The Current Apostasy — Ian Paisley

The Current Apostasy and the Failure to Preach the Gospel

I have a very important but sad subject to deal with today. I want to talk about the apostasy, the people that should preach the gospel and don't preach it. And men who are prepared to say they are fighting fundamentalists and yet when it comes to a stand-up battle with the power of hell, they compromise.

They give in for a quiet. I want to say first of all that the articles that I am going to preach on are in the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. And they are about those wicked cities of the plain, Sodom and Gomorrah.

And they are also about the efforts by the devil to kill off the people of God and to kill off the preaching of the gospel. And the sad thing is that many have compromised and are not prepared to stand up for Jesus.

Sodom, Gomorrah, and the Coming False Religion

If you would turn in your Bible to the wonderful book of Genesis and then if you go over Genesis a little, you will come to a strange witnesser lot and it's a wonderful study. The morning dawned in the Old Testament times on the cities of the plain, even Sodom.

It was a sad thing because there was the arsenal of evil and abominable beliefs and rebellion against God's recognized revolution. This was the battle day. The hour the evil leader of the enemies of God's people has been stirred up and he's seeking now the crown of the whole ancient world and to attract to his banner the whole world so that there will be a world religion, an antichrist religion, a religion that denies the truth of the inspired revelation of God the Holy Spirit.

In a few short hours, the mighty war will start in deadly earnest and the erstwhile defeated rebels have got together and they're united to win the orders of the day. But like every place where the true and holy gospel is preached and defended, there are those who are against that gospel and are counterfeit preachers.

I want to deal with the reaction of those that were true to the book and true to the blood. It's a sad world that we're looking down to. There's only one out and out man in this whole world and that's the man called Abraham.

He was indeed the friend of God and his family were like a glowing fire burning amidst. But lined up with Abraham, there is another man and that's a man called Lot and he was related to Abraham and he had a relationship, a close relationship to the family.

Alas, Lot did not live up to his generation and teaching but mixed himself up in the great city of Sodom with Sodom's theology, which was a non-blood theology and with the religion of Sodomy, which was not the religion of the divine revelation.

So there was a beating and bleeding sore in the very heart. One side, we had Abraham. On the other side, we had Lot. Abraham stood for separation and he didn't get mixed up in the cities of the plain but the other man took office in the cities of the plain.

He became a judge in the cities of the plain and also he allowed his family to enter into marriage ties with men who rejected the very heart of the God. So we have a sad situation and we see a city and strange to relate in that city, the man Lot.

And he has taken office in that city. He has become a judge. He sits in the entrance to the city. A guarding angel, he's claiming, for the best thing for that city. But it was a devilish transaction and brought a terrible reaction upon those that wanted to see and hear the pure divine gospel.

The Corruption of Sodom's Religious Leadership

The skin worm had started their work and soon the manifestation of a blighted revelation of the true testimony of the gospel broke out in the cities of the plain. And what was it? The victory was not gained.

The blessings were not gained. The whole situation begat a whole series of men and of teachers who rejected the word and the religion of Sodom and Gomorrah which was a false religion with a false theology with a false form of priestcraft reigned in full power in that city.

A few hours before that city went into special conventions the enemies of Israel prepared a troop of soldiers who were atheists set up a relationship with Lot. They got Lot the job of becoming a police head, a police chief.

Think of it, a so-called godly fundamentalist preacher the nephew of Abraham and he's caught up in a blinding revelation and relationship of evil tied up in it. We need to remind ourselves that if you're going to do a work for God it must be a separated work.

You can't run with the devil and then claim to have pentecost. You can't pretend to know the ways of the cross and the way that reveals the coming of Christ. Pretend that you can have your evil on the one hand.

As this man Lot, there must be a clear separation barrier and over that barrier no fundamentalist can go and if he goes he betrays his Lord and he sells out the truth. Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.

The enemy here in this world were tied on to the drowning mass of water that was around the city. The skin worms were not there to destroy it. In fact they were there to maintain it. And so this whole area became soaked and saturated with a false gospel and with all the ungodliness of that false gospel.

The Judgment of False Apostles and Prophets

Before the day was going to turn before the great mass of false apostles and prophets shown to be members of the evil authority those that reject the word of there was a Christ who was going to before the day turned before the night cometh on this day the great mass of defeated enemies would send frantic messages to try and get everyone to join up and to close their eyes to the warning of eternity's loss.

The sea had been turned into a hell's mitten for the doomed and damned of these men false professors. And the multitude was manifest in its infidelity and in its reprobation against the truth. The enemies of the damned caused the river to become the pet of a masterly prison and instead of securing a refuge for the cities it became an out place where men were destroyed.

