Why Christians Are Falling Away: Shocking Truth About Apostasy & End Times

The passage in First Timothy warns of false teachers who traffic in lies and hypocrisy. These men and women attempt to cause spiritual damage and to manipulate God's people for their own purposes. They're cold. They're calloused and they're calculating. And Paul says they don't even have a conscience anymore.

It's been seared. They have lost moral sensitivity and their spiritual compasses are broken. That's the reason why some people fall away. They get caught up in a spiritual scam. YouTube is one of the most powerful ways we share the gospel today. When you subscribe, you're helping us reach people who may never step foot in a church or turn on a Christian broadcast.

So don't just watch, take a moment to subscribe and join us in sharing Jesus with the world. The Bible predicts the falling away of the church. Is that what we are seeing today? Including believers who are deconstructing their faith. There seems to be a growing number of people rejecting God altogether and choosing no faith at all.

Is apostasy a sign of the end times? Join Dr. David Jeremiah for this special prophecy edition of Turning Point as he presents a sign of the end times, the falling away, a theological prophecy today on Turning Point. Imagine writing your first book at the age of 22 and watching it land on a bestsellers list everywhere.

A few years ago, that happened to an American pastor. His book conveyed biblical advice about love and relationship and it encouraged thousands of young people to make better choices. This pastor became known for his speaking and writing and counseling as well as for nearly two decades of pastoral ministry in a local church.

Yet somehow and somewhere during those years, his own relationship with God evaporated. In 2019, he announced his marriage had come to an end. Then in a follow-up post on Instagram, he disclosed an even deeper divorce. He wrote, quote, I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus.

The popular phrase for this is deconstruction. The biblical phrase is falling away. By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, he wrote, I am not a Christian. Many people tell me that there's a different way to practice faith and I want to remain open to this, but I am not there.

Now, now that probably touches you in some way, but it cuts me to the heart because I am a pastor and this is happening to more pastors than I've ever seen before. Everyone is leaving Christianity and nobody knows where they're going. This departure from biblical faith is happening so often that there's a new word that's been coined.

These defectors are no longer evangelicals. They're exeangelicals. Why is that? And what is that all about? Well, the falling away is not a new phenomenon. Throughout history, there have been many who have taken up the banner of Christ only to lay it down again. Even the first generation of Christians faced challenges like this.

But the core issue here isn't even people falling away from the church or falling away from faith. We're talking in this lesson about falling away from Jesus himself. These are people who have, and these words are stark, trampled the son of God underfoot, treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them and insulted the spirit of grace.

What does this mean? What does this mean to us? Apostasy doesn't reflect the rise of atheism in and of itself, nor does it apply to everyone who chooses religious systems other than Christianity. The concept of falling away has a narrower focus. It applies specifically to apparent Christians, to those who claim to follow Jesus but then turn their backs on him.

Every apostate is an unbeliever, but not every unbeliever is an apostate. Here's what I mean. There are many people who have never heard the gospel. They wouldn't know the gospel from anything. So, they can't be apostate. They can't walk away from something they never heard of before. They are unbelievers because they have not heard.

But an apostate is well acquainted with the gospel. He knows more than enough to be saved, but he walks away from it anyway. Why am I talking about this theme of falling away? Why should I even bring it up? It seems sort of extraneous to some of you wondering where is he going with this?

Because the proliferation of apostasy is an important but overlooked often piece to the end times puzzle. As we know from scripture, one of the signs of the end times is a rising number of self-proclaimed Christians who ultimately reject Christ. Let me show you where that is in the Bible. 2 Thessalonians 2:es 1-3.

Here's what the word of God says. Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as from us, as though the day of Christ had come.

Now listen carefully. Let no one deceive you by any means, for that day will not come unless the falling away comes first. And the man of sin is revealed, the son of predition. This is indeed a prophecy about tomorrow that has implications for us today. This falling away that Paul is writing about is not just some gradual defection from the church.

Paul calls this the falling away like it's a specific thing at a specific time at a specific moment. Paul calls this departure from the faith and it will happen according to the scripture during what we call the tribulation period. Now most of you know enough about prophecy to know there's some general things you should be aware of.

