The longer we walk with the Lord the more we think we know, but in reality what we thought we knew will ever be unfolding before our eyes for all eternity. A great lesson we must come to appreciate is the progressive revelation of truth. If we fail to learn this most valuable lesson we will not be able to comprehend God's ways and will for our lives.

Our existence while walking with God will be unfulfilling at best. Sadly I see many Christians unfulfilled in their walk with the Lord because they are not willing to endure the dealings and judgments of God to bring them into this progressive understanding. Certainly God's ways are not our ways. We quickly quote from memory, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9) , but most often in application we have no real understanding to the “ways” and “thoughts” of God. For us to come close to understanding God's ways we first must understand our ways and then see the vast difference between our ways and God's. But, most Christians today are caught up in the traditions of religion and denominational doctrine to the point they do not know what God wills for their lives. Paul warns us, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 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. 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;” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-3) Odd but so true it is man who deceives man. And even odder, man most often uses truth to deceive another man. In the Garden of Eden the Serpent used God's own words (Genesis 3:1) to deceive Eve and there is nothing new under the sun. In every bit of deception some truth must be moving in it. So here we see a snapshot, a quick glimpse of what most Christians will be thinking and feeling, “ not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word,” when “ the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him ” will happen. I read this verse and can see the character of most Christians (myself at times) in the Church today in this verse and almost say, this verse supports Jesus coming back very soon. Now please understand I believe Jesus is coming back, when . . . well I do not know and to be honest I really do not care. I am not into going to Heaven and getting all of these rewards, I am into Him. If we serve God to get things from Him we are serving Him for the wrong reason. There is still much to do for God on earth and I thank Him for the opportunity to be used to help share the good news of the wonderful Gospel message of Jesus Christ. If I go to be with Him through His second coming, glory be to God or if I go to be with Him through the grave, glory be to God, in all things glory be to God. Deception is moving greatly in the church, many Christians are being shaken and troubled in their spirit and by words, but this “falling away first” part had me confused until I remembered God's ways and thoughts are not like ours. Today around the world it seems the church is on the move, in every city, town, and village there seems to be a church on every corner. Why today, we have invented a new word for a large church, the mega-church. In Texas alone we have many churches with congregations of 25,000, 30,000, even one with 65,000 members. If we are in the last days how can there be a “falling away first” and have all of these mega-churches around? Either we are not in the last days (I believe we are) and there is not a falling way (I believe there is). Some Christians believe there will be a great end-time revival when Jesus returns, well the Bible does not support that idea. Jesus Himself gives us a glimpse of the churches' spiritual ability and of the world when He returns, “ . . . Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? ” (Luke 18:8) Yes my friend, there is a falling way not in numbers, but to the spirituals truth in the word of God. God is not so concerned, as man is, about numbers. God is always after quality, not quantity. I believe Paul was not talking about the physical number of members falling away, but of the churches' spiritual ability to worship God in Spirit and truth. How we handle truth is always the measure of our spiritual growth and development. The truth of the word of God, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. 18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:17-18) Sadly, “the cross of Christ” is not being taught and has been replaced with messages that center around prosperity, popularity, and influence. Most churches are busy trying to work their way to heaven by programs and church activities on each day of the week. Churches outside the United States have learned all to well to copy the church in America to their demise. My friend this type of religion and service will not get you to God. Truth kills and makes alive, but who wants to hear a message that will kill you? It has always been true and will never change, if you want a mega-church do not tell the people the truth. Just preach a feel good message full of man's philosophy and self-help motives; that God loves you (which is true), and that is all you need to make it to heaven (which is not true). Now it is true love is critical in our lives, but the Bible says, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” (Psalms 23:3-4) Jesus said , “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8) My friend if we want to be involved with a church without spot or wrinkle and has power to affect lives for Christ then we must desire and receive the truth. If we want to build and edify a congregation of people who will stand for holiness, righteousness, and not compromise then we must tell them the truth for it is the truth that makes us free. (John 8:32)

I have often wondered why there will be a great falling away from the truth as Paul and others have shared. The Lord drew my attention to a very familiar portion of scripture and opened my thoughts. In Matthew we read, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock (Peter's revelation in verse 16) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18) Now Jesus here is not talking about building His church on Peter, but on the revelation that Peter had back in verse 16, (“ And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God .” (Matthew 16:16)), but it was the, “and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” that caught my spiritual attention. Of course Jesus is talking about the church as the “it” that the gates of hell will not prevail against. But what is the church doing at the gates of hell? Some would say these gates are symbolic, but I looked it up in the Greek, these gates are physical gates (Strong's 4439) not symbolic or spiritual. The answer to this question (I believe) explains why there will be a great falling away in the last days. The church has always been at the gates of hell standing in the way with great resistance, not in warfare or struggle but in the undefeatable might of Jesus Christ. When Jesus stood before Pilate He did so in great resistance to Pilate's words and authority, but was totally obedient to him. “It” has been the church that has stood for righteousness and truth to a lost and dying world prevailing against darkness and evil. “It” is the church, the God ordained organization that is to carry the message of the glorious Gospel to all nations and all tongues. The church is the foundation for truth to be articulated in the world, but in the last days, “ . . . perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) In the last days, sadly the church has stopped resisting darkness and the evil forces being held back by the gates of hell, thus the gates of hell are not prevailing. (Strong's 2729) Gates are a defensive weapon used to keep things in or out. And since there is no resistance by the church the gates of hell “ shall not prevail” or keep the evil forces behind them and whatsoever was behind the gates now freely move in world and the church. I really feel Jesus knew the gates of hell, which His Father made, would fall and was telling Peter in verse 18. He would have to know for He knows everything.

Brethren let us stand for truth and righteousness. Let us resist unrighteousness and deception at every turn. Oh friend let us not be carried away by every wind of doctrine and belief, but be established, rooted, and grounded in the message of the cross. Let us not fall easy prey to the deception that is in the church and world today. It is our choice what we believe. People are deceived because they believe a lie and not the truth. God sits before us truth and a lie and says, you choose today what you will believe. The difference in what we believe will be eternally seen, both in our lives now and for ages to come.