Yesterday's commentary stirred me up a little. It started because of something that was posted on a popular discussion board. The post began by saying: 

Is Churches' Silence Regarding End Times Prophecy Part of the "Falling Away?"

If you read my commentary, you know why I became angry. I became angry thinking about all God's people who were not being prepared by their pastors for what may soon come. In other words, I was thinking about the foretold great apostasy that was to precede the appearing of the Antichrist.

The Apostle Paul had this to say about the return of Christ:

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 (2 Thessalonians 1:3 New American Standard Bible).

Although Paul couldn't have said it clearer, or more to the point, it amazes me how many people today are being deceived about the meaning of what Paul said. In fact, in my opinion those who claim to interpret the Bible most literally -- the strict dispensationalists -- are the ones who do this passage the most violence. Why? Because it doesn't fit anywhere into their strict dispensational box they have created (I'm told I'm a progressive dispensationalist).

And this brings up an interesting consideration for all of us who truly belong to Jesus. Not only may we live in the day of the foretold great apostasy, we may live in the day of the great false apostasy. In other words, we may soon see the day when other professing Christians will want to kill us thinking they're doing God a favor. This would require a false apostasy. An apostasy that would make us look like the bad guys.

Let's also remember that besides a false apostasy, there also is a false anointing. Just recall the words of Jesus about the devil going around sowing his tares among the wheat. If you don't think the devil would do this, just take a look at some of the preaching going on around you. This false anointing is found almost everywhere. And the message that comes from it is the exact reverse of the truth. For example, one reverse message I heard recently was the white horse of Revelation 6 isn't the Antichrist, it's us -- the true church. And the church is going out to conquer other false Christians. Scary isn't it?

Here's my point: We live at a time when our enemy may not be who we think. And, our friends may not be who we think either. We live in a time to get serious about what we believe. It's time for us not to simply take other people's views -- no matter how well intended -- and adopt them for ourselves.

We live in a time when we must take Paul's warning to heart:

Let no one in any way deceive you