BEFORE GOD DESTROYS, HE FOREWARNS (PART I)

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“That Day Will Not Come Unless the Apostasy Comes First”

By Akin Ojumu

Pull back the curtain of human history, and you’ll see a clear pattern of events that normally leads up to the unleashing of God’s judgment on a people for their lawlessness. Before God pours out the cup of His wrath upon a sinful nation, we see a sequence of events that must occur as a prelude. 

In this commentary series, we’ll attempt to examine those events that preceed the righteous judgment of God on a perverse people. It’s my prayer that those who read this will learn and respond appropriately.

First, there’s a pervasive sinfulness and widespread lawlessness. This is when there’s a mass fallen away from God and the people turn into mutiny and rebellion. What you find at this stage is a national apostasy, when the entire nation turns away from God. 

There’s a sweeping rejection of the truth, and a wholesale embrace of satanic lies. Apostates get brazen in their rebellion and charlatans become blatant in their insurrection. Unabashedly, they promote all kinds of false teachings and they push all manners of demonic doctrines, all in the name of God.

This is stage one in the chain of events that culminates in the wrath of God, and it is exemplified by what happened in the days of Noah when we see a mass falling away from God into iniquity and all kinds of evil.

Genesis 6:5-8
“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.”

Another instance in human history where we find a mass falling away was in the days of Prophet Jeremiah. During this time, the people of Judah had turned their backs on God. Having abandoned their covenant with God, the land of Judah was gripped in a paroxysm of spiritual apostasy. Widespread idolatry, injustice, and disregard for God's commandments became the order of the day.

As the people of Judah sank further and further into a spiritual morass, a dark silhouette of the army of Babylonian could be seen in the horizon. An invasion of the land of Judah was imminent, and God was about to hand over His people into hands of their enemies to be taken into captivity and indentured servitude because of their apostasy.

Jeremiah 7:1-6
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.”

We read in Scriptures that a similar en mass rebellion would occur at the end of the age. This end-time apostasy is going to be the harbinger for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ in glory and power.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (ESV)
“Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, UNLESS THE REBELLION COMES FIRST, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.”

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (NASB 1995)
“Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come UNLESS THE APOSTASY COMES FIRST, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 (KJV)
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, EXCEPT THERE COME A FALLING AWAY FIRST, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.”

Next time, we’ll examine the second thing that normally happens in the chain of events that precede the outpouring of God’s wrath.

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