Paul warned of a great ‘falling away’ to happen just before the Antichrist appears. He is speaking of those who proclaim to be Christian but, by their lifestyles they are resisting the work of Jesus. They are doing the Devil’s work instead of the work of God even though they may claim to be Christian. They are the children of the Great Whore of Babylon who is clothed in the royal colors and garments of the Church but is really riding the Beast of Revelation.

Of such are all the churches that are claiming a ‘replacement theology’ which denies God’s stated promises to restore Israel. God clearly states –

“Then say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Surely I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, wherever they have gone, and will gather them from every side and bring them into their own land;” – Ezek. 37:21 and

“Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’“ – Jer. 31″10

Chief among this group, but not alone, are the Catholics who are led by an apostate Pope who stands against Israel at every chance he gets. His latest proclamations are to castigate President Trump for daring to state that Jerusalem should be the Capital of Israel. He has also encouraged Mahmoud Abbas to not negotiate with Trump for peace. It appears that he prefers those who believe in a false god to the true God of the Bible. He also has met with many different religious leaders intimating that there are many ways to God. Now, I personally know Catholics who love Jesus and do not share these beliefs of the Pope but, I warn them to take the message of Revelation 18 to heart.

“And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.” – Rev. 18:4

The churches above are part of the Babylon system and their judgment is coming unless they repent. But at least the Pope is openly saying what he believes which is more than many are doing.

There are many churches that are masquerading as Christian but in their daily living are no different than the world. They preach a psychobabble message cloaked in positive Christian metaphors so their members can leave feeling good with themselves. Now feeling good about yourself is not bad if you are living as Jesus commanded but, something is wrong if you are cheating on your spouse, being dishonest in your business dealings, watching things you shouldn’t be watching, or embracing lifestyles the Lord calls abominations – and you still feel comfortable in Church!

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” – 1 Cor. 6:9, 10

When there are as many divorces in the Church as in the world – something is wrong! When there are as many abortions in the Church as in the world – something is wrong! When there are as many drunks in the Church as are in the world – something is wrong!

One researcher wrote, “There are a couple of stats that I found to be particularly interesting as it relates to faith and marriage:

• 53% of Very Happy Couples agree with the statement, “God is at the center of our marriage” (compared to 7% of Struggling Couples).
• 30% of Struggling Couples disagree with the statement, “God is at the center of our marriage.”

On abortion, in the Church it stands at 72% and one researcher wrote,

“It’s a mistake to assume that because so many aborting women in America identify themselves as Protestant or Catholic, that the Bible is ambivalent towards abortion. What these numbers do tell us is that lots of self-professing Christians are not behaving very Christ-like, and lots of churches are not sufficiently educating their members about abortion. “

One pastor admitted that if he used real wine in the Communion Service of his church 200 alcoholics would crash! Another Pastor in my area invited his men out for a beer after service. How about inviting them for prayer instead? But, the addiction isn’t just confined to alcohol but to tobacco, drugs, and even pornography.  These things are not just medical diseases that must be treated with more drugs (though their result may require medical treatment)– they are the result of SIN!

Paul warned they were works of the flesh –

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” – Gal. 5:19-21

and any one of them will keep you out of heaven.

God has an answer to all these problems – it is Repent and be Born Again. God can deliver you and He can heal you and put you on the right pathway to freedom if you are sincere. But, if you are in a church that never preaches against these things as sin, you will never know the freedom of forgiveness. My advice to you is find a church that holds the line for God and will pray for you. They may make you uncomfortable at times but, better to be uncomfortable and free!

We are fast approaching a time when there will be just two types of church – sheep or goat. The sheep church will not be perfect but they will be preaching the entire counsel of God and will be striving toward righteous lifestyles that honor God. The goat church will be part of the great falling away Paul warned about.