The Departure: From the Faith
Written by: C. Gray Adams
February 3rd, 2023
***There is a special message at the end of this article***
The title, “The Departure: From the Faith,” is descriptive of two closely related, or co-dependent, fallacies that have plagued the body of Christ for some time. The first is the false notion that the falling away of 2nd Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 3, is the rapture rather than a rebellion against God. The second misguided belief is Once Saved Always Saved, otherwise referred to as Eternal Security.
The first fallacy has been dealt with extensively in the articles, “The Fall So Great – That Only Eight – Entered the Ark,”[1] and, “The Falling Away.”[2] The second has also received a thorough examination in the article, “Once Saved – Always Saved?.”[3] Therefore, this article will deal primarily with the reasons why these false perceptions are, in fact, codependent and why OSAS and/or Eternal Security fall into the category of the “Not Yet.”[4] Reading these articles, before proceeding, will prove very helpful in the endeavor at hand.
Codependent Fallacies
Some have used Greek word studies to depict the apostasia of 2nd Thessalonians 2:3, as the departure (rapture). They derive this understanding by combining the help’s terms apó, “away from” and histémi, “stand.” Thus, they say the term usually translated as ‘rebellion’ or ‘falling away’ is the departure of the church at the rapture. At first glance, one could come to this conclusion. However, the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say, is this: departure is properly understood to imply desertion or apostasy, which is better understood as, “a leaving, from a previous standing.”[5]
This indicates that mankind which formerly had some degree of belief that there was a God, will become completely bereft of belief in God by the time the rapture takes place. Sadly, this also means that the falling away from the faith is just that, a ‘falling away’ from the faith, which means only the faithful will be raptured.[6] Surely this word is challenging. However, rather than causing consternation, it should be a call to determine what the audience of Peter’s first sermon called out for, the answer to the question: what must we do…to be saved (Acts 2:37-41)?
Over the last several months I have become aware that some very informed teachers, whom I have great respect for, have adopted the notion that the departure spoken of here is the rapture. At the same time, I also became aware that some of these same teachers have adopted the notion that once someone is saved they are always saved, no matter what. This is when it began to dawn on me that these two fallacies are codependent. You see, if one cannot lose their salvation, the departure cannot be a falling away from the faith. Likewise, if the departure cannot be a falling away from the faith, it must be the rapture.
Sadly, both of these beliefs are based on error and the result is: those who believe, either of these falsehoods, are woefully unprepared for the circumstances which are already coming upon the body of Christ. Indeed, the falling away is well underway as is demonstrated by the depravity which now pervades the church, so-called.
Warning
Take the following warning to heart, please: you have not seen anything yet. This situation will continue to grow darker by the moment, as the man of sin is revealed. As noted in the articles listed above, the term for man in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3 is transliterated to anthrópos which can mean: man, human, or mankind. I will include these word study notes for clarity:
anthrópos
“444 ánthrōpos – man, also the generic term for “mankind“; the human race; people, including women and men (Mt 4:19, 12:12, etc.).
444 (anthrōpos) relates to both genders (male and female) as both are created in the image of God – each equally vested with individual personhood and destiny (cf. Gal 3:28). Accordingly, the Bible uses 444 (ánthrōpos) of a specific man, woman, or class (type, group) of people – i.e. mankind in general (inclusive of every man, woman and child; see also 1 Cor 11:7). (435 /anḗr specifically refers to a male and 1135 /gynḗ to a female.)
[444 /ánthrōpos (“man”) answers to the Hebrew term, ̓adam – and 435 (anḗr) answers to the Hebrew term ̓ish.
“K. Wuest, “There are two words in Greek which mean ‘man,’ anēr, which refers to a male individual of the human race, and anthrōpos, which is the racial, generic term, and which has the general idea of ‘mankind‘ ” (3, Great Truths to Live By, 46).]”[7] (emphasis mine)
This means the narrative of 2nd Thessalonians chapter two is describing the nature of mankind at the end of the age of grace, just before the rapture. This is clear in the message of Paul in which he, first and foremost, warns against deception about the fact that this falling away, and the revelation of the man-(kind) of sin (lawlessness) ‘must come before’ the day of Christ, which begins at the rapture and is followed by the Tribulation.
