Sound The Trumpet : Article Number Two

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“Article Number Two - September Newsletter”
by Art Sadlier
October 9th, 2016

The Last Days Apostasy

Our Lord warned us that the greatest sign of the nearness of His return would be a great apostasy, a great turning away from the truth. “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils (contemplative meditation)” (1 Timothy 4:1).

Those days are now upon us.

All across Canada and America churches are being radically changed. Quietly, almost imperceptibly, change has been taking place in the Evangelical Church. The groundwork for this change was laid in 1948.

There is a tendency, if challenged, to look at the church of yesterday and declare that not much has changed. The challenge should be to look at the church of 60-70 years ago and see how great the change has been. When you do that, the apostasy of our day is obvious. The real challenge is to study what Christ designed and called the church to be and do.

All around us are new evangelical, purpose driven churches which have bowed down to the world and who exist to draw the world into the church by being like the world. “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).

In recent years all of the gradual change has given way to a flood of apostasy in the evangelical church. All around the world there are troubled Christians who have watched as the focus of their churches has shifted from Bible based teaching to purpose driven experiences.

We see five stages to the present apostasy

1 - Abandonment of separation from the world. 2 – Abandonment of separation from apostates. 3 – Abandonment of the Word of God. 4 – Turning to Mysticism. 5 – Union with the harlot church.

1 - Abandonment of Separation from the World

New Evangelicalism from the start determined to reject Biblical separation. Dr. Harold Ockenga stated in reference to the founding of New Evangelicalism. "Neo-evangelicalism was born in 1948 in connection with a convocation address which I gave in the Civil Auditorium in Pasadena. While reaffirming the theological view of fundamentalism, this address repudiated its ecclesiology (teaching concerning the church) and its social theory. The ringing call for a repudiation of separatism and the summons to social involvement received a hearty response from many evangelicals. It differed from fundamentalism in its repudiation of separatism and its determination to engage itself in the theological dialogue of the day. It had a new emphasis upon the application of the gospel to the sociological, political, and economic areas of life."

As stated above, one of the founding principles of New Evangelicalism was the repudiation of separated living by the Christian. The phrase “summons to social involvement” means the Christian is to get socially involved with the people of the world.

What New Evangelicalism has determined to repudiate is Biblical separatism. God’s Word is very clear that we are to separate from the world. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).

New Evangelicals have sought acceptance by the world and found rejection by the Lord because of it.

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

The summons of New Evangelicalism was to get involved in the world, and to abandon separation from the world.

Notice the phrase, “…the summons to social involvement” And the response, “…it received a hearty response from many evangelicals.”

The first step in apostasy is to forsake the Lord’s command to separate from the world.

Today the New Evangelical church is as worldly as it is possible to be. It has brought the world and its ways and its music and its entertainment into the church and into their lives. It operates according to the business principles of the world not according to the instructions of the Head of the church.

There is little difference between the lives of people of the world and the lives of New Evangelicals today.

We have a principal that applies equally to Israel and the church. It is found in Psalm 106:35, “But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.” For that reason Israel was cast out of their land. That is where New Evangelicalism has lost its way and it will be cast out by the Lord. We read about that casting out in Revelation 3:16, “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

Notice the statement, “Reaffirming the theological view of fundamentalism.” That statement actually says, we are going to pretend to be like fundamentalists while we proceed to do what fundamentalists do not, “be like the world.” This is where the deception comes in. People are led to believe that they are worshipping in a Bible believing church when they are not. Apostasy always gives just enough truth to deceive. You can sit in a New Evangelical Church and hear a lot of good things from scripture and be deceived by what is left out or by that which is wrongly interpreted.

This the first mark of apostasy.

2 - The Abandonment of Separation from Apostates

The ecumenical movement is the second step toward apostasy. Notice in the New Evangelical manifesto the term, “repudiated its ecclesiology.” This was the call to associate with liberals and Bible denying churches and individuals. Up to this time the Philadelphian Church had held to strict separation from all who denied the basic doctrines (teachings) of the Word of God. Separation is God’s solution for apostasy.

"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds” (2 John 2:10-11).

Dr. Ockenga made the following statement: "The New Evangelicalism has changed its strategy from one of separation to one of infiltration.”

Infiltration does not work. When you wrap a mud ball in a white sheet the mud ball does not change but sheet certainly does. “A little leaven leaveneth (corrupts) the whole lump.”

The abandonment of separation from doctrinal and theological error is the second step in the progress of apostasy. New evangelicalism has long since been contaminated by association with apostate churches and individuals.

