The Great Falling Away is going to be, well... GREAT!
And lets face it, no one wants to miss out on the Next Big Thing.
First and foremost, skip past the clear teachings of Jesus and the Apostles in the Bible- it's full of warnings to keep you from falling away, so, as much as possible, don't even read it. This won't be a problem for most Christians, since they haven't been reading their Bibles all along. There are lots of options to fill your time while you avoid reading God's Word. For example, you can watch "Christian" television as much as you want, because you'll probably never hear God's Word taught correctly anyway. Or you may want to go to your neighborhood "Christian" bookstore-it's shelves are full of unbiblical books that will keep you in the dark about the apostasy that surrounds you. If you're like most Christians, none of this will be a problem because you've been filling your mind with pagan television, movies, magazines and every other form of mind-numbing entertainment for most of your life already. And don't forget, on Sunday mornings you'll want to stay dumbed-down by overly-emotional, shallow and "seeker-friendly" motivational speeches disguised as sermons; that way you'll be in full conformity to the coming doom.
On top of that, it really helps if you don't even believe there will be a Great Falling Away, because after all, who wants to focus on all that negative stuff anyway? Be positive! If you start to doubt whether your participation in the end time apostasy is genuine, just look at the overwhelming majority of Christians who also refuse to take their heads out of the evangelical sand. Remember, numbers don't lie! Jesus said, "many will fall away" and " many false prophets will arise and mislead many." Are you a part of the many? Well then, don't worry-you're in the right group!
Focus on the teachings of men, instead of God's word. Nowadays this is easier than ever! But remember, heretical teachers never come right out and say, "Hey, I just want to let you know I plan on deceiving you this morning..." So in order to know if they're really false, just watch and see how much they talk about themselves and their ideas, as opposed to always pointing to the death and resurrection of Jesus. Pretty soon you'll notice that they spend most of their time telling jokes and stories (about themselves and their "ministry"), culturally relevant anecdotes and references to sports (so that men will show up). Also, it helps if their teachings are somewhat close to Biblical truth, but add or subtract something to "spice it up" a bit. The most effective false teachers claim to hear directly from God Himself-some even claim to visit with Him in heaven where they get their exciting new ideas! You can be sure, these are the kind of teachers that can lead you straight into The Great Falling Away; they're the "New Apostles!" Who wants to listen to a bunch of old, dead apostles, anyway?
Remember to keep this handy phrase in mind: "Deeds, not creeds." How will this help, you ask? Well, by reciting creeds, you'll be confessing true historic Christian doctrine and that's never good! Plus, that's too religious, ritualistic and old fashioned. Remember, "new" is always better than "old". The Bible is really old, and you already know how dangerous it can be. If, however, you focus on good works you will soon be focused on how good you are-and not on how good Jesus was to die for your sins (He's such an attention hog anyway!) So pick a really good cause and makethat your focus-just make sure sinners aren't repenting and believing in Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins. Social justice, environmentalism and politics are great choices to distract you, but there are others as well. An emphasis on "signs and wonders" is, perhaps, the best way to get your focus off of Jesus and onto you (and how powerful you are... oops, I mean the "holy spirit" inside you). You may want to consider running around the whole country seeking "an anointing," or a special new "mantle," or "The Presence" (make sure it has the P capitalized, too). If you're really serious about joining The Great Falling Away, you'll seek after those nutty men and women who claim to "prophesy" over you. They're like fortune tellers, but they don't charge a flat fee. Going on that kind of wild goose chase will lead you straight into The Great Falling Away!
Always try to focus on somehow building God's kingdom on earth, and ignore your eternal salvation-in fact, make your friends feel bad when they express longing for heaven. Tell them they're "so heavenly minded that they're no earthly good." Before you know it, you'll forget all about the Gospel and how Jesus died to save you from the penalty you deserved because of your sins. You'll be proud of all the ways you're "helping Jesus make the world a better place."
It's at that point where Jesus will say: "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.' "
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"The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thessalonians 2: 9-12"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my names sake. And then MANY WILL FALL AWAY and betray one another and hate one another. And MANY FALSE PROPHETS will arise and LEAD MANY ASTRAY." Matthew 24: 9-11
-by Steven Kozar
I liked the article unfortunately we had to leave a vineyard church in Colorado for just what you have stated above. Just found you guys and will be watching for new posts. tks
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