Apostasy in Last Days — Martin Geehan

I will now bring you the second message of the morning. You know, incidentally, this is a common thing in foreign countries. In Russia, do you know, the church in Moscow begins at eleven in the morning and finishes at seven at night?

No time out. Those people are so hungry for the word of God, they'll have three and four preachers bring messages, one on top of the other. The hunger for the word of God is so deep. And I suppose if that happened in this country, there'd probably be some rebellions, you know.

Persecution, Prosperity, and the Church's Reliance on God's Word

But when I think of when people are going under persecution, how they cling to the word of God. It seems that prosperity has never done anything for the church of Jesus Christ. It's always in the time of deep trial and travail that the church has that wonderful relationship with its Lord and Savior.

Mark my words, if tomorrow we were in an intense war and this country were attacked, you would find, and don't forget, the next great war, this nation will be attacked. It will not sit on the sidelines and send its soldiers over to another nation to fight on its ground.

It may interest you to know, you know, this fascinates me very much. I read here, and of course we're speaking of prophecy, but in Finance magazine, which is one of the highest regarded magazines in the financial area of our world, it's highly respected in business, in banking, diplomatic circles, and executive circles.

In its October issue, it says this, there's much more to the Soviets' invasion of Czechoslovakia, and finally to the letting down on the Vietnam War. It looks as though it is the first step to World War III, which should be upon us by 1970 or sooner, and Israel is the center.

In other words, the very release at the present time, Russia backing us up in this letting up in the Vietnam War, is because Russia does not want to be involved on two fronts, and she is the great supplier, one of the great suppliers for Vietnam.

She also yearns to be the great supplier for the Arab world, with jets and all of the rest. The Arab world buildup at the present time is so tremendous, they said, that it's unbelievable, with Russian arms.

She will not be involved on two fronts, certainly if it's a sign of the last days, and we're speaking of that, and I don't want to get too deeply into this now, because I have other things I want to say, but I couldn't help but think, and of course the headline says, Some Circles Fear World War by 1970, and these are in the financial areas of the world, and in some of the minds of those who are considered to be, and it does say more than that.

It says, appears that the Moscow now fears the new young socialist society, which is demanding more freedom of expression, and a better standard of living. A substantial portion of the population of the communist countries is under 30 years of age.

They are going to whip up the dogs of war, to suck up the youth into military service, and thus get them under hard-line control. It's the only way they can do it, you see. Suck up the youth, get them under the hard-line control.

Now, these are by men who undoubtedly know more than we do about things outside in the world. I thought I'd mention that, because it struck me when I read it in the finance magazine. Some of you men who work in Wall Street may know that magazine better than I do.

Prophecy as Essential to Faith in Christ

This morning, if you would turn with me over to Paul's first epistle to Timothy, and the fourth verse, the fourth chapter. We have been discussing prophecy, in reference to Hebrews, the first chapter, 10th to 12th verses, where we have delayed, in which it speaks of the creation of the world, and finally the rolling up of the world like a scroll.

So we're taking the in-between portion, the prophetic utterances of Jesus Christ, of the disciples, the prophets of old, and it's a very important thing. You must believe in prophecy as you believe in Jesus, because the same word that gives you salvation in his blood is the same word that speaks prophecy.

The same Savior who says he came into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved, is the Savior that warns of the latter days and tells you of the great wickedness that will come upon the earth.

So for a person to tell me, I believe in Christ as my Savior, but I don't believe in prophecy, is saying Christ is true here, but a liar there. So that prophecy would be nothing but lies unless it's to be fulfilled.

So that you can't have Christ as your Savior and deny what he has to say about the end time. Otherwise, I would believe that you're only taking salvation because you think this may get you to heaven. Actually, you don't believe Jesus, but somehow mentally you think if you consent to this, it's all right.

You don't consent to Christ's salvation unless you consent to everything he said. If Christ is risen from the dead, everything he said then is inviolable. So that the prophetic utterances of Christ are the most blessed parts of Scripture.

It gives you hope. Let me tell you, Paul puts it simply, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. What does it mean? Who cares? Who cares whether you're saved or not, if it's in this life only?

Salvation, Regeneration, and the Christian's Destiny

When you come to Christ and you take him as your Savior from sin, there's real repentance in the heart, there's regeneration that takes place by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in your breast, and you'll notice how I have been stressing that you must know that you're saved.

