• The apostasy in our day.

    From zebrabible@zebrabible@proton.me to alt.bible on Fri Sep 11 22:12:00 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.bible

    The apostasy in our day.

    The Bible predicted a great apostasy away from true religion, to
    occur: Acts 20:30,

    "and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse
    things, to draw away the disciples after them." (RSV)

    In the past, the Methodist Church was in a split. Some members of the
    church want to accept homosexuals. Others did not. Thus a split.

    Yet the true religion of today has no discord within itself. It is
    similar to the first century Christians. It follows this Scripture to
    the letter:

    - New American with Apocrypha
    1 Corinthians 1:10 I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus
    Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no
    divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in
    the same purpose.

    BUT WAIT! Doesn't that mean that you can't think for yourself, that
    you can't criticize your religion, that you are mind controlled? That
    is what many say about JW's. When a religion has nothing but truths,
    then all SHOULD speak in agreement. Right? Notice: 2 Thes 2:2,3,

    "2. that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be
    disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us,
    to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
    3. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the
    apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son
    of destruction," (NASB)

    That all happened in 1914, the time of Jesus' return, when Jesus was
    ruling in the midst his enemies. (Ps 110:2) By this time, the apostasy
    was going strong. But who is this oman of lawlessnesso who gets
    revealed?

    Notice that the "man of lawlessness" is connected with the foretold
    religious "apostasy" (rebellion, NIV) that would occur within the
    Christian congregations. (2 Th 2:3)

    The religious truths that the first century Christians practiced were
    kept uncontaminated by the strength and power of Jesus' Apostles.
    (they were the 'restraint' that kept it all together. Vs 6,7) When
    they all died off, the apostasy took off and expanded.

    False Christian religion now became large and influential and
    would exist right up till the time of the end. (See Mt 13:24-30)
    In 2 Th 2:7 Paul tells us that the "lawlessness" of this man was
    already existing in his day and will exist till Jesus destroys him.
    Thus it is not a specific individual (Vs 8). That means this "man of lawlessness" that was started in Paul's day would exist up to the end
    the system of things when Jesus will destroy his enemies. (Re 19:21)

    Again, this also shows that the "man of lawlessness" could not be one individual person. Thus this "man of lawlessness" is a composite term
    which includes all forms of false or counterfeit teachers of
    Christianity. They claim to teach the truth of the Bible thus they set themselves "up in God's temple" (Vs 4) This starts to occur after all
    the apostles die off. Acts 20:29,30,

    "29. "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among
    you, not sparing the flock;
    30. and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse
    things, to draw away the disciples after them." (NASB)

    Thus begins the formation of many false religions. That is why we see
    so many of them around today all claiming to be oChristiano. The
    Christ does not exist divided, and never will.

    2 Pe 2:1,3,

    "1. But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will
    also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce
    destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them,
    bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
    3. and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their
    judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not
    asleep." (NASB) [See the examples below]

    Yes, false religious teachers would spring up. They would even taunt
    the true oone faitho religion. (Eph 4:4,5) But their lawless deeds do
    not go unnoticed, and their eminent destruction is at hand. Mt
    13:24-30,

    " 24. He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of
    heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.
    25. "But while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares also
    among the wheat, and went away.
    26. "But when the wheat sprang up and bore grain, then the tares
    became evident also.
    27. "And the slaves of the landowner came and said to him, `Sir, did
    you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?'
    28. "And he said to them, `An enemy has done this!' And the slaves
    said to him, `Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?'
    29. "But he said, `No; lest while you are gathering up the tares, you
    may root up the wheat with them.
    30. `Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of
    the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and
    bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my
    barn."'""


    The ofireo here in Jesus' parable is not hellfire. This fire here is
    symbolic of everlasting destruction. God does not burn living beings
    alive in a literal fire. Would you?

    Yes, all false religion will be around right up till the oharvesto;
    the end of the world. Those in the oone faitho true religion will have
    to put up with them until the end. And today the Bible warns those in
    those false religions to GET OUT!

