OPINION (Charisma) – It is very apparent that we are living in the last days. Speaking of the coming of the Lord and the catching away of the saints, Paul wrote: Do not let anyone deceive you in any way. For that Day will not come unless a falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself as God (2 Thess. 2:3-4).

The word translated “falling away” is apostasia (pronounced ap-os-tas-ee’-ah) from which we get our English word “apostasy.” Notice that this evil megatrend will come right before the Antichrist publicly assigns godhood to himself. In reality, it is the same spirit. For those who “fall away” from the truth enthrone themselves as gods over their own lives and their own belief systems, robbing the true God of His rightful place. The most sobering thought is that you can’t “fall away” from something unless you once possessed it. So, is this a reference to the false church falling away from the true revelation of Scripture, or members of the true church leaving the revelation of truth they once embraced? You decide.

It is doubly disturbing to see that one Greek word translated “divorce” is apostasion (pronounced ap-os-tas-ee-on) which is closely related to the word for “falling away” (Matt. 5:31). When you connect the dots, falling away from the truth, in a sense, means divorcing God. So, the words “falling away” are apparently not a good translation. A fall is something unfortunate and accidental. A divorce is intentional. There will be a “falling away” in the last days because people will intentionally harden their hearts against God and the truth of His Word. This is not an unfortunate “fall”; this is a deliberate break in the relationship. It might be more appropriate to call it “the great rebellion.” To Timothy, Paul prophesied: CONTINUE


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