Good evening brethren, please take your Bibles and turn to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse number 3, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse number 3.
I'm continuing the series on the end times and what I left off last time was teaching on Great Tribulation.
And I had to cut that sermon in half and I'm glad I did because I have many other things to speak about here.
And if you look at 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse number 3, again a very common verse that we've been looking at during this series.
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 revealed, the son of perdition.
So we see that the day of Christ, the rapture, cannot come except there come a falling away first.
The title for the sermon tonight is A Falling Away.
What is this falling away? What does this mean? What is this about?
Well, I know how much you guys love it when I go back to the Greek. I'm just joking.
But you know if you do go back to the Greek, the term that is being used here to describe this falling away is the Greek word apostasia.
Apostasia, where we get our English word apostasy.
And so what is apostasy? Apostasy is moving away from the truth.
You've got a truth and you're deciding no, I'm not going to heed that truth, I'm not going to walk by that truth, I'm going to go and teach otherwise.
It's knowing the truth and departing from that truth. It's not just a lie, it's actually knowing the truth and departing from that truth.
It's an abandonment of that truth or of that faith. It's been unfaithful toward biblical truth.
That's what the falling away is. And what we see here then, before the rapture takes place, there has to be a falling away first, a departure from the truth.
And please now take your Bibles and go to Luke chapter 8.
And as we're teaching about the great tribulation, teaching how believers will suffer in that great tribulation time to come for the name of Christ, for his testimony.
We want to make sure that we're believers that do not fall away during this time.
That we are believers that remain faithful to the end.
And as we saw in the last sermon that God will give a great measure of his Spirit the way he did on the day of Pentecost.
So we will be able to do great works for God, preach the gospel throughout all nations.
But let's not forget that it's going to be a very difficult time.
I'll read to you a few passages while you turn to Luke chapter 8.
But in Revelation chapter 2 verse 10, the Bible reads,
So what do we learn here is that Jesus is instructing the church here to be faithful unto death.
If he has to tell his believers be faithful unto death, that would mean there are some believers that would not be faithful unto death.
The fact that they need to be instructed to be faithful means some will not be faithful.
That would be a falling away from the faith, a falling away from the truth.
But if you do remain faithful unto death, he promises to give you a crown of life.
If you lose your life for Christ's sake, he'll give you the crown of life.
And that means the crown of life must be worth losing your life over for the name of Christ.
So there is great reward in being faithful. There is great reward in not falling away during tribulation.
I'll also read another passage to you in Romans chapter 5 verse 3.
Romans chapter 5 verse 3, it says,
And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also.
So if we are this generation that goes through great tribulation,
or just normal tribulation that believers suffer throughout all generations,
that we should glory in that. Why?
Knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and that's important for you to remember,
tribulation worketh patience.
In order for us to get through tribulation, we need to be patient people.
And, you know, God will allow tribulation to get that patience into us.
But in order for us to endure tribulation, we must also be patient.
You'll soon see these two things come hand in hand, the patience and tribulation.
But let's keep going. Verse number 4,
And patience experience and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed,
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
And so God wants to use tribulation in our lives so we can be better Christians,
so we can be more faithful, so He can work things into us so we can shine brighter
as the light of Jesus Christ, as the light of the world.
And so we're talking about falling away, aren't we?
Falling away. And there are two places in the Bible that use this term to fall away.
And the first one, well, you know, you guys are in Luke 8,
that's what I'm going to turn to soon.
But the first one that I want to look at is Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 6.
There's a lot of opinion out there, even within, you know, the brethren within my church,
as to what this passage is about.
I'm not too concerned right now what this passage is about.
Let's just take the principle of what it means to fall away.
Look at Hebrews chapter, well, no, I'll read to you.
Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 6, it says,
If they shall fall away and renew them again unto repentance,
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh,
and put him to an open shame.
So crucifying the Son of God afresh.
So if someone were to fall away, that would mean that they would fall away,
they would be unfaithful to the sacrifice that Jesus Christ has done for us.
That he's gone to the cross, he's died for our sins,
that was something that was once understood,
but they've fallen away from that understanding.
They've fallen away from that biblical truth.
That's what it means to fall away.
Now you guys are in Luke chapter 8, look at verse number 9.
Luke chapter 8, verse number 9, we're looking at the parable of the sower.
And this is so important.
Notice how Jesus uses the term fall away in this parable.
And just as a quick summary,
it is only the first seed that was sown was about a non-believer,
somebody that did not get saved.
I've covered this in my previous preaching on the parable of the sower.
The other three seeds that were sown are saved people,
but then they respond differently in the spiritual walk.
Some are faithful, some are not faithful.
So let's pick it up there in Luke chapter 8, verse number 9.
And his disciples asked him, saying, what might this parable be?
And he said unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God,
but to others in parables, that seeing they might not see,
and hearing they might not understand.
Now the parable is this, the seed is the word of God.
So this is about sowing the word of God.
It's about sowing the gospel in the hearts of men.
Verse number 12, those by the wayside are they that hear,
then cometh the devil and taketh away the word out of their hearts,
notice, lest they should believe and be saved.
So they receive the word, the word is being given,
but the devil comes along and removes it out of that person's life.
That person was not able to believe at that point in time.
And because they couldn't believe they got the gospel, they are not saved.
Verse number 13, notice this next group.
They on the rock, so some of that sowing of the seed fell upon rock,
or stony places, we'll soon look at it.
They on the rock are they, which when they hear,
receive the word with joy, and these have no roots, look at this,
which for a while believe.
Now what did we notice in the previous verse?
That if you believe you'll be saved.
So did these people believe? Yes.
How long do you have to believe to be saved? Just once, right?
You believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.
So they did believe, but notice the next words.
And in time of temptation, fall away.
You see, you can be a believer of Christ, believe the gospel,
but you can be a very unfaithful Christian.
When a time of temptation can come your way,
times of difficulties and trials, you will fall away from the faith.
Not that you lose your salvation, once saved, always saved,
eternal security, eternal life, everlasting life,
but of course you're not faithful to the Lord.
You're not doing the works that God has asked you to do.
Let's keep going, verse number 14.