    -- Revised Standard
    Revelation 18:4 Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come
    out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share
    in her plagues;

    She has been causing oplagueso wherever she went. "These evidently are expressions of GodAs anger and symbolically point to the result or
    effect of His judicial decisions, and are expressions of GodAs anger
    and symbolically point to the result or effect of his judicial
    decisions upon them." (Insight, plague, p. 647)

    -- New Revised Standard with Apocrypha
    Revelation 18:5 for her sins are heaped high as heaven,
    and God has remembered her iniquities.

    Yes, today Christendom is steeped in the cesspool of false pagan
    religious teachings such as:

    Hellfire, an immortal soul, all good people go to Heaven, the dead
    continue to exist, the celebrating of pagan holidays, purgatory,
    Limbo, papal line of descent, forbidden to eat certain foods, just
    sprinkling of baptismal water, supporting and participating in the
    wars of this world, religious leaders wearing special garb, saying
    prayers for the dead, the bodily resurrection of Jesus, the REMOVAL of
    God's Holy Name from their Bibles, the claim of healings, the reading
    of horoscopes, their clergy getting paid.

    Yes, the apostasy is strong and robust during these last days. But so
    is her enemy, the true "one faith" religion based on God's word, the
    Holy Bible. (Eph 4:4,5)

    "How Can I Find Happiness in Life?
    Our free Bible study program can help.
    See How"
    Go to: jw.org (9/11/2026)
    zebrabible@proton.me

    Help put the fire out in Hellfire
    (God is not a sadist)


    Help put the fire out in Hellfire
    (God is not a sadist)
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Christ Rose@usenet@christrose.news to alt.bible on Sat Sep 12 06:03:01 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.bible

    This Satan's Witness tool describes exactly what "Jehovah's Witnesses"
    are. THEY are the apostasy in our day. Almost everything they say is a
    perfect contradiction to what the Bible teaches.

    The Truth of God's Word Regarding Christ's Return, the Resurrection, the Nature of Man, and Eternal Judgment

    The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ

    The claim is made that the bodily resurrection of Jesus is a false
    teaching. What does the Bible plainly teach?

    "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." (Luke
    24:39, ESV)

    Jesus explicitly denies that He was raised merely as an immaterial
    spirit. He specifically directs attention to His flesh and bones.

    "Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will
    raise it up.' The Jews then said, 'It has taken forty-six years to build
    this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?' But he was
    speaking about the temple of his body." (John 2:19-21, ESV)

    The very body that was destroyed on the cross is the exact body Jesus
    said He would raise up.

    "Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here, and see my hands; and
    put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but
    believe.' Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God!'" (John 20:27-28, ESV)

    Jesus bore the tangible, physical wounds of His crucifixion in His
    resurrected body.

    First Proposition: Jesus Christ arose from the dead bodily in physical
    flesh and bone, not as an invisible spirit creature.

    The Return of Jesus Christ

    The claim is made that Jesus returned invisibly in the year 1914. What
    does the Bible plainly teach?

    "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even
    those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account
    of him. Even so. Amen." (Revelation 1:7, ESV)

    When Jesus returns, the event is not secret or invisible; every human
    eye will see Him.

    "And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men
    stood by them in white robes, and said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you
    stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into
    heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.'" (Acts 1:10-11, ESV)

    Jesus departed visibly and bodily into the sky, and the angels declared
    that He will return in the exact same manner.

    "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west,
    so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Matthew 24:27, ESV)

    "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he
    is!' do not believe it." (Matthew 24:23, ESV)

    Jesus explicitly warned His disciples not to believe anyone who claims
    the Messiah has arrived invisibly or in an unseen, secret location.

    Second Proposition: The return of Jesus Christ is a visible, bodily, and globally apparent event, refuting any notion of an invisible presence occurring in 1914.

    The Conscious Existence of the Dead

    The claim is made that the conscious existence of the soul after
    physical death is a pagan falsehood. What does the Bible plainly teach?

    "Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body
    and at home with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8, ESV)

    To be absent from the physical body is, for the believer, to be
    immediately present with the Lord.

