CHAPTER 16 APOSTASY: THE KEY IS LAWLESSNESS Sometime in the future we will see the Body of Christ subjected to terrible difficulties – quite probably judgment or lukewarmness, persecution and betrayal.  The counterfeit Christians however, who are materialistic, man- pleasing and self-pleasing will have no part of these dealing of God.  They will run from the dealings and say what is necessary in order to be spared from these difficulties.  They will be exposed as those who are spiritual dilatants that don’t want to delve deeply into the heart of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, but are satisfied to “taste” the things of the Spirit.  They may fall over at the touch of a hand; they might even get healed by the Lord; they might experience goose bumps and even laugh uproariously.  Eventually however, They will be exposed as those who are only along for the ride.  When the ride becomes too expensive, they will leave for the company of others more sympathetic to their desire for comfort, peace and safety.  When once again it becomes dangerous to be a Christian in the dark days to come, we will see many rebel against God’s call to endure to the end.  This apostasy will be a final manifestation of the great division that God is using to prepare a pure and unified people. Apostasy is not merely refusing to identify with Jesus Christ in His death, but also a sovereign work of God to purify His Body. Rev. 3:16 illuminates our sovereign Lord's involvement in apostasy. In this verse Jesus says, "So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I WILL SPIT (VOMIT) YOU OUT OF MY MOUTH."  Notice there comes a time when He will no longer deal with the rebellious elements of the visible Church.  These people are the tasters or samplers who do not want to eat His flesh and drink His blood.  They are like wine tasters who sip the wine, roll it around in their mouths and then spit it out.  We see here, in the last of the seven churches, the great falling away - the apostasy - from God's sovereign view point and response.   GOD spews out all the nauseous elements that will not lose their own identity and be digested or absorbed into His Body.  In II Thess.2:11 we even see how God will, as He did with Saul (I Sam. 16:14),"send them a deluding influence (a lying evil spirit) so that they might believe what is false" and be confirmed in their own hatred of the truth.  In the Scriptures dealing with apostasy in II Thess.2:3 we see a man closely connected with a concept.   The concept is lawlessness and the man is a MAN OF LAWLESSNESS.  The KJV says, “Man of sin", but virtually all modern translations use the term "man of lawlessness.”  Many have identified this individual as the Antichrist and this may be true.  But for now, notice that his primary characteristic is LAW-LESS-NESS. In the United States of America in the 21st century, we have seen a popular faction emerge in both the political realm and the cultural realm.  In the political realm we now have a national party that is virtually in support of every value that attacks the Scriptures.  This political party, the Democrat Party, has supported notions that are against virtually every law regarding sexual conduct that is in the Scriptures.  This party is far more sympathetic with the perpetrators of crime or law breakers than it is with their victims.  This party supports the suppression of LAW enforcement officers in their pursuit criminals.  Through the machinations of their own private anti-law organization, the American Civil Liberties Union, they have ham strung LAW enforcement officers from arresting and incarcerating criminals.  Most of the people in this party believe that criminals are victims of either the rich or America itself.  Our culture has likewise been changed.  At one time LAW enforce- ment officers were considered to be the heroes of the people.  Now, the news media often takes the side of the criminal in any conflicts between the police and law breakers.  Movies and television shows often depict homosexuals, adulterers and rebellious children with sympathy.  Record companies showcase the criminal activity of rappers and have made heroes of criminal gangs and gang leaders.  If there is any spirit hovering over and in the midst of the culture and the political party that we have just discussed, it is the spirit of LAW- LESS-NESS.   Please understand that in order to maintain or regain political control we are likely to eventually see the Republican Party come to embrace many of these views that are held today by the Democrats. Also notice that this man of lawlessness takes his seat IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD.  Many are looking for the Antichrist to actually physically seat himself in the physical, rebuilt temple of the Jews in Jerusalem.  This may be so, but there is certainly a more appropriate and immediate meaning for us to see.  The temple of God is the Church of God, the visible Body of Christ.  The temple of God is the people of God, those whom He dwells within.  A more important application of this Scripture is that some day there will come forth a spiritual force or a man who will have great influence and authority with God's so-called people, in the so-called church that is called by His name.   These men of lawlessness, like the man of lawlessness, are closely associated with apostasy in the Church.   Again see II Thess. 2:3, "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction."  LAW-LESS-NESS is an interesting word.   The word means absence of law as opposed to the concept of exaltation of sin.  NO law.  Not AGAINST holi- ness or FOR sin, just NO LAW.  Certainly no minister in the Church would ever preach against holiness and would never preach for sin.  But by avoiding the teaching of the law he will allow for more unholiness and more sin to dwell in his people.  By classifying potential converts as “hurting people” and “victims”, these false teachers inhibit their hearers from being taught by the law as a school master to expose their sin.    The last forty years have produced a remarkable shift in doctrinal emphasis among the so-called Evangelical and Charismatic churches.  