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.

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Apostasy
Matthew 24:12 Further Study
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Prophetic Significance of Apostasy

See also:
Abortion
Homosexuality
Religions
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 more recent articles: After December 31, 2013


2013: God, Clergy and Congress Poll Numbers Down, Darwin’s Up: Who’s to Blame?

Dec. 31. 2013 -While Pope Francis was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, a Gallup poll revealed that 53 percent of Americans have lost trust in the clergy. These are the worst ratings in 40 years. This article claims that the moral decline of the nation is the fault of the voices in the pulpit.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich recently said, “The only hope for America is for her clergy to start preaching the Cross of Christ again.”
Charles Finney - the famous evangelist of the Second Great Awakening - faced a similar situation in 1873. In his message, "The Decay of Conscience" he said,
If immorality prevails in the land, the fault is ours in a great degree. If there is a decay of conscience, the pulpit is responsible for it. ...If the church is degenerate and worldly, the pulpit is responsible for it... If Satan rules in our halls of legislation, the pulpit is responsible for it.
Source: Dan Cummins - Charisma News

Prophetic Significance of Apostasy


‘Duck Dynasty’ Phil Robertson suspended ‘indefinitely’ for gay quip

Dec. 19, 2013 - Phil Robertson, patriarch of the very popular "Duck Dynasty" is quoted in the January issue of GQ magazine saying that homosexuality is a sin. He paraphrased a biblical passage [1 Corinthians 6:9],
Source: Washington Times



God’s Kind of Success

Dec. 18, 2013 - Noting that one typical mega-church pastor said that Christians have a “branding problem,” meaning that we are seen as “judgmental,” Hal Lindsey writes:
That’s certainly a danger, but the solution is not to suddenly be silent on sin, or to speak out against only those sins that are politically correct to condemn.
This excellent article explains that it is not loving to ignore or condone sin. We need to care enough to tell people that God loves them so much that He sent his Son to die for their sins.
Source: Hal Lindsey

Polygamy ban unconstitutional? Staver saw it coming...

Dec. 17, 2013 -
On Friday, Utah Federal Judge Clark Waddoups declared that state's law forbidding polygamy unconstitutional even though the Supreme Court ruled in 1879 that states can restrict polygamy.
Source: OneNewsNow

The marriage penalty within ObamaCare

Nov. 20, 2013 - ObamaCare charges people thousands of dollars per year for being married. Dr. Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America says,
"And you incur thousands of dollars every year of penalty for being married. Over a lifetime, The Heritage Foundation says that comes to more than $200,000. Couples are even considering getting divorced because of the profound anti-marriage bias within this ObamaCare bill."
Source: - OneNewsNow
Concerned Women for America

Record number want 'bathroom bill' killed

Nov. 13, 2013 -
More than 620,000 residents of California have signed petitions demanding that a “bathroom bill” adopted by the state legislature that allows students to choose which gender they represent be killed. And they did it in just 80 days.
State officials will now check the names. Only 500,000 are needed to put the issue on the ballot for the 2014 election. A team of attorneys from the Pacific Justice Institute will challenge any disqualified signatures they believe are valid.
Source: WND
Editor's Note: We are posting this on both "Apostasy" and "Revival" pages. It is a sign of an apostate culture that such a bill would have been passed, but a sign of revival that churches and other concerned organizations were able to generate this response in such a short time. Hopefully, if it is passed during the elections, the courts won't discredit the democratic process by nullifying it like they did with Prop. 8.
Update 12/31/13 - Calif. families warned transgender bathroom law just days away - OneNewsNow
Notice to Parents: Download Notice of Reasonable Expectation of Privacy to protect your child!
Group sues California over new transgender bathroom law - Fox

Falling on Deaf Ears? Why So Many Churches Hear So Little of the Bible

Oct. 15, 2013 - In an earlier article, “Yawning at the Word,” Mark Galli, the senior managing editor of Christianity Today, said, “It is well and good for the preacher to base his sermon on the Bible, but he better get to something relevant pretty quickly, or we start mentally to check out.”