Be Not Deceived
Paul under the unction of the Holy Spirit warned against deception in regard to this passage of Scripture. Take a look at his words:
2 Thessalonians 2:3
“Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;”[8] (emphasis mine) [the falling away and revelation must occur first]
Truly, the enemy, through deception, has attempted to twist this passage to mean anything other than the simple truth that it presents. The church will see, as we already are, the greatest falling away from the faith since the time of Noah as the man-kind of sin is revealed.
Sadly, others have even attempted to use this same passage as proof that the church must go through at least the first half of the Tribulation, which is yet another attempt to deceive the faithful. Thankfully, this is not true because the church is promised to be kept from the wrath of God (1 Thess 5:9; Rev 3:10), which begins at the very onset of the Day of the Lord. By the way, the rapture is clearly depicted in verse seven of 2nd Thessalonians chapter two:
2 Thessalonians 2:7
“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.” [The Holy Spirit, in His work as the restrainer, that inhabits the church which is scattered like salt and light – which deters putrification, will be removed before the wicked are revealed (uncovered, or brought to light)] [Therefore, the removal of the church will fully uncover (pull the covers off of) the wicked whose numbers continue to swell]
Now that we have established that these two fallacies are co-dependent and that these faulty beliefs have come about because of deception. Let us turn our attention toward the very important final part of this endeavor, by examining the fact that Eternal Security is not achievable in the ‘not yet.’
Why Eternal Security is Impossible in the Not Yet
The article, “Not Yet,” deals with the fact that many of the promises that some in the church are claiming, for now, are actually only realized after the ‘not yet.’ Therefore, things such as divine health; freedom from pain and sorrow; and eternal security cannot be experienced in the ‘not yet’ because man has not been glorified yet. Indeed, we will exist in the ‘not yet’ until the rapture when each believer, dead or alive, is forever changed to be with the Lord. So then, how are we saved?
Paul clearly presents the manner and means of our Salvation:
Ephesians 2:8-10
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
With this in mind, we can surmise the following:
- We are saved by grace… The Father sent Jesus to live, die for our sins, and live again, forevermore. God did this, even though we did not deserve it.
- Through faith… Our part is to simply believe that this, the greatest of sacrifices, was accomplished and Christ will one day return for His bride to take her to the place He has prepared in the Father’s house. This faith is the process of continued believing.
- Not by works… The need for continual faith is often confused with works. However, works are things men do. Faith, in this instance, is believing in what God did. Said another way, saving faith is the continuous belief in the finished works of Jesus.
- Without grace… man was separated from God, without remedy.
- Without continual faith… men can and do, depart from the faith.
This article is not undertaking the task of proving or disproving OSAS. As this topic was dealt with in the aforementioned article, “Once Saved – Always Saved?.” Instead, the focus of this portion of this article is: when does eternal security begin? I humbly submit it begins after the “Not Yet.” If you have not read these two articles, please do so now. They shed a great deal of light on the subject at hand.
The main reason eternal security is ‘not yet’ is the fact that neither the dead in Christ nor the living faithful remnant are born again in the complete sense. Yes, we refer to our moment of salvation as being ‘born again,’ and we are in the inner spiritual man. However, none of the saved will be truly born again, into something new (from natural to spiritual, 1 Cor 15:44), until the rapture. This is the moment ‘Eternal Security’ begins. Until this moment we must deny our own will, take up our cross daily, and continue to follow Jesus (Matt 16:24; Luke 9:23), until our last breath.
This was demonstrated by Paul who, at the end of his life, pronounced the fact that he had fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith (2 Tim 4:7). Paul, clearly knew that a Christian must live in a continued state of faithfulness. Perhaps this is because he knew, all too well, that his enemy would forever attempt to thwart his attempt to remain faithful.
We must also remember that we have an enemy that prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet 5:8). Perhaps we need a bit more light here:
1 Peter 5:8-11
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour [Peter is speaking to Christians here]: Whom resist stedfast in the faith [continue in the faith], knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while [this suffering will finally be cut off via the grave or rapture], make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you [This perfection will take place at the rapture]. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (emphasis mine) [author’s comments]
To drive home this point, think about this: The raptured believer is vulnerable to the roaring lion of 1st Peter 5:8, until the moment of being caught up and changed. This is the moment that the ‘not yet’ ends and the child of God is finally safe in the hand of God (John 10:28). Thus, the believer must live a life of continual belief, literally until the very last breath, whether that comes at death or the rapture.
