Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction (2 Thes 2:3).

In the King James, the Greek word translated “rebellion” above is rendered “falling away.” The actual Greek word is “apostasia”  from which we get the English word “apostasy”.  This word is most often used to describe the departure from one’s religion.  It’s when someone says they believed in a particular religion in the past, but later left that religion, and said they either no longer, or never did, believe in it.

Because Paul said this apostasy would precede both the Day of the Lord and the public introduction of the anti-Christ, many students of prophecy are trying to determine whether Paul’s prophecy has been or is being fulfilled.

In reality it’s not as simple as it seems for two reasons.  One is that the apostates of today still see  themselves as believers in Christ, and don’t feel they’ve left the religion.  The other is that the apostasy has been going on a lot longer than most people realize.

You Must Be Born Again
For example, the Bible says we must be born again in order to see the kingdom of  God (John 3:3).  I know the phrase “born again” carries negative connotations in some “Christian” circles, so let’s define what it means.

John 1:12-13 says that to those who received the Lord and believed in His name He gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

In John 3:5-6 Jesus equated being born again with being born of water and of the Spirit.  Since we all spend the first nine months of our existence in a sac of amniotic fluid that is very similar in composition to sea water,  we are all born of water. This is what John had called being born of natural descent or of human decision or a husband’s will in John 1:12-13.

Being born of the Spirit takes place when we believe we are a sinner in need of a Savior and that Jesus came to Earth to die for our sins.  Paul said at that moment we are marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (Ephes. 1:13-14). In God’s view we immediately become a new creation that replaces the old one (2 Cor. 5:17) and receive the full rights of a child of God (Galatians 4:4-7). This is what being born again means.

For most of its 2,000 year history the great majority of Christians have believed this basic tenant of our faith, but sadly that is no longer the case. According to a recent poll by the Barna Group in the US only about half of those who claim to be Christians also identify themselves as being born again.

It’s hard to say when this apostasy began because it’s been happening gradually, but it can probably be traced to the decision by the formerly great main line denominations to replace being born again with membership in a local congregation as the condition for receiving salvation.  This happened after theological liberalism began invading American seminaries in the early 20th Century. The deity of Jesus, the inspiration of Scripture, the existence of Hell, the Lord’s claim to being the only way to salvation and other traditional Christian beliefs were also called into question. The late Dr. Walter Martin said this is how theological liberalism eventually became a cult.

Because of that we have a couple of generations of good people who attend church regularly and call themselves Christians but don’t meet the requirement of John 3:3 to have eternal life.  They can’t really be called apostates because they never left the faith they came into.  It’s the denomination they belong to that has become apostate.

The true believers among them eventually left the now liberal denominations in search of a church that still believes what the Bible teaches. But they weren’t falling away from the faith, they were falling toward it.  The “Jesus movement” of the 1970’s was probably the most concentrated exodus from the denominations.  Most of the ones who stayed where they were had always been Christians in name only and were happy where they were.

On the other side of the coin we have the Evangelical churches, many of which are non-denominational .  They’re the ones the true believers came to after leaving their apostate denominations. Over the years they’ve attracted more people and even though they have consistently taught about sin and salvation, and the need to be born again,  some responded and some didn’t.

The ones who didn’t got tired of hearing the salvation message and began drifting away to the emerging churches where sin and salvation aren’t talked about so much and attending church was more exciting to them.  When they got there they joined up with the children of the remaining Christians in name only from the denominations, who had left because they didn’t think the religion of their parents was relevant. (at least they were right about that.)

The emerging  church movement talks about the need to be followers of Christ, not just believers, and places great emphasis on the so-called social gospel.  Their leaders tap into the youthful energy of their followers with endless ministry programs that keep the membership busy and fulfilled. The fact that many of their “Christ followers” aren’t saved doesn’t seem to trouble them.

That brings us back to the definition of apostasy.  Remember, apostasy is when someone says they believed in a particular religion in the past, but later left that religion, and said they either no longer, or never did, believe in it.

The operative phrase is “never did.” Now don’t misunderstand me here.  I’m making general observations about these groups. I know there are born again believers among the population of denominational Christians and there are born again believers among those who attend emerging churches.

But for the most part, when the denominations went apostate the pastors and members who stayed never did believe in the need to be born again. It was the true believers who left.

The opposite was the case with the evangelical churches.  Most of those who left to join the emerging church never did believe in the need to be born again either. It was the true believers who stayed.

ut the end result was the same, whether they stayed as in the first case, or left as in the second, they weren’t falling away from their faith, because it was a faith they had never embraced. Remember, Paul quoted the Holy Spirit in saying  that in later times some would abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons (1 Tim. 4:1)  He didn’t say “their faith” which would have implied it was something they personally held, but the faith, meaning the faith held in common by born again believers.