Of that black silenced the trumpets that blew for a victory that could not be truthful or Christ-like or godly. It is wonderful to think of it. These cities that had a history had now no history had for a time accepted the truth taught to them by the old man Abraham.

But where is that truth now? It is rejected and made spool of. The great men of death have melted away. The leader of the enemies have come forth to take over the leadership. The chance of victory had slipped away forever.

Sodom would be a dirty place. Gomorrah would be a dirty place. And nothing could change what had been willfully made by wicked man. The almighty general who was in charge of the army of the city he thought he saw what was something for benefit and not for doom.

But the walls of the rivers were wars not to keep the falling dirt out but to close it in. And these cities became real vile offshoots of hell itself. And those that ran religion in those cities feel God, feel the truth and feel all that came through.

But you know as we look at that we need to take another look and that is about the evil doing of those that were supposed to be serving God but in reality lot was against godly Abraham. Tuned up eventually with those who broke God's.

If ever there had been a false friend to Abraham and not only so but at the end of the day lot turned out to be a traitor and he himself chose the way of evil and adultery in religious living. He was supposed to establish the truth to turn his back those that were indeed idolaters.

But instead when he was thrusted into Sodom he gave himself the opportunity to try and convert population of Sodom and Gomorrah not by having them converted to truth but to have them follow the lie and go after what was a false religion.

What a position. The nephew of Abraham is not he is an offender in the faith. He is turned away. He not only had an enjoyable life when he was with the Lord's servant he had an opportunity to defend the truth and the truth would make him free.

But instead of that he accepted the work of a judge and he was a judge that was there to give false judgment to sell out the truth of Abraham to the abomination of desolation of the blasphemy taught as religion in Sodom.

Abraham’s Separation and Refusal to Compromise

Abraham would have none of it. Thank God he was faithful. Thank God he was truthful. Thank God he would not bow the knee to me. But he had to pay. I'm sure as he sat in his tent and thought about the atmosphere outside all his family had gone down the road and this nephew of his that he depended so much on had become a traitor and had sold himself out.

And Sodom and Gomorrah instead of remaining firm in the truth decided to evil and the two daughters that were still with Abraham they had turned over to the filth of Babylonians. What a situation. You know as I read this story I say I must not in any way weaken the stand.

You see here comes along the devil and the spokesman he has is no longer anyone else but this man Lot. And he said I have a gospel he says it is an ancient gospel it is a plausible gospel. Here was a liar covering over the truth the truth that makes free.

And then he turns on the people and he said what does my gospel do? He says there's one thing it comforts the wicked. He said all these men on the streets and the highways and by them they are comforted by my gospel who deserve to be comforted.

And then he said there's something more I encourage them even though they have sinned and go on sinning I'm encouraging them it's better to have people to encourage than to damn them with the way of encouraging.

And then he says my message is hinder men. Who did they hinder? Nobody. Three people came out there was Lot and there's two. They were cursed with the curse of sin. They separated from God they carried out shameful nakedness they went for a religion that was irremovable where 45 reasons should be remembered and those 45 reasons are the reasons had to accept in the judgment day and of course the man that did the work what a vain compromise there was and into it this man was leading them that came to be in the proper line of success.

He was a traitor and a traitor to Christ and a traitor to all that his uncle stood for. And as we read down this portion what do we find? We find that this was a way to damn them. And oh what a sad day there is the two women when the man who had left Babylon to go with his uncle Abraham and forsook Abraham and went falling out what was the end of it?

A Warning to Modern Churches That Have Abandoned the Gospel

A whole generation was torn asunder sinned what a difference it would have been full or gospel a man who wouldn't compromise and could not be found and even Abraham did not go there one a place of peace but he would not the uncle out over we see a clear picture of modern Gomorrah and of the cities churches are destroyed evangelists have no message because they've given up the gospel.

The bible is not taught and many pulpits are echoes of the devil's view on them. They're not preaching Christ. They're preaching devilry. So as we look out over the world tonight we can say thank God Christ is still on the throne.

We can say thank God the father is still on. Thank God the Holy Spirit still rules in the hearts of bloodthirsty people. And what shall we do? We will open our mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.

We will stand up for Jesus as soldiers. We will take the bible and we will preach it without fear or fear. And we will seek the Lord when he may be found. I hear this is no time for standing back holding up our hands saying goodbye.

Returning to the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and Prayer

Thank God Christ is on the throne. Thank God the father rules. Thank God the Holy Spirit is in the hearts of his people. Thank God there is power wonder working power. Oh what peace. Oh what needless pains we do not come to our knees.

Back to the upper room back to holy ghost religion. Back to a bible that has no errors but is true. From Genesis to back to our savior to old. And if you today have been touched then go to your room shout to them just whisper coming all to thee.

Wash me cleanse me and God will do it. Christ will stamp it. Amen.