Archive for Apostasy
Rev. Clarence Larkin — Parable Of The Mustard Tree
(from Dispensational Truth, 1920)
The “Mustard Plant” is a “garden herb,” and is cultivated for its seed, used as a condiment. It grows wild, often to the height of seven or eight feet. To obtain the best results it should be cultivated in a garden.
In the Parable we find the seed grows in a “Field,” (the World), not in a garden, and it grows “wild” until it is not longer called an “herb” but a “tree.” The seed does not produce after its kind an humble “herb,” but becomes a vain-glorious Tree, a “Monstrosity,” in which the “Birds of the Air” lodge. Who are these “birds?” They are the “fowls” of the Parable of the Sower, for the same word is used, and are therefore the agents of the “Wicked One,” the Devil. Matt. 13: 4, 19.
It is clear then that the “birds” of this parable do not represent persons converted by the preaching of the Gospel, but the emissaries of Satan, and they do not lodge in the branches of the “Tree” so much for shelter as for worldly advantage, and they “befoul” it by their presence.
The “Mustard Tree” began with the 120 believers who received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Penteecost and continued to enlarge until its branches spread all over the Roman world. But the “Birds of the Air,” the Ananiases and Sapphiras, the Hymeneus and Philetus and other emissaries of Satan, began to lodge in its branches and “befoul” its purity, and when in A.D. 324 the Emperor Constantine united Church and State, thousands, and tens of thousands, crowded into the church as a matter of policy, interest and fashion, and crouched beneath its shadow, lodged in its branches, fattened on its fruit, and have continued to do so until this day.
According to this Parable, the “Kingdom of Heaven” is a
Vast Worldly System,
rooted in the earth, bearing the name of Christ, possessed of wealth, standing, and power, but sheltering the agents of the “Ruler of the Darkness of This Age.” Such we know is the condition of the visible church today. Where is the “pure” Christianity spreading through the world until the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as waters cover the deep, thus ushering in a Millennium, in this Parable? In fact, it teaches the contrary and is proof of Jesus’ own declaration that when He shall come back He shall Not Find ‘The Faith’ on the Earth. Luke 18: 8.
Arno C. Gaebelein — Paul’s Olive-Tree Parable
The Prophetic Parable of Paul demands our attention. It is found in Romans 11: 16-24. Two olive trees are used. The good olive tree is Israel; the wild olive tree represents the Gentiles. The good olive tree, on account of unbelief, had its branches broken off, and the branches of the wild olive tree were put upon the root of the good olive tree to partake of the fatness of the root.
Its meaning is very simple, not that the Gentiles, as it is claimed, were to take the place of Israel, and that all the national promises made to Israel are forever cancelled. It does not mean that the Gentiles have become Israel, but it means that the Gentile nations have their chance to partake of that grace covenant which God made with Abraham. Salvation by grace was offered to Israel; they rejected it. And now it is offered to the Gentile world.
God had announced this to Abraham. “And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles through faith (as Abraham was justified) preached before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thy seed shall all the nations be blessed” (Gal. 3: 8). So during these Times of the Gentiles, since Christ died, the Gospel of Grace is offered to the Gentile world.
But there is a warning given to these ingrafted branches. They are not to boast; they are not to be highminded, they are not to be unbelieving, as the natural branches (Israel) were. In case the grafted-in branches are highminded and boasting, the threat is made that He Who spared not the natural branches will not spare the grafted-in branches, but cut them off, remove them from the root of the good olive tree and then, after He has removed them, put back the broken off branches into their own, good olive tree – “for God is able to graft them in again.”
This concerns the nations which have had the privileges of the Gospel. They form Christendom. As we shall see later they are turning away from the Truth of God and give it up. They reject ultimately all Divine revelation, deny Him, who is Christ and Lord. When this age ends in a religious apostasy, then God will cut off these grafted-in branches and will have mercy on Israel, and put them back upon the root of their own olive tree.
Rev. Alfred Bryant– On The Loosing of Satan and The Destruction Of Gog and Magog
(from Millennarian Views, With Reasons For Receiving Them, 1852)
It is the opinion of some millennarians, and of many who are not, that after the thousand years of peace and purity on earth, there will be a great falling away through the influence of Satan, who will be permitted to go out and seduce the nations to sin; and that so great will be his success, that the number of the seduced will be as the sand of the sea.
But there is another view of this subject entertained by some, which we will give, and leave the reader to judge which is probably correct.
