 So it can be a Christian rapper who leaves Christianity, it can be some Christian artist, some worship leader who decides to leave Christianity. It could be a Christian YouTuber or somebody on TikTok who comes out and says that I'm just not down with Christianity anymore. It can even be a pastor who says that I'm no longer a Christian. So what's happening? Well, let me just tell you guys this. What you are watching literally is prophecy unfolding right before your eyes. Whenever you watch TV, I know there's, I know there's somebody that just, I don't even know who the guy's name was that just recently came out. And depending upon when you watch this video, there'll be somebody different than who I'm thinking of that just came out and decided that I'm no longer a Christian. All these people are saying that I'm not a Christian anymore. Now, to some people that might add validity to the thought that you can be a Christian today and then not be a Christian tomorrow. I mean, these people said they were and now they're saying they're not. But what really is that? Is that an example of someone maybe losing their salvation, someone denying Christ who previously had trusted Christ and decided that they wanted to trust in something else? Is that really what's happening? Well, I don't think so. As a matter of fact, the Bible tells us that it's not. As a matter of fact, even more so guys, the Bible tells us exactly what this is. So let's go to the Bible and let's look and see. And let's see if the Bible does not cover this in any sort of details. Guess what? Guys, it does. As a matter of fact, think about it this way before I go into the scriptures. Let me just hit you with some stats and you all have probably seen this. In the 1940s, 75% of Americans attended church regularly. Now, I'm not talking about just, you know, on Christmas or Mother's Day or Easter or whenever there's some sort of special occasion. No, regularly 75% of people in America attended church in the 1940s. In the 1980s, 70%. You've seen church decline happen, right? Well, in 19, I'm sorry, 2065%. So a full 5% down, right? Well, what happens now? What is it like now? About 47, 48% of Americans attend church regularly. Not again, these are people that just go once in a while. So you can see this decline in church attendance. Now, obviously, that doesn't measure. That doesn't tell us if a person actually is a believer just because a person has good attendance at going to church, right? But it is an alarming trend. Now, if I told you though that I'm not alarmed by it, I'm not bothered by it, I'm not worried by it, do I think that the church in America has got some problems that we're in bad shape? Nope. Don't think so at all. I think the church is in great shape. That sounds kind of weird, doesn't it? How are you going to say you think that church in America or churches by and large are in great shape? Well, we'll talk about that more later, but I want you to just ask yourself who actually is the church? The people going or is it something else? So I said in the intro that what you're seeing is literally prophecy unfolding before your eyes. Let me show you what I mean. Let's go over here to the Bible and let's make sure I've got it up correctly. And let's go to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verse 1. Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed either by spirit or a spoken word or a letter seeming to be from us. The effect that the day of the Lord has come, let no one deceive you in any way. For that day, I'm sorry, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction. Now he's speaking of this falling away, this, these group of people who are going to be leaving the body. And so Paul is writing what is necessarily going to happen as that day. And what does he say? He says, don't be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed. Well, let's see what Jesus has to say about it also. Let's see if, if it matter of fact, before I go to Jesus, let's, let's, let's look another passage that Paul brings up in that gets brought up a lot. Thinking that people can fall away because the term fall away is there. But let's see if this kind of goes with what I'm saying about what's prophesied. Paul says in 1 Timothy 4 1, he says, now this, the spirit expressly says that in latter times, some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teaching, teachings of demons through this insincerity of liars whose consciousness, whose consciousness are seared. What I want to focus on is this word here, which is where we get the word apostasy. There is this, this great falling away, this apostasy. Let me say this and I'm trying to, I want to make sure I say the quote correctly. Every apostate is an unbeliever, right? But every unbeliever is not an apostate, meaning this. To be an apostate means that you must have at least stated that you believe. Now, obviously stating that you believe or kind of having a carnal knowledge of something, anybody can have that. There's a different type of belief that actually saves you and I'm continuing that this type of belief is not the same as what gets saved. This type of belief is what is just kind of just superficial on the surface and we're going to see that