THE POPULAR ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLE PROPHECY

APOSTASY Part I

Despite The Best Intentions and desire of those who trust Jesus as savior, a great departure from the truth will someday occur. The New testament often speaks often of this coming day. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul call it the apostasia, translated “the apostasy” ( NASB ) “the rebellion” ( NIV ), or “the falling away” ( KJV ). He says that “Some shall depart from the faith” in 1 Timothy 4:1 ( KJV ). Paul’s language suggest that the great departure will probably reach it fulfillment some time just before the rapture of the church ( 2 Thessalonians 2: 2;7 -9; 2 Timothy 3:1). Paul also wrote that a form of this apostasy was already evident in his generation. These departures” would continue through out the ages of the church and climax in the last days ( 1 Thessalonians 2: 7). Whitlock ( P. 70 ) defines apostasy as a deliberate repudiation and abandonment of the faith that one has professed.” He notes that apostasy differs from heresy in that the heretic denies some aspect of the christian faith while continuing to profess to be a Christian. The apostate is one who have abandoned and denounced any christian profession at all. New Testament examples of apostates includes Judas Iscariot, Demas, Hymenaeus, and Alexander( 2 Corinthians 4:10; 1 Timothy 1:20 ). Th Roman Emperor Julian ” the Apostate” ( A.D. 361 – 363 ) Professed Christianity and later renounced it and attempted to reestablished paganism in the Roman Empire.

DEFINING APOSTASY

Only 2 Thessalonians 2:3 uses the word apostasia in its theological meaning with reference to the church. Here Paul writes, “Let no one in any way deceive you, for the day of the Lord will not come unless the apostasy come first.” Earlier in the new testament, the Jewish believers in Jerusalem accused paul of “teaching all the Jewish who are among the Gentiles to forsake [apostasia ] Moses” ( Acts 21: 21 Nasb ) We get an additional sense of the word from a related term, apostasion, which is translated as “divorcement” in the Gospels ( Matthew 5:31; 19:7; Mark 10:4 ). Walter Bauer ( P. 98 ) defines apostasia as rebellion, abandonment. Liddell and Scott (PP. 218 – 19 ) suggest the meaning “to depart, to stand aloof, to detach, to forsake”. Charles Ryrie ( P. 140 ) writes that it is ” a departure from truth previously accepted, involving the breaking of a professed relationship with God. Apostasy always involve wilful leaving of a previously known truth and embracing error.” Etymologically, the world is a compound of the greek preposition apo ( “away from” ) and the noun stasis ( “stand” ). Its literal meaning is “to leave or depart from” an established position.