Who are the nations in the four quarters of the earth whom Satan shall go out to deceive? It is replied, they are the unholy dead, who are raised up simultaneously with the loosing of Satan, in all parts of the world, just where they went down to the grave. Included in these vast nations, the number of whom will be as the sand of the sea, will be all the wicked who died before the flood, and who were swept away with that catastrophe, the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah – of Tyre and Sidon, and all the vast nations of antiquity, who were destroyed from earth for their sins. Here, too, will appear the apostate nations, and Gog and Magog, described by Ezekiel, who were destroyed at the commencement of the Millennium.
Review Of Fred DeRuvo’s “The Anti-Supernatural Bias Of Ex-Christians”
For the past week or so, I’ve been reading an excellent book by Fred DeRuvo, M.Div., entitled “The Anti-Supernatural Bias of Ex-Christians and other Important Topics.” DeRuvo was kind enough to graciously send me a copy of this recently-released work which exposes the roots of the growing number of “ex Christian” atheists. As a Dispensationalist, DeRuvo believes we are nearing the end of the age. In this book he offers insightful and well-researched input on why so many are turning away from Christ.
As the author points out in Chapter 2, a genuine Christian is one in whom a spiritual transaction must have taken place. In order to be a true Christian, one must be “born again” (John 3: 3). To many of us this goes without saying. To others, however, it appears that a mere intellectual assent to this or that doctrine is enough. Unfortunately, that mental assent is no proof that the individual has been regenerated and has Christ dwelling within him. One who mentally assents to a theoretical statement of Christian doctrine may just as easily fall away in time. Today’s highly secular culture makes such apostasy all the more likely.
Expounding on Christ’s parable of the sower (Matt. 13: 3-9), DeRuvo talks about the different kinds of soil upon which the seed of the word falls. Only some sowing turns out fruitful. Much is unfruitful. In the case of the ex-Christian atheist, it more often than not comes to pass that the word never took root in soil conducive to real Christian growth. This is the most common cause of ex-Christian atheism.
I appreciate DeRuvo’s stance on this issue, as far too many apologists these days war with intellectual weapons alone. They fail to see that salvation involves much more than the intellect. It involves a spiritual transaction which takes place between Christ and each believer. Unless the apologist tackles the underlying spiritual elements of Christian faith and discipleship, his/her work is simply another product of human reasoning.
The highlight of DeRuvo’s book is a careful refutation of the arguments put forth by John W. Loftus in his 2008 work, “Why I Became An Atheist.” DeRuvo explores the reasons put forth by John as to why he became an atheist, showcasing the contradictions and inconsistencies of his reasoning. This takes up a large portion of the book, and is impressive in its clearness of thought and systematic approach. Although DeRuvo sometimes employs gentle sarcasm to get his point across (as he tells the reader in his forward, pg. 3), this only adds to the enjoyability of the book.
One of the things I really liked about this is the detailed exposition which DeRuvo gives of Christ’s Olivet Discourse. This much-misunderstood discourse has been used as a launching pad for all kinds of false and errant teaching, and so it’s good to see the author lay out key details which are necessary to understanding what Christ meant regarding His personal return to earth, and when it will take place. As futurists, our position is that the second coming is yet to occur.
The book can be purchased at the above link. You may also visit DeRuvo’s website, www.studygrowknow.com, which carries all of his work. I would highly recommend getting this book, even if as a gift. But make sure you read it first! DeRuvo himself told me that he recently had some interaction with John Loftus, who tried to dismiss the work as “lame.” I didn’t think the book is lame at all. In fact, DeRuvo and I have a podcast project in the offing, which should reach fruition within a couple weeks. Meanwhile, I am now reading another of his books entitled “Interpreting The Bible Literally: It’s Not As Confusing As It Sounds.” Review will be posted shortly!
The Covenant Creation Fiasco
Well, I said that I wasn’t going to write anything else about the Hyper-Preterist movement. However, because things have gotten so out of hand among them, an update is needed to inform Christians as to what is going on. It’s too bad that both of the rival factions involved in this controversy have restricted access to their sites, so it’s not easy getting the facts. However, here they are.
For those who don’t know, Covenant Creationism is a view which teaches that the creation account of Genesis 1 is purely symbolic in nature. For a while I’ve been saying that this is the logical corollary of claiming that the destruction mentioned in 2 Peter 3 is “figurative” or “covenantal” in nature — something that nearly all Preterists teach. Since the heavens and earth of Revelation 21 are antitype to the creation of Genesis 1: 1, it is natural to conclude that if one is non-literal, the other is non-literal as well.