through something that Jesus says later. So you're going to find a bunch of people who said they previously professed in a belief or trust in Christ are now saying that they no longer believe in Christ, right? Well, so what does Jesus say about the matter? In Matthew 22, by the way, this is also the passage that people bring. I'm sorry, Matthew 24, the chapter that people bring up when it says that in verse 13, look what it says in verse 13 real quick. He says, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. And so this is where Jesus is having his, what we call the Olivet Discord and he's speaking about what's going to be happening in the end times, right? So let's go back to here. As a matter of fact, let's start in verse 15 so we can just kind of keep it more in context. He says, so when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of the prophet Daniel, this is the 70 week prophecy, standing in the holy place, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let the one who is in the housetop not go down to take what is in the house and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his clothes. And to last for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days, pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be a great tribulation, such as not been from the beginning of the world until now, no and never will be. And in those days had not, and if those days had not been short, no human being would be safe, but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, look, here's the Christ, or there he is, do not believe it. For false Christ and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders so as, look what it says, so as to lead us straight, if possible, even the elect. And he says, look, see, I've told you so. So what we're seeing unfold, it's talked about. He spoke about this. There are these people who fall away. We talked about this word, this word apostasy. I want to show you what this word actually is. So let's go back over to the, to the, to 1st Timothy and look at this word here. This word is where we get the word apostasy. Matter of fact, let's do a little quick little search. And if you all can just kind of focus on this portion of the screen over here, I want to focus on what this word actually is. And let me close this out. And I want to show you what this word actually refers to. Let's go to two. It means to distance one's, oneself from something, or to go away to withdraw. Okay, to distance some, to distance yourself from something. Now, apostasy does not mean should never be taken as a person who was an apostate was ever a believer. You can distance yourself away from something without actually fully embracing it. Happens all the time. You can want something or say you want something, proclaim it out of your mouth. But then when it's time for the commitment to take hold, you can kind of withdraw. Distance yourself away from that. That's where the word comes from. Okay, there's a different form of the word also where it means kind of to be placed or to be placed someplace by someone else. And so that's not what this word is talking about, that someone, i.e. God, or the devil is placing you away. No, this is you withdrawing back. Remember, he talks about how no one, a man ought to before he enters into a task, he ought to count the costs first. And so now it's time to start seeing what's happening, what's going on. And so people start apostasizing. The problem is these people look like Christians. They sound like Christians. They talk like Christians. In every way, shape, or fashion, that many of us can see, they are Christians for all intents and purposes, right? They go to church with us. They know the scriptures. In some case, they might even know the scriptures better than an actual true believer. It happens. There are people like a, like a Bart Ehrman who, listen guys, Bart Ehrman knows the scriptures better than most people you'll ever run into. He just does. Here's a guy who is a scholar in the truest sense of the term scholar. Greek, he's one of the best out there. He really is. He's knowledgeable in Hebrew as well. However, his heart is wrong. Here's a person who would honestly be considered as an apostate because he knows enough, but doesn't trust enough. And that's what an apostate is. An apostate knows more than enough to believe, yet doesn't. You'll see many of those. And this is why Jesus says, let the wheat and tear grow together, the sheep and the goat. Now he's going to come at the end and he's going to be the one that's going to do the separating, right? Not us. Again, there are people who look like unbelievers, who actually are. But more to this point, there are people who look like believers, who sound like believers, who say they believe are believers and aren't. What did Jesus say? And we'll cover this passage probably some more, but he says that in Matthew, he says, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Well, wait a second, Jesus, huh? Many will say in that day, Lord, we've done all these wonderful things. These many wonders we've cast out demons and all these awesome things we've sung in the choir. We've helped people park in the parking lot. We've took care of babies in the nursery. We