So what will be the cause for the falling away event to occur in the church? Our Lord answers that question for us in the same passage we read earlier, for He tells us that there is coming a time when the saints will be delivered up to tribulation, and to be killed, and they will be hated by all nations for His name's sake. In other words, our Lord is telling us that it is because of persecution that many will become offended, i.e. they will fall away. Saints that are not grounded in the truth of God’s word, and have been listening to a superficial gospel message, will very quickly become offended when they find themselves being persecuted for the sake of the gospel. For example, there is a false teaching in some parts of the church today that teaches that the church will rise up to take control of the world, and then deliver the world to the Lord when He returns. You can readily see how the Christians that believe that lie, will become offended when the exact opposite happens, i.e. they are given over to persecution by the world rather than ruling over it. Another example of a false teaching that will contribute to the falling away is the teaching that the church will be “raptured” before the great tribulation takes place in the earth. Again, you can readily see that those who have been taught that they would be raptured before that event will become offended when they find themselves being subjected to that event.
Michael E.B. Maher
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