All around we see the emergence of a New World Order. The foundations of the culture are being shaken. Politically we’ve seen that we are in a contest to control the forces of revolutionary change. Globalists are maneuvering to set up th architecture for the birth of their universal state. At the same time, nationalists, traditionalists and Christians are fighting for their way of life and their culture. This same struggle is reflected in the Church. I believe we are on the cusp of the Great Apostasy. Preparations have been put in place for decades to hijack the theology of the Church and the faith of professing Christendom, replacing it with an all-tolerant, feckless, plastic facsimile of itself. We are almost there.
PART II: THE REMNANT CHURCH
Last time we began by setting the stage, taking stock of the political landscape and noting how the spiritual played off of the purely political, shaping a new liberal theology that regularly and routinely denies the central and defining truths of the Christian Faith. Mainline Protestantism and Roman Catholicism, especially under the leadership of the sitting Pontiff, Pope Francis, have taken sharp turns off the road paved with biblical principles.
Now the Bible clearly teaches that such a Great Apostasy will occur before Christ’s return. It will prepare the way for the ascension to power of the Antichrist and the False Prophet. In fact, we can look at this apostasy or falling away occurring in two stages. The first is a Great & Gradual Falling Away as described in 1Timothy 4:1-3. “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.” This passage describes the gradual falling away that has afflicted the Church almost from the beginning. Then about the middle of the 18th century, the pace of this falling away began to quicken with the onset in European circles of something called ‘Higher Criticism’. As this methodology of Bible interpretation gained steam, it called into question the long accepted and historically sound, foundational doctrines of Christianity. This is especially prevalent among ministers of some of the mainline Protestant denominations. Surveys have shown that a minority of Christian ministers in these bodies believes in the very foundational truths of Christianity as presented by the Scriptures. Segments of the Church are ignoring and sidestepping clear Biblical teaching on the divinity of Jesus, the virgin birth, the reality of the Resurrection, the existence of a hell, and the nature of sin. The Catholic Church has imposed its own man generated doctrines on its adherents, – even where they clearly contradict the dictates of Scripture.
Then there are the segments of the population that have bought into the myths advanced by Dan Brown and the DaVinci Code crowd – or some other New Age drivel that absolutely denies Christ’s divinity and thereby rejecting the saving power and true purpose of Jesus’ ministry. Others have adopted a ‘Cafeteria Christianity,’ that combines Buddhist beliefs, or yoga or goddess worship, or whatever with some selected Christian beliefs and passages. After all, only sincerity matters! But Christ’s teachings are clear here. “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”. (John 14:6)
This Great & Gradual Apostasy will be followed by a Great & Sudden Apostasy. While the Church has been slip-sliding away from the truth of the Gospel, 2 Thessalonians 2 suggests something else altogether: An event generated, sudden rebellion or apostasy by those who had previously held to at least nominal Christianity. Here’s the passage. “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” (2Thessalonians 2:3)
Hal Lindsey, – the prophecy scholar that really began to popularize the study of End Times events with his book and movie, The Late Great Planet Earth, – addressed this passage in his 1983 book, The Rapture. Scripture does teach that there will indeed be a progressive apostasy in the last days, yet the language of these verses demands a “climactic event when the professing church will completely revolt.”[i] Chuck Missler chimes in pointing out that the Greek suggests a “sudden forsaking” of Biblical Truth.[ii] So what could possibly cause this?
Let’s look at the context. The passage above tells us that the Day of the Lord can’t come until (1) This great and sudden falling away comes, & (2) The Antichrist is revealed. Some light is shed on this just a little farther down in the chapter. “He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed” (2Thessalonians 2:7-8) To many Bible scholars, the “He who now restrains”, is the Holy Spirit as expressed in the Church. All believers have, by definition, The Holy Spirit living inside them. So taking Him “out of the way” would seem to be referring to the rapture of the believing Church. It is then that the “lawless one” will be able to assume power. But how does he come to power? Verses 9&10 give the answer. “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.”
Now that’s the biblical take and therefore the absolute truth of the thing. However, it is interesting to note the vision of David Wilkerson a modern-day profit and man of God as well as founder of Teen Challenge and Times Square Church in Manhattan. Wilkerson received a vision which he published in 1974. In the first installment of this series, we covered the first half of that vision as it relates to the End Times Church. Wilkerson saw the rise of tow End Times Super Churches. The first would be powerful, political, persecuting of any who opposed it. It would be a universal church in the sense that it would – at the cost of great compromise on the part of all – be composed of both Mainline Protestant and Catholic hierarchical infrastructure and would view the Pope as its political if not spiritual leader. Wilkerson wrote that it would fall into apostasy, adopting occult practices and even accepting and embracing homosexuality in congregants as well as leadership. While materially and politically strong, it would be devoid of the power of God. We covered his words on this last time.
