The "falling away" (2 Thes. 2:3)

...is here. Can you see it?

"It approaches us secretly, quietly, insidiously, plausibly, and in such a way as to disarm our suspicion, and throw us off our guard."

False doctrine does not meet us face to face, and proclaim that it is false. It does not blow a trumpet before it, and endeavor openly to turn us away from the truth as it is in Jesus. It does not come before us in broad day, and summon us to surrender. It approaches us secretly, quietly, insidiously, plausibly, and in such a way as to disarm our suspicion, and throw us off our guard. It is the wolf in sheep’s clothing, and Satan in the garb of an angel of light–who have always proved the most dangerous foes of the church of Christ.

Let us be on our guard against the “insidiousness” of false doctrine. Like the fruit of which Eve and Adam ate–at first sight it looks pleasant and good, and a thing to be desired. “Poison” is not written upon it, and so people are not afraid. Like counterfeit coin, it is not stamped “bad.” It passes for the real thing, because of the very likeness it bears to the truth.

Let us be on our guard against the “very small beginnings” of false doctrine. Every heresy began at one time, with some little departure from the truth. There is only “a little seed of error” needed to create “a great tree of heresy!” It is the little leaven, which infiltrated the whole lump. It is the little flaw in one link of the chain cable, which wrecks the gallant ship, and drowns the crew. It is the omission or addition of one little item in the doctor’s prescription, which spoils the whole medicine, and turns it into poison!

Let us never allow a little false doctrine to ruin us, by thinking it is “but a little one,” and can do us no harm.

There are three things which we never ought to trifle with:

a little poison,

a little sin,

and a little false doctrine.

Let us read the Bible regularly, daily, and with fervent prayer. Let us receive nothing, believe nothing, follow nothing–which is not in the Bible. Let our rule of faith, our touchstone of all teaching–be the written Word of God.

“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20

J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)

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The prophesied apostasy, or falling away (Greek/apostasia) of the many from a true biblical faith (2 Thes. 2:3), a sign that will enable us to discern the end of the "age of grace", is undeniably raging throughout the Christian church worldwide, and as foretold relatively few are discerning enough to identify it.

The end of the "age of grace" speaks of the final corrupted condition in which, we are told, the church would be found at the end of the allotted gospel preaching time in God's economy, having been assulted and attacked by the enemies of God for over 2000 years.

The Lord Jesus Christ will by this time have completed all his intention though, calling and forming his bride from out of the world, while the corrupted remnants will then be turned over to the lusts of their hearts. (see Rev. 3:14-17). The next thing to come, following the "age of grace" in Almighty God's plan for the ages, will be the time of the Great Tribulation...judgment on the Christ rejecting World and the Christ rejecting Jewish people.....the "grace period" will be over!

Each must guard themselves, so as to not also fall away with the many (Matt. 7:21-23) ...[scripture search on right]

read: The Tribulation by H. A. Ironside