played in the choir. We got up and preached sometimes. We did all these things. We ushered. We went out and we shared the gospel. And then what did Jesus say? I never knew you. I never knew you. And so the hard part is trying to figure out. We spend more time trying to judge if the person actually is a believer, rather than trying to focus on getting people to get closer to Christ. Fine, if you're a believer, well, then your heart should want you to get closer to Christ. One of the ways that you can tell that you are an actual believer or anyone is an actual believer is if their heart is drawn towards the one they say they love. You can't say you love something, but then don't spend time with the thing that you say you love. You can't say you love something and not talk about the thing that you say you love. You can't say you love and not be bothered by the thing that you say you love when the thing that you say you love is also bothered, that being God. That's not love. If my wife is bothered, I'm bothered. If my children are bothered, I'm bothered. That goes without saying. As a matter of fact, the things that you love, what do you do? You talk about, don't you? You can't say you love the Lord and you don't share the gospel with anyone. I'm not saying that you have to go out on the street and be a street preacher. I'm not saying that you've got to go out and write down 10 names, 50 names and go evangelize. No, but somebody should hear out of your mouth you confessing, you professing Jesus Christ and the love for him. More than that, what he has done for you. You are a witness, a living witness. You are a light. So that should happen. The issue is though, why are we seeing so many of these so-called professing Christians apostatizing? Why are so many leaving? Now, 2022, 2021, 2020, we see a lot of people making it public. First of all, what's interesting is this. When people leave the faith, a lot of those very same people who so-called left the faith, they didn't make public announcements when they came to the faith, did they? But they want to make a grand, not entrance, but a grand leaving. They want folks to know that they are leaving. Why is that? Why do you think these people, this rapper, this actress, this singer, this whoever wants to make a statement, guys, I just wanted to let you all know all of my YouTube family, all my Facebook family, all my TikTok family, I've decided that I no longer believe in Jesus. Why make the statement? Could it be that you are fulfilling the desires of your real father? I just wonder because if you no longer believe, then you no longer, what else? You don't tell us everything else that you no longer believe, but you want to make this a spectacle because you serve and use someone else. So let's delve a little bit more into the scriptures. I want to answer a couple of questions. First question I want to answer that needs to be answered is, why? Why are so many of these people leaving the church, leaving the body of Christ? Well, one, remember what he said in 1 Timothy? The first reason is because of false teachers and false teachings, which is why it's very important guys that we call out certain people with some of these God awful teachings, right? Let's go back to the passage. Look what he says. Now the spirit expressly says that in a lot of times, some men will depart the faith by devoting themselves to what deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. And so when someone is actually speaking of something, we don't necessarily call it demonic if it's bad doctrine, but that's what it is. I don't mean that it's demonic when you say, well, I believe that speaking in tongues is of God, the one that we see. No, that's bad doctrine, but I wouldn't call it demonic. It's false doctrine. And I don't think that people have necessarily an evil intent in doing so. There are some, but for the most part, most people don't. I'm talking about the demonic doctrines that you see like the person whose name shall remain nameless, the person who's kind of on the hot seat right now. And some of these other folks, some of these people that are in these deliverance ministries, some of these people in the deliverance ministry, they're there not really knowing what they're doing, but then there's a lot that do know. You've got these deceitful spirits, these doctrines of demons who are actually speaking to try to get you to see things. By the way, we had this conversation the other day about seminaries. There are demonic demons, the demonic doctrines in some of these people in these seminaries, not all, but you'll run across from time to time some super smarty pants person who wants to challenge you so much. So he wants to challenge you out of the faith. And when they're, when you're doing textual criticism, the point is to try to get you to figure out, well, how do I, how do I rationalize this text with this variant with this text? And one guy might say like, like Bart Ehrman's professor said, well, maybe Jesus never said that. Maybe he net, maybe that's not what was written and never try to fix it and leave you hanging. You've got that in, in, in some seminaries by and large, you don't, but in some seminaries you do. But you also have that in