Currently we make sure that we preach the love of God and, of course, that is absolutely necessary.  Charismatics make sure that they preach the power of God to heal and deliver.   And most of all, Evangelical and Charismatic churches make sure that they preach the grace of God, for that is the cornerstone of our faith.  Without grace NOTHING is available to ANYONE.  Not even Faith!  Eph. 2:8 says, "For by grace you have been saved, through faith: and that not of yourselves - it is the gift of God."  All of these doctrines are consistent with much that has been preached since the Protestant Reformation which began almost 500 years ago.  But we are missing an important element in our Gospel preaching.  We no longer use much of the law in our preaching.  We no longer use the law to show people their utter hopeless- ness before a Holy and Righteous God. We no longer use the law to expose sin-ridden hearts.  In fact, as other chapters in the section on Saul have explained in great detail, we no longer even teach that Christians are expected or commanded to obey the law of God.  Our Gospel has become a LAW-LESS Gospel, not at all the same Gospel preached by Jesus or Paul. Jesus used, among other teachings, the Sermon on the Mount to explain that the righteousness of man is totally repugnant to God.  He explained the exceeding sinfulness of sin and the corruption of our hearts.  He showed us that even looking at a woman to lust after her was breaking God’s law and was tantamount to committing adultery in our hearts.  In Romans, Paul uses the law to expose sin, and then teaches grace and faith to relieve the burden placed on us by the law.  He then directs the Romans in later chapters to obey the law in all respects, NOT FOR THEIR SALVATION, but because it is their reasonable response to God's great grace.  This obedience exists because they are new creatures in Christ who now possess the power to love and obey their Savior.  The Scripture makes it clear that it is reasonable to honor God and demonstrate their love for Him who gave His life for them.  Paul, like the Lord Jesus, and the other apostles, gives much instruction in righteousness - he tells the people WHAT TO DO.   He tells them not to associate with false brethren.  He tells them to present their bodies as a living sacrifice.   He tells them not to offer the members of their body to sin.  He tells them to work, to give, to love each other, and to love God.  He commands them to do many things.  He explains God's law to them and strongly exhorts them to obey it completely.   INFORMATION AND INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS You can divide many of Paul's epistles into roughly two sections.  First he gives us INFORMATION.  He tells us who Jesus Christ is, what He thinks of us, what He has done for us, and what we can receive from Him, both in this life and throughout eternity. This information is usually the FIRST section of each of his epistles.   Romans and Ephesians are two good examples.  After Paul has given us the information, he then proceeds to give us instructions in righteousness.  He teaches us what we are to do.  He, like Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, gives us very personal and practical interpretations regarding the actions required to obey God's law.   For example, Romans 12:1-2 says, "Present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God...do not be conformed to this world."  Here Paul gives general instructions and then goes on in succeeding verses to give detailed instructions.  Paul is always very specific in how we are to respond in actions to the requirements of God's law, the Church's doctrine.  But Paul always preceded his instructions with information regarding Who Jesus is, who we are and what we have been given through His grace and because of His love. John reveals the connection between our obedience to God's law and our claims that we love Him, when he says in I John 5:3, "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not burdensome."  (His commandments are not burdensome to a person who has truly been born-again).  If you do not believe that the Bible is full of instructions in righteousness, or directives to obey the law, just read Romans, Ephesians, James and the words of Jesus in the Gospels and Revelation.  In these many verses you will see that the New Testament writers taught about God's law extensively.  Jesus Himself says that instruction in righteousness is absolutely necessary.  In the Great Commission Jesus says, in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THAT I COMMANDED YOU; and THEN, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Unfortunately most churches do not instruct in righteousness (except the teaching that tells people to give tithes and offerings and submit to their spiritual leaders as).  The Saul Church almost completely ignores such instruction.  They present a virtually LAW-LESS New Testament.  And some, if they do present the law, make sure to remind the people, "We are not under law but under grace" (as if THAT had anything to do with what Jesus, James, John, or Paul said).  A good test for determining whether you are hearing the Full Gospel is to listen for both information and instruction in righteousness.  If you are continually being told about the antichrist, the mark of the beast, backward masking, the gifts of the Spirit, the love of God, techniques of worship, and how to have faith, money, or healing, you are not hearing the whole Gospel.  If that is all you are hearing then you are hearing a LAWLESS gospel and you are in spiritual danger.  Even if you are hearing a word which tells you who Jesus is and who you are in Him, and yet you are not being instructed in righteousness, you are still in spiritual danger.  Even doctrinally correct teachings must be accompanied by the appropriate instructions in righteousness.  