What does the bible say about an apostasy? Part Three and Four...

...continued from part two...

3. Apostasy of Early Christian Church

First we must ask ourselves has this happened? Is it necessary? We learn from these following verses that it is necessary for certain events to happen. Let's go over them.

2 Thessalonians 2:3
"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 releavled, the son of perdition."

When you first read it is doesn't sound straight forward. However going over it in context we see that 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 is about the Second Coming. When you realize this the understanding of verse three becomes this. A "falling away" has to happen before Christ comes again. The Anti-Christ has to come before Christ to be revealed as the "son of perdition."

Again, has this happened? If you ask any LDS member they will say that an Apostasy has happened. It happened to the Early Christian Church. While the basic teachings of Christianity are still around today, they are not the full teachings of Jesus Christ himself.

Let's move on.
2 Timothy 4:4
"And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."

Almost sounds like what it happening now. Some believe that certain churches are based on fables, that the people have in fact turned "away their ears from the truth..."

Are you listening for the truth?

Titus 1:16
"They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate."

People do works, but do they have faith? Some people believe like I said before that "all you need is" faith. God doesn't want hypocrites. Faith and works go hand in hand. We will discuss this in great detail at a later date.

4. Apostasy as a whole

Isaiah 24:5
"The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant."

Questions with my answers:
Can something everlasting be broken? Covenants are promises between two parties. In this case the parties involved are God and an individual. I personally have made covenants with God. So how do I keep from breaking those covenants? I abide by his teachings.

Have ordinances changed? I believe they have. Throughout time it is natural for things to change. The world has changed a lot just in the last 10 years. Laws have changed, people change. However, the one thing that should never change is worshipping God.

What ordinances? Let's put this one on our list to go over in detail. I don't want to miss anything here.

What Laws? God's laws; all of them. We find them in scriptures.

So has this happened?

Amos 8:11

"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:"

So, there is supposed to be a "famine of hearing the words of the Lord". Meaning there is/was a time when the Lord didn't speak directly to his people. Interesting.

Romans 11:20

"Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear."

If we don't believe God will cut us off from his presense. We need faith and we need to fear.