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ALONE
WITH GOD
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Spiritual Answers and Reasons
for Faith |
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It
Came Early in the Christian Era
"The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a
little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy
sanctuary." Isa. 63:18. The "little while"
in which God's people were to possess true holiness was
the early morning of the Christian era. Had the church
always retained holiness, there would never have been an
apostasy. But by descending from this lofty plane she
opened the way for every species of false doctrine and
error. The result was that tile enemies of truth trod down
the sanctuary— the church. "Beloved, believe not
every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:
because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
" 1 John 4: 1. " For many deceivers are entered
into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. "
2 John 7. " Little children, it is the last time: and
as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are
there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the
last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us;
for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have
continued with us: but they went out, that they might be
made manifest that they were not all of us." 1 John
2:18, 19. "For the mystery of iniquity doth already
work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken
out of the way." 2 Thess 2: 7.
From these texts we clearly learn
that the way was paved for the reign of Antichrist at a
very early date. In A. D. 54 "the mystery of
iniquity" was at work. In A. D. 90 John testified
that already many Antichrists were working that many false
teachers had entered the world, and that some had gone out
from among them; namely, separated from the established
church and gone off into heresy. It is very clear that at
a very early date true holiness was lost sight of and that
the way was being laid for a dark reign of sin and
corruption. Many heresies arose one after another, and
finally these grew into an awful beast power—the
papacy.
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