Galli himself was advised by someone on his staff to go light on Bible quotations if he wanted to keep the attention of his audiences.

Source: Albert Mohler - Religion Today

Bizarro! America morphing into its opposite

Sept. 7, 2013 - The September issue of Whistleblower Magazine documents astonishing changes in the greatest nation on Earth! This article is a an advertisement to entice us to subscribe to the magazine, but we recommend that our readers consider having this kind of incredible information delivered to your home every month. This particular issue exposes the immoral plunge of our nation's morality. Here is their list of shocking developments in our generation. We are taking the liberty of quoting their entire list since doing so is beneficial to the publisher of the magazine. And it is beneficial to our readers!
•“How America morphed into ‘Bizarro World’” by David Kupelian, who offers a guided tour of the upside-down realm we now inhabit – and the way out

•“California’s plan to help ‘infertile’ homosexual couples”

•“Boys in girls’ locker rooms!” by Joseph Farah, who shows that under new laws, schools create gender confusion while pretending to eliminate it

•“When politics collide with reality” by Thomas Sowell, on the “bouncing ball” effect that has led America into one disaster after another

•“Assaulting Christians but coddling terrorists” by David Limbaugh, who shows that even the U.S. military is increasingly infringing on believers’ religious liberty

•“Why do our ‘leaders’ announce our battle plans to our enemies?” by Thomas Sowell, on the absurdity of “proportional” response policies that just encourage aggression and war

•“Growing ‘rights’ movement opens girls’ bathrooms, locker rooms, to boys” – on how schools are taking the position that, while other students “may feel uncomfortable” about having the other gender in their bathrooms, “this is not a reason to deny access to the transgender student”

•“School to kids: Time to dress like the opposite sex” – on a particularly controversial part of “spirit week”

•“’Gay’ lawmaker to Christians: ‘We’ll take your children’” by Matt Barber, a shocking story of how the legislator behind a controversial new policy claims helping children overcome their unwanted homosexual feelings is the equivalent of child “abuse” and “beating,” and that therefore such parents might lose their children to the state

•“Our government funds dependency” by John Stossel, who says the Obama administration is more interested in promoting welfare than independence

•“Schools punish brave students for saving lives” – a bizarre survey of schools punishing heroic students after they have stopped fights or prevented a suicide

•“Bert and Ernie and children’s innocence” by Dennis Prager, on why the left is seemingly obsessed with “prematurely sexualizing” kids

•“Pentagon aims to lower warrior standards” by Patrick J. Buchanan, on how our military is being forced to accept the irrational “dogma that women are just as good at soldiering as men”

•“The war on 18-year-old girls” by Phyllis Schlafly, on the sheer madness of drafting young damsels to fight dragons

•“Unhinged! Pro-abortion demonstrators go insane” by Chelsea Schilling and John Griffing. Find out why pro-abortion protesters consider late-term abortions “sacred ground” and respond to efforts to restrict abortions after 20 weeks by chanting “Hail Satan” and attempting to assault legislators with feces, urine, tampons and bricks

•“Trading the world’s best healthcare for a nightmarish federal bureaucracy” by Dr. Lee Hieb, in which the surgeon explains exactly how Obamacare creates disaster – and does it on purpose

•“Equating boys with rats” by David Kupelian, on the real reason animal-rights radicals claim “all life is equal”

•“Government’s complicity in fatherlessness” by Phyllis Schlafly, on how the court system incentivizes divorce and family breakdown

•“The greatest phony America’s ever known” by Ted Nugent, on the bizarre irony of Barack Obama using the P-word to describe his scandals

•“More Americans choosing ‘equality’ over ‘freedom’” by Patrick J. Buchanan, who explains that “Égalité’ is a ‘founding principle of Robespierre’s revolution, not ours’

•“Why some scientists embrace the ‘multiverse’” by Dennis Prager, showcasing atheists’ spectacular admission that they’ve lost the argument about intelligent design.

