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1 Timothy 4:1b
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1 Now [de] the Spirit [pneuma] speaketh [lego] expressly, [rhetos] that [hoti] in [en] the latter [husteros] times [kairos] some [tis] shall depart from [aphistemi] the faith, [pistis] giving heed [prosecho] to seducing [planos] spirits, [pneuma] and [kai] doctrines [didaskalia] of devils; [daimonion] KJV-Interlinear
4 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, NASB
The Spirit, is a reference to the Holy Spirit, through whom we receive all of our spiritual information. We cannot see, hear, feel, or detect the Holy Spirit in any way. But in all matters of truth, the Holy Spirit is the one who performs all communications of doctrine to you as a believer, Jn. 14:26, 15:26.
The explicit statements of the Spirit, is a reference to the words written in the scriptures. Everything that is written in the Bible came to humanity through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, therefore all doctrine came from God.
Here Paul restates that there will be an apostasy in the latter times, or end times.
Whether you agree with that statement of not, is irrelevant. God has made it quite clear that as time marches on toward the end of human history, there will occur a falling away of believers, and people in general, from truth.
It is or will be, one of the many signs of the approaching end days. Unfortunately people who are indifferent toward doctrine, will not recognize their fulfillment of this prediction, just as it is written, simply because they will not be reading the Bible.
The Bible warns us (we could easily say that the Spirit warns us) of the consequences and examples of apostasy, Deu. 28:15, Eze 20:38, Ex 32; 1 Sam 15:11, Neh 9:26, Psa 78:1.
Saying that the Bible says, or the Spirit says, is essentially the same expression.
The New Testament warns of deceptive teachers, and of apostasy, Matt 24:4-12, 2 Thess 2:3-12, 2 Peter 3:3; Jude 18. The 2 Thess., reference is more particularly the reference to the ‘great’ apostasy which will occur at the end of our dispensation. It will be the most dramatic spiritual decline in all of human history.
John warned that we are in the last hour of the end days, 1 John 2:18, 4:1-6, which is symbolic for ‘very near’ the end relative to all of the rest of history, and is not a reference to the clock or to years, or to generations, etc.
Just a quick note, apostasy is present and has been present throughout human history. Just because we see it now, in its many forms, does not mean that this is the first time it has ever occurred.
There has been and there will always be, those who will hear the gospel, who will respond to the gospel, but will not stick with a daily study of the scriptures, as we are commanded to do, in order to grow up spiritually.
It is just that as history approaches the actual end of our time, the apostasy of society will be the most dramatic that it has ever been in all of history. The time of Noah has been set as the benchmark to be used for comparison, and back then only eight people walked into the Ark, out of possibly millions. Others could have walked into the Ark, but they chose against it.
The Rapture will be the reverse as far as people leaving and people staying behind, and the numbers will not be the same either as vast numbers will be Raptured away, just as vast numbers will remain.
But what is important during that last timeframe in history, is the general attitude toward God, Christ and doctrine. It will be virtually non-existent, whereas the number of new people believing in Christ will come to a virtual halt. Thus the historical gap (the third of three), and time for the next increment of history, namely the Rapture and the Tribulation.
The other two spiritual gaps occurred during the time of Noah just before the flood, and the four century period prior to the birth of Christ.
When spiritual disregard for truth ceases, then there has to be something to cause people to come around to their senses, lest the rest of the population would die off without salvation, leaving future generations (the Millennium) of possible believers without even their chance at life.
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