Separation is God's prescription for treating the disease of apostasy. It is not ours to repudiate, for it is a divine command, not a human idea.

The Abandonment of the Word of God

The third stage apostasy now developing is the abandonment of God’s Word. For some years many New Evangelicals have paid lip service to the Word of God but have acted as if the Bible was not important. Now the wraps are coming off.

Andy Stanley, one of the most influential evangelicals in America has stated, “I would ask preachers and pastors and student pastors in their communications to get the spotlight off the Bible….”

Stanley has also embraced the heresy that the first 11 chapters of Genesis are a fairy tale. This view completely discredits the authority of the entire Bible.

Stanley’s teaching is received by tens of thousands of pastors on a regular basis. Yet no one calls him to account for his rejection of the Bible as the final authority.

There are three men who totally dominate the evangelical movement today. Andy Stanley in the East, Bill Hybels in the central part of the country and Rick Warren on the West Coast. These three men totally control evangelical narrative with their teaching, books and methodology.

These men are change agents and they want to fundamentally change the Evangelical Church. They have made great inroads in this quest.

Biola University professor J.P. Moreland says that Christians are too committed to the Bible. He goes on to say, “In the actual practices of the Evangelical community in North America, there is an over commitment to scripture in a way that is false, irrational and harmful to the cause of Christ.”

Evangelicals are now turning away from scripture as being authoritative. For some time many pastors have relegated the Bible to a secondary role in their preaching and in their ministries.

Rick Warren has rejected the Bible’s teaching on what the church is to be and what it is to do. The following is Warren’s strategy which denies scripture at every turn.

Perception must be changed from viewing people as “Saved” or “lost” to “churched” or “unchurched”

Find out what impresses the unchurched in your community and do it

Bring in popular “heroes” to attract the multitudes

Use successful principles of retailing: accessibility - surplus parking - inventory - service - visibility - and good cash flow

Pastors should model themselves after business men and plan strategically

Do not preach expository sermons, you have to win them and build relationships

Move from theocentric approach to ministry, to a human needs approach

We must begin to say - I am not trying to convert any other religious people to my viewpoint

This formula originated with Robert Schuller’s Leadership Conference of which Rick Warren is a graduate. Warren has made it his own. Each of these strategies is a direct contradiction of God’s Word. New Evangelical churches have adopted these unbiblical strategies and have abandoned the Word of God.

This abandonment of the Word of God is the third stage in the present apostasy. This apostasy totally severs evangelicalism from the Word of God as the authority in their lives and ministries. The sky is now the limit for greater apostasy in the coming days.

Turning to Mysticism

The next step in the present apostasy is turning to mysticism.

It has been noted that the above mentioned men, Warren, Hybels and Andy Stanley, who are rejecting the Bible all have something in common. They all promote contemplative spiritually (mysticism). The Bible and mysticism are incompatible.

Henri Nouwen says, “For Christian leadership to be truly fruitful in the future, a movement from the moral to the mystical is required.”

Alice Bailey said in the last century, “The new age is upon us and we are witnessing the birth pangs of the new civilization. This is now in progress, that which is old and undesirable must go. The spirit has gone out of the old faiths and the light is transferring itself into a new form which will manifest itself on earth as the new world religion.”

Many evangelical leaders today are unknowingly furthering Alice Bailey’s teachings and are calling for change from old-fashioned Christianity. This is a rejection of God’s Word by men who have no real understanding of God’s design and purpose for the church and the believer as it is revealed in the Word of God.

Eastern mysticism (Hinduism): teaches that man is innately good, that we are divine, that all is deity. It teaches we are part of a oneness, a global god consciousness.

The Biblical world view reveals that God is outside of His creation, outside of man and is separated from man, who as a sinner, is separated from God by his sin. Only through God’s plan of salvation can God indwell man and have a relationship with him.

In mysticism we are told that what separates us from God is our ignorance of the fact that we have an internal divinity. This idea of man’s internal divinity must be awakened within him. Through the techniques of eastern meditation man can connect to the oneness that is within him.

Rick Warren is deeply involved in Eastern Meditation. The evidence is found in the fact that he engaged three New Age men to design and administer his health plan, known as the Daniel Plan. These three men, Dr. Daniel Amen, Dr. Oz and Dr. Hymen are involved in Eastern meditation, Reiki healing and Transcendental Meditation.