First of all, the next thing that's going to happen in the future is the rapture of the church. The Bible says that the Lord is going to descend and take to heaven those who have put their trust in him. And that can happen any time. There's no signs for that.

It could happen before we say amen at the end of this service. We could go to heaven before we go home and that would be all right because we'd really be home then. Amen. So, you don't have to worry about that. You know, you say, "Well, what has got to happen before Jesus comes to get us?"

Not one thing. He can come any time after the rapture when the saints are all gone on this earth. The Bible teaches there's going to be a period of seven years of tribulation. This will be literally hell on earth. And it's divided into two sections. 3 and 1/2 years.

The first part of the tribulation and the last part, the last three and a half years is called the great tribulation. Now, when Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, he said, "In the tribulation period, there's going to be a great falling away, a great defection from the faith." First John 2:18 and 19, he said, "It is the last hour, and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come by which we know that it is the last hour.

They went out from us. They were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. John said there are many people who who were in the church and they went out and they became part of the false gospel. He said they went out because they were never a part of us.

They went out from us but they were never of us. How can this happen? How could anyone who has tasted the goodness of Christ in the church and the love of God, how could they ever fall away? Well, I'm going to give you three things that could happen, and I think they all are in play.

Why do some people get discouraged and walk away from their faith? First of all, some people fall away because they're deceived. 1 Timothy 4:1 and2 says it this way. Now the spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.

According to this passage of scripture, there are unseen demonic forces that are operating in our world, enticing and deceiving people into abandoning their faith in Christ. Their influence even in the church will only increase as we draw near to the end of history. It's overwhelming to see the deception that's going on within the church.

You can watch it. You can see it. Maybe it's touched you or your family. You've been victimized by it. The passage in First Timothy warns of false teachers who traffic in lies and hypocrisy. These men and women attempt to cause spiritual damage and to manipulate God's people for their own purposes.

They're cold. They're calloused and they're calculating. And Paul says they don't even have a conscience anymore. It's been seared. They have lost moral sensitivity and their spiritual compasses are broken. That's the reason why some people fall away. They get caught up in a spiritual scam. Some people fall away because they're disillusioned.

In Luke 8, Jesus told a parable illustrating the reasons why people fall away from the gospel. You know the parable. He said there was this farmer who went out to sew seed and he broadcasted over a wide area and some of the seed fell on pathway or on road where it was trampled down.

Other seed fell on a rocky soil and as soon as the plants sprang up, they withered away having no root. And some seed fell in a thorny patch and were choked by briars. And some of the seed fell on prepared soil, yielding a great harvest. When the Lord's disciple asked him to explain the parable, he revealed that the seed represented the gospel message.

Here is Jesus explanation of what that story means. He said, "Those by the wayside are the ones who hear, and the devil comes and takes away the word out of their heart, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who when they hear receive the word with joy and have no root, who believe for a while in time of temptation fall away."

Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who when they have heard go out and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of life and bring no fruit to maturity. Here's what Jesus was saying. The first reason people walk away from the gospel is that the devil comes and takes the word out of their hearts.

The second reason is more complicated. Jesus describes those who hear the gospel and they receive the word with joy. Listen to that. That means they're emotional. And these people are genuinely excited about Christianity. They've seen the brokenness of the world and they felt the brokenness in their own spirit.

And they know there must be something better. And these people encounter the truth and they receive the message with joy and they're all excited and they see a pathway to peace and purpose and meaning. It's what they've always been looking for. But stony ground believers have no root.

So when times of testing come, the Bible says they fall away. Some people fall away because they're deceived, others because they're disillusioned. And the last one is probably where a lot of us would fit if we're in any of these categories. Some fall away because they're distracted. Verse 14 of Luke 8 says, "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who when they have heard go out and are choked with cares and the pleasures of life and they bring no fruit to maturity."

Jesus said, "Many fall away simply because they get distracted." When forced to choose between spiritual things, following Christ, and physical cares and riches and pleasures of life, they can't see past their own noses. They allow the pull of desire to lead them. They let go of their faith in order to grab all that the world has, and they grab with both hands, and there's nothing left to hold on to Jesus with.

