The Apostasy

“…it will not come unless The Apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction.”
2 Thess. 2:3

c. 41 C.E. Matthew 7:15 15 “Be on the watch for the false prophets that come to you in sheep’s covering, but inside they are
ravenous wolves.

Matthew 13:24-30,39 24 He presented another illustration to them, saying: “The Kingdom of the heavens may be
likened to a man who sowed fine seed in his field. 25 While men were sleeping, his enemy came and oversowed weeds in among
the wheat and left. 26 When the stalk sprouted and produced fruit, then the weeds also appeared. 27 So the slaves of the master
of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow fine seed in your field? How, then, does it have weeds?’ 28 He said
to them, ‘An enemy, a man, did this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go out and collect them?’ 29 He said, ‘No,
for fear that while collecting the weeds, you uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the
harvest season, I will tell the reapers: First collect the weeds and bind them in bundles to burn them up; then gather the wheat
into my storehouse.’” 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is a conclusion of a system of things, and the
reapers are angels.

Matthew 25:1-6 “Then the Kingdom of the heavens may be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out
to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were discreet. 3 For the foolish took their lamps but took no oil with
them, 4 whereas the discreet took oil in their flasks along with their lamps. 5 While the bridegroom was delaying, they all became
drowsy and fell asleep. 6 Right in the middle of the night there was a shout: ‘Here is the bridegroom! Go out to meet him.’

c. 50-52 C.E. Galatians 1:6-9 6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from the One who called you with Christ’s
undeserved kindness to another sort of good news. 7 Not that there is another good news; but there are certain ones who are
causing you trouble and wanting to distort the good news about the Christ. 8 However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were
to declare to you as good news something beyond the good news we declared to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said
before, I now say again, Whoever is declaring to you as good news something beyond what you accepted, let him be accursed.

Galatians 4:17 17 They are zealous to win you over, but not for a good purpose; they want to alienate you from
me, so that you may be eager to follow them.

Galatians 5:7-10 7 You were running well. Who hindered you from continuing to obey the truth? 8 This sort of
persuasion does not come from the One calling you. 9 A little leaven ferments the whole batch of dough. 10 I am confident that
you who are in union with the Lord will not come to think otherwise; but the one who is causing you trouble, whoever he may be,
will receive the judgment he deserves.

c. 51 C.E. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 . . .However, brothers, concerning the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being
gathered together to him, we ask you 2 not to be quickly shaken from your reason nor to be alarmed either by an inspired
statement or by a spoken message or by a letter appearing to be from us, to the effect that the day of Jehovah is here. 3 Let no
one lead you astray in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets
revealed, the son of destruction. 4 He stands in opposition and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so
that he sits down in the temple of God, publicly showing himself to be a god.

2 Thessalonians 2:6-12 6 And now you know what is acting as a restraint, so that he will be revealed in his own
due time.  True, the mystery of this lawlessness is already at work, but only until the one who is right now acting as a restraint
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is out of the way. 8 Then, indeed, the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will do away with by the spirit of his
mouth and bring to nothing by the manifestation of his presence. 9 But the lawless one’s presence is by the operation of Satan
with every powerful work and lying signs and wonders 10 and every unrighteous deception for those who are perishing, as a
retribution because they did not accept the love of the truth in order that they might be saved. 11 That is why God lets a deluding
influence mislead them so that they may come to believe the lie, 12 in order that they all may be judged because they did not
believe the truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness.

c. 55 C.E. 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 10 Now I urge you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you should all
speak in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you may be completely united in the same mind
and in the same line of thought. 11 For some from the house of Chloʹe have informed me regarding you, my brothers, that there
are dissensions among you. 12 What I mean is this, that each one of you says: “I belong to Paul,” “But I to A·polʹlos,” “But I to
Ceʹphas,” “But I to Christ.” 13 Is the Christ divided? Paul was not executed on the stake for you, was he? Or were you baptized in
the name of Paul?
 1 Corinthians 11:17-19 17 But while giving these instructions, I do not commend you, because it is, not for the better,
but for the worse that you meet together. 18 For first of all, I hear that when you come together in a congregation, divisions exist
among you; and to an extent I believe it. 19 For there will certainly also be sects among you, so that those of you who are
approved may also become evident.

1 Corinthians 15:33 33 Do not be misled. Bad associations spoil useful habits.

2 Corinthians 11:3-4 3 But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent seduced Eve by its cunning, your minds might
be corrupted away from the sincerity and the chastity that are due the Christ. 4 For, as it is, if someone comes and preaches a
Jesus other than the one we preached, or you receive a spirit other than what you received, or good news other than what you
accepted, you easily put up [with him]. 5 For I consider that I have not proved inferior to your superfine apostles in a single
thing.

