The Great Falling Away - Steve Martin
“Adonai said to Gid‘on, “I will use the three
hundred men who lapped the water to save you; I will hand Midyan over to you.
Let all these others go back home.” (Judges 7:7-8 Complete Jewish Bible)
There is a great falling away coming from among
those who once walked with the Lord. In fact, it has already started. For
decades, it was “popular” to be a Christian. Not so anymore, especially when
one considers the numbers who attend a weekly church service. Looking around
any given Sunday morning gathering, and in most churches you will see mostly
grey hairs; and they are dying off. Sure, there are those churches that are
doing well among the youth, but that is an exception. We give thanks for them.
After a major crisis occurs in a nation, the
pews do fill back up. But within a few months, or even weeks, the “Crisis
Christians” no longer come around. It is back to normal as usual. (We may still
have the “C & E” group – Christmas and Easter, but even those numbers are
dwindling fast.)
The apostle Paul said that in the end of days
there would be a great falling away. We are living in those times.
"Now we request you, brethren, with regard to
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you
not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or
a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has
come.
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.
Do you not remember that while I was still with
you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so
that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already
at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the
Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the
appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the
activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the
deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the
love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a
deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they
all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in
wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 NASU)
Lest you become fearful, and wonder what is
going to happen when so many are gone, let me share a little insight with you.
It will inspire you in faith, I believe.
The Lord seems to allow for the reduction of
numbers when He has a job that needs to get done. Unlike humans, more is not
always better. As my good wife Laurie likes to remind me on certain occasions,
“Less is more.” My accounting mind doesn’t always see it that way, but it is
true.
Let’s look at a few instances in the Word of
God, and see how the Lord chooses to accomplish His purpose, and achieve the
final victory.
Take what happened when the Lord decided to
flood the earth. He saved a remnant, Noah’s family of eight (Noah, his wife,
three sons and their wives) and repopulated the earth with those alone. Looks
like that worked.
And what about Gideon’s army, when it came time
to defeat the Mideonites? Gideon took as many warriors as he had available,
starting with 32,000. By the time the Lord had set up a few tests, the number
was finalized at 300. With those remaining, the job got done. Victory was won.
Yeshua (Jesus) chose only 12 who would walk with
Him for a little more than three years. Then He released them (even knowing one
would be replaced by another) into the world. Empowered by the Holy Spirit,
those twelve apostles changed the world.
Jesus also fed the multitudes, with very little.
“All we have with us,” they said, “is five loaves of bread and two fish.” He
said, “Bring them here to me.” After instructing the crowds to sit down on the
grass, he took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking up toward heaven,
made a b’rakhah (Hebrew – i.e. gave thanks). Then he broke the loaves and gave
them to the talmidim (Hebrew – i.e. disciples), who gave them to the crowds.
They all ate as much as they wanted, and they took up twelve baskets full of
the pieces left over. Those eating numbered about five thousand men, plus women
and children.” (Matthew 14:17-21, Complete Jewish Bible)
The Creator of the Universe can get the job done
with very few.
What about the 144,000 in Revelation of Jesus
(Revelation 7:4)? That sure is something to consider.
“I heard the count of those who were sealed:
144,000! They were sealed out of every Tribe of Israel: 12,000 sealed from
Judah, 12,000 from Reuben, 12,000 from Gad, 12,000 from Asher, 12,000 from
Naphtali, 12,000 from Manasseh, 12,000 from Simeon, 12,000 from Levi, 12,000
from Issachar, 12,000 from Zebulun, 12,000 from Joseph, 12,000 sealed from
Benjamin." (Revelations 7:4-8 THE MESSAGE)
There is a great falling away that is coming
through the Christian ranks. It will remove the lukewarm as the Lord Himself is
going to weed them out. I believe He will then emblaze the remnant with His
Holy Ghost fire, and show the world Who is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
In the process, millions during that time, yet to be saved for all of eternity,
will come into His kingdom, gathered from all the nations.
Are you going to be one of the few? As the
Marine’s would say in their motto, I pray you are.
By His grace you will keep committed and stay
faithful to the end. It is going to be a battle, but He wins. Stay on His side.
Steve Martin, Founder
Love For His People
Ministries 12120 Woodside Falls Rd. Pineville, NC 28134
loveforhispeople@gmail.com loveforhispeople.blogspot.com