But Wilkerson also saw that there would arise another Super Church, a competing church, if you will. This Remnant Church would draw from Catholics and Protestants of all denominations, and would be focused on the Gospel and operate in the full power of God.
The words of David Wilkerson:
“I see the rise of a super church, a supernatural invisible church, a union of deeply spiritual followers of Jesus Christ, bound together through the Holy Spirit and mutual confidence in Christ and in his word. This supernatural church of true believers will become a kind of underground church. It will include Catholics and Protestants of all denominations, young and old, black and white, and people of all nations. While this visible super church gains political power this invisible body of believers will grow tremendously in spiritual power. This power will come from persecution. The persecution madness that is coming upon this earth will drive these Christians closer together and closer to Jesus Christ. They will be less concerned about denominational ties and more concerned and emphasis on the coming of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will bring together as one people in all walks of life.”[iii]
We are seeing the fulfillment of both of these trends even today. Here are a few examples. A story in Charisma tells us: Historic “Calvary Baptist Church, a progressive Baptist landmark in the heart of downtown Washington, has named a gay couple as co-pastors. Sally Sarratt and Maria Swearingen were presented to the congregation during worship services Sunday (Jan. 8) and are set to begin their new jobs on Feb. 26…. The 155-year-old church severed ties with the Southern Baptist Convention in 2012. It found itself at loggerheads with the group on several issues, including the SBC’s stance against homosexuality.”[iv] Of course we’ve had gay clergy since the UCC ordained its first openly homosexual minister in 1972. Now dozens of denominations accept and ordain gays.
Now as the ‘political’ Super Church is forming it is taking on many of the characteristics of Wilkerson’s vision. It is becoming increasingly wed to the notion that it does not have a monopoly on Truth or that Christ is the only way to the Father. We see increasing instances of Christians praying with Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and pagans of various sorts. If Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father, as the Bible teaches, then when they get together: Just who are they praying to? Christians are not to be tied into the pagan and the profane. Scripture is perfectly clear about that. “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. (2Corinthians 6:14-16)
Yet almost as if on cue, Pope Francis has made the pursuit of religious unity the cornerstone his papacy. The day after he ascended to the Chair of Peter, Francis was meeting with Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs et al. Later he organized a prayer for Middle East peace among leaders of Catholicism, Islam, Judaism and Orthodox Christians. He has met with Protestant Charismatics such as James Robison and Kenneth Copeland, looking for points of unity. He has visited Mosques and Buddhist Temples.[v] It seems he will leave no stone unturned in his search for religious common ground. After all, he even talked about a way of salvation for the ‘good atheist.’
But perhaps most disturbing is the general trend a good portion of Christendom is taking by surrendering to Islam – granting them cultural and religious prerogatives. Some examples. In Italy, a priest dressed a statue of the Virgin Mary in his church’s Christmas Nativity scene in a Muslim Burqa. Another priest eliminated his parish’s Nativity Scene so as not to offend Muslims. Islamic songs were intoned from a Cathedral in Florence. Another Italian church announced the birth of Christ with a reading from the Koran. Bishop Harries of the Church of England opined that Prince Charles’s eventual coronation service should open with a reading from the Koran.
It is all quite outrageous. Along with scores of doctrine, much of the Church has descended into a kind of madness. They have forgotten the most essential TRUTH of the Faith. Scripture affirms of Christ Jesus: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
[i] Hal Lindsey, The Rapture, 1983, pgs 148-149
[ii] Chuck Missler & Mark Eastman, Alien Encounters, Koinia House, 1997, pg 267
[iii] David Wilkerson quoted from: Michael Snyder, 40-Year-Old David Wilkerson Prophecy Being Fulfilled Right in Front of Our Eyes,
Charisma News, April 4, 2016
[iv] Historic Calvary Baptist Church Hires Lesbian Couple as Pastors, Charisma, January 10, 2017
[v] James Bailey, Pope Francis Takes Unprecedented Actions to Unite World Religions, Z3 News, March 15, 2015
frank connelly says
this is what was seen many many years ago,and the even more mindblowing course of events to come,the “superchurch” has a double,there are mega churches,and even those will soon fall,because the “foundation”wasnt really built on jesus and the true faith of being in christ