You do realize that for the most part, since the inception of the church that formed after Jesus ascended back into heaven, that most all believers had a sense they were living in the ‘last days’. 

Various writers used terms similar if not exactly with lines such as ‘God has spoken to us in these last days’ (Heb 1:2) 

John even got specific when he wrote: “Little children, it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18). 

Looking for the ‘end of all things’ and the imminent return of Christ has always been a common practice and characteristic of the New Testament believer. And I don’t believe there is anything wrong with that. I mean, let’s face it, every generation has their own ‘last days’ or ‘end of time’ as we know it. 

Gosh, when I first came to the Lord in 1980, Hal Lindsey’s book ‘Countdown to Armageddon’ was my ‘second bible’. I remember those days well. There was no way you could have convinced me that I’d be around in the year 2022. Yet here we are… 

Paul was trying to ease concerns amongst some believers in Thessalonica who had heard the Lord’s coming had taken place already. (No, that was not me who started that rumor) But in his second letter to them, he did point out that the ‘Day of Christ’ would not come before, as he expressed it, the ‘falling away comes first’. This is also known as the ‘great apostasy’. 

Have you ever stopped to consider what that period of time might look like? A ‘great falling away…from….? 

 Well, most would agree a ‘falling away from the faith’. 

 And that does not necessarily mean a decline in ‘church membership’ either. 

 Scriptures warn us repeatedly of many who would continue to ‘walk in a form of godliness’ but deny the power…many would ‘honor Him with their lips, but their hearts would be far from Him. Or as it reads in one place, many would ‘profess to know Him but by their actions they would deny Him.” (Titus 1:16) Jesus talks of how the increase of ‘lawlessness’ would result in men’s hearts waxing hard. (Matt 24) 

And if you have been reading these for awhile, you know I often cite the passage in Matt 7:21-23 where Jesus clearly states that ‘not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” He even elaborated further by using as an example suggesting that ‘Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not…(listing multiple religious acts of service and such done in His name) …to which Jesus utters the chilling response to those who thought their entrance into the kingdom was automatic based on what they were doing…”I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” Practice ‘lawlessness’. 

 That might be a good word to have understanding of, would you not agree? 

 Various translations use terms like ‘workers of iniquity’ or ‘you who disregard my commands’. 

One version actually expresses it this way: “you lawbreakers”. 

 If you read my post yesterday, you saw where I made the case that we are living in a time where some very significant parts of the bible have been grossly neglected, buried, lost, and/or ignored. And we have suffered for it and will continue to do so. 

 I am not here to introduce some new doctrine or teaching; rather…my heart is stirred in wanting to simply bring to your attention that there are many more verses in here besides John 3:16 that we might want to reexamine. 

The three areas of concern I laid out yesterday center around, for the most part teaching on 1) the Law, 2) dealing with the sinful flesh nature (old man) and 3) contending with a spiritual enemy commonly known as Satan, or the devil along with his minions who I will refer to as the ‘powers of darkness’. An enemy may I remind you, we are admonished over and over in scripture to be alert for, and not ignorant of his devices. We are not told to ‘ignore the devil’ but to ‘resist him’. (James 4:7) 

 I will continue to revisit and present multiple bible content to drive home the point that God’s people are continuing to be ‘destroyed for a lack of knowledge’. (Hose 4:6) 

 As always, I ask you to not just believe me because I post these things, but to search them out for yourselves. It’s the least you can/should do…if not for yourself, how about those you love. 

 Let me just lay some more groundwork here this morning for tomorrow’s study regarding The Law. 

 As it has been in previous generations, so today, I would submit that the “law has been lost’’ in most NT church teachings. There is this erroneous belief that this thing we call ‘grace’ sort of ‘did away with any law’ to speak of. 

 But if the ‘law’ is irrelevant today for NT believers, then why did God make such a point that a day was coming that He was going to ‘write His Law on our hearts?” (Rom 2:15; Hebrews 10:16) 

Why is it when multiple people came to inquire of Jesus what was needed to inherit ‘eternal life’ He always referred them to …the Law. I mean, He could have winked at them and whispered an aside…just wait till Paul sends you the ‘Roman Road to Salvation”. 

 Why is it that Paul says “It is not the hearers of the law who are just in the sight of God but the doers of the law will be justified.” (Rom 2:13) 

 If the Law was not going to play any significant role in these days, then whey did Jesus not just say “Oh…the law was kind of an old fashion idea My Father had and I have come to do away with the law.” ? 

On the contrary, He said just the opposite. (Matt 5:17-19) 

 Oh, and check out this gem in Romans 8:4…those who walk according to the spirit and Not the flesh…all the righteous requirements of the law are fully met in them. 

 Yeah…there may be more to this being ‘led by the spirit’ than what we have been taught or ever really considered. 

Hope you join me tomorrow.