“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” II Thes. 2:2. The next verse very clearly explains and summarizes this: “Let no man deceive you by any means:” that is, “neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us.” (It appears that some unscrupulous characters were attempting to undermine the Truth by writing fraudulent letters, pretending to be the apostles of Christ.)

        “For that day [the day of Christ] shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition” II Thes. 2:3.

        One may fall out of a tree; he may fall off of a roof, he may stumble or trip and fall. Considering the law of gravity we must conclude all of these “falls” to be downward. Our immediate text cites a “falling away.” If this be so, then it must be determined that there are two entities, each having some form of gravitational pull. One may be said to draw unto itself, the other, to draw away.

        In the Greek dictionary we are given two words: apostasia (fem.) and apostasion (neut.) It is defined as being a “defection from the Truth,” the state of apostasy. It is something separative, (spec.) divorce. If we say that there is an invisible magnetism, a gravity that draws one person to another, a falling in love; the opposite then, a separation, then divorce, must be preceded by a falling away.

        The Word of God, and not the dictionary, is the final authority. Does the scripture confirm what we are told? Two opposing entities are given: Truth, and the Lie. When the antichrist shall come it will be with “power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.” They that “received not the love of the Truth,” “who believed not the Truth that they might be saved” shall “perish.” Then, of course, they that do receive the love of the Truth, will be saved. (Read all the verses, nine through twelve.)

        “That they all might be damned who believed not the Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” II Thes. 2:12. The opposite is seen in Abraham, who “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” Gal. 3:6. When Solomon assumed the throne of David he began his prayer unto God thusly: “Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he hath walked before thee in Truth and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee. . .“ I Kings 3:6. Truth affords a firm foundation for righteousness, the two being steadfastly bonded together. In Ephesians chapter six and verse fourteen we are exhorted to stand, and that, by “having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.” Concerning Truth, we are to “gird up the loins of your mind” I Peter 1:13. Concerning the breastplate of righteousness: “for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness” Rom. 10:10.

Should we be at all surprised to find unbelief and unrighteousness as bedfellows?

        “That they all might be damned who believed not the Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

        We are continuing on our subject of the “falling away.” In the Garden of Eden was placed a man and his wife, Adam and Eve. All readily proclaim [who acknowledge the truth] that man fell. Yes, he fell, but from what? I propose to compare the account found in Genesis with that which is seen in II Thessalonians chapter two.

        If in II Thessalonians we find a “falling away” and “that man of sin” being “revealed” then should it be any wonder if we find the first revealing of the “serpent” to be in the Garden; that the first “apostates” who should “fall away” from the Truth are there also?

        They had been given the Truth, the Word of God: “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:” [They had a God-given Liberty] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it. . .” “the serpent. . . said unto the woman. Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” The serpent has taken a truth and manipulated it in such a way as to remove the liberty and the blessing with which it was originally given. With the eating of the fruit of the trees in the garden they might experience a walking in the cool of the day with the Lord; might know the joy and peace to be found with such communion. But Satan’s design was to bring about an unrest, an uneasiness, to disquiet that glow of fellowship they enjoyed in His presence. Eve, being the theologian that she was, engages the serpent in debate. Regretfully, instead of quoting the Word of God as God gave it, she must add her own commentary to it for good measure: “Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Eve is reading from the N.E.V., the New Eden Version!

        What has just happened here? Eve has compromised the Word of God, she has just “fallen away” from the Truth. What did we find concerning the “falling away”? Defection from the Truth, the state of apostasy, separative, divorce. Notice, had she fell down to the ground from the tree from which she plucked the fruit - that would have happened suddenly. But the “falling away” occurs subtly, slowly.

        Now that Eve has placed herself in such a vulnerable position, the serpent “quotes” back to her the Word of God; only he adds just one little three letter word - not. “Ye shall not surely die.”

        “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise. . .” While those found in II Thessalonians “believed not the Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” The act of partaking of the forbidden fruit was an act of unrighteousness. Eve evidently found “pleasure in unrighteousness;” she “believed not the Truth” “Thou shalt surely die,” else she would have abstained.

Man fell away from the Truth. Why did he fall? Because he did not stand.

        Oh Eve! If you had only had Ephesians chapter six! You might have found that you “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” You might have taken “unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.” You might have had your loins girded about with Truth. [How powerless a fig leaf religion] and having on the breastplate of righteousness.” Oh that you might have taken “the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” But she did not have Ephesians chapter six - We do!

        King David had two sets of armour. One he wore when going forth to face the great giant Goliath. Another he wore as he went forth into battle with his armies. One fateful day the king sent his armies out to battle, himself staying behind. David’s armour lay perhaps polished to perfection, in a place to itself. After all, he was not going to war; he had no need of the armour. David’s other set of armour, that which he wore when facing Goliath, was also laid aside: there was no Goliath here! Would that someone might have called out, O king David! A greater than Goliath is come against you! “Take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day!” David, you “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” Let not any believer be so naive as to assume the confines of the church house to be immune from Satan’s attack. There is neither a time nor place that we ought think it safe to lay aside the armour of God.

        “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first.” But men have found the means to deceive many. There is this day a grievous falling away.

        “Beloved, when I gave you all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” Jude 3.

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