    "I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with
    Christ, for that is far better." (Philippians 1:23, ESV)

    Paul understood that physical departure through death meant immediate
    personal presence with Christ, which he called far better than earthly life.

    "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those
    who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had
    borne. They cried out with a loud voice, 'O Sovereign Lord, holy and
    true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who
    dwell on the earth?'" (Revelation 6:9-10, ESV)

    The souls of the departed dead are fully conscious, articulate, and
    aware of events on earth before the final resurrection.

    Third Proposition: Physical death does not extinguish conscious personal existence; the soul survives the body in full consciousness.

    The Reality of Everlasting Punishment and Hell

    The claim is made that God never punishes the wicked in conscious
    torment, and that fire in judgment represents mere nonexistence. What
    does the Bible plainly teach?

    "And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:46, ESV)

    The identical Greek word used for the duration of life for the righteous
    is used for the duration of punishment for the wicked. If the life is
    without end, the punishment is equally without end.

    "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have
    no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." (Revelation 14:11, ESV)

    Scripture explicitly states that the wicked have no rest day or night,
    and their torment endures forever and ever. An unconscious or
    annihilated person cannot experience a lack of rest day and night.

    "And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire
    and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20:10, ESV)

    Judgment in the lake of fire consists of continuous, conscious
    retribution day and night throughout eternity.

    Fourth Proposition: The biblical penalty for the unrepentant wicked is conscious, eternal punishment, not annihilation or loss of existence.

    The Support of Gospel Ministers

    The claim is made that ministers receiving compensation for preaching
    the gospel is a mark of apostasy. What does the Bible plainly teach?

    "In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel
    should get their living by the gospel." (1 Corinthians 9:14, ESV)

    The Lord Jesus Christ Himself commanded that those who preach the gospel
    are to earn their living by that preaching.

    "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor,
    especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture
    says, 'You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,' and,
    'The laborer deserves his wages.'" (1 Timothy 5:17-18, ESV)

    God's Word directs congregations to financially support and compensate
    pastors and elders who dedicate their lives to teaching the Scriptures.

    Fifth Proposition: Financial support of ministers and elders who preach
    the Word is an explicit commandment of God, not an apostate practice.

    Christian Unity Versus Human Authoritarianism

    The claim is made that unity requires absolute, unquestioning submission
    to a single earthly religious sect. What does the Bible plainly teach?

    "There is one body and one SpiritrCojust as you were called to the one
    hope that belongs to your callrCoone Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God
    and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
    (Ephesians 4:4-6, ESV)

    True Christian unity is not rooted in loyalty to an earthly corporate governing body, but in a shared spiritual bond with the one Lord Jesus
    Christ.

    "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they
    received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to
    see if these things were so." (Acts 17:11, ESV)

    The Bereans were commended by God precisely because they checked the
    teachings of the apostles themselves against the written Scriptures,
    rather than yielding unquestioning obedience to human authorities.

    Sixth Proposition: True unity among believers is centered on the person
    of Jesus Christ and adherence to the Holy Scriptures, which every
    individual believer is commanded to examine and verify.
    --
    Good News rCa

    Jesus is God: christrose.news/Jesus-God.

    The only true gospel that has power to save is that Christ died for our
    sins and rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Galatians 1:8-9).
    Every perverted gospel is false and drives souls to conscious, eternal
    torment in the lake of fire (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9; John 3:18;
    Revelation 14:11; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:11-15). If you deny
    that Jesus is God, you will die in your sins (John 8:24).

    Our debt to God was nailed to the cross where Christ died for our sins (Colossians 2:14), and God demonstrated this fact by raising Him from
    the grave (Romans 1:4). Now, God remains perfectly just while forgiving
    those who put their faith in Jesus (Romans 3:26) and sparing them from
    future wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10). It is a free gift for everyone who believes (Romans 6:23). Trust in the Lord and call on His name to
    receive salvation (Romans 10:9-13):

    How to be saved: christrose.news/salvation
    --- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2