And I don't ever want to lower this any one iota. You must know that you're saved. You'll never be dynamic for God with your children. You'll never be what you should as a parent until you have that great knowledge of why you're here, where you're going, what the destiny is of the world, what God...

Listen, God's laid it all down in his Word so you don't have any doubts. Science can't do this for you. They can merely tell you that the world's going to end. All right, we know it. But we say it's going to end before science says so.

Science can tell us it's 50 million or 100 million years away when the earth will normally die as a star, and that's it, as a planet. They admit it. If this be true, then creation is nothing, building is nothing, morality is nothing, nothing is nothing.

But beloved, God has given us a destiny, and this is the key to our lives. This is the hope that thrills our hearts. This is the hope that makes it possible to us to stand the strains of life and to come out triumphant.

And so, beloved, when somebody says to me, you know, I trust Christ as my Savior, and then when I talk to them about prophecy, you know, it's a terrible thing, and I want to say this. Do you know that prophecy is not taught in 95 of the churches?

Did you know that? 95%, although the prophetic utterances of Scripture are every 24 verses in the whole of Scripture. I didn't count it. I have to leave that to men who love figures. Every 24 verses, the second coming of Jesus is mentioned in some fashion, the coming of Christ.

And yet, with all this, and with the fact that the book of Revelation in the first chapter says, who shall ever read of this will be blessed, yet prophecy is left out of all preaching. And if you ask the average preacher about prophecy, you say, oh, it's too hard to understand.

No sense preaching on that. Well, beloved, let me tell you something. Unless I had the prophecies that Jesus Christ utters and the apostles utter and that Israel shows forth, I wouldn't have anything to say.

If in this life only I have hope in Christ, I am among all men most miserable. And I have to say that the average church is preaching for now and trying to make people a little more moral and a little better for this life.

But I want to say this. That's not my preaching. My preaching is to give you salvation in the blood of Jesus Christ, and then through that salvation and that wondrous faith, having the Spirit of God dwell in you.

And let the Spirit give you all the joys about His second coming. Jesus says, when I give you the Spirit, what does He say? He will not speak of Himself. He's going to tell you about Me. What is He going to tell you about Jesus?

Everything. He's going to tell you Jesus is coming again. Remember when He ascended? And they stood beside Him, the two men in white, and said, this same Jesus, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? The poor disciples watching Him go, Lord, what a terrible moment.

He's leaving us. Why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, even as ye see Him go into heaven, shall come again. Isn't that wonderful? Same Jesus, even as He ascended. Now, we cannot separate the Word of God then.

The Certainty of Christ's Second Coming

Prophecy is absolute. We're warned, don't consider it like fairy tales. That's what Peter, Paul, they all tell us. Be careful. They'll tell you it's old white fables. If you go to some preachers around here in the churches, and they'll tell you, oh, that pastor there, I've been indicted.

They say about me that he only preaches the Bible. Well, God be praised. God be praised. I'm glad for that kind of a thing. They can say what they want, but that's what they say. He only preaches the Bible.

When anybody says, do you know, oh, that's the fellow that preaches the Bible. Well, now, I don't know what we're here for, you know, but they can charge me with that any time they want. But beloved, when we think of prophecy, I want you to think of it the same as your salvation.

Are you sure you're saved? Are you sure you're redeemed? Are you trusting the blood of Christ to cleanse you from sin? Do you really know this? Then you'll believe every prophetic utterance of Jesus Christ and every word of Paul concerning prophecy, every word of Peter concerning prophecy, every word of John, every word of Scripture concerning prophecy, because this same word is the means of your salvation.

And if the same ones gave you the means of salvation, first through Jesus' blood, then through the Apostles' doctrine, then, beloved, every single word of prophecy is yours. Amen. Praise be to God. So you live in the hope of the glory of God, right?

This is it. You live in the hope of the glory of God. Now, we're dealt with Jesus and what He has to say. Not everything, but I did deal with it at quite some length. The parables of the sower, Matthew 13, it struck me.

Someone told me that Martin Dehaan is just beginning in Matthew 13. I'm glad I beat him this time. Sometimes I don't beat him. Sometimes they'll tell me, oh, listen, Dr. Dehaan had that about two months ago.

Well, someone told me he's going to start in Matthew 13. So I thought, well, I'm glad I got into Matthew 13, you know, on the parables of the kingdom. And then, of course, I spoke to you last week on the virgins, the ten virgins, the five foolish, the five wise.

