If you have attended a church lately you probably have realized by now that the greatest message that you heard did not come from the lifeless pulpit but from the empty pews and tearless altars. Likewise if you have watched any news lately you have seen and heard more anchors quoting the bible than preachers today.
Though the scripture plainly tells us that we cannot predict the time when Gabriel will put the horn to his lips for the universal wakeup call (1st Thessalonians 4:13-18, 1st Corinthians 15: 51-54), yet we are given many signs to watch for and they are getting more noticeable every day.
The greatest signs are written in that ole dusty book that has been handed down from family to family only to be used as a recipe holder or a photo album. This book was written a long time ago and made for time and eternity by holy men of God who were anointed by the Holy Spirit. One of the signs can be found in 1st Timothy 4:1. Now the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (2nd Timothy 4:1-5; 2 Peter 2:1-3). I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick (alive) and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word; be instant in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to fables.
(2 Peter 2: 1-3) But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingered not, and their damnation slumbered not.
This is tantamount to trampling on the Son of God, profaning his blood, and insulting the Holy Spirit. For this willful sin there was no repentance or forgiveness. Against this sin there are repeated warnings in the letter to the Hebrews:
A. drifting away from the message of Christ (Heb.2:1)
B. It is the sin of rebellion or of hardening the heart (Heb.3:7-19)
C. It is falling away or committing apostasy (Heb.6:6)
D. It is the forsaking the assembling… together (Heb.10:25)
E. It is the willfulness or deliberate sin (Heb.10:26)
F. It is spoken of as selling one’s birthright for a single meal (Heb.12:12)
G. It is called a refusal to hear the one that is speaking from heaven. (Heb.12:25)
But all these warnings are directed against different aspects of the same sin--the sin of apostasy.
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