Are we on the brink of Apostacy?

In every generation we see certain patterns in Christianity. Indeed these same patterns can be found in the Old Testament with the children of Israel. Time and again the children of Israel would re-discover the Word of God and the Spirit of God and they would pull down the high places and they would turn back to God? Are we living in such a time as that? Will this be one more cycle? Could this be last cycle?

These are important questions. Many will not even like the questions to be asked. Why would that be? Well, it would go to the root of who we are and what we are working towards. If Proverbs tell us " Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set: (Prov 22:28) and we have indeed removed them, then the only solution is to regain our " first love." Everything else can be in place but if we have left our first love, if we are operating without the burning passion of the Holy Spirit, then we simply going through the motions. The church has to come back to its first love, it must come back to Jesus. Jesus is the center of everything. It's a love for Him, it's a passion for Him, it's a dedication to Him that changes everything.

Below is part one of a piece by Tozer entitled " At the brink of Apostacy." .....................................

2Ti 3:5-7 having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it; even turn away from these. (6) For of these are those who creep into houses and lead captive silly women loaded with sins, led away with different kinds of lusts, (7) ever learning and never able to come to the full knowledge of the truth.

The Evangelical church in America is facing some serious hazards that threaten to bring it to the brink of apostacy. My prayer is that it is not too late for an awakening that will lead to successful reformation. My use of the term " Evangelical," includes churches that are fundamental, full Gospel, holiness, Anabaptist and Pentecostal-all Evangelical churches that believe the Bible and proclaim Jesus Christ to be the only Savior of the world. I have nothing to say to any other church.

It is amazing to me how divided is the Evangelical church in America. A stanza of the hymn " Onward Christian soldiers," by Sabine-Gould (1834-1924) says it as it ought to be:

Like a mighty army
Moves the Church of God;
Brothers we are treading
Where the Saints have trod;
We are not divided
All one body we
One in hope and doctrine
One in charity

The meaning of the words in this hymn is where God would have us stand as His Church in this generation. Let me go out on a limb a little bit and prophesy. I see the time coming when all the holy men whose eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit will desert worldly Evangelicalism, one by one. The house will be left desolate and there will not be a man of God, a man in whom the Holy Spirit dwells, left among them.

I hear Jesus saying.....Mat 23:37-38 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not! (38) Behold, your house is left to you desolate.

As the Church now stands, the man who sees this condition of worldly evangelicalism is written off as somewhat fanatical. But the day is coming when the house will be left desolate and there will not be a man of God among them. I would like to live long enough to watch this develop and see how things turn out. I would like to live to see the time when the men and woman of God-holy, separated and spiritually enlightened-walk out of the evangelical church and form a group of their own; when they get off the sinking ship and let her go down in the brackish and worldliness and form a new ark to ride out the storm ( Tozer, The Dangers of a shallow faith)

I wonder what Tozer would have made of the days we now live? Do you think his prophesy has or is in the process of coming to pass? Is the house already desolate? Are men coming out as Tozer prophesied?

Hi Brother. I don't believe we're "on the brink" but half way into it and have been for at least 30 yrs but the second half of the falling away, or the next part - will be when those that claim His Name come against the Saints in a very literal way - siding with the powers of this world against His Sheep and sending them to slaughter.
History will repeat itself, when 'the church' joins the governing forces of this world against His Own, but on a much larger scale.

I don't know what Tozer's eschatology was - so I'm not sure what he meant by forming "a new ark to ride out the storm".

GOD Bless you, Brother Frank!

I agree with both Lysa and JIG about not being on the brink, this was written over 50 years ago and Tozer is even bold enough to say that he was about to prophesy. Tozer, I believe, was speaking about "Evangelicalism," or one could say Christendom. What he was prophesying was that there would be a time that Spirit filled believers would walk out on the vehicle of Evangelicalism, out from underneath its umberella. It may become more apparent when I post part two :) ..............bro Frank

I find it interesting that Greg has posted an article on the end times church by David Wilkerson. Both these threads compliment one another. In essence Wilkerson is saying that the church in America is not the first century church of the New Testsament. Tozer just saw the apostacy of the American church 40 years earlier. We are living in its reality today. God grant that a remnant will arise out of America to follow the lamb whereever he goes.

Bearmaster.

Amen Murrcolr, here is a quote from David Wilkerson from a post by Greg this morning, it ties into what you are saying and Bearmaster noticed it too..........