2 Corinthians 11:12-20 12 But what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to eliminate the pretext of those who are
wanting a basis for being found equal to us in the things about which they boast. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful
workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself keeps disguising himself as an angel
of light. 15 It is therefore nothing extraordinary if his ministers also keep disguising themselves as ministers of righteousness. But
their end will be according to their works. 16 I say again: Let no one think I am unreasonable. But even if you do, then accept me
as an unreasonable person, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I now say is, not as following the Lord’s example, but as an
unreasonable person would, with boastful self-confidence. 18 Since many are boasting according to the flesh, I too will boast.
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 Since you are so “reasonable,” you gladly put up with the unreasonable ones. 20 In fact, you put up with whoever enslaves you,
whoever devours your possessions, whoever grabs what you have, whoever exalts himself over you, and whoever strikes you in
the face.

56 C. E. Romans 16:17 17 Now I urge you, brothers, to keep your eye on those who create divisions and causes for
stumbling contrary to the teaching that you have learned, and avoid them.

60-61 C. E. Philippians 1:15-17 15 True, some are preaching the Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill.
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 The latter are proclaiming the Christ out of love, for they know that I have been appointed to defend the good news; 17 but the
former do it out of contentiousness, not with a pure motive, for they are intending to create trouble for me in my prison bonds.

c. 61 C.E. Acts 20:29, 30 . . .I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the
flock with tenderness, 30 and from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after
themselves.

c. 61-64 C.E. 1 Timothy 1:3 3 Just as I encouraged you to stay in Ephesus when I was about to go my way into Macedonia, so I
do now, that you might command certain ones not to teach different doctrine,

1 Timothy 4:1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to
deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,… New American Standard Bible

Titus 1:10, 11 10 For there are many unruly men, profitless talkers, and deceivers of the mind, especially those
men who adhere to the circumcision. 11 It is necessary to shut the mouths of these, as these very men keep on subverting entire
households by teaching things they ought not for the sake of dishonest gain.

c. 64 C.E. 2 Peter 2:1-3 However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false
teachers among you. These very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects and will disown even the owner that bought them,
bringing speedy destruction upon themselves. 2 Furthermore, many will follow their acts of loose conduct, and on account of
these the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively. 3 Also, with covetousness they will exploit you with counterfeit words.

2 Peter 3:15, 16 15 Furthermore, consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul
also wrote you according to the wisdom given him, 16 speaking about these things as he does in all his letters. However, some
things in them are hard to understand, and these things the ignorant and unstable are twisting, as they do also the rest of the
Scriptures, to their own destruction.

c. 65 C.E. 2 Timothy 1:15 you know this, that all the men in the [district of] Asia have turned away from me. Phygelus and
Hermogenes are of that number.

2 Timothy 2:16-18 16 But shun empty speeches that violate what is holy; for they will advance to more and more
ungodliness, 17 and their word will spread like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of that number. 18 These very [men] have
deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred; and they are subverting the faith of some.
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2 Timothy 4:3, 4 “The time is sure to come when, far from being content with sound teaching, people will be avid
for the latest novelty and collect themselves a whole series of teachers according to their own tastes; and then, instead of
listening to the truth, they will turn to myths.” Catholic Jerusalem Bible.

Jude 4 My reason is that certain men have slipped in who have long ago been appointed by the Scriptures to this
judgment, ungodly men, turning the undeserved kindness of our God into an excuse for loose conduct and proving false to our
only Owner and Lord, Jesus Christ.

c. 96 C.E. Revelation 2:1-2, 6 “To the angel of the congregation in Ephesus write…‘I know your deeds,…that you put those
to the test who say they are apostles, but they are not, and you found them liars… Still, you do have this, that you hate the
deeds of the sect of Nicolaus,

Revelation 2:12 14, 15 “And to the angel of the congregation in Pergamum write…14 “‘Nevertheless, I have a few
things against you, that you have there those holding fast the teaching of Balaam, who went teaching Balak to put a stumbling
block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication. 15 In the same way, you also have
those adhering to the teaching of the sect of Nicolaʹus
Revelation 2:20 “‘Nevertheless, I do hold [this] against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself
a prophetess, and she teaches and misleads my slaves to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols.

c. 98 C.E. 1 John 2:18-20 young children, it is the last hour, and, just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now
there have come to be many antichrists; from which fact we gain the knowledge that it is the last hour. 19 They went out from
us, but they were not of our sort; for if they had been of our sort, they would have remained with us. But [they went out] that it
might be shown up that not all are of our sort. 20 And you have an anointing from the Holy One; all of you have knowledge.

1 John 4:1-3 Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see
whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world. 2 you gain the knowledge of the
inspired expression from God by this: Every inspired expression that confesses Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh
originates with God, 3 but every inspired expression that does not confess Jesus does not originate with God. Furthermore, this
is the antichrist’s [inspired expression] which you have heard was coming, and now it is already in the world.

2 John 7 For many deceivers have gone forth into the world, persons not confessing Jesus Christ as coming in
the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.
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2 John 10 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your homes or say a
greeting to him.

3 John 9, 10 9 I wrote something to the congregation, but Diotrephes, who likes to have the first place among
them, does not receive anything from us with respect. 10 That is why, if I come, I will call to remembrance his works which he
goes on doing, chattering about us with wicked words. Also, not being content with these things, neither does he himself receive
the brothers with respect, and those who are wanting to receive them he tries to hinder and to throw out of the congregation.”