And that which fell among thorns are they,
which when they have heard, go forth and are choked
with cares and riches and pleasures of this life,
and bring no fruit to perfection.
So this is another group of believers that they believe the gospel,
they receive it, but then they just go off the life.
They go off the pleasures of life, they live for themselves,
and they can bring no fruit to perfection.
And of course the fruit is other Christians, salvation.
Look at verse number 15.
This is the seed that fell on the good ground.
But that on the good ground are they,
which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word,
keep it and bring forth fruits, notice the next words, with patience.
Remember it said tribulation worketh patience.
These are people that when they go through trials and difficulties,
they have the patience so much so that God can use them effectively
in winning souls, in being fruitful.
So these are people contrary to those that fell away.
And notice verse number 13 once again.
They on the rock are they, the ones that fell on the rock,
and then at the end of verse number 13,
and in time of temptation fall away.
Now you can turn here if you want, Matthew 13 verse 20.
Matthew 13 verse 20.
And I want to show you this parable again,
a parallel passage about this parable,
but this time it's recorded in Matthew 13.
Matthew 13, please, verse number 20.
Matthew 13 and verse number 20.
But he that received the seed in stony places,
so that stony places in Matthew is the same place that fell on the rock
in the book of Luke.
The seed into stony places,
the same is he that heareth the word and anon with joy receiveth.
Yet hath he no root in himself, but dureth for a while,
notice the next words,
for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word,
by and by he is offended.
By and by he is offended.
Okay.
Notice then, Luke describes it as falling away.
They fall away.
Matthew describes it as being offended.
This is what it means to fall away.
It's not that you just depart from the truth.
It's that you've been offended by that.
You know, you've received offense because of tribulation or persecution.
Someone has mocked your faith.
You've been fearful to lose your life for the faith,
and you become offended.
And when you become offended,
that's when you fall away from the truth.
Let's think about this then.
If the rapture, before the rapture comes,
before the day of Christ,
there has to be a falling away first,
what are we going to see?
We're going to see true, born-again, saved believers get offended.
Persecution is going to come their way.
We already saw the tribulation.
People will hate the children of God.
They will hate believers,
and they will be persecuted.
They will suffer tribulation.
And some, as we saw in the previous sermon,
will be faithful.
You know, should they walk in the ways of the Lord,
do the work that God has left us to do,
but then others will be offended.
Others will try to seek and hide
and be unfaithful to Jesus Christ,
you know, at the time of his coming.
And the first point that I have here,
when we're talking about a falling away,
we don't want to be Christians that fall away,
but there will be Christians that fall away.
We don't want to be that type of Christian, do we?
So the first thing we need to accept is,
number one, expect tribulation.
Expect persecution.
Expect trials.
Expect people to hate you for the name of Christ.
You know, if you don't have that expectation
and you find yourself in difficulties and trials,
you will be tempted to be offended and fall away
and say, well, this is not a life for me,
the Christian life.
It's too difficult.
I'm going to back away and pretend not to be saved,
pretend to not be a believer of Jesus Christ.
No, the first thing you need to do
in order for you to be able to face tribulation
is to expect tribulation.
And again, we're talking about an end time series.
So many of my brethren have been taught
that they're going to be raptured
before any great tribulation,
that it's all going to be smooth sailing
and before you know it, it could be any moment,
you're going to be in the clouds of heaven
with Jesus Christ
and you're not going to face any difficulties.
You won't face that loss of life.
The pre-tribulation rapture is a doctrine
which is not preparing God's people for tribulation.
God's people for tribulation.
And what I'm saying to you,
point number one is to expect tribulation.
Please go with me to turn to,
or you're in Matthew.
So go to Matthew 24 for me,
Matthew 24 and I'll just read a few passages to you.
Go to Matthew 24
and I'll read to you from John 16, 33,
Jesus says,
these things have I spoken unto you
that in me you might find peace
or have peace, sorry,
in the world ye shall have tribulation,
but be of good cheer,
I have overcome the world.
Jesus says it's a promise,
it's a guarantee in the world
ye shall have tribulation,
but we need to find peace and joy
and cheer in Jesus Christ
because he has overcome the world
and you can be an overcomer with Christ
if you are a believer of him,
if you're saved of your sins
by his death, burial and resurrection.
Also in 2 Timothy 3, verse 12,
it says,
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution.
Yea, it's guaranteed,
if you're going to live godly,
if you're going to shine as a light,
you will suffer persecutions,
guaranteed that you're going to share
in the sufferings of Jesus Christ in this life.
Now you're in Matthew 24,
look at verse number nine,
Matthew 24, we've been going through Matthew 24, haven't we?
Revelation and Daniel,
we've been looking at all these passages of the end times,
but notice the next words here in verse number nine,
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted
and shall kill you,
and ye shall be hated of all nations
for my name's sake,
but notice verse number 10,
and then shall many be offended,
and shall betray one another,
and shall hate one another.
Hey, who would be offended?
Remember there's a falling away,
a falling away from faith,
a falling away from being faithful to Jesus Christ,
a falling away from the truth.
Now, I'm sure the world will betray believers,
but I'm expecting by these words of Jesus
that many shall be offended,
that Christians will betray Christians,
that those that are unfaithful will, you know,
will turn their backs and backstab
those that are trying to live godly,
those that are trying to preach the gospel
during difficult times.
And you know what?
There are some churches that during this coronavirus,
you know, they may be allowed to meet
and they're getting, you know, spoken badly of.
You know, people are trying to betray,
you know, God-fearing people
that are just trying to have church,
you know, during this time,
and this is just one pestilence to come.
What about the future?
How much betrayal could we see
at the hands of Christians from one to another?
You're still in Matthew.
Go to Matthew 26.
Matthew 26, verse 31.
We're fast-forwarding now to the night
before Christ will be crucified,
and you may remember these words of Jesus Christ
in Matthew 26, verse 31.
It says,
All ye shall be offended.
You know, Jesus is with his disciples,
with his apostles, and he says,
All ye shall be offended.
Listen, these are great men of God.
These are disciples of Jesus.
They've been walking with Christ,
working in his ministry for the last three years.
And Jesus says, all of you will be offended.
All of you.