Then I want to take you to the, I took you to 1 John, two weeks ago, and in the portions in the third chapter where we know not what we shall be, but we know that when we see Jesus, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

And every man that has this hope in himself purifies himself even as he is pure. If you believe that Christ is coming again and he's coming again with judgment, you yearn for purity. You don't let the devil beat you.

Holiness, Temptation, and Repentance

Remember Corinthians, there hath no temptation taken you, but that is common to man. You have no uncommon temptation. Don't fool yourself. As I said last week, people come to me sometimes and say, but I deserve something out of life.

Well, you don't deserve sin. My flesh has to be fulfilled. It doesn't have to be fulfilled at all. I would remind you that we are called to purity, purity in young people, yes, every young person here, purity, cleanness of heart, mind and body, and to the married the same, more so.

No adulterous relationships. Let me tell you, adulterous relationships place many a mother and father in the grave before their time. God won't stand it, not if you're saved. If you're not saved, people may have thought you were saved, and if you can go on in your adulteries and all the rest and live and enjoy it and it never bothers you, boy, they better get on your knees and ask, Lord, I don't think anything ever happened in there.

I haven't had one bit of grief over this thing. I'm enjoying it. And Jesus says a lot about those people. He says they not only enjoy it themselves, but they enjoy it in others who practice it with them.

I tell you, I'm afraid Christians have an idea that this Christ life that we have is something, you know, that's sort of a bore. You get saved and you can do as you please. Paul had that kind of people.

He says, shall we sin that grace may abound? God forbid. He says, how are you that are dead to sin going to live any longer therein? Understand what God's done for you, he says. Now I want to go to Paul.

Paul's Warning About Apostasy in the Latter Times

Paul, First Timothy, fourth chapter. I think I could preach on this the rest of my life, you know. I haven't touched Israel yet. I did touch Jesus. I touched the testimony of John concerning the church, Jesus concerning the church and its terrible condition when he comes.

I had a woman, a Christian this week. I went to a funeral service for John Meyer and I had some woman say to me at the funeral service, they know me, you know, and say, Paschagian, isn't it wonderful?

There's going to be a great world revival and people are going to be swept into the kingdom and Christ will be Savior for all and then Christ will come. I said, what church do you go to? Well, I was amazed when she told me the church.

I didn't expect it, frankly. I thought, sure, she was going to tell me some modernist church. She didn't. And I said, who taught you this? Oh, she said, no one taught me. I've figured this out for myself.

Well, Christian, let me say this, Jesus makes very clear that the conditions of the church in the last days will be deplorable, deplorable, that God will not find faith on the earth when Jesus comes, that it will be like the days of Noah, wickedness was rife and if you read the 6th chapter of Genesis, you'll get a good picture, it says, violence filled the earth and if ever violence filled the earth, it fills the earth now.

Then we spoke of the testimony of the world and its final paroxysm, we're going to speak about that at another time, I don't want to get into that now. Then finally, the testimony of the church in Revelation, the seven churches of Revelation show nothing but despair and despondency about the church of Christ.

Boy, I'm so glad I'm saved this morning. I don't know how God ever gave me the privilege to preach the gospel. I didn't deserve it. But to give me an audience for his word, what tremendous grace, tremendous grace.

To me, because I could cry out with Paul, I'm the chief of sinners and the least of the saints, but what a privilege to preach this gospel and to know what it does. Now, 1 Timothy, 4th chapter, and I'm going to speak for now about ten minutes, since I brought you one message, this is the second, then we'll go to the Lord's table.

I like to get you out at the Lord's table around half past, my usual time is quarter past twelve, you know that, but around half past for the Lord's Supper. All right, 1 Timothy, 4, Paul is speaking once more, listen to his words.

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and the doctrines of devils. You know there's a whole group that are Satan worshipers right now?

They actually call themselves Satan worshipers. It's a whole cult, Satan worshipers. They need, incidentally, you may have seen them in Life magazine in the news, the cult of Satan they call it. Imagine, big enough to warrant Life magazine having something in about it.

But that's just one little part of it, I'll talk about other things there. Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth, for every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving.

The Meaning of Departing From the Faith

Now beloved, first of all, it says, now the Spirit speaketh expressly concerning the latter times. Notice that. He speaks expressly. God wants us to understand that this is to be very clear to our hearts.

It's an express statement. It is concise. He speaks expressly so that none will misunderstand of the latter days. And he speaks of those who will depart from the faith. Some, he says, will depart from the faith.

