(Part I here)
"The Great Apostasy is a concept within Christianity to describe a perception that mainstream Christian churches have fallen away from the original faith founded by Jesus and promulgated through His twelve apostles" (James E. Talmage from his book The Great Apostasy).
Primarily, the "falling away" is the rejection of belief in the original sin of the Garden of Eden story (the fall of man from paradise), which then consequently negates the need for a Saviour (Jesus Christ) to save us from our sins (as we do need when we inherit Adam and Eve's sinful nature).
Secondarily, "the falling away" is when priests, pastors and vicars seek to popularize their New Testament sin and salvation message to the congregations by bringing forms of entertainment into their services from contemporary secular society, as they still do today.
Natural human voices (church choirs and church congregational singing) in natural acoustic settings using the original Stradivari baroque tuning of 432 hz for A4, has all but been displaced in our present age by charismatic solo singers using microphones, amplifiers and loudspeakers, together with their electronically supported musicians, featuring electric lead, rhythm and bass guitars. These instruments are usually, I believe, tuned at 440 hz for A4 (Stuttgart pitch). The profound difference between these two pitches for tuning instruments is well documented.
Is this the true spiritual worship (Hebrews 13:15), when secular electronically-supported pop group forms, that manifested out of the American blues culture, take prominence in leading Christian praise and worship? Or is it a sign of decline and falling away, rather than true revival?
Primarily, the "falling away" is the rejection of belief in the original sin of the Garden of Eden story (the fall of man from paradise), which then consequently negates the need for a Saviour (Jesus Christ) to save us from our sins (as we do need when we inherit Adam and Eve's sinful nature).
Secondarily, "the falling away" is when priests, pastors and vicars seek to popularize their New Testament sin and salvation message to the congregations by bringing forms of entertainment into their services from contemporary secular society, as they still do today.
Natural human voices (church choirs and church congregational singing) in natural acoustic settings using the original Stradivari baroque tuning of 432 hz for A4, has all but been displaced in our present age by charismatic solo singers using microphones, amplifiers and loudspeakers, together with their electronically supported musicians, featuring electric lead, rhythm and bass guitars. These instruments are usually, I believe, tuned at 440 hz for A4 (Stuttgart pitch). The profound difference between these two pitches for tuning instruments is well documented.
Is this the true spiritual worship (Hebrews 13:15), when secular electronically-supported pop group forms, that manifested out of the American blues culture, take prominence in leading Christian praise and worship? Or is it a sign of decline and falling away, rather than true revival?
Special individuals with voices like Cliff Richard dominate congregations with their powerful vibrations from powered speakers. The church is filled with the vibrations of the Christian pop group and their lead singer. Are we then offering God the true spiritual worship or are we now really enjoying our "worship experience": singing along to our favorite worship songs?
I am not entirely invalidating this form of Christian worship, but I observe how easily it becomes off-track. And very often the volume of the PA amplifier is turned up loud and the sound engineer is an individual with seemingly no idea of how the vibrations are affecting the spiritual atmosphere in the congregation, whatsoever. Some discerning people have picked up on this phenomenon and uploaded YouTube videos revealing the tendency toward this shift of focus and the inherent potential subtle deception.
I am not entirely invalidating this form of Christian worship, but I observe how easily it becomes off-track. And very often the volume of the PA amplifier is turned up loud and the sound engineer is an individual with seemingly no idea of how the vibrations are affecting the spiritual atmosphere in the congregation, whatsoever. Some discerning people have picked up on this phenomenon and uploaded YouTube videos revealing the tendency toward this shift of focus and the inherent potential subtle deception.
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Phil Wickham leads worship service at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, 2013. |
The charismatic "worship leader" type of electronically powered band, is quite unlike anything our Christian forefathers would have known. Personally, I believe those who experienced fervent church worship in ages gone by (whether during revivals of Christian faith or otherwise) would be horrified at our "Christian pop group" contemporary celebratory worship. Not that Christians should not celebrate eternal life, but they should do so with due reverence and discernment, aware of the warnings and admonishments from Jesus Christ and his apostles.
The Great Apostasy is a serious and marked world-wide giving up on and relinquishment of "the fear of God"; a blocking of true spiritual life and growth in the church (Matthew 23:13); true God-focused spiritual worship giving way to celebrations focusing on my-experience; and the world invading the gospel as in prosperity teaching and the use of smartphones and the internet in church services. Yes, that's right.
Profound falling away occurs when people choose to no longer believe in God's power and are pulled into all forms of secular entertainment. When virtual reality - 3D films and movies; bling, of which the most notable is the smartphone (that brings all the aforementioned to the individual) - is far more favourable than actual reality: the illusion of this apparently solid world of dense matter.