What this tells me then, brethren,
is that all of us have the capacity
to be offended in Christ.
We all have the capacity to fall away from the truth.
This is why we need to be faithful.
You know, number one,
point number one was expect tribulation,
expect persecution.
Notice what the next word says.
All ye shall be offended because of me this night,
for it is written, I will smite the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.
But after I am risen again,
I will go before you into Galilee.
Now look at verse number 33.
This is how Peter the Apostle responds.
And Peter, I love Peter.
He gives me a good laugh every now and again
when I read about how he responds to Christ.
But Peter answered and said unto him,
Though all men shall be offended because of thee,
yet will I never be offended.
Okay, so the words of Peter.
You know, yeah, okay, you said that.
Yeah, they all might be offended, but not me, God.
Not me, Jesus Christ.
I will never be offended by you.
And of course, you know the story.
When Christ would be arrested,
Peter would deny him three times before the cock crew.
And so, you know, even great men of God,
even great people that followed after Christ
and did amazing miracles and works
can be offended by Jesus Christ.
Hey, they saw Christ being arrested.
There was great fear amongst the believers
and they were offended at his teaching.
They were offended at Christ.
Okay, so we need to keep this in mind.
All right, there is come in a time of great tribulation,
the greatest tribulation that's ever been known to men.
And so as believers, we have these stories for us in the Bible
to know that we can be weak,
but also that we can learn from the examples
that we read about, like Peter.
All right, now please turn to John chapter 16.
This is a very important passage.
Please turn there, John chapter 16.
John chapter 16.
As I said, so many Christians today are blinded.
They're not expecting tribulation, you know.
And I believe those that are expecting tribulation,
you know, may consider that they would be the generation
to go through this end times.
The great tribulation would personally be better prepared
during this time of this coronavirus outbreak.
I think they would be better prepared.
Whereas Christians that have been told their whole life,
don't worry, you'll be raptured before any difficulties,
they're probably going to find it much harder
to go through these times that we're facing right now.
So we need to be prepared.
And look, if you're not prepared,
then use this time wisely.
Use this time wisely where there's a lot of fear,
there's a lot of turmoil, there's a lot of uncertainty
for you to prepare yourself for difficulties, for tribulation.
See how well you stack up with what God wants us to be in the Bible.
John chapter 16 verse 1.
Let's apply the following reading to the end times.
It did apply for his disciples at that point in time,
but again, there's great tribulation to come.
John chapter 16 verse 1.
These things have I spoken unto you,
that ye should not be offended.
Jesus does not want us to be offended.
Jesus does not want us to fall away.
And so he teaches us something that we need to know
so we don't be offended.
What is it? Let's keep going, verse number 2.
They shall put you out of the synagogues,
yea the time cometh that whosoever killeth you
will think that he doeth God serveth.
What do we learn about the end times?
That the antichrist will claim to be God,
will exalt himself above God, right?
And is going to persecute the believers.
He's going to wage war against the saints, alright?
And many saints will lose their lives.
And notice here, it said that whosoever killeth you
will think that he doeth God serveth.
Because the antichrist will claim to be God.
And so if you're being persecuted by a wicked world,
they're going to think they're serving God
by killing God's children.
Let's keep going, verse number 3.
And these things will they do unto you,
notice the next words,
because they have not known the Father, nor me, nor Jesus.
They don't know Jesus, they don't know the Father,
they don't know the Son, they don't know the Father.
Verse number 4.
But these things have I told you,
that when the time shall come,
you may remember that I told you of them,
and these things I said not unto you at the beginning
because I was with you.
But now I go my way to him that sent me,
and none of you asketh me whither thou goest thou.
But because I have said these things unto you,
sorrow have filled your heart.
You see, Jesus wants us to not be offended.
He's teaching us that we are going to face persecution,
tribulation, some will be put in places and killed.
You know, as a representative of Jesus Christ.
Look at verse number 7.
Nevertheless, I tell you the truth,
it is expedient for you, or profitable,
that's what the word means, expedient, profitable,
for you that I go away,
for if I go not away,
the Comforter will not come unto you,
but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
And so when Jesus Christ, you know,
ascended up into heaven, he sent the Comforter.
If you know your Bibles, the Comforter is the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost which you were born of,
you're not born again of the Spirit,
but also the Holy Ghost that indwells the believer.
As the temple of God,
God indwells you through the Holy Spirit of God.
And the Holy Spirit here is called the Comforter.
It's called the Comforter.
Look, he doesn't get given that name
because he can't give comfort.
The fact is, the Holy Spirit is a Comforter.
He is the Comforter.
And so point number 2,
in order for us to not fall away,
in order for us to not be offended,
is that we need to draw comfort from the Comforter.
Draw comfort from the Comforter.
Psalm 23 verse 4,
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
You see, the Holy Spirit is with us.
He indwells us.
We can have comfort through the Comforter.
And so if we're facing persecution,
we're facing tribulation,
don't forget, greater is he that is in you
than he that is in the world.
You know, we have the Holy Spirit.
We need to ask God for that comfort.
We need to ask that comfort,
otherwise we may fall away.
We may be offended by the persecution to come.
So that's point number 1 again,
was expect tribulation.
Point number 2 is draw comfort from the Comforter.
Now please take your Bibles
and go to 1 Peter chapter 1.
1 Peter chapter 1 verse 23.
The Bible reads,
Being born again,
so what's being born again?
Being born of the Spirit.
When you're saved,
believing on Christ,
the Holy Spirit revitalises that old dead spirit.
Being born again,
not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible.
Now let's stop there for a moment.
So we did have a birth that was corruptible.
When you were born from your mother,
you were given a corruptible flesh.
You say, well this is not about flesh.
Yes it is, let's keep going.
Not of corruptible seed,
but of incorruptible,
what's incorruptible?
By the word of God.
So when we've been born again,
we've been born again by the word of God.
We've heard the preaching,
we've believed the word,
faith cometh by hearing
and hearing by the word of God.
Which liveth and abideth forever.
Notice verse 24.
For all flesh is as grass.
Now you'll notice that this flesh here
is going to be compared
to the corruptible seed.