Now he's speaking of the church universal here, the church of which he spoke in his parables in Matthew 13, when he said concerning the kingdom of God, that within this great fold that is recognized as the church universal, there are weak and tares.

As far as the world is concerned, all who are identified with Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, knowing its preaching and what the preacher says from the pulpit, that he proclaims the gospel of Jesus Christ, that he proclaims salvation only in Jesus Christ, as far as the world is concerned, your attendance to its services means that you are different.

You belong to a peculiar body, even though you may be not weak but tare. The tares and the weak, Jesus says, they look exactly the same. It's called Darnell. It looks exactly the same. He says don't try to harvest it.

He said if the preacher were to look out his congregation and figure out this one probably saved and that one probably not, therefore we should get rid of the unsaved and keep the saved. And you've seen preachers do this, I imagine.

You've seen churches where this sort of thing has happened, where a person has sort of taken the judgment upon themselves. And I have people who are here in church today where the pastor had said to them, you're lost.

Because they had fallen into some sin, you're lost. Although they had come to him for repentance and to get their lives straightened out with God, not knowing the scriptures and what the scriptures say about forgiveness, they had said because you have fallen into the sin, you're lost.

But the weak and the tares are in every congregation. And the church here is looked at as universal by Paul. Paul says there are some, don't be surprised, they're going to depart from this faith that we speak of all the time.

They're going to leave it. They're going to preach damnable heresies. They once may even have seemed to agree with you. Look at Fosdick. In his early books it would almost look as Harry Emerson Fosdick agreed with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

You read his later writings, he has nothing to do with a virgin birth of the blood of Jesus Christ. And beloved, you can't get away from the fact that 1 John says very, very clearly, they left us because they were not of us.

Because had they been of us from the beginning, they never would have left us. They made a pretension and a profession. And I am limited. Your profession to me of faith, I take. I must take it. I have no right before God to be the discerner.

The spirit of God is the discerner of men's heart. It has broken my heart when someone has come to me and borne a testimony and said to me, beloved, I want to say this, I'm terribly careful. Now, especially when couples come to me to get married and some one of the two has not been saved and they come to me with the idea, maybe you can get them saved.

I want to say that old emotional life and that love thing, you know, a fellow can say anything. I have to be frank. And I've seen such terrible tragedies where mostly boys, I have to admit that, mostly fellows have deceived the girl they're going to marry and have consented to everything and have said, yes, I believe on Christ.

I take Christ as my Savior, bow their heads, go through all emotions and everything else. And the minute they're married, bang, they're gone away from the church of Jesus Christ. I tell you, beloved, there is in the church wheat and tares.

And every single one of you know today whether you're in the wheat or the tares. And here he says there are going to be those who expressly in the latter days will depart from the faith. You and I are living in the age of departure from the church.

Denominational Drift and Modernist Theology

Teachers and preachers, do you know that 50 years ago you could find gospel church after gospel church preaching the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ? Churches in Brooklyn and Manhattan and all through New York who today have rank modernist preachers, large buildings, slow deterioration took place.

And finally, from a great preacher like William Taylor who preached the word of God in Presbyterian church in New York, and that building today is the seat of modernism. God grants it this place if the Lord Jesus tarries, we'll stay strong for the things of Christ.

And if God called me home, that the people of God would know the difference between the preaching of the gospel and something that is a reasonable facsimile and sounds much alike. And I have to tell you that some of the fundamental preaching today is so close to salvation that it's hard to discern the difference.

They call it neo-orthodoxy, nearly like it, neo-orthodoxy, something brand new. And some of the men that years ago were preaching solid orthodoxy in the things of Jesus Christ have begun to depart from the ways.

He says, I want to say this expressly, Paul says, I want you to get this down. I'm not just saying it, I'm saying it expressly, so you know it has something to do with the latter times. You're going to see a departure from the faith by preachers.

It hasn't happened until our era, like before, this has been the greatest departure we've ever seen. Do you know how great that departure is? Let me give you an idea. Boy, time flies. I want to talk about faith, you see.

Faith Comes Through Hearing the Word of God

I want to talk about what faith is. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. If you haven't been born of God, you don't know what faith is. Faith is by hearing this word that talks of Christ the Savior.

But let me say this. Listen to the World Council of Churches. This was in the paper at the time. The World Council of Churches has now set up a new Ten Commandments, and it has now been adopted from Uppsala, Sweden, in July, and is being pushed to the 237 denominations now in the World Council of Churches.