And in 2 Timothy 3:5 he said these people will have a form of godliness but will deny its power. This describes the Christians in name only, since no born again believer can deny the power of God in their lives.

How Do You Know These Things?
How can we be sure that true believers are not abandoning their faith? First, we’ll look at a couple of overview statements. In John 5:42 Jesus said,

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned but has crossed over from death to life.”

Notice He didn’t say will have eternal life, but has eternal life.  Whoever hears the word of the Lord and believes in what He did for us already has eternal life.  In John  6:37-40 He said,

“All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

Put into the shepherd/sheep analogy, if we ask to join the Father’s flock, He will entrust us to the care of His son, the Good Shepherd, who has promised not to drive any of us away or lose any of us. That means even if we wander off, as sheep are prone to do, He will go after us and bring us back (Luke 15:3-4).

Finally, in John 10:27-30 Jesus said no one could snatch us out of either His or His Father’s hand. (It doesn’t say no one but us.) Everyone who joins the Father’s flock is part of that flock forevermore.  Paul explained how this happens.

Remember, in Ephesians 1:13-14 he said we were included in Christ when we heard the gospel of our salvation and believed it.  At that time we received the seal of the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.  There’s not a word anywhere in the New Testament about the seal being broken, or the deposit being returned, or the inheritance being canceled, and here’s why.

In 1 Cor 6:19-20 he said we are not our own but have been bought with a price.

In 2 Cor. 1:21-22 he said it’s God who makes us stand firm in Christ.  He anointed us,  set His seal of ownership on us and put His spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  So it’s God who bought us, and the price He paid was the blood of His Son (1 Peter 1:18). The Creator of the Universe has made us His own and the decision is irreversible.

God is not a man that He should lie, or the son of a man that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19)

“I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you.You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.  Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver out of my hand.  When I act, who can reverse it?” (Isaiah 43:12-14)

As the tide of public opinion turns against the acceptability of being a Christian, two things are happening.  Those who are truly born again are moving closer to God and to each other, and those who are Christian in name only are embracing the ways of the world and completing their move away from  the faith they never embraced.  This is the Great Apostasy.

Nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea(Luke 21:25).

They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Rev. 6:16-17).

I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed (Rev. 15:1).

For 20 centuries various forms of the phrase “Wrath of God” brought one image to mind and that was the period of end times judgments that immediately precede the 2nd Coming. But lately it has begun to mean different things to different people. At the same time phrases like the Wrath of the Lamb, the Wrath of Man, and the Wrath of Satan have also crept into the discussion. In addition, some have begun speaking of a period of judgment they call the Wrath of God which is not mentioned in the Bible. They say it comes right after the 2nd Coming. Others have even said the Wrath of God refers to the eternal punishment that follows the Millennium.

So What Is The Wrath Of God?

From the Revelation quotes above we can see that it’s a period of judgment that begins during the seal judgments of Rev. 6 and ends with the bowl judgments of Rev. 16-18. When some form of this phrase appears in the New Testament it’s almost always in reference to the end time judgments.

If that’s the case what are these other so-called periods of wrath we hear about?

The Wrath of the Lamb comes from Rev. 6:16. The very next verse, Rev. 6:17,tells us it’s also God’s Wrath which makes sense because in John 10:30 Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”

The Wrath of Man is a phrase that doesn’t appear in the Bible, but some commentators have used it to describe what has traditionally been called the first four Seal Judgments of Rev. 6, also known as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Again, this is part of God’s wrath. The four horsemen symbolize the initial appearance of the anti-Christ and his efforts to gain control of the world through conquest (Rev. 6:2).

The Wrath of Satan comes from the King James version of Rev. 12:12 where Satan is described as having great wrath because he’s been kicked out of heaven and knows he has only a short period of time to accomplish his goal of conquering Earth. His expulsion from heaven will happen at the beginning of the Great Tribulation, shortly before the Bowl judgments that complete God’s Wrath are unleashed against him and his followers. So you see, Satan is not the author of this final series of judgments but is their target. The Greek word used of Satan’s wrath is “thymos” and while it sometimes refers to God’s wrath as well, “orge” is the word most frequently used in connection with God’s Wrath. The difference between the two words as they’re used here is that God’s wrath is the origin of judgment while Satan’s wrath is the reaction to judgment.