For all flesh is as grass
and all the glory of man
as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth
and the flower thereof
falleth away.
So there's another falling away.
So the Bible's saying here,
look, there's grass.
When the grass grows,
it'll produce a flower.
And the flower,
it's said there in verse 24,
is the glory of men.
You know, which by man glory
is their pride,
their achievements,
the things that men glory about
is like that flower.
But men, their flesh
is as grass, it says there.
And why is that important?
Because it's the grass withereth.
The flower thereof
fadeeth away.
We're all going to pass away.
Our flesh will not live forever.
It is corruptible.
It has a sinful nature,
our flesh.
And that's why it's not
just being born of the flesh.
You must be born of the Spirit.
You must be born
of the incorruptible seed,
which is the word of God.
Notice verse number 25.
But the word of the Lord
endureth forever,
and this is the word
which by the gospel
is preached unto you.
The reason I wanted to read
that passage to you, brethren,
is because if you're saved,
you've been born of incorruptible
and you've been born of corruptible.
When you're born of corruptible,
that's the flesh.
That's the old man.
When you've been born
of incorruptible,
that's the Spirit.
That's the new man.
Point number three
is that we need to walk
in the new man.
We need to walk in the new man
because the old man
will fall away.
Just like the flower thereof
fall off away,
the old man falls away
from the Spirit of God.
The old man falls away
from the commandments
and the teachings of God.
The old man seeks to be
the old man seeks to sin.
The old man seeks
self-gratification and pleasure
against the word of God.
No, point number three
is that we need to walk
in the new man,
that which is born
of incorruptible seed.
And even 1 Corinthians 15
puts it this way,
and this is, of course,
talking about our
resurrected bodies to come.
Right now we have
the corruptible body.
1 Corinthians 15 verse 51,
Behold, I show you a mystery
which are not all asleep,
but we shall all be changed
in a moment
in the twinkling of an eye
at the last trump,
for the trumpet shall sound,
notice the next words,
and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.
You see, right now
we have a corruptible body,
but there's come a time
when the new body
that we receive by Christ
will be incorruptible.
It'll line up
with the incorruptible spirit,
the new man that we have
who will finally have
an incorruptible flesh.
And then it says in verse 53,
For this corruptible
must put on incorruption,
and this mortal
must put on immortality.
So, you know,
we need to understand,
brethren,
that we have that old man,
the corruptible.
We have the new man,
the incorruptible.
If we want to remain strong
and not falling away,
not being offended,
we must walk in the new man,
the incorruptible man.
Now please turn with me
to 1 Corinthians 10.
1 Corinthians 10 and verse 6.
1 Corinthians 10 and verse...
Actually, let's read verse 12 first.
1 Corinthians 10 and verse 12.
The Bible reads,
Wherefore let him
that thinketh his standeth
take heed lest he fall.
Hey, we don't want to fall.
We don't want to fall away.
We don't want to be offended.
So we need to take heed
lest we fall.
We don't want to fall.
That means what was written
before verse 12 is instruction
so we don't fall, okay?
So let's pick it up there
in verse number 6.
1 Corinthians 10 and verse 6.
Now these things
were our examples
to the intent we should not lust
after evil things
as they also lusted.
So there's number one.
We need to overcome lust.
If we want to stand
and not fall,
we need to defeat lust,
get lust out of our hearts.
Let's keep going.
Verse number 7.
Neither be ye idolaters
as were some of them.
As it is written,
the people sat down to eat
and drink and rose up to play.
So don't be an idolater.
Don't, you know, obviously
follow false gods.
Don't look up your star signs,
these kinds of things
that you may put your heart
and trust in.
Put away this idolatry,
you know, things that are
in the way of the Lord God.
Set them aside.
Verse number 8.
Neither let us commit fornication
as some of them committed,
and fell in one day free in 20,000.
So fornication,
get that out of your life.
If you've got that in your life,
that's a wicked sin.
And if you're part of a church
and your pastor finds out,
he'll probably kick you out
of church over fornication.
Okay?
Fornication over the wicked sin,
get that out of your life.
Verse number 9.
Neither let us tempt Christ
as some of them also tempted
and were destroyed of serpents.
So tempting Christ with evil,
you know, and we need to
stop doing that.
Listen, God's given us his word,
we need to live in accordance
to his word.
You know, don't say,
well, you know,
how can I live my life
if I don't walk in accordance
to God's word?
What's going to happen to me?
That is tempting Christ,
that is tempting God.
You know, you don't need
to put yourself in a place
of danger to see what will happen.
You can be disciplined
for that behaviour.
Verse number 10.
As some of them also murmured
and were destroyed of the destroyer.
So murmuring, that's complaining, whining.
Oh man, I wish, you know,
this coronavirus had been locked down.
Whining, complaining,
instead of, you know,
trying to be positive.
Hey, murmuring, whining
is something you need
to get out of your life
so you don't fall.
Verse number 11.
Now all these things happened
unto them for in samples
and they are written
for our admonition,
upon whom the ends
of the world are come.
Notice that.
And they are written
for our admonition.
What is being taught here
is that we can all do these sins,
okay, and we need to be admonished.
We need to read the stories
of the Bible and see how
God brought judgment upon them
and say, well, I don't want
God's judgment.
I don't want to fall
like the Old Testament
Israelites feel, you know.
So, and then it said there
Number 12.
So point number four, brethren,
in order for us to not fall away
is be admonished.
Learn.
When you pick up your Bible
and you see the mistakes
that the Old Testament saints,
even the mistakes
New Testament saints made,
all right, learn from that
and say, well, I'm being admonished
by what I've read.
If I'm also in these sins,
if I'm doing these same things,
then I know that God's judgment
will fall upon me.
I need to get this out of my life
or I may very well fall, okay?
Not only when you read your Bible
but when you go to church
and you're listening to preaching
or you're listening to preaching
on YouTube now, right?
You know, you're listening to preaching
and you hear something
and you know there's a sin
that you have
that's being taught against.
Well, don't just ignore it,
you know, be admonished.
Receive the admonition
and say, wow,
I see that this is a sin
you know, yes, this is bothering me,
I need to get this out of my life.
Start making proactive steps
into getting that sin out of your life.