Dr. Stuber says that if this implementation of the new Ten Commandments of Uppsala is taken seriously, notice, then the decisions made there will help to make all things new in the world, as well as in the Church.

Now do I have to take you over in Revelation where Jesus says, the former things have passed away, all things have become new? He says there will be no more death, no more sorrow, no more crying, no more tears, but I make all things new.

But Uppsala says the new Ten Commandments, they're going to make all things new. You want to know what the Ten Commandments are? Development of your life, human rights, three, ecumenical relations, four, world peace, five, United Nations, six, universal declaration of human rights, seven, adequate form of worship for all churches under one head, eight, the power of example, nine, political action, ten, cooperation with young folks.

There's your Ten Commandments. These Ten Commandments are going to make all things new. Let me give you something else. There's been a new Bible just come out, put out by the Oxford University Press. Look in your Bible.

They probably all published it. Your Oxford University Press. Listen to this. Bible illustrations now raise eyebrows. The new edition of the Oxford University Press of the Old Testament was published two weeks ago and is replete with earthy illustrations.

One picture in it is of a modern-day business executive in horn-rimmed glasses contemplating a semi-nude woman in black tights. The illustration says, to deliver thee from the strange, even from the stranger who flattereth with her words.

And then he says, we don't consider these illustrations in any way shocking, a spokesman for Oxford University Press said. All are done by artists. It's not abstract. He says in the Song of Solomon, we've illustrated with a nude couple in cohabitation.

Man that is born of woman, he comes forth like a flower, shows a nubile maiden giving birth to a sunflower, loaded with earthy illustrations. Beloved, I want to say this. These are the dignities of life.

Man and woman's relationship to each other are not to be the subject for some artist. Listen, the Bible has been accused often enough by people saying it has stories in there that are immoral. But I would remind you, the Bible has stories of immorality to tell you that it can happen.

But God doesn't need any illustrations drawn on paper to show nude women and all the rest in their new edition of the Bible. God deliver us. And yet the World Council says, wonderful, let's accept it.

Apostasy in the Last Days and the Need for Discernment

Listen, what more can I say? I have a lot more I want to say, but oh, beloved, listen. In the latter days, God speaks expressly, there's going to be that which will depart from the faith. They will have professed being in the church and everything else.

And there'll be whole groups of churches. I hate to say it, but nearly whole sectarian groups going down the wrong road, adopting new constitutions. The Lutheran Church, the finest synod I've known, the Lutheran Synod, Missouri, adopting things such as, no longer is the Bible a word of God.

It's the word of man. And if it inspires you, accept it. If one portion doesn't inspire you, forget it. The Presbyterian Church, its new adoption of the 1967 whole catechism, throwing out the Westminster catechism and substituting the same thing as the Lutheran Church.

Let me tell you what I say for Lutherans and what I say for Presbyterians. I have to say for a lot of Baptists, because the Baptist Convention in Canada has adopted something that's even worse than that.

Now, beloved, we're living in the last days. God speaks expressly, there will be that which will depart from this church that has been called his own. But God is saying you're going to be able to discern this.

If you're really saved, you'll see it and you'll not be deceived by it. You'll know that it is one sign of my coming. He says, I speak expressly of the latter times that some are going to depart from this faith, this church universal.

They're going to bring in damnable heresies, demoniac doctrines, doctrines of devil. We'll see a little more of that next week. Let us pray. Now, Father, we thank thee for thy blessed word, Lord. Help us to see these things for the purity, Lord.

Of those who are both before me. And behind me. Is essential. If Jesus Christ is to bless this church in revival power and that if there are any, Lord, who are living in impurity or unholiness, for that is what the second coming is crying to us.

Get your life straight. Jesus is coming. It's the latter times. Lord, if there are any who are living in deep sin with no intention of repentance or getting out, we would pray you'd take them out of the church.

Repentance is necessary. Lord, if there's repentance, thou dost welcome thy children back like the prodigal. But no repentance. We remember thy word says, I gave her a time to repent and she repented, not like cast her into a pit.

Now, Father, we pray that true repentance will be our portion. And as we wait for the coming of Christ, God create purity in our hearts. May it be like David of old when he said, Lord, restore unto me the joy of my salvation.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Here's a man who had deep sin. Now, Father, put your hand upon us. And as we look to Jesus coming, touch our hearts, draw us close to Christ. In his name we pray, Amen.