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THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD HAS COME INTO THE CHURCH IN PREPARATION FOR ENDTIME FALLING-AWAY APOSTASY

“The Day of Christ: Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first”
2 Thessalonians 2:3

1. JESUS’ WARNING: WOLVES DRESSED IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING DECEIVING CHRISTIANS :
• Jesus warns of church leaders who come into congregations looking “very perfect” but they are bringing deception, their own agenda to take over the congregation, exploit them, and lord over them: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” [Matt. 7:15-16].
• Those who see the bad fruits will not be taken over by their deceptions; they will be wise : “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” [Matt. 10:16]
• The time at the end will be thick with false doctrines and deceptions in the Christian churches, as God will permit them to fall into apostasy: “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”[Matt. 24:11]


2. PAUL’S WARNING TO THE CHURCH :
• Paul encourages the elders of the church in Ephesus to be good shepherds of God’s church that Jesus bought with His precious blood. “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood”[Acts 20:29]
• But Paul warns about ravenous wolves coming to take over: “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” [Acts 20:30] Jesus called these church leaders hirelings because they are there for the money, not for the sheep. [John 10:12-13] Follow the money trail and you will discover these wolves.
• Finally, Paul tells the elders what these hireling/wolves will do to the church — bring deception and false doctrines: “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.” [Acts 20:31]
• IMPORTANT : We have seen throughout the history of the church that Jesus’s and Paul’s warnings have become true. But the sad part is that now at the end of time the deceptions of these wolves will take whole congregations to fall into apostasy and away from the truth.
• THE ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT : These congregations will join other congregations in the ecumenical movement, which encourages the union of all religions in order to create a perfect world with no wars, no hunger, no sickness, etc. But the bad part of this ecumenical movement is that it will require the acceptance of other religions’ gods as valid gods that will bring people to salvation. Jesus will not be the only way to the Father [John 14:6] This is why it is the apostasy — the acceptance of other gods, like Israel did when they apostatized by accepting and joining with other gods.


3. THE APOSTASY OF THE CHURCH AT THE TIME OF THE END :
• Paul warns about the time at the end :
• “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. [1 Timothy 4:1-2]
• For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. [2 Tim. 4:3-4]
• Peter also warns about these wolves and destructive deceptions :
• “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words.” [2 Peter 2:1-3]
• John warns the children of God to be aware of false doctrines coming in :
• “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” [1 John 4:4-6]

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