Don't be like, well,
maybe in two weeks
I'll start thinking about that sin.
No, as soon as you hear it,
be admonished.
Point number four, lest you fall,
be admonished
and brethren, there are some sins
that are very hard to defeat.
Some sins that have
great power over you
and if you're struggling
to find an answer,
the first thing you need to do
is just go to God
and say, God,
I don't know how to defeat this sin.
I'm struggling with this.
Please help me.
Please do something in my life
so I can have victory over this sin.
Go to God for victory over your sin.
Jesus Christ has already given you
victory by his sacrifice.
You know, you need to tap
into that power of Christ
that he has defeated all sin.
It's all being condemned
in his flesh.
Go to God when you need
to be admonished for your sins.
All right, brethren,
now I'm going to show you
some slides as we,
those are the four main points
that I had for you
regarding not falling away
but I'll put these slides
onto the video so you guys can see it.
I'm just pulling this out for myself.
My biggest concern
when it comes to the
pre-tribulation rapture,
it's not that we just have
a different timing
of when Jesus Christ
is coming back.
It's that people, like I said,
aren't expecting tribulation.
Honestly, most believers
that go to a church
that teaches on the
pre-trib rapture is expecting
it'll all be just fine.
We're going to go about life.
You know, we're not going
to be tested or tried
and go through difficulties.
Christ is coming.
It's going to take us away
from any major difficulties.
What was point number one?
Expect tribulation.
Expect it, all right?
Now, I don't have the book here.
I left it upstairs in my office.
But you know how I've been
showing you guys the book
Things to Come, Things to Come.
And this is what it says
in page 203 and 204
in Things to Come
under the pre-tribulation
rapture theory
in chapter number 13.
These are the writings
of J. Dwight Pentecost.
It says this, and again,
this is about the pre-trib rapture.
It says this doctrine of imminence
or at any moment coming
is not a new doctrine with Derby,
as is sometimes charged,
although he did clarify,
systematise and popularise it.
Now, brethren, let me tell you this.
John Nelson Derby
of the Plymouth Breveren,
he created the pre-tribulation rapture.
Nobody taught it before that.
He is the one who put together
dispensationalism,
which is the bedrock
of pre-tribulation raptureism,
and then he was influential
in the lives of other people,
even to C.I. Scofield,
who wrote the Scofield
Reference Bible,
and through that Bible
and through Dallas
Theological Seminary,
they were able to influence
generations of preachers
and for them to teach
on a pre-tribulation rapture.
But before Derby,
nobody taught it.
Nobody taught it, okay?
And J. Dwight Pentecost here
is acknowledging
that this is something
that is charged
toward Derby,
and so he's going to say,
well, this isn't right.
I'll show you.
This is what he writes.
He says this same imminence,
and when he says imminence,
he's talking about the pre-trib rapture.
I just want you to understand that.
This same imminence
is clearly seen in the writings
of the Reformers, all right?
And then he writes,
Schaeffer quotes
some of the Reformers
to show that they believed
in the imminency
and the return of Christ,
of the return of Christ,
the imminency
of the return of Christ.
So what he's going
to attempt to do now
is go to people
that lived before
John Elton Derby
to show that they were believing
in a pre-tribulation
immanent rapture, okay?
And he's going to first
go to the Reformers.
So let's have a look
at the first Reformer
that's mentioned in the book,
and that's Martin Luther.
Of course, many of you
may be aware of Martin Luther.
He started pretty much
the Protestant movement
in Europe,
and that's where we get
the Lutheran church from,
and he translated the Bible
into our German.
And so these are words
that he said,
and I'll just read it to you.
I believe that all signs
which are to precede
the last days
have already appeared.
Let us not think
that the coming of Christ
is far off.
Let us look up
with heads lifted up.
Let us expect
our Redeemers coming
with longing
and cheerful mind.
So look,
first thing I want you
to understand,
before I keep going,
I believe,
my position on the end times,
a post-tribulation
pre-Tribulation rapture,
has nothing to do
with the Reformers.
It has nothing to do
with the men
that we're about to read.
I'm not placing any faith
of my doctrines
on these men.
It's purely
on the Word of God.
I'm just trying to show you
that there is
a misunderstanding.
There are a lot of lies
in the pre-Tribulation world
of people claiming
this was a teaching
before John Nelson Darby.
And so they'll point
to this quote here
from Martin Luther
and say,
It's an imminent rapture.
It's about to happen
at any moment.
Is that what he really believes?
Do you see that?
Yes, he's expecting
the coming of Christ,
probably in his lifetime.
All of us should be expecting
the coming of Christ.
All of us should be thinking
and watching for Christ.
We should all be excited.
We should all be looking
for that blessed hope to come.
But when we look at other writings
of Martin Luther,
and it's here
in the works of Martin Luther,
6 page 481,
these are the words
of Martin Luther.
Did he believe
that he's not going
to go through tribulation?
Did he believe
that he's not going
to face the Antichrist
that believers
aren't going to do this?
Look what he says.
The book of Revelation
is intended as a revelation
of things that are to happen
in the future.
Notice the next words.
And especially of tribulations
and disasters for the church.
For the church.
Tribulations and disasters
for the church.
The pre-tribulation teachers say,
no, we're not going
to go through those tribulations
and disasters
that we read about
in Revelation.
Martin Luther was expecting
that was going to happen.
He was prepared for tribulation.
He was prepared
for difficult times.
And our pre-trib brethren
pointed to this man,
J Dwight Pentecost.
And it's like,
well, this proves that people
believed the pre-trib rapture
before Derby.
No, he didn't.
He believed that these
difficult times
of the book of Revelation
was going to happen
for the church.
The next one that's quoted
is John Calvin.
John Calvin who started
the theology of Calvinism.
And so John Calvin says
in a quote,
Scripture uniformly enjoins us
to look with expectation
for the advent of Christ.
The advent means coming.
So we should be looking
for expectation
for the advent of Christ.
Is that a pre-tribulation rapture?
Is that what he's teaching?
But that's what J Dwight Pentecost
wants you to think is teaching.
