Once, I attended a non-denominational, Protestant church at Christmastime, and I was overwhelmed by all the Christmas decorations. Every year, they hold a toy and gift drive for a local nonprofit organization, which is noble. However, the lobby was filled with toys, empty boxes wrapped as gifts, Christmas trees, and even a fake fireplace with a monitor showing a burning fire.
I looked and looked, and I could not find a nativity scene anywhere. I asked one of the staff members, “Where’s the nativity scene?”
She responded, “Ah, we didn’t have room.”
That response saddened me.
Needless to say, I no longer attend that church. This year, as I contemplated that experience, I can view it as part of End Times Bible Prophecy. It’s called apostasy.
What is Apostasy?
Apostasy is when Christians who were once devoted to following Jesus start to turn away from Him and His truth. They allow today’s culture to creep into their lives. Naturally, like a cancer, our culture replaces the truth with a twisted version of “doing good“. Attracting and keeping congregants becomes more important than Jesus Christ, their reason for existing in the first place. It’s giving Satan a foothold. That’s exactly what happened to the Puritan Church that devolved into the United Church of Christ, the wokest denomination around. They actual condone sin! Giving Satan a foothold is what happened to the Roman Catholic Church, which when you compare it to the Church in the Book of Acts, it’s unrecognizable.
Christ had something to say about this to the church in Ephesus in the Book of Revelation.
“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! (Or your first love.) 5 Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches.”
Revelation 2:4-5 NLT
In fact, Jesus had complaints to 5 of the 7 churches addressed in Revelation chapters 2 and 3. Every single one of them reflects a church from the start of the church age to today.
What is apostasy, and how can I recognize it?
The folks at GotQuestions.org define it as…
Apostasy comes in two forms. One is a falling away from key biblical doctrines into heretical teachings that claim to be the “real” Christian doctrine. The second is a complete renunciation of the Christian faith, which results in a full abandonment of Christ.
GotQuestions.org
Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote…
Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. 4 I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches…
Jude 1:3-4a NLT
Now, I’m not saying this particular church is totally apostate. However, they have allowed today’s culture to infiltrate it. They are well on their way. Once you start going down that rabbit hole, it’s hard to turn back.
Nevertheless, there is hope. Jesus says 7 times at the end of each letter to the churches in Revelation chapters 2 and 3…
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.
Revelation 2:7 NLT
And then He promises a reward to the churches that listen. I pray that the pastors in the church open their minds and hearts to embrace End Times Bible Prophecy. We are there and ignoring that fact is just burying your head in the sand.
What can we do as individuals?
As individuals, we must study the Bible DAILY. The Bible becomes the foundation of your Worldview.
Through the Bible, God provides…
- The Truth. The more you study the truth, the better you will be able to discern when you’re being lied to.
- Guidance on how to live righteously in this increasingly evil world.
- Warnings on what to expect in the last days and the end times.
- A way to get closer to Him. God created you to have a RELATIONSHIP with Him. When you read the Bible, you get to know Him better.
Other things you can do…
- Don’t be afraid to call out your pastor if you see that the sermon messages are diverting from the truth. Several times I’ve caught them skipping over key biblical teachings. Furthermore, you need to walk away from churches if their teachings are not biblically sound. Ask yourself…
- Do they support Israel? God said, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.” Genesis 12:3 NLT. Ignoring Israel shows fear in dividing the church.
- Do they teach end-times Bible Prophecy? Many pastors fear teaching last-days prophecies because it’s too grim and scary. Yes, it is, but it’s not just a warning. When taught properly, Bible Prophecy gives us HOPE.
- Are they embracing antisemitism and replacement theology? Run, don’t walk away from these churches!
- Stop reading listening to or watching the legacy news media. Subscribe to and watch trusted sources of news. Check out the Real Life Network, these Christian Podcasters, and my favorite sources of Bible Prophecy News.
- Download these FREE BIBLE APPS. They helped me get into a habit of studying the Bible daily.
If you study the Bible daily, you build on a solid, biblical foundation, then when you hear a lie, you recognize it. That’s called discernment. When you see that Jesus is missing from CHRISTmas, you say something.
A Simple Nativity Scene
A few years ago, I gave away my table-top Christmas tree along with the few ornaments I had left after my cats knocked the tree over and broke half of them. I kept this small nativity and later picked up a “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree. All my Christmas decorations fit in one box!
I live alone, never married, and I have no kids or grandkids. For me, Christmas is the celebration of the birthday of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
How are you keeping Christ in CHRISTmas? Take a picture of your nativity scene or you and your family studying the Bible or watching a Jesus Movie and upload it to Instagram tagging me @icreatephx.
How to Combat the Lies of Antisemitism
Watch this excellent video on what is the truth about the news regarding Israel and Zion…
Notice they reiterate that studying the Word of God, the Bible, is the only way to become rooted in the TRUTH.
Let Jesus In!
Isn’t it about time you let Him in?
