Bible Word of the Day
Apostasy (Great Apostasy or Falling Away)
Meaning
Apostasy as used in the Bible refers to a falling away from the Christian faith. Or to profess a faith in Jesus only to later deny that very same claim of faith and to deny Jesus as Lord and Master. The word originally meant revolt or rebellion and in a sense, it’s used in the Bible the same was as meaning a profound rebellion against God. The Apostle Paul tells us in his second letter to the Thessalonian church that in the end-times there will come what’s called the “Great Apostasy.” This is characterized as a great falling away from the Christian faith and rebellion against God and Christ Jesus our Lord. The Apostle Paul tells us, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first.” The believers in the Thessalonian church were asking Paul when the Second Coming of Jesus would occur.
They were afraid that some fellow believers who had died would miss the Second Coming of the Lord. So Paul in his explanation of the timing of Christ’s return spoke of the Great Apostasy as a sign telling us that the return of Jesus was near. The topic of the Great Apostasy and our Christian faith is an important one in light of the concept of election. The Bible tells us Jesus Himself chose each one of us for salvation before the foundation of the world was put in place. And the Bible also tells us those who are truly saved cannot lose their salvation. So the Great Apostasy is a mile marker telling us when the return of Jesus is near. There will be many people who profess a false faith in Jesus who because of the social pressures and personal bias will turn away from the faith they once claimed. Thereby giving us yet another sign that the end of the age is near and the return of Jesus is close at hand.
“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” (Book of 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-4)