The judgments that immediately follow the 2nd coming are described in Matt. 24:45-25:46. They will determine who among the survivors of the Great Tribulation will be welcomed into the Millennial Kingdom on Earth. All unbelieving survivors will be taken off the planet at that time. The 2nd Coming, the judgments of Matt. 24-25and preparations for the Kingdom Age will be completed in the first 75 days from the end of the Great Tribulation (Daniel 12:12) which are never referred to as the time of God’s Wrath.

The same is true of the Great White Throne judgment ofRev. 20:11-15. At the end of the Millennium the unbelieving dead from all ages will be gathered for their final judgment. Anyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire for eternal punishment. The Lake of Fire is never referred to as God’s Wrath.

From these and other passages we can safely conclude that New Testament references to God’s Wrath overwhelmingly describe a specific period of judgment upon the post rapture world, beginning early in Daniel’s 70th Week and ending just before the 2nd Coming. His Wrath consists of three named sets of judgments and and possibly an additional one that’s unnamed.

Three Sets Of Judgments

The first set of named judgments is called the Seal judgments because they occur as Jesus opens seven seals on a scroll the Father will hand Him. They’re described in Rev. 6 as a period of time beginning with the perception that peace has come to Earth and ending with the realization that God’s Wrath has begun. In writing about this time Paul said, “When people are saying ‘peace and safety’ destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thes. 5:3). The first six Seal Judgments will bring war, famine, plague and death to 1/4th of the world along with massive martyring of post rapture believers.

The seventh Seal is not a judgment in and of itself but introduces the second named series, called the Trumpet Judgments (Rev. 8:4-9:21). As seven angels blow their trumpets in turn, the sound of each trumpet will introduce another judgment. This series of judgments will combine natural with supernatural attacks upon humanity and by the time they’re finished a third of the earth’s forests and fields will be ablaze, a third of the sea creatures will have died, a third of Earth’s water supply will have been contaminated, and a third of the people who survived the seal judgments will have died.

After the sixth Trumpet judgment an unnamed event will be visited upon the Earth. At a signal from a mighty angel seven thunders will speak, and although John was forbidden from telling us what they will say, scholars speculate that it might be an unannounced judgment of some kind (Rev. 10:1-4).

The blowing of the 7th Trumpet will announce the commencement of the Lord’s reign over Planet Earth (Rev. 11:15-18). War in Heaven will result in the permanent expulsion of Satan and his angels (Rev. 12:7-12). Having been confined to Earth, Satan will indwell his man, the anti-Christ, and will cause him to announce from the Temple in Israel that he is God (2 Thes. 2:4). Jesus said this will kick off the Great Tribulation, the worst disaster the world ever has or ever will suffer. He warned the Jewish people who will be living in Israel at the time to immediately flee for their lives (Matt. 24:15-21).

This will take place in the middle of Daniel’s 70th Week and at this point the full force of God’s wrath will be loosed upon Satan and his followers in the final series of judgments (Rev. 16-18). They’re called the Bowl judgments because they’re symbolized by angels pouring out seven bowls of God’s Wrath upon the Earth. The power of these judgments and the devastation they cause is beyond description. Jesus was correct in saying that if He didn’t stop them at the appointed time, not a single human being would survive (Matt. 24:22).

I believe one effect of these judgments will be to complete the demolition phase of the Earth’s restoration, which Jesus spoke of in Matt. 19:28, Peter confirmed inActs 3:21 and John described in Rev. 21:1. For exampleRevelation 16:16-21 speaks of the worst earthquake the world has ever experienced causing every mountain to fall down, islands to disappear, and the cities of the nations to be destroyed, while 100 lb. hailstones bombard the Earth. Believe me when I say you wouldn’t wish this on your worst enemy.

Much of the world’s remaining population will die during this time, but because of it the Earth will be ready for restoration to the condition it was in when Adam was created. This will happen at the time of the 2nd Coming (Acts 3:21).

What About Us?

Paul made it clear that the Church will not be present on Earth during any of this time of judgment. In 1 Thes. 1:10 he wrote that Jesus will rescue us from the coming wrath. (The Greek word translated from in this verse refers to both the time and place of the coming wrath, so we won’t be present when it happens and we won’t be present where it happens.)  He will do this because God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes. 5:9).

If you believe you’re a sinner, but that God sent His Son to die for your sins, and if you’ve accepted His death as having paid their full penalty, then you won’t have to face any of these judgments. One day soon, you’ll disappear with the rest of us and will be in Heaven with the Lord while all this is happening on Earth.

You’ll see that your decision to believe in what the Lord did for you was the defining moment of your life and you will understand that it made you into one of the world’s ultimate winners. You’ll realize this is what God always intended for you to do and you’ll know why the Heavenly Host is erupting into joyous celebration as you come into the presence of the Lord.