How can we make sure that we are never among those who fall away? I know this, there's not a person in this room who if you sat down and talked to them and said, "Would you like to be among those who fall away?" Nobody would say yes. Nobody wants to do that.

It's nobody's purpose to do that. You have children who have done that. You have friends who've done that. You know the pain of that. You don't want anything to do with that. So, how do we protect ourselves from that happening to us and to the people we love?

First of all, examine yourselves. That's what the scripture says. 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves as to whether or not you're in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? The most important thing you can do in response to this message is to make sure that you are truly a Christian.

And you are not a Christian just because you grew up in the church. You are not a Christian just because your parents are Christians. You're not a Christian because you've lived a good life. You are not a Christian because you have served in the church and done great things for God.

One of the most sobering passages in the Bible is found in Matthew chapter 7. Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father in heaven. Many said Jesus will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name?

Have we not cast out demons in your name? Have we not done many wonders in your name? And I will say to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness. Is there a more stark frightening verse than that? Jesus is not saying that good works do not matter.

What he is saying is that good works will not get you to heaven. If you want to read more about this, I suggest you read the book of James when you get home today. But go back to the second Corinthian passage. It says, "Do you not know that Christ is in you?"

Let me ask you that question. Do you know that Christ is in you? Have you put your trust in him? Are you certain that he's living in your heart? This not some cultural Christianity. Sometimes people grow up in Christian families and they think, "Well, my parents were Christians.

My brothers and sisters are Christians. I must be a Christian, too." Not. God doesn't have any grandchildren. He just has children. Has there ever been a time in your life when you have personally invited Christ to forgive you of your sin and become your savior? That is what matters.

That is what determines whether you are a true Christian or a Christian in name only. That's the one thing. If you get that straight, you will never fall away. Encourage yourselves. I love this. In 1 Samuel 36, we read this about David. David was in one big mess.

He was in a fight for his life. His troops were all fighting with him. They left camp one day. When they came back, all their families had been taken, including their wives and their children. And David's their leader. And you can imagine how that went through the camp.

And they hated David. They turned on him. They were going to kill him. He had nobody. He was totally all by himself. And this is what it says. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. You must not wait for someone else to do this for you.

This is your responsibility, yourself. It's good to have people help you. It's wonderful to be in a small group where somebody encourages you, but that's not always going to happen. So, you better learn how to take care of yourself. Number three, this one you'll love. Exercise yourself. Exercise yourself toward godliness. 1 Timothy 4:7 and 8.

For bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. If you want to stay confident and strong in your faith, it is important that you keep growing in your faith. Remember, this is your choice.

Jesus is with you. He will keep you from falling and he will empower you. He has every intention of presenting you faultless before the father once your race comes to an end. So until that moment, just keep going. Keep running. Don't look back. Don't give up. Commit to building up your faith in the faith of those around you.

And let me give you a little benediction to end this message and to bless your life. The blessing of Jude. Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To God our savior who alone is wise be glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and forever more.

Now unto him who is able to keep you from stumbling. Praise God. We have a God who doesn't let us go either. We can say we're not going to let you go. God doesn't let you go either. And when you place your faith in him, when you trust him, he will keep you from stumbling. >> And now with one last word for today's program, here is Dr.

Jeremiah. >> In the New Testament, the Christian life is pictured as a race. And anyone who has ever run a race has become weary. Some even consider dropping out. When that happens, nothing helps more than someone you can follow to the finish line. And that someone is Jesus Christ.

Following him as your Lord and Savior will mean finishing the race, no matter how hard it becomes. To help you better understand what it means to follow Jesus and build a relationship with him, please allow me to send you two free gifts. One is our booklet called Your Greatest Turning Point and the other is our monthly devotional magazine called Turning Points.

We will gladly send both of these gifts to you free of charge if you will just contact us here at Turning Point today. Next time on Turning Point. They had known Jesus before his death. They had seen the brutality that had been wre saw him after death walking around the resurrected son of God.

And everywhere they went, they said, "He is risen. He is risen indeed." Thank you for being with us today. Join Dr. Jeremiah next time for a special Easter message titled, What If? Here on Turning Point.