That's what pre-tribulation
teachers want you to think
because they don't want you
to believe the truth
that the pre-trib rapture
was created, was invented
by John Nelson Derby.
But when you look at
other writings of John Calvin
in his Institute's Volume 2,
page 411, he writes,
we ought not to follow
in our inquiries after antichrist,
notice next words,
especially where such pride
proceeds to a public desolation
of the church.
A public desolation of the church.
What he's saying is the antichrist
will public desolate
or persecute the church.
John Calvin wasn't expecting
a pre-tribulation rapture.
He was expecting that
the New Testament churches
would face the antichrist.
Okay, so he was prepared
for coming tribulation.
The next reformer that's mentioned
in the book is John Knox.
John Knox, and I believe,
you might correct me if I'm wrong,
but I believe he's the founder
of the Presbyterians.
And so John Knox writes,
the Lord shall, sorry,
the Lord Jesus shall return
and that with expectation.
What were this else but to reform
the face of the whole earth,
which never was nor yet shall be
till that righteous king and judge
appear for the restoration
of all things.
So for some reason they think
this is a pre-trib rapture,
the words that he just said.
But did he believe that saints
would not face the antichrist?
Well no, in the history
of the reformation,
page 76, he writes,
the great love of God
towards his church,
whom he pleased to forewarn
of dangers to come
so many years before
they come to pass,
to wit the man of sin,
the antichrist,
the whore of Babylon.
Was he expecting the church
to wit or to witness
the man of Christ?
What's he saying here?
He's saying that God warned
the church, he warned
the New Testament churches
that they would face
the antichrist.
Listen, John Knox didn't believe
in a pre-tribulation rapture.
These are lies of J. Dwight Pentecost
that he has in his book.
This is deception.
Let no man deceive you,
said Jesus Christ.
We have so many preachers
deceived themselves
and deceivers deceiving
other people.
It's all going to be fine.
You're going to be raptured
before tribulation.
And then the next man
that's mentioned is Hugh Latimer,
and I don't really know
much about him,
but his words are,
the last days cannot be far off.
Per adventure it may come
in my day,
old as I am,
or in my children's days.
So he thought, hey, yeah,
the coming of Christ
might happen in his day.
It seems like every generation
Christians think the coming
of Christ will happen in their day.
You know, at some point
one generation is going
to get it right, okay?
But is that teaching
a pre-trib rapture?
No, because in his other teachings,
and I found this here
in the Day of Judgment,
a sermon by Hugh Latimer,
he writes, or he preached,
and then shall they see
the Son of Man come in a cloud
with power and great glory.
That's Matthew 24.
You know, the chapter
that pre-tribbers say
is not for you, okay?
And then he says,
St. Paul to the Thessalonians
set out the coming of Christ
in our resurrection.
Now St. Paul's words are these.
This say we unto you
in the word of the Lord
that we which live
and shall remain
to the coming of the Lord
shall not come before them
which sleep,
for the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven
with a shout,
and the voice of the archangel
and the trump of God
and the dead in Christ
shall arise first.
Then we which shall live
even we shall remain
shall be caught up with them
also in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air,
and so shall we ever be
with the Lord,
wherefore comfort one another
with these words.
That's 1 Thessalonians chapter 4,
which the pre-trib brethren
will say.
That's the rapture.
But Hugh Latimer,
who they claim was a pre-tribber,
associates that with the teaching
of Christ in Matthew 24,
which is after the tribulation
of those days,
which is about facing
the coming great tribulation
to come.
So Hugh Latimer
was not a pre-tribulation
rapture believer.
He believed the church,
the saints,
will go through
and face the Antichrist.
Okay?
Now the next one that I've got
for you is a man
named Morgan Edwards.
And usually when you're
talking to your Baptist brethren,
they'll say,
see, Derby wasn't the first one.
Even Morgan Edwards,
who was a Baptist pastor
and a Baptist historian,
who lived before Derby,
he died in 1795,
even he taught that the rapture
will happen before the tribulation.
Did he really?
Let's have a look.
By the writings of Morgan Edwards
in the Millennium of Last Novelities,
he writes,
the distance between
the first and second resurrection
will be somewhat more
than a thousand years.
I say somewhat more
because the dead saints
will be raised
and the living changed
at Christ appearing in the air.
That's 1 Thessalonians 4.
And this will be,
notice the next words,
this will be about three years
and a half before the Millennium.
He believed that Christ
was going to come in the air
three and a half years
before the Millennium.
The pre-tribulation teachers
believe Christ is coming
in the rapture
seven years before the Millennium.
So when Morgan Edwards
says about three years and a half,
well, that's what we believe.
We believe it's about
three years and a half.
After three years,
a maximum of 75 days,
those days shall be shortened,
that's about approximately
three and a half years
before the Millennium.
So Morgan Edwards' position
on the end times
is closer or maybe the same
as what I believe,
what I teach.
And then he says,
before the Millennium,
as we shall see hereafter,
but will he and they
abide in the air at all that time?
No, they will ascend to paradise
or to some one of those many mansions
in the Father's house
and disappear during
the full said period of time.
The design of this retreat
and disappearing will be to judge
the risen and changed saints,
for now the time has come
that judgment must begin
and that will be at the house of God.
1 Peter 4.
And so, no,
Morgan Edwards did not teach
the pre-tribulation rapture.
John Nelson Darby made it up.
And you've been deceived.
If you're a pre-trib,
you've been deceived by
John Nelson Darby
and the people that he has influenced
over many generations.
Now, I do have some other names here
that I want to quote.
There's Cyprian,
because when you look up
different websites,
different books,
again, they'll point to different men
that apparently taught
the pre-tribulation rapture
before Darby.
And so, again,
I'm not using these men
as my support.
I'm not saying these,
the reason I believe what I believe
is because of these men.
Not at all.
All I'm showing to you
is that the pre-tribulation brethren
that bring these men up,
that say it was the historical position
of the church,
they've been lied to.
They've been deceived.
They're trying to deceive you.
These men did not believe
in a pre-tribulation rapture.
They believed they would go
through the great tribulation.
They believed they would face
the antichrist, the beast.
Cyprian in 200,
this is, you know,
a very early Christian,
writes,
Know that still more terrible things
are imminent.