Only then will you not be hearing a lawless Gospel. On the other hand, if you are hearing only instruction in righteousness and never told who Jesus is, and of His great love for us, you are hearing a Graceless gospel and will fall into legalism, an equally corrupt misrepresentation of the Word of God. God's truth is always the truth, THE WHOLE TRUTH and nothing but the truth. LAWLESSNESS AND GRACELESSNESS It is important to notice that the man who is at the center of apostasy is not called a man of GRACE-LESS- NESS.  He is called a man of LAW-LESS-NESS.  This man puts no restraints on the people, and as a result of his LAW-LESS doctrine, LAW-LESS apostate people are birthed under his leadership.  The focal point of the Reformation in the sixteenth century was law verses grace; salvation by faith or salvation by works plus faith.  Even though the activities of the Pope and many of the church leaders were indeed lawless, their doctrine was legalistic and left the impossible burden of man's salvation resting on his own shoulders.  Thus obedience to the law of God and the laws of the Roman Catholic Church was presented as the only true path to salvation under the popes.  Today, in this time of unparalleled and ingenious deception, those who are falling into apostasy recognize the truth that we are saved by God's grace. Where the leaders are failing is in their NEGLECT of the rightful place of the law in our Christian walk and teaching. Their law-less doctrine of demons has caused many to not have the FEAR of God in their hearts or a proper understanding of the sin in their lives or a desire to be holy as our Father in heaven is Holy.  When proper teaching of the law is neglected, holiness is trampled underfoot and men and women are not truly born again because they never understand how hopeless and sinful they are in God's eyes.  Instead they come to God with a casual, "I accept You as my personal Savior.”  They come with an almost reluctant, "OK God, I'll do both you and me a favor - I'll get saved.”   Of course they are not saved.  You cannot receive the grace of God to believe in Jesus, as your Lord and Savior, until you have received the grace of God to have His law expose your exceeding sinfulness and hopelessness.  Thus the law-less gospel, in the end, is also a grace-less gospel. "God loves you just the way you are", was the standard closing remark of a popular Christian TV show years ago.  This was a terrible misleading statement since the hosts did not instruct their audience in righteousness.   People were led into believing that it is not important to be a DOER of His Word and that God was not particularly concerned about their repentance. THIS PHILOSOPHY (God loves you just the way you are) has been the ruling philosophy in the Saul Church, and as a result many of the people in our churches have no real love for our Lord Jesus Christ because they are not truly His.  People must be convicted of their sin before they can be born-again.  They also have no knowledge, or at best a perverted knowledge, of the meaning of our Lord's words from John 14:23-24, "Jesus answered and said unto him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him.  He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me." The Saul Church is AFRAID to teach the above-mentioned Scripture without altering its straight-forward meaning, because they are concerned that if they teach the law they will drive many of their members away.   They believe that most of the members of their church do not like the law.  All apostates either hate the law or pick and choose only the parts they find agreeable.  The Saul Church has NO concept of the Scripture that says in John, “My sheep HEAR My voice.”  They seem to have no problem enticing goats into the household of God.  In fact, goats often become teachers, worship leaders and even pastors.  They don’t seem to understand that it is scripturally incorrect to cast pearls before swine.  The problem is, that many of these “converts” are not really HIS sheep!  They may be the pastor’s sheep, or the teacher’s sheep or even the evangelist’s sheep, but they are not necessarily THE LORD’S SHEEP.  His sheep want desperately to be HOLY and obedient and DESIRE the washing of the water of the Word of God.  The goats may well want to be members of a local church, have their hurts healed and be thought of as good people, but because they were never challenged by the law of God and never truly knew Him, they will seek out a church where they are not challenged by the law or encouraged to be righteous and holy.   How different from the author (believed by many to be David) of Psalm 119.  Listen to Psalm 119:1-6,21,34- 35,53,113,118,158-9 which says, "How blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.  How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart.  They also do no unrighteousness; they walk in His ways.  Thou hast ordained Thy precepts, that we should keep them diligently.  Oh that my ways maybe established to keep Thy statutes!  Then I shall not be ashamed when I look upon all Thy commandments.  Thou does rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, who wander from Thy commandments.  Give me understanding, that I may observe Thy law, and keep it with all my heart.  Make me walk in the path of Thy commandments, for I delight in it.  Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked, who forsake Thy law.  I hate those who are double-minded, because I love Thy law.  Thou hast rejected all those who wander from Thy statutes, for their deceitfulness is useless.  I behold the treacherous and loathe them, because they do not keep Thy word. Consider how I love Thy precepts; revive me, O Lord, according to Thy loving kindness."  All true sons and daughters of the Living God desire greatly to know precisely what to do to serve and manifest their love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  All others are ANATHEMA (accursed). The man of lawlessness may not yet have taken his seat in the temple of God, BUT the spirit of lawlessness is already at work in the Saul Church.  This lawless spirit rules and has already paved the road for a mass exodus from the Body of Christ.  Even now this spirit has tempted many to apostatize IN THEIR HEARTS.   The Great Falling Away is already happening IN THE HEARTS of millions of Saul Christians.  