A Falling Away

A Falling Away

Steadfast Faith

(2 Thessalonians 2:1-3), Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

Here we are told that two major things will occur prior to the coming of the Lord, which are;

1. A falling away

2. The man of sin (the antichrist) be revealed

Later in our course, we will devote an entire lesson on the “son of perdition”, the person of the antichrist.  In this lesson we will study the “falling away”.

You will find that there are different opinions concerning this “falling away”. Some think it is referring to the general world population as a whole, falling away from morality and what little they believe about God. Others believe that it is referring to the Church, and how many will fall away, apostatize, from the faith they have in Jesus and His Word. Whatever view one holds to, we will approach it in a way where we will be able to be a help to both.

Throughout God’s Word, what is one of the most important things of God to His creation that Satan wants to take away or distort according to the following verses?

(Genesis 3:1-4), Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

(Mathew 4:1-11), Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’

(Luke 8:4-15), Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved

Faith Boosting Facts

Below are some ways to help strengthen and protect your faith in God and His Word. 

First, understand where faith comes from

(Luke 8:4-15), But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

(Romans 10:9-10), that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

According to these verses, faith comes from what part of us?

God has allowed your heart to be able to believe because He wants you to believe with great compassion and desire that only your heart can produce. God does not want you to believe superficially with your mind. He wants you to believe with such great compassion and conviction.  

That is why when you read verses like John 3:16, it does not say to believe “about” Jesus, but rather believe “IN” and “ON” Him. It implies to believe with the very core of your being.

A “halfhearted” faith in God and His Word is not going to be able to stand up against such great deception that is quickly heading toward us over the prophetical horizon. When a lawyer asked Jesus what must he do to inherit eternal life, Jesus confirmed the following response;

(Luke 10:25-28), You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.

Next, understand how faith comes

Even though we were created with the ability to believe and make our own choices, according to the following verses, we cannot do it without the help from who?

(John 15:5), I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

(John 14:16-17), And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever– the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Faith also comes to us by another way.

(Romans 10:17), So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

This is why Satan’s primary attack is against the Word of God.

What is another way that you can help strengthen your faith in Jesus and His Word?  

Often, when asked the question, “Why do you believe in Jesus and the Bible being God’s Word”, some people may responses with;

• This is what my parents taught me, and I do not question it.
• My pastor said they were true, and so I just believe it.
• Because I just feel that it is the right thing to do.

As the storms of life come beating up against you, and deception ever increasing to steal your faith away, none of these responses will hold up against such a great attack. Oftentimes, unbelievers accuse Christians for believing by “blind faith”. Unfortunately, this is all too often true. God never designed our faith to be one that was blind, but rather, a faith that is built upon indisputable evidence and facts.  

Here is a TINY bit of the evidence:

• Israel’s History • Her existence & continual celebration of Passover/Purim/etc.…
• The Bible’s Formation & Harmony • Collection of books written by over 40 people over 1,500 years from all walks of life, its’ entire content agrees in doctrine, themes, instructions, accounts and principles and is without one contradiction!
• The Bible’s Age • Its first book was written about 3,500 years ago
• The Bible’s Interest • World’s best seller, most studied, most translated…
• The Bible’s Inspiration • Impacts morality, laws, science, art, charity, faith, hope … 
• The Bible’s Preservation • More ancient manuscripts than anything else…
• The Bible’s Power • Shaping Kings and Kingdoms, changing lives…
• The Bible’s Accuracy:

In Prophecy • 100% accurate!

In True Science • 100% accurate!

In Medical Science • 100% accurate!

In Science of Weather • 100% accurate!

In Science of Chemistry • 100% accurate!

In Science of Exploration • 100% accurate!

In The Historical Accounts • 100% accurate!

In Archeological Confirmation • 100% accurate!

In Astronomy & perfectly fine tuned • 100% unimaginable!

• Jesus and His Resurrection:

Jesus perfectly & statistically impossibly fulfilling all hundreds of prophecies 

World superpower guarding His body, yet never found, because He lives!

The disciples went from doubting to dying for Jesus

The disciples would not die for a lie they started.  They knew it was true!

Why begin proclaiming at Jerusalem? Elsewhere would avoid objections.

Paul going from the chief Christian killer, to the chief Christian apostle

The Church sustaining gathering. communion, and baptism for past 2000 years!

We must not forget that also prayer plays a huge part in building up our faith

Understanding that God delights in hearing our prayers and the reality of how important they are to Him, greatly strengthens your faith in Him and his Word.

(Proverbs 15:8), the prayer of the upright is His delight.

Lastly, God has designed our faith to be edified by one another, especially in light of His return

(Hebrews 10:24-25), And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

 

Stand Firm In Your Faith 

As Christ’s return draws near, God’s Word warns that there is going to be an intense deception caused by the antichrist.

(2 Thessalonians 2:8-10), And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

Whatever that “falling away” is, that we have read about in the beginning of this study, we want to be far from it, and protect as many as we can against it. With that said, we want to end this lesson with the following encouraging words from the apostle Paul; 

(Ephesians 6:10-13) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.