The Great Falling Away

1: Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2: That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3: Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

He begins by saying that we are not to be shaken or disturded by words that the end is near, because certain things must happen first. These things are our warning signs.

The first point is that there will be a "falling away" . To fall away from something, implies that there was first a relationship from the thing fallen away from. In this case those who had a relationship with God, fell away from that relationship.

I write now to those making up the Church of God. Within those groups making up this Church there is an impression that this "falling away" began when Joseph Tkatch began to change doctrine and join the so called Christian mainstream. This was in fact a real falling away of a very obvious nature.

However the falling away actually began much earlier. It began when Herbert Armstrong was convinced by Herman Hoeh and Stanly Rader, to abandon the sound doctrine of Holy Scripture and accept the Primacy of Peter heresy. By assuming that he now had the power to bind and loose the word of God, Herbert placed himself over God and began to sit in judgement of God and His Word. He began to decide for himself what was right or wrong and in so doing he followed the Popes in exalting himself ABOVE GOD.

There was a great falling away during the days of Constantine and there has been a great falling away during these latter days.

The natural result of this was a progression to a totalitarian, authoratative form of Church Government, with himself at the top; between God and His peaple. Herbert placed himself as coming between the people and God, with the result that many of the people began to focus on Herbert and take their eyes off of Almighty God. They began to say that the Bible should be interpreted and understood, only through the sayings and writings of Herbert Armstrong. This putting of anyone or anything between us and God is the SIN OF IDOLATRY. This was the beginning of a GREAT falling away from God, as men began to focus on other men and not directly on God.

Today those who claim to be Philadelphian Christians are the biggest Idolators of all. For they are loyal to the teachings of a man and are not loyal to the teachings of Holy Scripture. Don't believe it? Just check how many times they quote HWA in response to any hard question. Just remember that they actually come right out and say that they are being loyal to the Bible, as taught by Herbert Armstong. They are not ashamed of their sin, they will tell you to your face; that the Bible can only be understood through the eyes of Herbert Armstong. THIS IS IDOLATRY.

Today the Tkatch Worldwide Church of God and it's daughter Grace Communion Fellowship are apostates from the truth of God in a very real and obvious way. The other groups who refused to go along with this are also apostates from the truth of God; IF they are trying to be loyal to the teachings of Herbert Armstrong. BOTH of these groups have fallen very far away from the Eternal God. Right now there are only scattered individuals who are being faithful to the great God.

Only those who prove all things and hold fast that which is good 1 Thes 5:21; by the Word of God, are being faithful to the Eternal. A GREAT and TREMENDOUS and GENERAL falling away; has happened right before our eyes.

Paul tells us in 2 Thes 2:9-11 that those who do not love the truth of God enough to rely on it, who do not prove all things by God's Word; WILL BE DECEIVED.

9: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10: And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11: And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Yes, those who do not love the truth of God above the words of men; will be deceived, conned, taken advantage of, led about and eventually they will be destroyed for their willful ignorance. As it is written, Hosea 4:6:

6: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
7: As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame

Those who call themselves God's people, who swell with pride; declaring that they are Philadelphian Christians, because they are faithfull to the teachings of Herbert Armstrong, have already been deceived and turned away from God.. Because they have allowed some person to come between them and God, they have gone astray. They are really blind, and wretched and spiritually naked; and they know it not.

BRETHREN; THE ETERNAL IS GOD, BESIDE HIM THERE IS NO OTHER. It is His word that is supreme, not the words of ANY MAN!!! Test and Prove all things by the standard of the Word of God.

I urge you all to do a study on the words; safety, refuge, trust, faith, help. read what the Psalms and Proverbs say about trusting in men. Your personal safety depends on it. Your eternal life depends on it. If you do not REPENT of putting anything between you and Almighty God, YOU WILL NOT BE IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION.

God has allowed a STRONG DELUSION to fall upon His people to test them; whether they will put Him first or whether they will follow some man instead. The same delusion that will deceive the whole world, just a different personality. The delusion that any man can come between us and Almighty God.