Warren claims that there are some 500,000 churches involved to some degree in his purpose driven program. That gives us some indication of the extent of the penetration of Eastern Mysticism or Contemplative Meditation into the Evangelical Church.

Evangelicals discovered contemplative meditation and this (supposed) new power within and that they could now not only change himself, but could use this new power to change the world.

By the turn of the century this New Christianity became rampant in the Evangelical Church.

The social gospel of the liberals took root in the Evangelical Church. The gospel of Christ morphed into the new gospel of the new spirituality. Change took the place of regeneration.

The truly sad thing is that multitudes of evangelicals have no idea of what is happening right in front of them. They cannot see beyond their noses. It is not perhaps that they are involved in contemplative meditation, but that they are unaware of the tide that is sweeping down upon the church.

Turning to mysticism is another step down into the great apostasy.

Union with the Harlot Church

The scriptures reveal that there would be growing apostasy in the church, an apostasy which would take place over the long church age. We are also told that this apostasy will climax in a world- wide counterfeit church that will totally turn away from the truth in the last days. In Revelation 17 this apostate church is called the “Mother of Harlots.”

I believe that Satan is working to bring the present apostate groups and churches together to the point that he can use them for his purpose of establishing the Harlot. This program is well underway with the present apostasy. This apostasy will culminate in the Harlot world church.

The Emergents are not a church but rather a group of men whose goal it is to influence the Evangelical church. They are fashioning a church that renounces historic Christianity. Here are some statements by Emergent men.

Emergent leader Samir Selmanovic has stated, “The emerging church movement has come to believe that the ultimate context of the spiritual aspirations of a follower of Jesus Christ is not Christianity but rather the kingdom of God. Is Christianity the only religion that understands the true meaning of life? Or does God place his truth in others too? The gospel is not our gospel, but the gospel of the kingdom of God, and what belongs to the kingdom of God cannot be hijacked by Christianity”

It is obvious that this apostasy is designed for a world church. It denies historic Christianity to accommodate other religions.

Another Emergent leader, Brian McLaren, writes, “We don’t know what the gospel is.” In the book, The Secret Message of Jesus: Uncovering the Truth that Could Change Everything. McLaren states that he believes that the church has never understood the message of Jesus. Very early, he says, the church twisted what Jesus taught into a gospel of “justification by grace through faith, the free gift of salvation. Christ being a substitutionary sacrifice for sin”.

Such a statement is a total rejection of the gospel. Then he goes on to lay the groundwork for a world church.

He says, “Jesus seems to say, the kingdom of God doesn’t need to wait until something else happens. No, it is available and among you now…invite people of all nations, races, classes and religions to participate in this network of dynamic, interactive relationships with God and all God’s creation!”

He has removed the gospel and brought the whole world into the church. The amazing thing is that many Evangelicals cannot see that this is total apostasy.

Today the word that is bringing all religions together is the word “tolerance.” The religions of the world will tolerate anything and everything except the notion that Christ is the only way to God. The absolutes of true Christianity are intolerable and cannot be accepted. Every other compromise is acceptable. Bring everything to the lowest common denominator and unity is realized.

The most disturbing thing is the way that in recent years those who call themselves evangelicals have apostatized. Those who seemed to preach the truth, those who seemed to believe the truth, have now turned away from the truth. That is really not surprising when you consider that this is the very essence of apostasy. Apostasy is to know the truth and to turn away from it. The pulpits of our land are filled with apostates who say peace and safety and fail to warn our people and our nation of their sin and rebellion against God. They fail to warn them that the Day of the Lord is about to sweep them away! Today those men tell their people that everything is fine, just relax, don’t worry! They preach ditties for dummies. Instead of feeding the sheep they put them to sleep. They tickle ears with trivialities and entertain the unsaved on their way to hell right from their churches.

Rick Warren is the recognized leader of the Evangelical church in America and around the world.

Warren has developed a Peace Plan. Warren’s Peace Plan has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ or the scriptures. It has everything to do with bringing the religions of the world and the people of the world together in a great world religious union. He is preparing the woman to ride the beast.

Rick Warren told the Islamic Society of North America that he is “not interested in interfaith dialogue; he is only interested in interfaith projects”. He is saying lets’ forget about truth and just come together to make the world a better place. That is exactly the program of the Harlot Church of the last days. Rick Warren is coming to Evangelicals in particular, and enticing them to forget about truth and just join the world and the religions of the world to make a better world.

The great apostasy is now coming to full fruition and awaits the rapture of the true body of Christ. At that time the union of all the world’s religions will take place.

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13