Jesus said that before He returns, the Gospel would be preached in all the world. It has been. Then He said there would be a great “falling away” or “apostasy.” Apostasy can only happen after a time of standing in God’s truth and blessing for it means “to stand away from; to depart.”
Apostasy has both a religious and a political meaning. Spiritually, it means to “depart” from the Truth of God’s Word. Politically, it means, “To desert to the enemy; treason.” We’re watching both forms of apostasy take place before our eyes, but it is not yet complete.
The Bible reminds worried Believers that the Tribulation period will not come until the “Falling Away” is complete first (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The good news is that it will never be complete as long as the Church of God is on earth… “Now YOU KNOW what is withholding (the Antichrist) that he might be revealed in his time. For the Mystery of Lawlessness is already at work: only HE who now restrains him (the Holy Spirit through the Church), will continue to restrain him until HE (The Spirit sealing the Church) is taken out of the way (Rapture). Then shall that Wicked One be revealed…” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-9a)
There are four proofs that we are not in the Tribulation period. There has NOT been a global removal of the Body of Christ; Antichrist is NOT revealed; Israel does NOT have a Temple for him to “stop worship” at; there are NOT two fire-breathing witnesses, looking a lot like Moses and Elijah, standing on the Temple Mt, in the court of a newly built Temple, breathing fire to protect themselves from all those trying to kill them. Those men only arrive when the Church is gone.
It should encourage your heart that YOU are being used by God to restrain evil today. As salt (speech) and light (actions), Believers are the restrainers of the moral decay of this world. Every prayer for Christ’s Kingdom, His people, and His purposes, are prayers affecting greater events behind-the-scenes than you know.
All these things show us the end of the Age of Grace is at hand. Watch and pray – and live ready to go.
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