Danger of Apostasy

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II Peter 2:1
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even
denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

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2
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth
shall be evil spoken of.

II Thessalonians says there will be a great falling away; we can see that taking place right now. God is not weaker; we are further away. He told Israel to return to Him and He'd return to them. We wonder what is wrong. Since prayer and Bible reading went out of schools, it has produced an unruly generation. In the Old Testament, Jeremiah talks about false prophets. They told the people the captivity in Babylon would be for two years, yet it was 70. Even then people believed what they wanted.

We weaken ourselves by not hearing, realizing, and practicing what we learn in the Bible. False prophets told about peace and there was none. When we listen to the wrong crowd, we listen to false teaching as well. Peter asked Jesus for a sign. He told him not to let any man deceive him. There are people today who make a living off of "healing." We all believe in the healing power of God, but what we see today is for the sole benefit of making money off someone else. They do it for the glamor and do it well. The Bible tells us not to covet after riches. We are to serve the Lord with unfeigned faith, not by lies. There are all kinds of stories passed around about creation and many follow it. This too is following false teaching.

II Peter 2:

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.4 For if God spared not the angels that
sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into
chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5 And spared not the
old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of
righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them

with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should
live ungodly;

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7
And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: 8
(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his

righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)

God did not spare the angels, his created beings who rebelled with Lucifer, so how can we expect to be spared. Noah found grace, but the rest of the world perished. Disasters don't happen by accident. Could it be that God is trying to get America's attention in these days? If God did not let his people Israel get by, He will not let us. Verses 6 and 7 remind us of the consequences of sin in Sodom and Gomorrha. This ought to be an example to us. Those cities were turned into ashes; we need to realize it can happen today. Lot should have been shining the light of God stronger than he did. But when the destruction came only his wife and two daughters escaped, the former not succeeding. We come to church to worship; we serve the Lord outside these doors. We need to make sure our light shines.

As with Lot, the devil tries with every way he can to get to us. Many fall right into his hands. Verse

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9 and 10 say

The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve
the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished: But chiefly them
that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government.Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of
dignities.We are not to walk as if we have nothing to fear of God. But we can live without it if we follow what God puts there for us to resist the devil. There is a way out of the temptation; we just don't take it sometimes. We should not be found listening to God's name profaned in jokes and idle conversation. This is not pleasing to God. When we mind God we displease the flesh and when we mind the flesh we displease God. There is a choice. We can sin and be unrighteous or do right and be righteous. God delivers the Godly from temptation–just as He tells us in verse 10.

There are people sitting on church pews everywhere that have never been saved. We can fool each other, but we'll not fool God. Nothing is hid from him. Let's walk as the wise do. No one wants to go to hell, but many don't want to give up their life of sin to not go there. We don't know when we'll die, but we must be ready.

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