2 Thessalonians 2:3, Falling away [Gr. apostasia].
Whether the mainstream Western church is apostate or not depends on how define the word “apostate.” The word apostate comes from the biblical Greek apostasia, which literally means “a falling away or defection or forsaking of the truth.” That word is found in only two places in the NT. One place is 2 Thess 2:3. What is Paul telling us that people are falling away from? From the truth (see verses 10, 12, 13). What is the truth? Yeshua is the truth (John 14:6), so is the Word of Elohim (John 17:17), and so is the Torah (Ps 119:141, 152), and finally, to unite everything together, Yeshua is the Torah-Word of Elohim in flesh form (John 1:1, 14).
The other place that apostasia is found in the NT is Acts 21:21 where some Jews were falsely accusing Paul of forsaking or falling away from the Torah—an accusation he vigorously opposed, even to his own personal detriment. In defending himself against this lie, he eventually was arrested and sent to Rome for trial, which eventually led to his martyrdom. Ironically and sadly, the mainstream Christian church, to this day, believes the lies of Paul’s false accusers—that he was forsaking or abandoning or falling away (apostasia) from the truth of the law. So now to answer your question specifically: Is the American church apostate? The answer is yes and no. To the degree that the church, any church, or person, or denomination or whatever doesn’t have the truth (as the Bible defines it) is the degree to which that person, church or religious institution is apostate. The church teaches many biblical truths, but also teaches many lies. To the degree that any person or institution teaches against the truth of the Bible is to the degree to which that person or system is apostate or a part of the Babylonian mystery religious system, which YHVH is currently calling his people out of as per Revelation 18:4.
The word Babylon means “confusion or mixture,” and it’s a confusion of truth and lies, good and evil, like the tree by that name. The devil or serpent is in the details. However, when we read the details of Scripture and put the pieces of truth together (“here a little, there a little” and “rightly dividing the word of Elohim”), a very different picture emerges, and it’s not always a pleasant picture either; namely how humans have often twisted and eviscerated the pure light of YHVH’s biblical truth, with the help of the serpent who is slyly hiding camouflaged in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
What is the main point I’m trying to make here? Simply this. None of is right before YHVH. (Only the imputed righteousness of Yeshua and the work of the Spirit of Elohim in our lives makes us right before the Kadosh One of Israel.) To the degree that any of us (including our Christian, lost sheep of the house of Israel brethren) aren’t walking according to the light of the truth of both the Living and Written Torah-Word of Elohim is to the degree that we are apostate and under the control of the world, the flesh and the devil.
With due respect Natan, I would share some thoughts about your ideas. You wrote:
Is the American church apostate? The answer is yes and no…..
mmmm…
That could no be a proper answer. Sorry Natan. This time I disagree. That answer condenses all that is been preached and taught by the Christian churches with all their denominations, all that has taken millions to hell.
You also wrote:
The church teaches many biblical truths, but also teaches many lies…
that is Satanic so there’s no way to declare they are right with Elohim. He said:
Mat 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
He also declared to John:
Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
A loaf that is 9.999% made out of good dough, and the rest is deadly poison is BAD BREAD, not edible.
Satan told Eve some truth and some lies. and that was absolutely sinful.
Acording to what I undertand, Christianity is a Torahless religion (they have rejected the Torah completely and have added their own takanot), Judaism is a Torahless religion (they have put their takanot over the Torah) and many others that are much more away from the Elohim of Israel
With YeHoVáH there’s NO RELIGION. Just like Yeshúa never founded Christianity, YeHoVáH never ordered or created a religion at all.
I will address some things that you say here that don’t quite line up with biblical truth a little later.
In the mean time, it is a common misconception among many folks that Christianity is a Torahless religion. This is patently not true. While I in no way support the many lies taught in mainstream Christianity, you will never find me spreading the lie that Christianity is a Torahless religion. If this lie were true, than Christians would be teaching that it’s alright to lie, steal, murder, commit adultery, covet, rape, fornicate, practice witchcraft, have sex with animals, etc., etc., etc. You know very well that good Christians neither teach this nor practice this. Therefore, I will not accept on this my blog, lies about about Christianity.