certain pool pits that they'll say any and everything. I mean, and do any and everything wacky things just to make you just look and scratch your head. So you know what? I'm out. I'm through. That was it. You, you took your spit and wiped it on that guy's face. I'm through. Or you come in flying in on a, on a zipline. I'm through. Or you casting out imaginary snakes and demons and, and all sorts of stuff. You know what? That's a little too much for me. I am through. Again, guys, that's why it's so important throughout the course of your living, when you see demonic doctrines, these horrible heresies, it is very important that you call them out. Why? Because at the end of a heresy is a soul that's suffering. Let me say that again. At the end of every heresy is a soul that's suffering. Somebody's hearing that somebody might not be you and might not be able to kind of break that apart and make it make sense or reject it. Someone is saying, yeah, you know, you're right. And the reason why I'm not rich, the reason why I don't have a husband or I don't have a wife, the reason why I'm not healthy is because I lack faith and I'm out of God. So, or I just need more faith and I might need to sew, sew more of a seed and I need to commit more of the money that I don't have into this ministry. Let God see my faith in this area and he'll strengthen me over here. No, no, no. And so you need people calling those people out. You have to. It's not your only ministry. Again, I'll say that there is no such thing as a 100% discernment ministry with all you do is point out the negatives. But if you don't ever point out the negatives, you're just as derelict in your duty as the person who only does that. If you see, if you see danger and don't warn anybody, you are just as culpable. I'm not saying that you're going to get the same penalty, but this isn't a non-contact sport. This is a contact sport. You've got to get involved. You are the light of the world. You are salt. So that being said, we've got these destructive doctrines, these, these demonic led heresies. And so we are to call them out. That's one big reason. But the second big reason why people do not, or why people do apostatize is because they simply have no root. Recall with me back in Luke chapter 8. Jesus is speaking in Luke 8 12. And they're asking about what was this whole parable of these, of these, of the seed of the soul? What's that all about? Explain these. And so Jesus goes in and tells why these people have no root. And he gives a lot of different examples. He says one in verse 12, he says, the ones along the path are those who had, who have heard, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy, but these have no root. They believe for a while and a time of testing fall away. And as for the, and as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. As for that in the good soil, they are those who hearing the word hold it fast in an honest and good heart and their fruit with patience. And so the biggest reason, the main reasons, they just have no root. They have a, they are topsoil only there just beneath the surface. They look like to, to you, to make an eye, it looks like the seed was planted. It looked like this. You can't tell how deep it was. Just like one of these apostates, even the future postage, we've always had them. It just seems like there's more and more come out of what works. Well, guess what the Bible says that's going to happen more and more. But even with them, you couldn't, you couldn't tell how deep the word is. You couldn't tell that when you're watching this apostate, this apostate in the making, he hasn't, he hasn't verified it yet. He hasn't realized we haven't seen it yet versus the person who's actually a true believer. You can't tell how deep the seed has gone in them. Oftentimes you can. Sometimes you can, but then sometimes when a person who's actually a true believer seems to show some sort of problem or that person ain't saying, but it might be, which is again why Jesus says, let the wheat and tear go together. So now I want to go to something else that was said in the Bible, because if we're going to figure out why people apostatize again, they have no root. They have no, nothing deep in them. There's nothing holding them. They have, they have not actually trusted with their heart. They've trusted with their mouth, but they haven't trusted with their heart. Any, what do we say? A pair of lips can say anything, but with their mouth, they make it known who they serve with their hearts. It's clear what they're after. Both groups, whether it's the person who has no fruit, I mean no root, or because some bad teachings, both have the same ultimate cost. They were never really true believers, never. Now obviously we have to go to John and see what John has to say on the matter. So let's go and do that, but before we do, I want to cover something else. I want to make sure, I want to give the warning that Paul gives regarding this. He says in 2nd Corinthians 13.5, he says, examine yourself to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Let me say that again before I continue. Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you unless indeed you fail to meet the test. So what's the test? That Jesus is in you. It's just that simple. Can I honestly tell that Bob over here has Jesus? It looks like it, really looks like it, but I can't tell. Can you tell if I do? Oh well Corey, you believe in one thing, but I always say, so you've got to be of the devil, right? So you really can't tell. Ultimately, there are some times where you can tell of another person, but you know who should be able to tell? You. You can look in on yourself and see, you know what? I'm still doing the same things that I used to do and worse doesn't bother me. I thought it'd be different. Now, if you're still doing some of the same things that you used to do and it bothers you, well, there's something going on there. There ought to be a conflict in your spirit, in your heart when you sin. But when you sin, it doesn't bother you. It's okay. And oftentimes these people out here who are being flown around the world and being put up in these nice hotels and wine and dine, they see the cares of the world. And what does Jesus say? They choke, they literally choke out the word. They're more interested in that. Because sometimes it's just cool. There are places and times where it's cool to be a Christian, especially if a lot of your friends are Christian. They bring you to church and you in this environment. And let's say it's a nice service and everybody's singing and dancing and happy. I want to be a part of this. They're looking more for a friendship than anything else. They want to be part of something. And then there are those who have issues in life. And so what they really are looking for, they're looking for more of a solution to their problems than a savior to their problems, right? And that's a huge difference. I want a solution because the solution is just for the time being. And that person, while they're going through, they might look like they're holding on to what they consider to be a solution. But if you're really holding on to the savior, if you're really into the savior, I shouldn't, I'm using the wrong word holding on, but you all understand what I'm getting at. But I'm more focused on the savior, whereas this person is more focused on the solution. And when the need is gone, well, guess what? I'll put you on the shelf. Jesus, I'll deal with you later. And then you start hearing the philosophies of the world. You know what? That makes sense too. That doesn't make sense about Christianity. Well, that makes sense. And who are we to say that we're the only ones that, we're the only God, we're the only ones that have God? I mean, we can't say that about these Muslims. What about these Hindus? What about these Buddhists? That's not right. And so rationale, worldly rationale creeps in. So Paul says to let every man examine himself to make sure that you do have Christ. Now I want to put this passage up because what, and I've said this before, why we have all these different warnings. We've got all these warnings about enduring and abiding and bearing fruit. Why? That way you can know for sure. That's why he says examine yourself. Make sure, make sure if you are engaging these things and they don't bother you, examine yourself. He tells us to examine ourselves because we can. That's why these warning passages are there. That's why this passage is here as well, to let us know what's really going on. John says, children, chapter 2 verse 18 of 1st John says, children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard, the Antichrist is coming. So now many Antichrists have come. Therefore, we know that it is the last hour. Look what he says. They went out. Now notice, notice what that's put in. This passage that we refer to in 19 isn't there just by itself. It says that they went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us, but they went out that it might become plain that they are all not of us. And so he says, the reason why they, when they, them going out, made it very plain that they were never really a part of us to begin with. But notice what precedes 19. He's talking about the last hour, that guys, it's getting rough. It's coming. And what's, what's going to proceed all this, this great falling away. Guys, this is what it looks like. This is what it looks like. The great falling away, the beginning of it looks just like what we're seeing. And it's going to increase like a little steamroll effect, a snowball effect, more and more and more. And it's going to become even more fashionable to one, leave Christianity and at some point in time to even not be one at all. We are going to definitely be the odd man out. We're going to be the odd balls in the group. We'll be the black sheep of the family will be the, the squared pig full of round holes, right? That's what's going to happen. And so when we see this happening, we turn around and say that how could this person be a Christian, this person, this pastor leave? Well, Judas was numbered among the 12 originally. And he was never one of them, right? So just because the person has a position, even have a, has a rank, and they abandon that, never meant that they were actually a part of it to begin with. Ultimately, what, what, what does John say that when they left, that verifies that they were never really a part of us. Amen.