The RELIGIOUS Lie of Backsliding and Apostasy, Part 1

I remember hearing of backsliding and the apostate church all of the time when I was a churchgoer.

Often, preachers would use these two terms interchangeably in hell-fire and brimstone preaching that was often used to scare people into 'getting right' and 'getting saved.'

I want to make a bold statement/stand:

The popular perception that we have held of backsliding has been grossly misinterpreted and downright error has been spread as it pertains to backsliding and apostasy.

The concept of backsliding as it has been so popularly taught in the institutional church was applicable in the OLD Testament ONLY.

"Are you saying that one cannot backslide, or become apostate?"

Let's look in the Word of God.  I did not find the word 'apostate' in the Word of God one time.  I did find the word 'backsliding' in the bible 15 times....all in the Old Testament.

The very last time I see the word 'backsliding' in the Word of God is in Hosea 14.  The Hebrew word used here for 'backsliding' is 'mĕshuwbah,' which means 'apostasy or a turning back or away.'

In Hosea 14:4, God promises to heal the backslidings of Israel.

When God heals, that healing lasts.  It is done.  There is no reversal of healing...that's when GOD HEALS!

Same applies to HIS saving power.  When GOD SAVES, IT IS FINISHED!

WHEN ONE IS TRULY SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH-AND NOT THE FAKE JESUS OR EMPTY RELIGION-THEN THAT PERSON IS SAVED.

There IS no backsliding to someone who has been born again, washed in the blood of the Lamb of God!

So when we go to the New Testament to find if the word or the idea of backsliding is there, I found two instances.  One in Acts 21:21 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

Acts 21:21

And they are informed of thee, that thou teach all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.

In this passage of scripture, the 'apostasy' or falling away associated with backsliding is used by the word 'forsake' in this verse.  So what was being forsaken?  THAT'S the question!

What was being forsaken was the law of Moses!  The rituals of Judaism that required that parents circumcise their sons.

Now, of course, because we live in a different dispensation, one where Judaism and all of her rituals are no longer NECESSARY to be heeded because God told us to circumcise OUR hearts, not our flesh!  That circumcision does not take place except when one is submitted to the HOLY GHOST and is BORN AGAIN.

So forsaking, turning away from the religious practice of circumcision is NECESSARY so that we can embrace the concept and reality of having faith in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and in HIS Cleansing Blood to wash away our sins.

If we continue to hold on to Judaism, we make the Cross of no effect and cannot be born again!!!!!

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 revealed, the son of perdition.

Now, let's look at this in its proper context.  If you read the whole chapter of 2 Thessalonians 2, you will see further down that this is talking about what is going to happen when the Antichrist is manifested in the earth.  The SPIRIT of Antichrist has been setting the stage, if you will, for centuries for his appearing.

And the Word says it will happen!

How is this going to happen, or has BEEN happening???

Well, verses 9-12 says:

 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

1.  Well, first of all, signs and wonders has been worshipped so much that now most people expect to see signs and wonders or they don't receive the Word that God gives through you.  This past century especially, with the onset of Azusa, many people have come to expect signs and wonders to always be representative of the Holy Ghost.  They have failed to realize that the enemy is the master magician.  He knows how to do signs and wonders, too.  Has been practicing it for a long, LONG time!

2.  The institutionalization of the church has made it easy for the spirit of Antichrist to control and manipulate the masses.  THIS is why he set it up in the first place!  How better to control a group of people than to get them to congregate.  Then get a whole bunch of congregations to come together in a spirit of ecumenism (the merging of all faiths, churches, fellowships, denominations, etc), even at the expense of truth, in a spirit of fake love and unity.

3.  The way all of this has been able to take place-along with all of the other maladies of the institutional church-is because people have lost a LOVE FOR THE TRUTH!  When a LOVE FOR THE TRUTH is absent, then GOD HIMSELF SENDS A STRONG DELUSION!  The Word says HE sends it so that HE makes SURE they will believe A LIE!!!!

Without a love for the truth, one CANNOT be saved!!!!

In that passage of scripture, I present to you that it is the religious BUT NOT SAVED FOLKS who this great 'falling away' is applied to!

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 again.

The ones who are going to fall away from the faith are ones who were NEVER SAVED or LOVED THE TRUTH from the beginning!

They were religious.  They attended temple, synagogue, mass, church.  They served in ministry.  They ate with Presidents and Kings.  They performed many signs and wonders.  They had a great following.

BUT THEY WERE NOT SAVED!!!!

Otherwise, they could NOT backslide.  They could NOT turn away from the faith...that is, the faith that is in Jesus Christ of Nazareth ALONE!

By making the masses believe that if they are faithful to a church, a denomination, a ministry, a fellowship, an organization, or a man or a woman, then that faithfulness equates salvation and faithfulness to GOD.

AND NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That whole teaching started right around the time the catholic/institutional church began.  The term 'apostate' never came into existence until the 2nd century, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Roman Catholicism introduced the concept of apostasy!

I hope that sinks in....I got to break this up into two, maybe three parts.

I am going to tear down some strongholds and correct some very real religious errors that have kept so many in religious bondage!