"The Lord is preparing a powerful yet humble army of shepherds after His own heart and also a remnant congregation of hungry sheep who have turned away from the deadness and sin of the modern church. The scene is being set for that church which will be hot, not lukewarm-and it will rock the very foundations of hell.
No power on earth will be able to ignore or despise it!"

............bro Frank

Amen, Brother Colin - Daniel states that they will win many to righteousness, do exploits, and Joel 2:28-32 - and be persecuted and killed - or as John wrote - they'll love not their lives unto the death. Yes, they'll be "despised", yet gloriously represent Him Whom they love more than life.
GOD Bless!

Yes bro Colin,

I definately see the connection between what the Lord showed Martin ( interestingly enough he comes from Lougher in Wales, the seat of the great revival)I see the connection between Tozer and Ravenhill and Wilkerson, my cousin, you, myself, many on this site, hundreds of people on my own site from all obver the world. The Lord speaks to His people, praise His name, whether they are well known or not known, He speaks through His people.....bro Frank

It isn't beginning, it is not half way either, having begun at the latter part of the 19th century, the end time apostasy is almost entirely complete. Only after the rapture will people begin to recognize that they themselves were part of the apostasy, but with so few missing and they themselves left behind, most will just simply write the event off.

OJ

Jim Rutz and Jerry Trousdale have written about the marvelous move of God taking place in the 10/40 window. What Wilkerson and others are saying is now taking place in other parts of the world. God grant that it will come to America.

Bearmaster.

Bro Colin says...........

"When I first came across the manifest sons of god theroy it threw me for a while as it's very similar to what God will do the difference with manifest sons of God theory is that "the church" takes over the world as the manifest sons of God...

What I am saying is and I beleive others here are saying God will raise up a people who will confront the antichrist and they will not love there life unto death and they will come off victorious from his name, his number and his image...."

Amen brother, we are not being raised up to take over the world, we are being raised up like lambs to the slaughter. God will pour out His Spirit on His people and the world and everything that loves the world, will come against them with a fury never seen. And they will love not their lives unto death as the civil and religious forces hunt them down in such a time as has never been seen. Praise God, that the same Spirit that burned in Stephen will burn in the saints.

The prophets of old, and newer prophets are given eyes by God to see the whole sweep of history, not pockets, not moments of success, but the whole sweep and the destination. They speak to the state of the Christendom..........bro Frank

Brother I confess ignorance of what the manifest sons of God theory is. I think what you are describing is what we call Dominionism over here. You know where we are going to take it all over for Jesus. Personally I think such a view is unscriptural.

I cannot say where Jim Fits is on this. Perhaps you are right. I only read a snap shot of his article and thought he was writing from a gospel perspective. I have Jerry Trousdale's book.where he is documenting a gospel move in sub Sahara Africa. It appears great numbers of moslems are turning to Christ through visions and dreams.

We know two gospel moves of God are taking place and are being documented. In both countries the church is growing and victorious. But the church is being persecuted in both countries. I refer to China and Iran.

In the late 1940's communism took over China. Mao Tse Tung threw the western missionaries. Prior to that time the gospel made some nominal strides. People thought Christianity was gone and Marx had triumphed. When Nixon normaluzed our relations with China observers found a vibrant house church movement in the millions. The revival still continues.

A lesser known but more recent example is Iran. In 1979 there was less than 500 believers under the Shaw. That year Islamic extremist under Khoemini took over. For sure people thought that Islam had triumphed over the gospel of Christ. What is emerging out of Iran is a vibrant victorious church. But one under persecution.

Estimates range from 100,000 to 1,000,000 believers in Iran. But even if you go with the low figure, it is nothing short of miraculous to see the number of believers jump from a few hundred to the tens of thousands in thirty years. VV.O.M estimates 500 pr more people a day are coming to Christ. Mainly through the internet and sat connections. Also through dreams and visions.

Two conclusions I draw. Communism and Islam have created a hunger in the people. These idealogies cannot satisfy that hunger. Only Jesus can. Also in China and Iran the church is persecuted and quite severely. But it is growing. And exploding.

I could say more but I bievers the church in China, Iran and other parts of the world, the persecuted church will be the answer to the apostate church.

Bearmaster.

Hi Trekker, the question that I posed in the title was a rhetorical question for me. This was the question that Tozer was asking 50 years ago..........bro Frank