Is Apostasy a fact or a myth? (The Fact and Process of Apostasy part 1)

The Fact and Process of Apostasy

Part 1

APOSTASY: FACT OR MYTH?

 

IS APOSTASY A fact or a myth? Surely the authorities and defenders of the Catholic Church denied that apostasy is a fact and dismiss it as a myth. However, because it is explicitly written in the Bible, it will remain a biblical fact. Is it really written in the Bible? Does the Bible explicitly say that apostasy will take place in the first century Church Of Christ?

WHAT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST SAID

The Lord Jesus Christ said:

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time MANY WILL TURN AWAY FROM THE FAITH and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” (Matthew 24:9-11 NIV)

One of the meanings of Apostasy is “turning away from the faith.” Who are those that He is referring to that many of them will turn away from the faith? The Lord Jesus also said, “Then YOU will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and YOU will be hated by all nations because of ME. AT THAT TIME many will turn away from the faith…”

The Lord Jesus Christ is talking to His disciples, the members of the first century Church Of Christ. The Lord Jesus prophesied that His disciples will be persecuted and put to death. Did this happen? Were members of the first century Church Of Christ persecuted and put to death? The first who persecuted the first century Church were the Jews:

“And Saul was there, giving approval to his death. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.  Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him.  But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.” (Acts 8:1-3 NIV)

During the Jewish persecution of the Church many were put to death including Stephen and James the brother of John. The first century Church also suffered persecution from the Roman Empire:

“Tacitus recorded the rumor that Nero had ordered the fire that destroyed part of the city of Rome. This rumor was so widely accepted by the people that Nero had to find a scapegoat. He diverted feeling against himself to the Christians by accusing them of arson and by engaging in a saturnalia of destruction of the Christians.” (Christianity Through the Centuries, p. 91)

The Roman imperial persecution of the Church was initiated by the Roman Emperor Nero. During the Neronian persecution many Christians were put to death. The second imperial persecution was during the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian:

“Persecution broke out again in 95 during the reign of the despotic Domitian. The Jews had refused to pay a poll tax that had been levied for the support of Capitolinus Jupiter. Because the Christians continued to be associated with the Jews, they also suffered the effects of the emperor’s wrath. It was during this persecution that the apostle John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos, where he wrote the Book of Revelation.” (Christianity Through the Centuries, p. 91)

The imperial persecution continued even after the first century:

“In 235 Alexander Severus was succeeded by the emperor Maximin, who disliked the favour shown to Christians in the in the imperial household, and for a short period there was an unpleasant persecution which, unlike most of the earlier persecutions where the decisive factor was the attitude of the local governor, seems to have been inspired by the emperor’s personal decision.” (The Early Church, p. 110-111)

Take note of what the Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 24:9-11. Let us read again this verse:

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. AT THAT TIME MANY WILL TURN AWAY FROM THE FAITH and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.” (Matthew 24:9-11 NIV)

The Lord Jesus Christ did not only prophesied that the first century Church Of Christ will be persecuted and put to death (“Then YOU will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and YOU will be hated by all nations because of Me…”), but He also prophesied that apostasy will take place (“…At that time MANY WILL TURN AWAY FROM THE FAITH…”).

If the first part of the prophecy proclaimed by the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:9-11 that the first century Church will be persecuted and put to death did take place, then we are definitely sure that the second part of His prophecy stating that many will turn away from the faith (the first century Church will be apostatized) also did take place.

The Lord Jesus Christ also prophesied that “At that time (the persecution of the early Church) MANY WILL TURN AWAY FROM THE FAITH…” Thus, when the Lord Jesus Christ said, “many will turn away from the faith,” He is referring to apostasy that will take place in the first century Church Of Christ.

WHAT THE LORD JESUS CHRIST DID NOT SAID

The Catholic defenders said that “saying apostasy took place in the first century Church Of Christ opposed what the Lord Jesus Christ said in Matthew 16:18.” They even accused those who teach that apostasy took place on the first century Church Of Christ of making the Lord Jesus a liar because according to them that Lord Jesus said that apostasy will not take place based on what He said in Matthew 16:18. Let us see what the Lord Jesus Christ really said in Matthew 16:18:

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18 NIV)

Nothing in this verse that the Lord Jesus says “apostasy will not take place on the first century Church Of Christ.” This is only their interpretation on what the Lord Jesus Christ said that “…the gates of Hades will not overcome it (the Church the Lord Jesus Christ built).” Let the Bible explain what it meant. In Revised Standard Version, this is how it renders Matthew 16:18:

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18 RSV)

This is not our own interpretation. What the Matthew 16:18 says, “…the gates of Hades will not overcome it” is explained by another version of the Bible. It says, “the powers of death shall not prevail against it.” Why the Lord Jesus Christ says that “the powers of death shall not prevail against His Church”? Apostle Paul explains this in I Thessalonians 4:16:

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” (I Thessalonians 4:16 NIV)

Those referred to by Apostle Paul when he said “in Christ” are the members of the Church Of Christ. Apostle Paul called them “in Christ,” Jesus called them “My Church.” Jesus said, “the powers of death shall not prevail against it,” and Apostle Paul said, “the dead in Christ will rise first.”

These words of the Lord Jesus Christ saying “…the gates of Hades will not overcome the Church” will never meant that the Church will not be apostatized because the Lord Jesus Christ will not contradict His own words. What the Lord Jesus Christ said was “At that time MANY WILL TURN AWAY FROM THE FAITH.” What the Lord Jesus Christ did not say and will not say is that the Church will not be apostatized.

Thus, it’s a biblical fact that apostasy took place in the first century Church Of Christ.

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