Signs of the Times

Apostasy





PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE:
Apostasy or "falling away" is the subject of several end-times warnings in the Bible. Just at the time that people should be most interested in God's Word, there will an increase of evil in society, caused in part by a failure of God's people to stand for biblical principles. However, as the darkness increases, the light of truth will shine brighter as it emanates from Godly believers. Therefore, it is likely that at the same time that the church in general becomes apostate, there will be a great end-times revival as well.

Key Scriptures
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Key Scriptures

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Apostasy
Matthew 24:12 Further Study
1 Timothy 4:1-3 Further Study
2 Timothy 3:1-8 Further Study
2 Timothy 4:2-4 Further Study
2 Thessalonians 2:3
Further Study
Revelation 3:14-22 Further Study

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Current Events and Links


Prophetic Significance of Apostasy

See also:
Abortion
Homosexuality
Revival


Notice: Sources often remove their news links after a period of time. Some of them move older stories to a subscription-only section. Even if the story is no longer on line, our summary will still be available on this page.

See later stories: after Jan. 1, 2012


Why Youth Are Leaving the Church: Politics, Postmodernity, or Pure Rebellion?

Dec. 31, 2011 - For years teens and young adults have been leaving their churches. They usually still consider themselves Christians, but are affected by a number of factors. For one thing, it has always been true that the younger generation has a tendency to rebel against the standards of their elders. More recently many of them have broken ranks with the conservative politics of their parents. They are reacting to candidates that they perceive are religious hypocrites.

Young people are also influenced by postmodern thinking that posits a new concept of tolerance and leaves them with a dislike of controversy and an unwillingness to fight unpopular moral issues. Alex Mason of the Family Policy Network said, "They’ve bought into the lie that truth can be different for everyone, which often means they become unwilling to tell their homosexual friend that his behavior is immoral, or their pregnant friend that an abortion would be sinful."

David Kinnaman, president of the faith-based research organization Barna Group, says that a possible solution for the youth departure is the formation of "intergenerational relationships" within the congregation.
Source: Christian Post

Prophetic Significance of Apostasy


Barna: Changing Role of Christianity

Dec., 2011 - Once again, George Barna's end of the year outlook for Christianity is disturbing. In this year's survey it was discovered that only four people were named by more than 1 out of 50 adults as a most significant Christian leader. The names were Billy Graham, the Pope, Barack Obama and Joel Osteen. 41% of the people were not able to name one individual who they consider to be an influential Christian.

A controversy among Christians about hell showed that Americans are slipping toward universalism and religious pluralism.

Half of Americans (50%) believe that all people are eventually saved or accepted by God no matter what they do.
They also discovered that the majority of Christians who are 18- to 29-year-olds are interested in science or the arts, but most of them struggle to see how the Bible relates to their life’s calling.
Source: Barna Research Group

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Vital Information about Israel, Islam, the Church, and Things to Come


Does Joel Osteen Not Know, or Does He Not Care?

Oct. 26, 2011 - While voters are debating the effect one's beliefs have on their ability to lead, Joel Osteen, pastor of the largest church in America, told a Washington Times reporter his views on Mormonism.
“I believe that [Mormons] are Christians. ... I don’t know if it’s the purest form of Christianity... I hear Mitt Romney — and I’ve never met him — but I hear him say, ‘I believe Jesus is the son of God,’ ‘I believe he’s my savior,’ and that’s one of the core issues."
The real question for Osteen is whether or not he knows the vast differences between Mormonism and Orthodox Christianity. He told Chris Wallace that he had not studied the matter or thought about it. Maybe he should.
Source: Al Mohler - Crosswalk



Do-It-Yourself Religion
Sept. 20, 2011 - Chuck Colson comments on George Barna's new book entitled Futurecast. Barna says America is filled with people who are do-it-yourselfers when it comes to religion — either making up God as they go along or dropping traditional beliefs and practices, like going to church. In fact, Barna discovers from his latest poll that only 7 percent of those he surveyed say they believe in seven essential Christian doctrines, as listed in the National Association of Evangelicals’ Statement of Faith. Colson writes this,
Okay, folks, we are experiencing a religious smorgasbord. Indeed, Barna says with just a hint of hyperbole that America may become a nation of “310 million people with 310 million religions.”
Source: Chuck Colson - Crosswalk