Source: WND
Editor's note: This article, and the whole issue of Whistleblower that it promotes, comes just at the time I was wondering how to recommend another shocking documentation: a video documentary produced by a young American lawmaker that shows how America is being conquered by the ideals of Communism without most people even knowing it. Check out the link to a free viewing of the documentary below.
Also highly recommended video documentary: AGENDA: Grinding America Down
Christians Entering a New Dark Age? - Hope for a new Great Awakening - Richard D. Land

Evangelical Fuller Seminary Says “Yes” to Homosexual Campus Club

July 25, 2013 - Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California has approved as an official LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) student organization calling itself One Table. In response to negative reaction by evangelical voices, their new president, Mark Labberton, issued a statement about its position on homosexuality.
"Every student, faculty member, administrator, and staff person at Fuller is expected to abide by the Community Standards that 'premarital, extramarital, and homosexual forms of explicit sexual conduct (are) inconsistent with the teaching of Scripture.”
This statement seems to ignore the fact that One Table was formed by a confirmed homosexual who is convinced he can embrace the Christian faith without rejecting what the Bible clearly says is sin.

In contrast to this position, last year Biola University, also located in Southern California, quashed a group called the Biola Queer Underground.

Source: The New American

The Rise of Neo-Enlightenment Theology

July 11, 2013 - Dr. James Emery White of Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary warns that Evangelicalism, which began as a reaction to the Enlightenment and its elevation of reason above divine revelation, is sliding toward individual reasoning and less on God's Word. He writes:
The Enlightenment was a rebellion against one source of authority – that of the church and its appeal to God and His revelation – and the enthronement of another authority, that of human reason.
He observes that today's Evangelicals are increasingly basing their beliefs on their own perceptions (“I have a gay friend who feels…”), and how many times a precept is found in the Bible (“Do you know how few times it’s even mentioned in Scripture?”). He also warns that many biblical revelations are ignored by invoking the over-arching principle that "God is love."
Source: - Religion Today

Obama Plan B Decision: Feds To Comply With NY Judge's Ruling

Jun. 10, 2013 - The federal government has decided to comply with a judges' order to allow girls of any age to buy emergency contraception without prescriptions.
The decision ends a years-long fight between President Barack Obama's administration, which had argued that age limits for the morning-after pill are common sense, and women's rights groups, which insisted the drug should be made as freely available as aspirin.
Source: Huffington Post
The Morning-After Pill: Coming to a Vending Machine Near You? - Religion Today

First Gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson Talks About Jesus' 'Alternative Lifestyle'

May 29, 2013 -
The first openly gay Episcopal bishop, Gene Robinson, made controversial remarks on ABC Australia's popular "Q&A" show on Monday, noting that Jesus lived an "alternative lifestyle" while highlighting how Jesus spent time with male disciples and that he loved them.
In addition to hinting at a possible sexual orientation for the Savior of the world, he claimed that Jesus said nothing about homosexuality.

Fred Nile, president of the Fellowship of Congregational Churches responded that Jesus did say, "A man shall leave his mother and father and shall cling to his wife. The two shall become one." Jesus also spoke negatively about Sodom, which every Jewish listener knew was destroyed because of its homosexuality.

Source: Christian Post

Boy Scouts of America Lifts Ban on Gay Youth

May 24, 2013 - The Boy Scouts have ended their lengthy debate about allowing gay members.
On Wednesday, the organization's president, Wayne Perry, called on the 1,400 delegates of the organization in a USA Today op-ed to adopt the resolution charging that the BSA was not the forum for resolving such complex issues.
Sixty-one percent of the delegates voted in favor of the resolution, but the organization will still not accept gay adult leaders.

Faith-based organizations generally oppose the ruling. A mass exodus from the organization is expected and churches may offer alternative programs featuring biblical values.

