was broken in fragments; and though the heavens of gospel light are still obscured by many clouds – the sects of various names – the promise is that “at even-time it shall be light.” The primitive gospel in its effulgence and power, is yet to shine out in its original splendor to regenerate the world. A.S. Hayden, Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, Ohio (Cincinnati: Chase & Hall, 1875) 37.

  45. Alexander Campbell: Besides, do not the experience of all the religious – the observation of the intelligent – the practical result of all creeds, reformations and improvements – and the expectations, and longings of society, warrant the conclusion that either some new revelation, or some new development of the revelation of God, must be made, before the hopes and expectations of all true Christians can be realized, or Christianity save and reform the nations of this world?We want the old gospel back, and sustained by the ancient order of things; and this alone by the blessing of the Divine Spirit, is all that we do want, or can expect, to reform and save the world. Alexander Campbell, TheChristian System: In Reference to the Union of Christians and a Restoration of Primitive Christianity (Pittsburg: Forrester & Campbell,1839), 244-245.

  46. John Wesley: What could God have done which He hath not done, to convince you that the day is coming, that the time is at hand, when He will fulfill His glorious promises; when He will arise and maintain His own cause, and to set up His Kingdom over all the earth? John M. Wesley, Sermons on Several Occasions, Vol. 2 (New York: B. Waugh & T. Mason, 1830), 98.

  47. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them . . . they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain . . . And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left . . . And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. Isaiah 11:6, 9, 11-12

  48. Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. Isaiah 60:1-2

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