The compensation dished out to society for the universal discrediting of the Bible and the Christian faith seems to be the fascinating entertainment brought electronically into our unprecedented comfortable homes, now even onto the streets and into every public meeting place through the radio, cinema, TV, computer and now digital LED screens and smartphones.
New versions of Christian faith
Emerging from doubt in the credibility of the Garden of Eden account, brought about by the evolution and the survival of the fittest doctrine, has been the investigation into a "universal god of love". This harnesses the desire to connect the discoveries (which seem to have "proved" that man has descended from apes) together with spirituality.
The Great Apostasy is a serious and marked world-wide giving up on and relinquishment of "the fear of God"; a blocking of true spiritual life and growth in the church (Matthew 23:13); true God-focused spiritual worship giving way to celebrations focusing on my-experience; and the world invading the gospel as in prosperity teaching and the use of smartphones and the internet in church services. Yes, that's right.
Profound falling away occurs when people choose to no longer believe in God's power and are pulled into all forms of secular entertainment. When virtual reality - 3D films and movies; bling, of which the most notable is the smartphone (that brings all the aforementioned to the individual) - is far more favourable than actual reality: the illusion of this apparently solid world of dense matter.
The compensation dished out to society for the universal discrediting of the Bible and the Christian faith seems to be the fascinating entertainment brought electronically into our unprecedented comfortable homes, now even onto the streets and into every public meeting place through the radio, cinema, TV, computer and now digital LED screens and smartphones.
New versions of Christian faith
Emerging from doubt in the credibility of the Garden of Eden account, brought about by the evolution and the survival of the fittest doctrine, has been the investigation into a "universal god of love". This harnesses the desire to connect the discoveries (which seem to have "proved" that man has descended from apes) together with spirituality.
Adding impetus to the urge to look outside the Christian faith for God was the discrediting of the Gospel of Jesus Christ brought about by members of certain churches through their un-Christian behaviour and actions. To this day, infamous historical accounts of the Spanish Inquisition and the Crusades (to name but two) serve as an alibi for those promoting their alternative "all-inclusive" spiritual beliefs.
The "one love universal psyche" is where God loves everyone, embraces and welcomes all mankind into love, and where that eternal love is open to absolutely everyone. The condition for entering this universal love is merely self-realization and awakening. Self-knowledge and enlightenment, we are told, is the key. We simply have to remember who we actually are: the truth that we've forgotten. Sin is an illusion and unreal, we are told. Eastern religions and philosophies seem to support this view, and vice versa.
Conversely, the Biblical "God of Love My Shepherd Is" (Psalm 23) is also the fearsome God of Judgement (2 Thessalonians 1:9), rather like two sides of the same coin.
The Biblical God makes free-will clear: you can choose to be with God or choose to be separated from God. We are expected to do something: to be proactive in our choices; to make sure that we do not defile our own lives or the lives of others (God's creations) or at least repent and seek forgiveness, if we have. Ultimately, we are given the choice: to choose the Saviour Jesus Christ above transitory worldly gains and pleasures, or reject Him in favour of anything or everything else.
Saint Paul on the Great Apostasy
Saint Paul on the Great Apostasy
The first Bible references to a great apostasy are in 1 Timothy 4:1 "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith..." but put even more strongly in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 "Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition."
We understand "that Day" to be the second coming of Jesus Christ and "the man of perdition" to be a global Antichrist person - one who denies the Creation story in the Bible and the Deity of Jesus Christ and his primary role as Savior of Mankind.
The meaning is clear: there will be an obvious departure and falling away from the fundamental Christian faith. This will result in a letting go of restraint and an increase in lawlessness as we see when people riot. There is specific information in the Bible about the Antichrist as well as current prophetic insights and warnings. For Christians this means that they must be vigilant and especially not ignore their consciences.
We understand "that Day" to be the second coming of Jesus Christ and "the man of perdition" to be a global Antichrist person - one who denies the Creation story in the Bible and the Deity of Jesus Christ and his primary role as Savior of Mankind.
The meaning is clear: there will be an obvious departure and falling away from the fundamental Christian faith. This will result in a letting go of restraint and an increase in lawlessness as we see when people riot. There is specific information in the Bible about the Antichrist as well as current prophetic insights and warnings. For Christians this means that they must be vigilant and especially not ignore their consciences.
They need to be able to discern between right and wrong, truth and lies, between the kingdom of heaven and the world, and be able to read the signs of the times. Also, to be able to perceive the slow and subtle deception taking place world-wide (rather like a frog being totally unaware of being very slowly brought to its death by gradually heating a pan of water in which it is immersed) leading us entirely away from God. They must not be deceived by what appears to be good and decent but is actually just a façade or sham.
The presence of true Christianity in society will gradually disappear. This is the result of the "falling away".
The presence of true Christianity in society will gradually disappear. This is the result of the "falling away".
Part Three to follow soon.
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