Who really fit this description of Apostasy?
*** w80 8/1 17-22 Remain "Solid in the Faith" ***
Remain “Solid in the Faith”
“The inspired utterance says definitely that in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith.”—1 Tim. 4:1
ARE you profoundly shocked and unduly disturbed when you see or hear of a Christian you know yielding to doubts, cooling off and perhaps even becoming rebellious to the point of deserting the Christian congregation and trying to draw others away with him? If so, you may be comforted in knowing that, sad as such occurrences may be, the Scriptures forewarn us that they will happen.
The word “apostasy” comes from a Greek term that means “a standing away from,” “a falling away, defection,” “rebellion, abandonment.” d walked by obeying the commandments of Jehovah.”—Judg. 2:17.
If we analyze these warnings given by Jesus and Paul, the following identifying features of typical apostates emerge:
(1) Deviation from the truth
(2) Twisted, empty speech
(3) Efforts to subvert the faith of some and draw away disciples after themselves
(4) Hypocrisy (‘wolves in sheep’s covering’)
(5) Recognizable by their fruits; they ‘advance to more and more ungodliness’
Such telltale signs were meant to enable the early Christians quickly to identify apostates and to ‘be on guard against them.’
But other scriptures make it clear that even during “the last days” of the present system of things, cases of apostasy would occur within the true Christian congregation. The apostle Peter wrote:
“In the last days there will come ridiculers with their ridicule, proceeding according to their own desires and saying: ‘Where is this promised presence of his?’ . . . You, therefore, beloved ones, having this advance knowledge, be on your guard that you may not be led away with them by the error of the law-defying people and fall from your own steadfastness.”—2 Pet. 3:3, 4, 17.
Peter was not merely warning his brothers against “ridiculers” and “law-defying people” in the world. Christians have always been well aware of danger from that quarter. Peter was also speaking of the danger of being “led away” by some within the Christian congregation who would become “ridiculers,” making light of the fulfillment of prophecies concerning Christ’s “presence” and adopting a law-defying attitude toward “the faithful and discreet slave,” the Governing Body of the Christian congregation and the appointed elders.
NT the doubter sins against God and his promises, because he judges God falsely.”
Thus the one who doubts to the point of becoming an apostate sets himself up as a judge. He thinks he knows better than his fellow Christians, better also than the “faithful and discreet slave,” through whom he has learned the best part, if not all that he knows about Jehovah God and his purposes. He develops a spirit of independence, and becomes “proud in heart . . . something detestable to Jehovah.” (Prov. 16:5) Some apostates even think they know better than God, as regards his ordering of events in the outworking of his purposes. Two other causes of apostasy are therefore ingratitude and presumption.—2 Pet. 2:10b-13a.
As to the effects of a course of apostasy, one immediate result is a loss of joy. The apostate becomes hardened in his rebellious ways. Another is he fails to take in the spiritual food provided by “the faithful and discreet slave”—this leading to spiritual weakness and breakdown of spirit. Contrasting the happiness of his loyal servants with the sad condition of apostates, Jehovah stated prophetically:
After having yielded to such works of the flesh as “enmities, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, contentions, divisions, sects,” apostates often fall victim to other fleshly works such as “drunken bouts,” “loose conduct” and “fornication.” (Gal. 5:19-21) Peter warns us against those who “look down on lordship” by despising theocratic order, who “speak abusively” of those entrusted with responsibility within the Christian congregation, and so ‘abandon the straight path.’ He says that their “final conditions have become worse for them than the first.”—Read carefully 2 Peter, chapter 2.
To avoid falling away from the faith, we also need to guard against ingratitude. We should be thankful for the abundant spiritual food we are receiving through the “faithful and discreet slave.” (Matt. 24:45) This does not mean that we should not convince ourselves of things as we go along. In this respect, a twofold lesson can be learned from the Beroean Jews. To be sure, they ‘carefully examined the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so,’ but they were also “noble-minded” because “they received the word [being preached to them by Paul and Silas] with the greatest eagerness of mind.”—Acts 17:11.
CAUSES
Lack of faith
Spirit of independence
Ingratitude
Presumption
EFFECTS
Loss of joy
Rebelliousness
Lack of spiritual nourishment
Works of the flesh
“Save them by snatching them out of the fire”
I read Russells will and the ones that he entrusted to carry out his wishes did not do so. The ones that tried to, were removed politically. I have been reading The finished Mystery book that Kent so kindly made available to us on the WT Observer, and I can see that the “Truth” that Russell preached is an entire different “Truth” that is being preached now. Russell started the WTS and he considered himself “The Faithful and Discreet Slave”. Rutherford agreed to that stated fact. Russell started it, Rutherford made “his” changes and continued it, and the successors deleted both of them. So now, who are the real Apostates.
Pureheart