Apostasy - Part V
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; II Thessalonians 2:3
In this message we will discuss the reasons for the falling away of the
church, otherwise known as apostasy.
3. The Bible Codes
The apostle Peter tells us where true prophecy comes from. It comes from
holy men of God speaking as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. In II Peter
1:20-21 it says "20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture
is of any private interpretation. 21 For the prophecy came not in old time
by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the
Holy Ghost."
We see Jesus Christ tell us in the gospel of John that the Holy Ghost,
which is the Spirit of Truth, will show us things to come. In John 16:13
it says "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you
into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall
hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come."
John 14:26 and John 15:26 show that the Spirit of truth, the Comforter and
the Holy Ghost are the same. In John 14:26 it says "But the Comforter,
which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall
teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever
I have said unto you." Also in John 15:26 it says "But when the Comforter
is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of
truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:"
It is the Holy Ghost who shows us about future events from the Bible (Old
King James Version only) or through the gifts of the Spirit and not Bible
codes. The Bible codes are inaccurate. I have often heard Christians on
the radio trying to predict future world events by using Bible codes and
what they predicted would never come to pass. The Bible shows us when a
prediction is not of God. In Deuteronomy 18:22 it says "When a prophet
speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to
pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet
hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him."
Several years ago, an advertisement for a book on a conservative news site
said "Does the Bible predict Armageddon? A new book reveals a secret Bible
Code. Click Here Now" (This advertisement is expired). If you are a
person who studies the Bible you know that in the book of Revelation there
are many scriptures talking about Armageddon. Reading and studying God's
Word, not secret Bible codes, is the way to learn about the end times.
In closing, we need to look to the word of God (Old King James Version
only) and the Holy Ghost as our teacher for prophecy or any study of the
scriptures. In II Timothy 2:15 it says "Study to show thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth." The scriptures show how Jesus Christ, the apostles and
prophets used the word of God. We must follow this example and not some
secret Bible codes.
In next post I will start a new topic.