Source: Christian Post

Emergent Church Star Rob Bell On Homosexuality

May 18, 2013 - Rob Bell, popular spokesman for emergent church concepts, was forced out of his Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Mich., after writing the controversial book "Love Wins." He has now endorsed homosexual marriage, and told a British radio host...
"... it’s time the church catch up with the 'modern world' in accepting same-sex marriage and that questioning the orthodoxy of those who do amounts to 'the sort of [expletive] that really, really, really pushes people away' [from Christianity]."
Carl Gallups, author of “The Magic Man in the Sky: Effectively Defending the Christian Faith,” says that Bell thinks that the church should "ebb and flow with whatever culture it is in.” In reality, Gallups counters, the church should never compromise with the culture.
Source: WND
- Christian Post, May 6, 2013
The Emerging Church - Commentary by Roger Oakland - Understanding the Times

Poll: Americans Love the Bible But Don't Read It Much

Apr. 5, 2013 -
More than half of Americans think the Bible has too little influence on a culture they see in moral decline, yet only one in five Americans read the Bible on a regular basis, according to a new survey.
Source: Religion Today

Federal judge rules morning-after pill must be available for women of all ages

Apr. 5, 2013 - U.S. District Judge Edward Korman ordered the FDA to make the Plan B morning-after pill, commonly referred to as the abortion pill, available for all ages.
Source: Fox

The Bible Gained Six Million New 'Antagonists' Last Year (Infographic)

Mar. 27, 2013 - According to the new State of the Bible Report from the American Bible Society, Americans are drifting away from regular reading of the Bible, and a larger percentage of the population is antagonistic to it. The study is based on an annual survey conducted by the Barna Group.
More than 3 in 4 Americans say the country is in a state of moral decline—and almost 1 in 3 attribute the cause to a "lack of Bible reading" (narrowly beating out "negative influence of media").
The "Mosaic" age group (18-28)read the Bible the least, but surprisingly are the most interested in "receiving input and wisdom" from it. Another confusing result of the study is the fact that 66 percent of survey respondents agreed that "the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life," but 58 percent said they "don’t personally want wisdom and advice from the Bible."
Source: Christianity Today
State of the Bible Report - American Bible Society

Former Catholic friar: homosexuality is “the ticking time bomb”

Feb. 26, 2013 - Mark Dowd, who is himself openly gay former Dominican friar told CNN that, as the current Pope steps down, homosexuality is “the ticking time bomb in the Catholic Church.”
The Vatican announced on Monday that the archbishop of Scotland is resigning, a day after British newspapers published accusations of decades-long sexual misconduct with other priests. An American Cardinal is facing fresh allegations of covering up abuse.
Source: CNN

Ravens or Niners? Christians Face a 'Super' Dilemma

Feb. 1, 2013 - According to a very recent survey, more than a quarter of Americans think God will help decide the winner of the Super Bowl. The problem is that both of the teams (Forty-Niners and Ravens) have a mix of "Bible-quoting believers -- as well as card-carrying cads." In fact, some times the good Christian is also the bad guy.

Shirl James Hoffman, author of the 2010 book Good Game: Christianity and the Culture of Sports, criticizes the ethics of the modern pro football. He complains that it is a consumer product that glorifies violence, not God.
So what will Hoffman do on Sunday night? Root for whoever is the underdog, he says. "I think there's something essentially Christian in that. You're rooting for the person who is down and out -- the object of Christ's Sermon on the Mount."
Source: David Gibson - Religion Today

Morally Straight? The Transformation of the Boy Scouts of America

Jan. 29, 2013 - A decision by the Boy Scouts of America may come next week to drop their national policy prohibiting openly gay leaders and scouts.
The BSA will offer what amounts to a local option. Each governing council and troop would come up with its own policy, in consultation with the more than 100,000 sponsoring bodies.
This move will probably shock many people who have not realized the pace of the revolution in morality in America.

The decision comes just six month after BSA board unanimously recommended keeping the policy.

Source: Relligion Today

See earlier stories: before Jan. 1, 2013




















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Apostasy Links

Changing the Face of Christianity
American Center For Law and Justice
American Family Association
Bob Enyart Live
Capitol Resources Institute
Christian Coalition
Concerned Women For America
Dr. Laura Schlessinger
Eagle Forum - Phyllis Schafley
Family Research Council
Focus On The Family: CitizenLink
Michael Reagan
Pacific Justice Institute
The Rutherford Institute
The Sentinel Group - Geroge Otis Jr.
ShadowGov.com
Understand The Times

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