This view of Covenant Creationism was invented by Tim Martin and Jeff Vaughn. They wrote a book called “Beyond Creation Science,” which has been lauded on various Hyper-Preterist forums – especially on Planet Preterist, an extremely liberal site run by Virgil Vaduva, an associate of emergent leader Brian McLaren. Although Martin is the brains behind the book, Vaughn is a professional scientist with a Ph.D., and so his name gives luster and respectability to their joint effort.
While for the past year or so, Hyper-Preterists within the quasi-conservative faction have tried to fence off these liberal views, and prevent them from infiltrating their fold, Covenant Creationism has now become a formidable problem which won’t go away. A furious battle is therefore being waged between the members of two rival “social networks.” The conservative network, Sovereign Grace Preterism, is run by Jason Bradfield — otherwise known as “King Neb” (short for Nebuchadnezzar). The more liberal network (known as “Death Is Defeated”) is administered by John Scargy, a weird individual who operates under different names. The ground of controversy is, ironically, whether the creation account is literal, or figurative.
Strange though it sounds, Martin & Vaughn have purchased some credibility by affirming that the early church taught some forms of their doctrine, and that Jewish apocalyptic literature contains references to certain of the concepts they put forward. The conservatives are now crying over this use of “extra Biblical” sources by the Covenant Creationists. And yet this is exactly what they have been doing for years, shamelessly using Josephus and other non-inspired writers as “authorities” for their fanciful interpretations. So they can’t really complain. They are merely getting a dose of their own medicine.
This reminds me that Preterism is a movement now collapsing on several fronts, through radicalization of its core teachings. The Partial preterists are being eaten away from within by Hyper-Preterists, while the Hyper-Preterists are eating away at themselves. Although it is a mere application, and not an interpretation, a verse from the prophet Isaiah comes to mind:
“And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm: Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah” (Isaiah 9: 20).
Of course, “Judah” may be used to represent Biblical Christianity in general; while Ephraim and Manasseh can stand for partial Preterism and Full Preterism. Or, they can just as aptly represent the two factions within Hyper-Preterism — “Judah” standing for Christians who take their Bibles literally. While these are the common enemy, the Preterists have no peace among themselves, but are ever at war, always working to destroy one another. What accounts for such hatred? The root cause is, departure from the teachings of Biblical Christianity. The Bible doesn’t say Jesus already came, but that He will come! Until these prophecies are actually fulfilled (with a literality that matches realization of those regarding His first advent), no man has a warrant for throwing them into the past — regardless of how many proof-texts he may imagine he has on his side.
One would think that the conservative Hyper-Preterists, seeing the inconsistency, and reacting against the absolute anarchy of the Covenant Creationist view, would wake up and realize that the futurist interpretation is correct after all. But it seems they are as blind as ever. Does Jesus Christ have to be crucified afresh for these people to acknowledge (or rather, remember) that Christ purchased the creation with His blood, and that He will one day return to redeem it? Apparently nothing less than a miracle will make them see the light.
Regardless, it is clear by this time that Covenant Creationism represents the “tomorrow” of the Hyper-Preterist movement. It is really a more consistent form of what conservative H.P.’s already teach regarding the creation motif.
Of course, someone like myself has to ask how far one can push even THESE doctrines. Well, if history is really written in symbols, then the next logical step would be to view the Gospels as pure allegory, and not history. All it would take is some smarty-pants liberal to write a book affirming that the story of Jesus is merely a poetic allegory of “man’s need for redemption, which theme runs throughout all the great religions of the world.” If such a thought sends icicles up your spine, just remember that the Bible predicts this (or something like it) as the culmination of that ”apostasia” which will precede Christ’s return to earth.
“…Who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2: 1).
Unless you are a religious humanist, or are living in a marine bunker, you won’t deny that things HAVE been getting worse and worse for Christianity. However, if it’s any consolation, just remember that things are getting bad even for cults like Hyper-Preterism. Whether the whole program will crash tomorrow, we don’t know. But those who in the face of all obstacles, believe what God tells them, and patiently wait for the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior, keeping their focus on Him alone, will win in the end.
Dr. Thomas Ice– “Preterists Are Operational Futurists”
“If Preterism is true,” says Gary North, “then most of the prophesied negative sanctions in history are over.” ‘Negative sanctions,’ in North’s vocabulary, means apostasy. While Preterists say apostasy is behind us, futurists say apostasy lies ahead, with the church age becoming increasingly apostate, culminating with “The Great Apostasy” during the Tribulation. Chilton says, “The Great Apostasy happened in the first century. We therefore have no Biblical warrant to expect increasing apostasy as history progresses; instead, we should expect the increasing Christianization of the world.”
