It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift,
who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God
and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance.
To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
Hebrews 6:4-6
No one ever identifies themselves as apostate. It’s a label we use for others we believe have either renounced or perverted their faith in Christ. Their belief system has gotten polluted by the world and by their own selfish desires. The Bible uses the term “falling away”. The Bible warns against falling away in general (2 Corinthians 11:3-4, Hebrews 3:12-14, 6:4-6), but also specifically during the End Times (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12).
The causes of apostasy are numerous, including false prophets (Matthew 24:10-13, 22-24), carnality, or hearing what we want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4), and evil spirits (1 Timothy 4:1).
What should be a sobering thought to all believers is how bad the deception and apostasy will be during the final climactic period of human history. God allows the Antichrist to perform incredible signs and miracles. This will no doubt cause some who claimed to be believers to be enamored with him. They have not studied or grasp the truth of the Bible enough to recognize the deception. It is a sobering thought. A falling away, by its very nature, means that those who call themselves Christians will turn away from the faith. They will fall away and follow the ultimate darkness, one who is clothed in light but evil to the core.
We could easily agree that apostasy is growing in America. We are surrounded by preachers and teachers that tell us what we want to hear. You know who I’m talking about – those that speak of God as a genie waiting to grant our every material wish. Their book titles focus on man, not God, and on what He can do for us, not what we should do for His glory.
Let me stress a previous point. Just because one could argue that America has growing apostasy, it does not necessarily mean it is the End of the Age. It could be, but far too many believers tie what is happening in America to the terminus of all things. Chances are pretty good, in my opinion, that America’s downfall will likely precede the End of the Age. There may be a gap of weeks, months, or years before the rapture takes place. We could face all sorts of severe hardship and even death before Jesus returns.
Should the End of the Age happen in our lifetime, we will see many that we called Christians – friends and family even – turn from the true message of the Gospel and follow the Antichrist. That should make you shudder.