Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 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” (II Thessalonians 2:1-3). In these days of modern religion the doctrine to which the Apostle is referring is little known. In the latter part of verse three he speaks of a ‘falling away’ that had not yet taken place. The word in the Greek New Testament is ‘apostasy’. I think that the book of Hebrews is referring to the doctrine in chapter ten, verse twenty-six, “For if we sin willfully AFTER that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” The willful sin is abandoning not only the assembly where the true Christ is worshipped, but also abandoning that doctrine that proclaims Him. Today those that have made a profession of faith may abandon the church and never darken its doors again and yet be merely said to be ‘backsliders’. I personally think that religion today is in that state of ‘apostasy’ that the Apostle Paul speaks of in the text above. I believe that Christendom (all religions that profess the religion of Jesus Christ) as a whole has fallen away (apostatized) from the doctrine of Christ and the New Testament Apostles. We may be at that point in time when Christ asks His disciples, “When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” The question concerned a kind of faith. All men have a carnal confidence, but all men do not have ‘faith’ that pleases God. There is yet another kind of apostasy. This very subtle apostasy involves those who appear to have embraced the true Christ and the Gospel of the New Testament but are lacking true repentance, evangelical faith, and the grace of perseverance. These like the seed sowed on rocky ground endure for awhile, and then fall away (See Luke 8:13). These clearly fit those described in Hebrews 10:26, they ‘know the truth’ but refuse to identify with those who have forsaken all for the truth’s sake. The apostasy of such is much more critical than those who are caught up in apostate religious systems, in that they sin against greater light. Like the cities in Galilee (Capernaum, Bethsaida) to whom Christ said, “…That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment, than for thee.” Even so shall it be with those who have less knowledge of the Gospel. Therefore, for those whom God has blessed with greater knowledge, beware that you do not abuse the blessing but rather nurture it that it may flourish.
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