'More suited to UN than US': Furious evangelical Christians alone excluded from line-up at interfaith 9/11 memorial service
Sept. 7, 2011 - In an apparent mis-application of "political correctness" evangelicals will not be represented in a 9/11 interfaith memorial service at the National Catherdral in Washington.
The remembrance event will include an interfaith prayer vigil featuring the dean of the Cathedral, the Bishop of Washington, a rabbi, Buddhist nun and incarnate lama, a Hindu priest, the president of the Islamic Society of North America and a Muslim musician.
Source: Daily Mail

New York Mayor Bloomberg Bans Religion at 9/11 Ceremony
Aug. 25, 2011 - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has decided that the city’s commemoration of the tenth anniversary of 9/11 should not include involvement of the clergy. Many people disagree with the mayor's position on this matter.
New York City Council member Fernando Cabrera, a pastor in the Bronx, said faith was one of the “pillars that carried us through” the days after the attacks and called religious leaders “the spiritual and emotional backbone.”
Source: Newsmax
Is America Straying from Religion? - CBN

An Open Letter to Brian McLaren
Aug. 24, 2011 - Author Jim Fletcher asks Brian McLaren, a popular postmodern pastor and author, to clarify his position on teachers of end-times theology. McLaren apparently agreed with the sentiment that Christian Zionists are more violent than Muslim terrorists.
Source: Prophezine

Exodus International: Churches Shying from Controversy
July 22, 2011 - Exodus International, the world's largest ministry that reaches out to homosexuals, has lost the support of a number of church groups in recent years. Now the 24,000 member Willow Creek Community Church, known as the most influential church in America, has broken ties with them.
But Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International, said Willow Creek's departure is evidence of a "disappointing trend" in the Christian community, with churches and other groups shying away from controversial issues -- like homosexual outreach.
Source: CBN
Willow Creek Splits with Exodus International - Christianity Today

Biblical Christianity not found in Megachurch
July 1, 2011 - When visiting a megachurch for the first time, this columnist was shocked by the worldliness of the place and those who were in attendance. Read the details to see why he concluded this:
It was horrific. Megachurches like this one can have almost nothing to do with biblical Christianity and may actually do violence to the ‘Word of God.’
Source: Chris Dunn - Collegiate Times

Van Impe ministry abandons TBN in clash over Islam
Jun. 16, 2011 - After the Trinity Broadcast Network (TBN) refused to run one of Jack Van Impe's telecasts, he decided to remove his program from the network completely. TBN had objected to Van Impe's expose of some Christian teachers for advocating "Chrislam" (incorporating beliefs or practices of Islam into their Christian organizations) and other efforts that are designed to find "common ground" between Christians and Muslims. TBN was especially opposed to his criticism of individuals, like Rick Warren and Robert Schuller. In response, Van Impe said,
We will take the tremendous amount of money that we were spending there to obtain new stations that will allow us to continue to reach every square mile of America with the truths of the Bible without this network.
Source: WorldNetDaily

Yet Another Tragedy in Mainline Protestantism

May 12, 2011 -
Yesterday, the Presbyterian Church (USA) presbytery of the Twin Cities in Minnesota voted to approve a change to the church's constitution that will allow the denomination's 173 presbyteries to ordain persons without regard to sexual orientation.
The vote marks the end of a 33-year effort to remove all restrictions on homosexuals serving in the church's ordained ministry. It came in part because of the exodus of larger conservative congregations from the denomination over the last five years.
Source: Al Mohler - Crosswalk

Is Hell Dead?

April 14, 2011 - Just in time for Easter, TIME predictably features a story to help doubters deceive themselves.

Rob Bell's controversial new book, Love Wins, suggests that the redemptive work of Jesus may be universal — meaning that, as his book's subtitle puts it, "every person who ever lived" could have a place in heaven, whatever that turns out to be.

The book has met with fierce criticism from the Evangelical community, igniting a new holy war in Christian circles. Influential pastor/author John Piper, tweeted, "Farewell Rob Bell," and R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says Bell's book is "theologically disastrous."

Source: Time Magazine
'A Massive Shift Coming in What it Means to Be a Christian?' - Christian Post
Hell is for Real - Ron's Blog

See earlier stories: before Jan. 1, 2011


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