Does the Bible Teach About Apostasy?
Throughout the Bible, prophets were an important part of God’s plan. They allowed His children to receive specific teachings from God. However, they had to live in a way that demonstrated their respect for those teachings. When the prophets were largely rejected or ignored, God removed them for a time.
After the death of the Savior, Jesus Christ, and His apostles, all prophecy was taken from the earth for an extended period of time. This meant the small group of people who kept Christianity alive had no way to receive new teachings from God, and they had no one to turn to when they had questions about the gospel. Over time, as Christianity grew, teachings became corrupted, and various groups interpreted scripture in differing ways. Differences were hammered out in meetings, rather than resolved through prayer and counsel with God. Various denominations arose, as people disagreed strongly and chose to form their own churches to teach what they personally believed.
The Bible foretold of this time. Prophets warned the people that if they didn’t adhere to the teachings of God, and accept the Savior’s great sacrifice, there would come a time when people would have to search desperately for truth.
The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. (Isaiah 24:5)
Isaiah spoke often of the future apostasy. We can see from this verse he saw three things that would corrupt God’s teachings: Laws would be blatantly broken, laws would be altered, and the “everlasting covenant” would be broken and eventually disappear entirely. This defiled the earth and led to the loss of truth on earth.
The Old Testament prophet Amos described this time in an emotional and visual way that exactly describes the condition of the world prior to the restoration. Today, people continue to suffer from a famine of truth and run all over the world seeking it. Happily, today it is available to be found.
11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:
12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12)
Paul warned the early Christians of the New Testament that the apostasy would occur following his own death:
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. (Acts 20)
He also warned Timothy of those dangerous times:
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
There are many more scriptures warning of an apostasy, but the most important evidence is found simply by looking around the world today. There are hundreds of churches in every town, all teaching conflicting doctrine. Some churches have declared the teachings of the Bible to be old-fashioned and not important in this day. Others simply disagree about how to interpret even the most basic and critical doctrines.
Is baptism done by sprinkling or by immersion? Is it done to infants, adults, or children? Is it necessary at all?
Is it important to keep the commandments or is it enough to simply acknowledge God lives?
Does the family, as taught by the prophets and by the Savior matter, or is it an outdated concept?
Do we have to keep all the Sabbath Day holy, or is it enough just to go to church?
There are churches that teach every aspect of these important subjects. God is not a God of confusion. He worked hard to give us His gospel and to teach us what is true and what the rules are. He offered us a way to find out for ourselves what is true:
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (James 1:5)
There is no question God wants us to know what is true and that there can only be one truth. What God teaches is true, and everything else is the teaching of man. If truth didn’t matter, we wouldn’t need a Bible filled with teachings, truths, and commandments.
As we see the overwhelming confusion and contention over religion in our world today, we can’t deny an apostasy has occurred. The world is not unified in its understanding of God’s teachings, even within the Christian world. Happily, when God forewarned of an apostasy, he also promised a restoration:
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3)