We attempt to speak objective truth here based on fact.
Is Christianity perfect before YHVH Elohim? Of course not…and neither are you and I. There for the grace of Elohim go all of us.
I hate the pride in the Hebrew Roots Movement——the “I am better than thou” attitude. It’s time we got the beam out of our own eye. Does this tweak our pride for me to say this? Good! We all need to be humbled and knocked off our pedestals.
In my many years of pastoring, I have found that, in most cases, those who bash Christians the most and loudly proclaim the Torah the most are often the most unrighteous of all when it comes to actual Torah-obedience. When their personal lives are exposed, often, in reality, they’re level of righteousness is much lower than what they loudly proclaim, and in some cases, lower than the very Christians they criticize. Fact: often when we put others down, it’s to compensate for our own lack. Selah. Please be careful here.
As stated, I will address this issue in more detail later.
Well said my brother Natan.
As pointed out in the article, apostasy means falling away from the truth and certainly Christian denominations have done away with much of Elohim’s truth and in that sense, they are apostate. But so is every one who does not perfectly follow Elohim’s instructions whether it is not paying tithe or refusing to forgive a brother etc. So in a way, we are all apostate to one degree or another. Ya’akov 2:10-11 says: For a person who keeps the whole Torah, yet stumbles at one point, has become guilty of breaking them all.
John & Sonja
I totally agree.
Agree with you Natan… There is so much I could say here. In my experience since 2003 I have come across a few Hebrew Roots people , Say they are Torah observant wear Tzit Tzit.. Etc SPEEK THE LINGO…! But BOY !! were they short on Fruit of The Spirit , FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT….and the louder they spoke & critisized others , the more SIN.. got exposed in their own lives. ….I have seen it outworking first hand & I was shocked by what I saw & witnessed ..so much so that one case was a terrible marriage breakup.. & fallout between 2 families each having 1 family -4 children & another family – 3 children.. Not nice…
Now I have contact with a dear friend in another part of the States ..he has Israeli background by Birth ..& has written a few books.. One book A Remnant shall return / he states no one can keep the Torah perfectly as there are 613 commandments plus the 10 Moses gave after coming down from MT Sinai..plus he mentions who lays their ground to rest every 7 th year or who goes up to Jerusalem to keep the 3 Pilgramage feasts..?? Probably no one.
So in the FLESH WE CANNOT KEEP TORAH “PERFECTLY ” BUT WE ENDEAVOUR TO HONOUR ELOHIM & DO OUR VERY BEST ..KEEPING IN MIND THE 10 COMMAMNDMENTS… IT IS A WORK OF THE ENEMY THAT HE HAS CAUSED SO MUCH CONFUSION IN THE BODY OF CHRIST / YESHUA OUR SAVIOUR …SO WE MUST ENDEAVOUR TO GET RID OF SIN WITH THE HELP OF THE RUACH / HOLY SPIRIT, LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS THAT WAS A COMMANDMENT OF YESHUA HIMSELF, FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER & STRIVE TO KEEP UNITY THRU THE POWER OF THE RUACH HA KODESH/ HOLY SPIRIT.
And seek deliverance from SIN..( ISSUES OF OUR HEARTS ) IS A WORK OF THE RUACH NOT IN OUR OWN STRENGTH BUT THRU THE POWER OF THE RUACH..
We are still works in progress.
Yeshua died once and for all.. By his shed blood and only because of his shed blood & painful death on the cross/ stake can any one of us receive Salvation… We can’t receive Salvation by doing Torah perfectly as we would all fail. Otherwise why did Yeshua have to die. ! I love the fact that Yeshua is prophetically a perfect picture of the Feasts ..and I praise Yah for showing me that Christmas & Easter are pagan.. & because I love what Yeshua has done in paying the price for my sin & others is that I want to honour him as best I can.. & walk with a contrite heart.
A big amein!
Agreed!