The Coming Storm

The New Testament warns of a future apostasy caused by deceivers and the Son of Destruction, the Lawless Man, before the Day of the Lord arrives.

The New Testament warns us that before Jesus returns, his Church will be attacked from within by deceivers, “false anointed ones,” and “false prophets.” Before the “Day of the Lord” begins, his disciples will be confronted by the “Man of Lawlessness,” whom the Apostle Paul links to the “Apostasy,” the final great “falling away” from the faith.

While many contemporary “prophets” claim that God will pour out a super revival characterized by stupendous “signs and wonders” just before Jesus returns, that is not what Scripture predicts. Perhaps we should take seriously Christ’s warning: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find THE faith on the Earth?” – (Luke 18:8).

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This same Son of Man warned us to beware of the “many deceivers” who will come “in his name” and “deceive many,” namely, “false prophets” and “false anointed ones.” They will cause “lawlessness” to spread among his disciples and spread false information about the “coming of the Son of Man.” They will use impressive “signs and wonders” to seduce as many as possible. Only believers who persevere through this onslaught will be saved - (Matthew 24:5, 23-27).

Likewise, in the Book of Revelation, the “False Prophet” performs “great signs” that deceive many, causing them to give their allegiance to the “Beast from the Sea” and its little horn with the “mouth speaking great things” – (Revelation 13:1-18).

Already in the first century, deceivers were infiltrating the churches of Asia, “false apostles,” the “Nicolaitans,” and the “prophetess, Jezebel,” causing some believers to engage in idolatry and otherwise compromise with the surrounding pagan society. This “Jezebel” is described with the same language used for “Babylon”:

• “But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, she who calls herself a prophetess. And she teaches and seduces my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols” – (Revelation 2:20).

• “Come here! I will show you the judgment of the Great Whore that sits upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the Inhabitants of the Earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication” – (Revelation 17:1-2).

“Babylon” was attempting to destroy these early congregations from within, the same way that Satan has been attacking the Church ever since. His efforts will intensify during the last phase of the present age; indeed, this final onslaught is underway even now.

In the Book of Revelation, Satan wages “war” against the “saints” who have the “Faith of Jesus” and his “Testimony,” namely, anyone who “follows the Lamb wherever he goes.” This war includes the invasion of the Church by deceivers and their lies.

Paul is specific in 2 Thessalonians. The “Day of the Lord” and the “arrival” of Jesus will not come until two events occur – the “Apostasy” and the “revelation of the Man of Lawlessness.”

The term “apostasy” (Greek, ‘apostasia’) is applied consistently by Scripture to the abandonment of the true faith. When Paul warns that this “Lawless one” will deceive those who “refuse the love of the truth,” he is referring to believers who betray their faith in and allegiance to Jesus, and this is demonstrated by his declaration that the “truth” to which believers must cling is the “tradition you received” from the Apostle and his coworkers – (2 Thessalonians 2:13-17).

This Master Deceiver will “seat himself in the Sanctuary of God.” Elsewhere, Paul calls the Body of Christ the “Sanctuary of God,” the ‘naos theou’, not a stone building in Jerusalem. This “Lawless One” will target the Church of Jesus Christ for deception and apostasy.

HOLD FAST TO THE TEACHINGS

Paul also warned Timothy about the coming Apostasy. The time is approaching when “some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons.” In the last days, “evil men and howling imposters will wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” As Paul exhorted Timothy:

• “Preach the word! Be urgent in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure the sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will heap to themselves teachers after their lusts and will turn away their ears from the truth and turn aside to fables” – (1 Timothy 4:1, 2 Timothy 3:13, 4:1-4).

We should note Paul’s stress on “sound teaching” as the antidote to the plague of demonic lies propagated by false teachers. The Apostle Peter also warns of “false prophets” and “false teachers” who will disseminate false doctrines and wreak havoc on the Church before the return of Jesus - (2 Peter 2:1-3).

In his epistles, John speaks of the coming “Antichrist.” However, of more immediate concern were the “many antichrists” already active in his churches. The “Last Days” were underway already, and this was demonstrated by the “Spirit of Antichrist” at work in the church through deceivers and their “damnable lies” – (1 John 2:18-22, 4:1-3).

Scripture provides a clear and consistent warning. Before the return of Jesus, the Church will experience apostasy because of “false prophets” and other deceivers and the unveiling of “the Man of Lawlessness.”

However, the Church is not powerless. The fact that Jesus and his apostles warned of these coming events indicates we can avoid deception and apostasy, and we will do so if we heed the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles.

We will not be overtaken by the “Lawless One” if we “hold fast” to the Apostolic Traditions handed down by the apostles. Those teachings are preserved for us in the New Testament. We neglect them at our peril.

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SEE ALSO:

• Howling Imposters - (The New Testament warns repeatedly of coming deceivers and false prophets who will cause many to depart from the faith)

• Seated in the Sanctuary - (The Man of Lawlessness will be unveiled when he seats himself in the House of God - 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

• The Apostasy - (Paul warned the Thessalonians of the future apostasy, which he linked to the unveiling of the Man of Lawlessness, the Son of Destruction)

• Stand Fast! - (Believers prepare for the Apostasy and the coming Man of Lawlessness by committing themselves to the traditions received from the Apostles.)