NT - The Apostacy

From the time the Early Christian Church began, and even the time prior to that, prophets spoke of the apostasy. If you look up the list in the topical guide, you will see that the prophecies are quite large in number. Isaiah and Amos in the Old Testament foretell of this falling away. Then, from the very start of the New Testament, the apostles wrote of the apostasy and warn the members. Matthew and John write about it in the Four Gospels. Luke mentions it in his writings in Acts. Paul's accounts are more direct warnings in his epistles to the Galatians, Corinthians, Thessalonians, Timothy, and Titus. Following Paul are James, Peter, John, Jude, and St John the Divine in Revelation. So many warnings to the people of the church.

Paul states in Acts 20:29-31, "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears."

Paul knows he's going to his death in Jerusalem, and yet, he takes a moment of his valuable time left on the earth to remind the saints what he had warned them about "every one night and day" for three years. He knew the apostasy was coming, and it was coming soon. He would not live to see it, that much is clear, but he knew the members of the church living during his time, would live to see it. The apostasy was on its way, growing from a rebellion within the church itself, not by external attack of any other church, that would burn the church to the ground, so to speak, and leave future generations the task of picking up the ashes so that Christianity could survive. So Paul warned the saints, he told them to watch out and to not be led away.

Nevertheless, the Early Christian Church died in the first century A.D. and the apostasy began. Christianity survived, however, and religious peoples picked up the pieces from the shattered glass to form other Christian churches.