May regard it as the greatest advantage
to depart from it
as quickly as possible.
By an early departure,
you are taken away
and delivered from the shipwrecks
and disasters that are imminent.
Let us greet the day
which assigns each of us
to his own home,
which snatches us hence
and sets us free
from the snares of the world
and restores us
to the paradise
and the kingdom.
Oh, there's the pre-trib rapture.
He believed that, you know,
we're going to be,
what's it say there?
Depart quickly.
So there it is.
There's the pre-trib rapture.
Is that really what he believed?
Because in the epistle 55,
it says,
these are the writers
of Cyprian,
the day of affliction
has begun to hang over our heads
and the end of the world
and the time of the Antichrist
to draw near
so that we must all stand
prepared for the battle.
You see,
he was expecting
for the coming of Christ
because he thought in his life
he was going to face the Antichrist.
He was saying
we need to prepare for battle,
that Christians need to prepare
for battle against the Antichrist
to stand up
and face the persecution
to come.
Hey, these men were expecting
great tribulation.
Alright?
And then we have the golden ticket
with our pre-tribulation brethren.
It's Ephraim the Syrian.
Ephraim the Syrian.
And if we look at his writing here
in the Latin text,
a translation of his writings,
it says,
why therefore do we not reject
every care of earthly actions
and prepare ourselves
for the meeting of the Lord Christ
so that he may draw us
from the confusion
which overwhelms the world
believe you me dearest brother
because the coming of the Lord is nigh
believe you me
because the end of the world is at hand
believe me
because it is the very last time.
Now notice the next words.
For all the saints
and elect of God
are gathered
prior to the tribulation
that is to come
and are taken to the Lord
lest they see the confusion
that is to overwhelm the world
because of our sins.
Hey, that kind of sounds like it's saying
that we're going to be raptured
before the tribulation.
A few things you need to think about here.
This is Ephraim the Syrian.
Do you know what language
Syrians speak?
Not Latin.
Syriac.
Okay.
But what you're reading
is a Latin translation
of his works.
Think about that.
Why don't they just go
to the Syriac writings?
I'll tell you why
because it doesn't line up
with a pre-trib rapture.
That's why.
Okay.
Now in the next slide
we have this man named
Paul J. Alexander
who was a historian,
he's passed away now,
but he did some study
in this Ephraim
and his writings
and he discovered
that the original writing
was in Syriac.
I mean that makes perfect sense.
He's a Syrian.
Okay.
His initial writings
was in Syriac
but then that was translated
into Greek
and then the Greek
was translated into Latin.
Okay.
So the Latin which we just read
which was then translated
into English, right,
that Latin was not translated
directly from the Syriac.
It was translated from the Greek
which was translated
from the Syriac.
So obviously there was,
while this was being translated
there was changes
in the translation
or a misunderstanding
of what was written
in the Syriac
if you're taking it
from the Greek.
Alright.
If you want to know what
Syria and the Ephraim
actually wrote
when he said people
will be gathered
before the tribulation
you just go to go back
to the Syriac.
You got to go back
to what he actually wrote
and if you go back
to the Syriac text
it says nation will rise up
against nation
and kingdom against king
and hey that's Matthew 24.
Lawlessness will be sovereign
on earth and the defiled
will pursue after the saints.
Look the defiled will pursue
after the saints.
That's, he's talking about
the antichrist.
He's talking about the beast.
People will openly apostatize,
hey that's like falling away
and augment the left side.
The righteous ones will suffer
indignation from those
who belong to the side
of the sinners.
Does this sound like
he thinks people are going to
believe it's going to be raptured
before tribulation?
He's talking about people
being, going through tribulation.
Then he writes,
people will flee to cemeteries
and hide themselves among the dead
pronouncing the good fortune
of the deceased
who had avoided the calamity.
Blessed are you
for you were born away
to the grave
and hence you escaped
from the afflictions.
So what he actually wrote
is not that believers,
you know, living believers
will be raptured before tribulation.
He's saying living believers
will be thankful that
other believers that have
passed away before this
would not face the tribulation.
That's what he actually wrote.
Okay.
It's a lie of the pre-tribulation
to say that Ifrian the Syriac,
or Syrian,
believed in a pre-tribulation.
No he didn't.
Okay.
He believed,
he was just saying that
people will be thankful
that other believers
would not go through it
because they had already passed away.
Alright.
Let's,
he says,
For if,
for if the days,
sorry,
I'm not sure where I left off there.
And then he says,
But as for us,
woe is us,
as for us,
the other Christians,
the other believers,
woe is us,
for when we die,
vultures will serve as escort for us,
and if the days of that time
were not shortened,
the elect
would never survive
the calamities and afflictions.
For our Lord revealed
and disclosed to us
in his Gospel,
when he said,
Those days will be shortened
for the sake of the elect
and of the saints.
So you can read that
in the Syriac text.
The actual,
the actual language
he would have written it in
actually says,
No,
we are going to face
the Antichrist.
He was prepared,
he was expecting
that we would go,
believers would go
through great tribulation.
Alright.
And in the next slide,
just very quickly,
I had told you
that this is Ifrian the Syrian,
but this is actually all a hoax.
All these writings
is actually a hoax.
It wasn't Ifrian the Syrian
that actually wrote these things.
It's a guy that's now known
as pseudo-Ifrian.
Pseudo means fake.
Okay.
This is some other guy
writing, pretending
to be Ifrian the Syrian.
And he lived in the 7th century,
not in the early 300s,
as, you know,
the pre-tribbers
will try to claim
that he lived
and try to claim
that the pre-trib teaching
was an early teaching
from that time.
No, it wasn't.
This man didn't even believe
in a pre-trib rapture.
He didn't even live
in the time they claimed
that he lived.
You can do your own research
on that in your own time.
Now, the last person
that I want to turn to here
is a man named Irenaeus,
Irenaeus of Leons.
Now, Irenaeus,
if you look at the time
he lived from 130 to 202 AD,
you know,
he was a very early Christian.
And the reason he's very popular
is because he was a disciple
of Polycarp,
and Polycarp,
you know, history teaches
that Polycarp was a disciple
of John the Apostle.