They have SEEN, and TOUCHED the Lord and been TOUCHED by Him; they have TASTED and SEEN THAT THE LORD IS GOOD.”  They have even “TASTED THE HEAVENLY GIFT AND EVEN HAVE BEEN MADE PARTAKERS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HAVE TASTED THE GOOD WORD OF GOD AND THE POWERS OF THE AGE TO COME” (Heb 6:4-5).  But they would not truly consume Him and His salvation on His terms.  Therefore, like an undigested piece of food, they will be vomited out of His mouth.  Like a hearer who does not obey, they do not have their foundation on the solid Rock.  When the storms come and the winds blow, what they have built will fall away and be destroyed. Today at the beginning of the 21st century the people of God have more tools and aids available for the study of Scriptures than we have every had before.  It is similar to what went on precedent to Protestant Reformation.  The printing press allowed for men’s ideas to be exchanged and proclaimed more quickly than any time in history.  We in the 21st century have no excuse for not understanding God’s plan of salvation.   God has given us every opportunity to study and understand His Word.  With the computer, truth is literally at our fingertips.  God will use this great opportunity to cleanse His Body in preparation for BOTH the judgment that will come first and the revival that will follow.  In Scripture we see this same process occurring decades before God judged Judah.  Immediately before the nation of Israel was revived under Josiah, God revealed the law to Josiah and Judah.  In II Chronicles 34:1-3,8,15,19-21,26-27 we read, "Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.  And he did right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David and did not turn aside to the right or to the left. For in the eighth year of his reign while he was still a youth, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, the carved images, and the molten images.  Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Masseiah an official of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.  And Hilkiah responded and said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord."  And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan.  AND IT CAME ABOUT WHEN THE KING HEARD THE WORDS OF THE LAW THAT HE TORE HIS CLOTHES.  Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant saying, "Go, inquire of the Lord for me and for those who are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book which has been found; for GREAT IS THE WRATH OF THE LORD WHICH IS POURED OUT ON US BECAUSE OUR FATHERS HAVE NOT OBSESRVED THE WORD OF THE LORD, TO DO ACCORDING TO ALL THAT IS WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK.”  But the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus you will say to him, "Thus says the Lord God of Israel regarding the words which you have heard, "because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God, when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you have humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes, and wept before Me, I truly have heard you," declares the Lord."" Josiah was a man who, like David, sought the Lord even as a youth.  Because he wanted God, the Lord revealed His law to him. Thus Josiah learned about the terrible judgments God brings to His unrepentant people. In the Old Testament, even before God would judge His people by turning them over to worldly enemies, He would send His prophets, for many years, to proclaim to the people the true meaning of the law.  The prophets, along with telling God's people what the Lord would do in the future, were also commissioned by God to fully explain the law.  Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and others taught and warned the people that obedience was not some mechanical exercise of do's and don'ts but was the normal result of a heart that loved God.  In the New Testament Jesus taught the same thing, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount.  Of course Jesus did more than teach the truth.  He, with His perfect love for the Father, obeyed His Father's commands without fail. Today, once again, before God judges His unrepentant people and while he is purifying those who are after His own heart, we see Him showing us the importance of obedience to His law.  We see the Lord showing us how mechanical and heartless and selfish most of our supposed obedience has been.  Even as He is harden- ing the hearts of those who will not repent, He is also convicting His own of the need to cry out to Him for new, soft hearts that hate sin and love Him for Who He Is. The Church of David is a Church that loves the law of the Lord.  These people are not afraid of having their hearts exposed by proper instruction of the law.  These people no longer want to be lulled to sleep by receiv- ing only interesting information.  We want to have our self-righteousness and pride exposed by instruction in His righteousness and we WANT Him to DEAL WITH US.  We want to know precisely what God desires and demands.  We want to have hearts that are sensitive to God's Holy Spirit and are quick to respond when we are shown our sin.  We will in no way cooperate with the foul spirit of lawlessness that always leads to lovelessness for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and ultimately to apostasy in the Church. In our desire to obey all that God has for us in His Word, we MUST be very careful not to go beyond the content or intention of Scripture.  We MUST not give in to the CERTAIN temptation of the enemy to "make sure" that people don't become lukewarm by placing unscriptural and legalistic directives on them.  Adding to God's Word in this way is just as harmful as taking away from God’s Word.   We see a great amount of lawlessness in the Church today.  We see that as lawlessness has increased, most people's love for the Lord has grown cold.  We see a growing apostasy, but we also see God dealing with His people in judgment, because the law is no longer taught.  After this judgment of God, we anticipate revival - a revival of love for His law, a love for holiness, a true love for one another, and a love for Himself for Who He Is.

www.cryfromthewall.com