With all of this in mind, we can know for certain that: Jesus did His part – He lived a sinless life, died for the sins of man, rose again on the third day, and later ascended to the right hand of the Father; We now do our part – we continue to believe this about Jesus until our last breath; God will, at the rapture, do His part – and whisk us away to safety.
For clarity about this last point, we must remember that sin is unable to approach God without the sinful being destroyed. This is why the rapture, which brings about the change from corruptibility to incorruptibility (1 Cor 15:53), must happen before we can be in His presence. This adds a bit more understanding as to why the Christian is still in the ‘not yet’ in which corruption is still possible.
This is not to say that we are unable to enter into the presence of God in a spiritual sense as this was made possible through the finished works of Jesus. However, our still corruptible bodies cannot come into His presence. This explains why Paul said, to be absent from the body is to be present with Christ (2 Cor 5:8), which is the condition of all of the faithful who have gone before us. Their bodies are still here on earth, but their spirits are in heaven with God. We know this because Jesus brings their spirits with Him in order to reunite their spirits with their bodies which will be changed just like the bodies of those who are alive when He returns for His bride (1 Thess 4:14-17).
This article is already necessarily lengthy. However, it would not be complete without one further brief discussion: Jesus told Nicodemus, in John chapter three, that he could not enter into the kingdom of God without being born again or as some translations render it, ‘born from above.’ In either case, this is indicative of the topic at hand. Man must be born again in order to enter the kingdom of God. At present, we only enter the kingdom of God in a spiritual sense and that access is through Jesus. At the rapture, we will undergo this second birth Jesus told Nicodemus about. Therefore, Jesus and Nicodemus were speaking of two births. The first was the natural birth from the watery womb into a wicked world. The second and last birth will be from this fallen world into the blessed kingdom of our dear God.
At this point… Please read the entirety of 1st Corinthians chapter 15.
Conclusion
A tremendous amount of territory has been covered in this exploration of perhaps one of the most critical topics of our day, ‘The Departure… From the Faith.’ The reason this is so important is we have been given a tremendous warning about what the condition of man-kind would be in the last hours of the age of grace, and the enemy has attempted to diminish its importance through deception to steal away as many as he can before the rapture. Oh make no mistake, he knows the rapture is imminent, just like we do. Therefore, he is very busy doing what he does best, he is deceiving all who can be.
The best way to combat the deception that now fills the land like a heavy fog is to keep our eyes on the place from where our redemption draws nigh. Therefore, let us continue to cast a lifeline to the lost through preaching the gospel while maintaining a ready gaze toward heaven. After all, will He find us watching and ready when He returns (Mark 13:35; Luke 12:35-38)?[9]
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith [putting on implies this is something the believer must do, and this must be a continual process] and love; and for an helmet, the hope [expectation – looking forward to consummation at the rapture] of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” (emphasis mine)
Special message… It is unlikely that this article nor the three articles noted in the first paragraph will be published by any of the major outlets due to the fact that most of them disagree on the topic of OSAS/Eternal Security. Therefore, if you have benefited from this study, please share it… as far and wide as you can. Many souls are at stake, for the enemy is prowling, and we know he comes to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). In fact, understanding and reacting to this right away is paramount because it is clear that the current church is predominately of the Laodicean nature. We also know that Jesus will spew the lukewarm out of His mouth. Therefore, encourage everyone you know with the message to overcome, by faith, until the last breath, as only the overcomers enter heaven (Rev 2&3)…
Last note… To those who persist in the erroneous belief that none can depart (fall away) from the faith, here are the words of the Apostle Paul as he describes our day:
1 Timothy 4:1
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith [One has to be part of something to depart from it], giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” (emphasis mine) [author’s note]
Website: In His Commission
[1] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Fall So Great – That Only Eight – Entered the Ark.”
[2] For greater understanding, see the article, “The Falling Away.”
[3] For greater understanding, see the article, “Once Saved – Always Saved.”
[4] For greater understanding, see the article, “Not Yet.”
[5] Strong’s Concordance 646, apostasia, Bible Hub.
[6] For greater understanding, see the article, “Only the Ready are Raptured.”
[7] Strong’s Concordance 444, anthrópos, Bible Hub.
[8] “Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the King James Version.”
[9] For more information, visit, “Ready Remnant.”