And, of course,
John the Apostle wrote
the book of Revelation.
Now, I don't know.
I don't know if that's all true,
but that's why Irenaeus,
his writings are revered
because they think
it's very close
to what would have been taught,
you know,
by the apostles
in the early times
of the churches.
I don't know.
I don't need to read Irenaeus.
I can just read my Bible
and know exactly
what they taught, okay?
So, I'm not putting
any weight in this,
but this is one
that they often quote as well, okay?
And so,
Irenaeus wrote this,
And therefore,
when in the end
the church shall be
suddenly caught up from this,
it is said
there shall be tribulation
such as has not been
since the beginning,
neither shall be.
And so, you know,
it says here
the church shall be
suddenly caught up from this.
So, the pre-tribulance they see,
he believed in a
pre-tribulation rapture.
They're so deceptive
because they don't read
the next sentence.
I'll show you,
within the same writing,
the next sentence,
look what it says.
This is in the book
Against Heresies,
chapter 29, book 5.
The next sentence says,
For this is the last contest
of the righteous,
in which when they overcome,
they are crowned
with incorruption.
He's saying the tribulation
is the last contest
of the righteous,
in which we can get
the crown of incorruption.
So, he believes
that the churches would go
through tribulation,
that the churches would
face the antichrist.
And they're so lazy,
that's chapter 29 in this book.
If you just go three chapters back
in chapter 26,
he writes,
And they,
the ten kings who will arise,
shall lay Babylon waste
and burn her with fire,
and shall give their kingdom
to the beast,
look at this,
and put the church
to flight.
They will persecute
and pursue the church.
That's what he believed.
He believed believers,
the churches,
New Testament churches,
would go through tribulation,
being persecuted
by the antichrist.
Now,
I'll just show you that, brethren,
in case you've been deceived,
people point to these men
and say, see, they believe
in the preacher rapture
before Derby,
not true.
If you go and just do
some investigation,
do some research,
you find all of them believe
they would go through tribulation.
They all believed
they would face the antichrist.
Okay?
Now, please go to Jeremiah 14.
We'll end on this.
Jeremiah 14.
The biggest danger
of the pre-tribulation rapture
is that they are not
preparing the believers
to go through hardship.
They're not preparing believers
to go through tribulation.
And so this is a warning
to pastors.
If there are pastors
listening to this,
take heed to Jeremiah 14, verse 13,
because God was telling Jeremiah
that difficult times
was coming for Judah.
They were going to go
through hardships.
Okay?
And in Jeremiah 14, verse 13,
Jeremiah speaks to God.
After God has told him
that Judah's going to go
through difficulties,
he says to God,
then said I,
our God,
or our Lord God,
behold,
the prophets say unto them,
that's unto the people,
ye shall not see the sword,
neither shall ye have famine,
but I will give you
assured peace in this place.
Jeremiah's saying,
look, there are other prophets
out there telling the people
that it'll be peaceful.
They're not going to go
through war.
They're not going to go
through famine.
They're not going to go
through difficulties.
What does God say to Jeremiah?
Verse 14.
Then the Lord said unto me,
the prophets prophesy lies
in my name.
I sent them not,
neither have I commanded them,
neither spake unto them.
They prophesy unto you
a false vision and divination
and a thing of naught
and the deceit of their hearts.
And so God says
that he did not speak unto them.
God speaks to us today
in his word.
The pre-tribulation rapture
is not in the word of God.
It's coming from their hearts.
It's coming from them
being deceived
and being deceivers
about the end times.
Verse number 15.
Therefore, thus saith the Lord,
concerning the prophets
that prophesy in my name,
and I sent them not,
yet they say sword and famine
shall not be in this land,
by sword and famine
shall those prophets be consumed.
Hey, there's a judgment.
If you're telling people,
don't worry,
you're not going
through tribulation,
you're not going to go
through hardships,
well, you're going to fall
by the sword.
You're going to fall
in difficult times.
Verse number 16.
And the people
to whom they prophesy
shall be cast out
in the streets of Jerusalem,
because of the famine
and the sword,
and they shall have none
to bury them,
their wives,
nor their sons,
nor their daughters,
for I will pour
their wickedness
upon them.
Brethren,
we need to be prepared
for a coming time.
We do not want to be people
that fall away,
that are offended
by the truth,
you know,
of God's word
and offended
to stand up for Jesus Christ.
If you're not being told
you're going to go
through hardships,
you're going to be offended.
You're going to fall away.
So please go to Jude,
go to the book of Jude,
and we're almost done.
Jude, please,
and look at verse 24.
Go to Jude.
So in conclusion, brethren,
number one,
expect tribulation.
Number two,
draw comfort
from the comforter.
Number three,
walk in the new man.
And number four,
be admonished.
You know,
we need to put these things
into our lives,
be prepared,
so we can be ready
to face great tribulation
should we be
that final generation to come,
that final generation to come
in that end times.
Jude, verse 24,
some beautiful words here.
I'll end on this.
Now unto him
that is able
to keep you from falling.
Hey,
we don't want to fall away.
The only one
that's going to keep you
from falling
is our Lord God
and to present you faultless
before the presence
of his glory
with exceedingly joy,
exceeding joy.
I want God to be joyful
when he sees me.
I don't want him to see me
and not fall away,
be offended
at standing up for Christ.
No.
Verse number 25,
to the only wise God,
our Savior,
be glory and majesty,
dominion and power,
both now and ever.
Amen.
And you know what?
Our Lord God is deserving
of all glory and majesty.
He's warned us.
He's prepared us.
He's given us his Holy Spirit
to go through these difficult times.
Brethren,
are you prepared?
Brethren,
are you expecting difficulties
in tribulation?
You need to.
The Bible tells us
that believers will go
through great tribulation.
If you've been lied to,
you know what?
Open up the Word of God
and go and find out for yourself
what the Word of God says.
Be prepared.
Don't fall away.
God bless.
Now unto him
that is able to keep,
able to keep you
from falling
and to present you
a bold mercy
for the presence of his glory
with exceeding joy.
To the only Christ,
God our Saviour,
be glory and majesty,
dominion and power,
both now and ever.
Amen.