In reality, the evidence around us points to increasing apostasy, not decreasing. Doctrinal error is as prevalent as it has ever been. It is clear, then, that the Preterist interpretation of New Testament prophecy is far removed from what the Bible teaches, because it is impossible to apply the implications of their teachings in our current age. In fact, given the condition of this world, preterists have to function as futurists. They have to act as though Satan is not bound, and as if apostasy is still a serious problem within the church. They are operational futurists.
Lapsed Or Apostate?
Is it possible to “fall away” from the faith? Despite what man’s systems of divinity would tell us, and what creeds and councils have stated in the past, I believe that the Word of God leads us to answer in the affirmative. And yet, when we come to investigate this doctrine of spiritual apostasy, we must be careful. After all, I think there is a difference between someone who is actually apostate, and one who is merely lapsed. How is this distinction defined in Scripture?
Perhaps the most lucid text which speaks of apostasy is Hebrews 6: 4-6. This gives us the spiritual character of one who has “fallen away” from the faith. Paul writes: “For it is impossible for those who have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have taste the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame.”
Here we find that it is not possible for one who is truly apostate to repent. A parallel text is 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12, which refers to the climax of that spiritual defection which will occur at the close of the present interval between Christ’s first and second advents. From these and other Scriptures, is clear that there is a certain threshhold which a man may eventually cross in departure from the truth, beyond which there is no possibility of return.
However, in 2 Timothy 2: 25-26, Paul tells Timothy that the servant of Lord is to instruct in meekness those that oppose themselves, “If peradventure God will give them repentance unto the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves from the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
Here, the word translated “recover” is the Greek verb “ananepho,” which literally means “to become sober again; come to one’s senses; recover sobriety.” The KJV margin gives the rendering “awake.”
Hence we see that Paul is not talking about those outside the church, who were not in need of recovery, for they had never accepted Christ; but those within the church who had temporarily fallen away from the truths they once received, and were opposing themselves. Paul holds out hope that these may repent; whereas concerning those of Hebrews 6: 4-6, he says the very opposite. This allows us to distinguish between the lapsed and the apostate.
Now it is possible, I suppose, for a Christian to lapse from the faith for a prolonged period. We hear of those who embrace heresy for many years. But the key is, they eventually repent and recover themselves. This marks them as lapsed, rather than apostate.
I myself lapsed for a brief period in 2005-2007, when I accepted the doctrines of Hyper-Preterism. However, I recovered myself in time. Had I been an apostate, I never could have repented, for my spiritual blindness would already have become fixed.
So, what it boils down to, is that a lapsed person will always “come back around,” whereas an apostate will remain in his error until the day he dies.
But how do we know who are lapsed, and who are apostate? The answer is, we don’t! And that is why it is important to preach repentance, and the absolute need to return to the faith delivered by Jesus Christ and His apostles.
Thankfully, God has not left salvation up to us. Man has a tendency to allow eternal life to those he feels are “good enough,” or plausibly genuine in their profession. But God lays down distinct principles of salvation, which can only be neglected at one’s risk. There is nothing so hard on the flesh, or so offensive to man’s pride, as the doctrine of repentance. Leave this out, and you allow lapsed Christians to wallow in their error, to their own harm. But preach repentance, and you may wake them up.
Sadly, most Christians are not sensitive to the spiritual warfare going on around us. They do not feel the danger seething beneath the very crust of this earth on which we walk. Either they are entrenched in the the things of this world, or have neglected prayer and study of the word, — in fact, there are any number of reasons why they would fail to take seriously the Scriptures which speak of need for perseverance in the faith. As always, we must have our senses exercised to discern between good and evil (Hebrews 5: 14).
Those who espouse an epicurean Christianity, which seeks to draw as much honey from this life as it can, will be dangerously apt to broaden God’s plan of salvation so as to include in it many persons whom God has no intention of saving at all. Let us be careful.
Of course, I am not making any breach in the doctrine of “once saved, always saved.” However, it is impossible to know if one is truly saved or not. That will not be known to mortal men until the “day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Christ Jesus according to my (i.e. Paul’s) Gospel” (Romans 2: 16). Until then, the wheat and tares must grow together.
At any rate, our lack of knowledge in this department should not impede us from doing all that we can to recover those who are lapsed, and to fence and shield Christians from the false doctrines of those who are truly apostate. In this and other matters, may God grant us the grace to be as “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matt. 10: 16).
